Review on the use of dexamethasone and its impact on fertility and pregnancy

Purpose: Although benefit/risk analysis is usually undertaken prior to starting a treatment, some conditions will inevitably require the use of drugs with known side effects even during pregnancy. This is the case with dexamethasone use in ante natal care. The purpose of this review was to provide an overview of the uses of dexamethasone and its impacts on pregnancy and fertility in humans. Data source: The review is based on literature searches using PubMed and MeSH and authors' personal manuscript/abstract files and citations of known references. Study selection: The selection of articles reflects the authors' opinion as to originality and importance in the context of the review. The review included human and some aspects of animal study.Data extraction: The electronic searches were scrutinized and full manuscripts of all quotes considered relevant to the study were obtained. All the articles whose abstracts were not available were excluded.Results: Dexamethasone use has evolved over the years to include fertility treatment in both males and females in addition to its use in pregnancy to prevent respiratory distress syndrome in neonates despite its side effects due to the fact that its benefits outweigh the risks. Conclusions: Dexamethasone use has evolved over the years to include fertility treatment in addition to use in the prevention of respiratory distress syndrome. Low doses have no major adverse effects; however, repeated doses and long-term therapy are associated with more serious sequelae. It is recommended that dexamethasone therapy be incorporated into maternal and neonatal health care services

Serum lipid profiles and atherogenic index in pregnant sahel goats: public health implications

Background: Goat meat is very popular and has a great demand all over Nigeria. However, the slaughter of pregnant goats in abattoirs and slaughter slabs for meat is becoming a serious concern not only for future livestock population, but also for public health.Dyslipidaemia of pregnancy in meat animals may constitute threat to consumers in terms of cardiovascular risks. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the concentrations of serum lipids at different stages of gestation in Sahel goats and to evaluate the atherogenic capacity of the lipid profile. Materials and Methods: Serum lipids profiles and atherogenic indices in pregnant and nonpregnant Sahel goats were studied. Fourteen apparently healthy adult Sahel goats comprising 12 does with mean gestation length of 148.33 ± 1.52 days and 2 bucks were used for the study. They were managed in the University of Maiduguri livestock research farm on low fat diet. Sera samples were collected biweekly for 5 months and were used for the analysis of total Cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), high density lipoprotein (HDL-c), low density lipoprotein (LDL-c) and very low density lipoprotein (VLDL-c). Atherogenic indices were calculated as base 10 log (TG/HDL-c). Results: Serum TG and VLDL-c concentrations increased significantly (p < 0.05) in pregnant does compared to non-pregnant. HDL-c and LDL-c concentrations did not vary significantly (p > 0.05) between the two groups. Atherogenic indices increased progressively with advancing pregnancy compared to non-pregnant. Conclusion: It was concluded that atherogenic capacity of the lipid profile in pregnant Sahel goats is high and therefore consumption of meat from pregnant animals has high potential for atherogenic risk. Routine antemortem inspection should be conducted at abattoirs to identify pregnant animals for restriction against slaughter. Legislation prohibiting the slaughter of pregnant animals should be enforced