Asphyxial seizures occurred in 89 of 101,829 infants born alive at term (0.87/1000) in three large maternity hospitals from January 1980 to December 1984. These seizures were significantly associated with antenatal complications, primiparity, and prolonged pregnancy. Meconium staining of the amniotic fluid was also associated with asphyxial seizures, but there were high false positive (11%) and...

The efficacy and safety of oral versus vaginal misoprostol for elective induction of labor in post date multigravida with an unfavourable cervix was compared over a period of one year in the Bahawal Victoria Hospital, Bahawalpur, Pakistan. Eightyeight multigravida post date women were divided into two groups and given 50 mg misoprostol orally and 50 mg intravaginally, respectively. The inductio...

OBJECTIVE To provide evidence-based guidelines for the management of pregnancy at 41+0 to 42+0 weeks. OUTCOMES Reduction of perinatal mortality associated with Caesarean section at 41+0 to 42+0 weeks of pregnancy. EVIDENCE The Medline database, the Cochrane Library, and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, were sea...

OBJECTIVE Corticotrophin-releasing factor (CRF) and urocortin are two placental neuropeptides that are involved in the mechanisms of labour by modulating myometrial activity. Maternal plasma levels of both CRF and urocortin are increased at term and preterm labour, whilst those of CRF are reduced in women who are destined to experience post-term delivery. The present study evaluated maternal pl...

OBJECTIVE Placental corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) affects myometrial contractility and the secretion of several uterotonins such as prostaglandins (PGs); however, the activity of CRF is counteracted by CRF-binding protein (CRF-BP). At term and pre-term labor, CRF levels in maternal plasma are highest whereas those of CRF-BP are falling, and the cause of this fall is unknown. Thus, in thi...

OBJECTIVE To determine if shoulder dystocia can be predicted in babies born weighing 3.5 kg or more. STUDY DESIGN A case-control study nested in a perinatal database of 899 mothers and their babies who weighed 3.5 kg or more. All were term pregnancies and delivered vaginally. A case was defined as any baby that encountered shoulder dystocia at delivery. Controls were deliveries over the same ...

BACKGROUND The placenta is the major source of oxidative stress in normal human pregnancy. The placental tissue is typically functional in postterm pregnancies. We hypothesized that such pregnancies experience deteriorating oxidative balance and increasing oxidative stress. In this case-control study, our aim was to investigate the oxidative status in postterm pregnancies comparing with term by...

BACKGROUND Preterm birth accounting approximate 10% of pregnancies in women is a tremendous social, clinical and economic burden. However, its underlying causes remain largely unknown. Emerging evidence suggests that endocannabinoid signaling via cannabinoid receptor CB1 play critical roles in multiple early pregnancy events in both animals and humans. Since our previous studies demonstrated th...

GOAL To analyze the appearance of neurodevelopmental disorders in children delivered post-term and to find out whether prolonged pregnancy may be a cause of such disorders in a selected group participants. PATIENTS AND METHODS This study included a cohort of 34 children born post-term suffering from neurodevelopmental disorders who were treated at the Service for psycho-physiological and spea...

Reproductive success is critical for survival of the species. The timely onset of labor and delivery is an important determinant of perinatal outcome. Preterm birth (defined as delivery before 37 weeks’ gestation) and post-term pregnancy (defined as pregnancy continuing beyond 42 weeks) are both associated with a significant increase in perinatal morbidity and mortality. The factors responsible...