OBJECTIVE This cross-sectional study was carried out to assess the influence of Ramadan fasting on amniotic fluid volume. METHODS For this purpose 2 groups of fasting (n=28) and non-fasting (n=25) pregnant women were investigated for amniotic fluid index (AFI) and deepest vertical pocket of amniotic fluid in November (Ramadan month) of 2001-2002 in Kerman Prenatal Clinics in Kerman, Iran. Mea...

Dexamethasone or prednisolone, added in vitro to bilirubin-containing amniotic fluid, produces a time-dependent decrease in the 450-nm absorbance of the pigment. Neither the chemical determination of bilirubin in amniotic fluid nor the lecithin/sphingomyelin ratio as determined by thin-layer chromatography is affected by these glucocorticoids. The effect probably is not a result of displacement...

Amniotic fluid embolism is a rare obstetric complication. The exact pathogenesis of this syndrome remains unknown and significant controversy exists whether coagulopathy should always be present. We used thromboelastography to assess the effect of amniotic fluid on coagulation and platelet function in pregnant women. Different volumes of amniotic fluid (10-60 microl) were added to blood (330 mi...

Amniotic fluid at 15-20 weeks contains high concentrations of microvillar enzymes which serve as markers for the prenatal diagnosis of cystic fibrosis. We found that these enzymes were mostly bound to amniotic fluid particulate fraction which eluted in the void volume on Sepharose 6B chromatography and precipitated in ultracentrifugation at 100,000g. Electron microscopy showed that the particul...

A mixture of eight fatty acids (linoleic, palmitic, stearic, myristic, elaidic, lauric, oleic, and palmitoleic acids) at similar concentrations identified in human amniotic fluid produces anxiolytic-like effects comparable to diazepam in Wistar rats. However, individual effects of each fatty acid remain unexplored. In Wistar rats, we evaluated the separate action of each fatty acid at the corre...

During the second and third trimesters increasing activities of the glycolytic enzyme pyruvate kinase are to be found in human amniotic fluid. At term (37 to 42 weeks), a very steep rise in amniotic fluid pyruvate kinase can be noticed, which may serve as an additional prenatal indicator of fetal maturity. The presumable main sources of the enzyme in amniotic fluid are the epithelium cells of t...

OBJECTIVES The aim of the study was to investigate ultrasound and Doppler parameters in the third trimester of pregnancy as possible predictors of adverse perinatal outcome in unselected pregnancies. MATERIAL AND METHODS We performed a retrospective cross-sectional study including unselected pregnant women be-tween 27 and 36 + 6 weeks of gestation. The following ultrasound and Doppler paramet...

OBJECTIVE To test the hypothesis that cervical shortening in polyhydramnios reflects the degree of excess amniotic fluid, and increases with normalisation of amniotic fluid volume. STUDY DESIGN Prospective cohort study of 40 women with monochorionic twins undergoing interventional procedures between 16-26 weeks. Cervical length was assessed via transvaginal sonography pre-procedure, 1 and 24 ...

Fetal growth restriction (FGR) and preeclampsia are the major causes of neonatal morbidity and mortality, which affect up to 8% of all pregnancies. The pathogenesis in FGR is an abnormal trophoblastic invasion leading to compromised uteroplacental circulation. However, in spite of this understanding and identification of high-risk patients, the management options are limited. There are some new...