Assessment of decidual natural killer cells CD56[+] population in placental bed in fetal growth restriction

Aim: this study to compare the density of decidual natural killer cells [CD56] in deciduas of placental bed in patients with Intrauterine Growth Retardation [IUGR] and women with normal pregnancy

Patients and Methods: in the study 23 pregnant women were recruited and divided into 2 groups: The study group [A]: included 14 patient females which diagnosed as IUGR by ultrasound of the third trimester and the control group [B]: included 14 normal females at third trimester with no antenatal complications recruited from the antenatal care clinics. All patients underwent elective cesarean delivery. Decidual biopsies were taken during the operation. An immunohistochemical staining for decidual natural killer cells [dNK, CD56+[bright]] and a semi quantitative scoring were done

Results: In this study it was found that the Immunohistochemical scores and dNK cell population density is statistically higher in controls compare with IUGR group [P<0.01]

Conclusions: findings reinforce the concept of pregnancy as a controlled systemic inflammatory state that if altered can have adverse consequences for the mother and the fetus

1, 5 Anhydroglucitol evaluation as glycemic control parameter of diabetes mellitus in pregnancy

Background: 1, 5-Anhydroglucitol [1, 5-AG] provides a reliable opportunity to assess the frequency and extent of intermittent hyperglycemic episodes

Aim of the Work: this study aimed to evaluate an alternative parameter to monitor blood glucose in pregnancies complicated with diabetes mellitus by studying the relationship between 1,5 Anhydroglucitol and self-monitoring of blood glucose level in pregnant women complicated with diabetes mellitus

Patients and Methods: this cross-sectional study with retrospective data was conducted on seventy pregnant women known to have pre-gestational or gestational diabetes mellitus attending Ain Shams University Maternity Hospital fulfilling the inclusion criteria of pre-gestational or gestational diabetes mellitus according to the criteria of the American Diabetes Association

Results: this study revealed a highly significant negative correlation between MMG [mean maximum glycemia] and 1, 5 AG [r: -0.817, p-value: <0.001], also pre-prandial blood glucose level [r: -0.500, p-value: <0.001] and a negative correlation and highly significant was found between post prandial blood glucose level and 1, 5 AG [r: -0.640, p-value: <0.001]

Conclusion: 1, 5-AG is better than HbA1c as a tool for monitoring the glucose profile in pregnancies complicated by diabetes mellitus especially for the hyperglycemic episodes

Recommendations: as majority of interpretations for utility of 1, 5-AG in pregnancy are based on scanty few clinical data so there is a scope of potential possibilities for its use in pregnancy and continuous research may allow its new applications and usefulness in pregnancy in the future