The haemodynamic effects of umbilical cord milking in term infants: a randomised controlled trial

INTRODUCTION@#Umbilical cord milking (UCM) is a method that allows for postnatal placental transfusion. The benefits of UCM have been demonstrated in some studies, but knowledge about its haemodynamic effects in term infants is limited. The aim of this study was to evaluate the haemodynamic effects of UCM in term infants.@*METHODS@#In this prospective, randomised controlled study, 149 healthy term infants with a birth week of ≥37 weeks were randomly assigned to either the UCM or immediate cord clamping (ICC) group. Blinded echocardiographic evaluations were performed in all the neonates in the first 2-6 h.@*RESULTS@#Superior vena cava (SVC) flow measurements were higher in the UCM group compared to the ICC group (132.47 ± 37.0 vs. 126.62 ± 34.3 mL/kg/min), but this difference was not statistically significant. Left atrial diameter (12.23 ± 1.99 vs. 11.43 ± 1.78 mm) and left atrium-to-aorta diastolic diameter ratio (1.62 ± 0.24 vs. 1.51 ± 0.22) were significantly higher in the UCM group. There were no significant differences in other echocardiographic parameters between the two groups.@*CONCLUSION@#We found no significant difference in the SVC flow measurements in term infants who underwent UCM versus those who underwent ICC. This lack of significant difference in SVC flow may be explained by the mature cerebral autoregulation mechanism in term neonates.

Serum adiponectin level and clinical, metabolic, and hormonal markers in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome

To investigate the relationship between adiponectin, metabolic and hormonal parameters, and insulin resistance in patients with non-treated polycystic ovary syndrome. In this cross-sectional observational study, 81 patients admitted to out-patient clinic with complaints of menstrual irregularity, hirsutism and obesity were enrolled. Serum adiponectin, biochemical and hormonal parameters, and 75 gram oral glucose tolerance test [OGTT] were measured. Spearman's correlation coefficient was used for statistical analysis. We observed inverse correlations between serum adiponectin level and body mass index, homeostasis model assessment insulin-resistance score, insulin level, fasting glucose level, and prolactin level [p=0.001, p=0.02, p=0.04, p=0.02, and p=0.005, respectively]. No significant correlations were found between serum adiponectin level and age, height, weight, Ferriman-Gallwey score, 2 hours OGTT test value and free testosterone level [p=0.3, p=0.6, p=0.2, p=0.8, p=0.9, and p=0.01, respectively]. The present study demonstrated that in polycystic ovary syndrome patients, when serum adiponectin level decreased, degree of insulin resistance increased. Our findings indicate that serum adiponectin level is likely to be an adequate marker for determination of the degree of insulin resistance, and may be a predictor of diseases, such as type 2 diabetes mellitus [T2DM] and metabolic syndrome, which develop on the basis of insulin resistance