Leptin produced by both adipose tissue and the placental trophoblast, has been proposed to regulate numerous aspects of human conceptus development. Although recent animal studies have suggested an additional role for the polypeptide in fetal lung maturation, no evidence has been reported in primates. Therefore, we employed the baboon (Papio sp.), a well-characterized primate model for human pr...

RATIONALE Hantaviruses cause two forms of diseases in humans, namely hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) and hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. Hantavirus infections can occur in pregnant women, and could influence the maternal and fetal outcomes, although this is a rare finding, even in endemic areas. PATIENT CONCERNS In this report, we describe anunusual case involving a pregnant woman...

Oesophageal rupture in pregnancy is extremely rare. Kennard I described the post-mortem findings of a ruptured oesophagus in a 37-year-old primigravida who suddenly collapsed and died shortly after a forceps delivery. The labour had been prolonged and the patient had earlier complained of dyspnoea but no chest pain. Henry2 reported a case of spontaneous rupture of the oesophagus following sever...

We encountered a case of severe acute respiratory distress syndrome in late pregnancy due to influenza (H1N1) with refractory hypoxemia to conventional mechanical ventilation. Ventilation in prone position rescued this patient by maintaining oxygenation and sustaining improvement thereafter. Here, we discuss the mechanism of prone ventilation with special references to safety management of acut...

Evidence-Based Answer Pregnant women with a primary or recurrent episode of genital HSV infection who are later than 36 weeks of gestation should be treated with acyclovir (Zovirax) or valacyclovir (Valtrex) for viral suppression. (Strength of Recommendation [SOR]: A, based on one systematic review.) Suppressive therapy at the time of delivery can reduce the rate of recurrence, the risk of asym...

In order to investigate the hemodynarnic changes which occur during pregnancy, 40 healthy pregnant women (mean age 28 years) were studied at various stages of their gestation by Tm and two-dimensional echocardiography. All pregnancies were uncomplicated and there was one twin gestation. Of 40, 20 women were in late pregnancy (32nd to 38th weeks of pregnancy) and complained with occasional dyspn...

Objective. Hourly fetal urine production rate (HFUPR) was studied in relation to both gestational age and the onset of spontaneous labor in normal term human pregnancies. Methods. Serial volume measurements were obtained from longitudinal ultrasound images of the fetal bladder at 1-5-minute intervals, and HFUPR was subsequently calculated. A total of 178 adequate bladder-filling cycles were rec...

In this review, we focused on the intersection between steroid metabolomics, obstetrics and steroid neurophysiology to give a comprehensive insight into the role of sex hormones and neuroactive steroids (NAS) in the mechanism controlling pregnancy sustaining. The data in the literature including our studies show that there is a complex mechanism providing synthesis of either pregnancy sustainin...