Assessment of amniotic fluid index in normal pregnancy at a tertiary care hospital setting

Ultrasound assessment of amniotic fluid has important implication in obstetrics care and it has become an integral and important component of pregnancy assessment. Changes in amniotic fluid volume are associated with adverse outcome. Excess volume is associated with foetal anomalies and aneuploidy and less volume is associated with Intra Uterine Growth Retardation, renal anomalies in the second trimester. The objective of this study was to establish a normative scale of Amniotic Fluid Index [AFI] throughout gestation in uncomplicated singleton pregnancies, and to identify the lower and upper limits for each gestational week. A prospective cross-sectional study conducted in a private tertiary care Hospital from Jan 2004 to April 2005. Amniotic fluid index was calculated in 400 women with foetal anomalies, Pregnancy Induced Hypertension, Diabetes Mellitus and other maternal complication were excluded from study. The median, mean, 5[th], 50[th], and 95[th] percentile were calculated for each gestation and these values are compared with other studies. The amniotic fluid index observations from regression equation curve were stratified in week-specific normative curves. The mean of preterm was significantly greater than mean of term gestation [p<0.05]. Our median reached peak at 27[th] week of gestation another peak at 30-31 week. The values then begin a gradual fall to 40 weeks gestation. Gestational age specific values of AFI were established, showing significant trends of changes in the amniotic fluid volume with gestation

Effect of four natural sources of soluble fibres on serum cholesterol level in rats

Work carried out to investigate the effect of diets containing natural sources of soluble-fibre showed significant reduction of serum cholesterol levels in rats. The fibre sources were gum hashab [gum H], gum ta [gum T], psyllium and okra [dry] "Weika". The period of the study in the three experiments was six weeks. Three experiments were carried out on rats that consumed diets containing high fat, high fat and 0.1% cholesterol and parboiled psyllium or okra. In addition these diets contained the four natural soluble fibres under investigation. The results showed interesting variations in percentages of reduction with different fibre sources, the maximum reduction of cholesterol 84% occurring in diets containing high fat, 0.1% cholesterol and 3% psyllium at the fourth week