[Effect of short-term dietary approaches to stop hypertension on pregnancy outcomes in gestational diabetes]

Background and Objective: Modification of life style, nutrional regiment and insulin therapy is used for improvement of pregnancy outcomes in pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus [GDM]. This study was done to evaluate the effect of the dietary approaches to stop hypertension [DASH] eating plan on pregnancy outcomes in pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus

Methods: In this clinical trial study, 52 women with GDM were randomly divided into DASH and control groups for 4 weeks. The control diet contained 45-55% carbohydrates, 15-20% protein and 25- 30% total fat. The DASH was rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat dairy products, and contained lower amounts of saturated fats, cholesterol and refined grains with a total of 2400 mg/day sodium. The numbers of women whom commenced insulin therapy after dietary intervention, the mode of delivery and prevalence of polyhydramnios were assessed. The length, weight and head circumference of infants were measured during the first 24 h after birth

Results: 46.2% of women in the DASH group needed to have a cesarean section, this rate for the control group was 80.8% [P<0.05]. The percentage of those who needed to commence insulin therapy after intervention was 23% for DASH group vs 73% for controls [P<0.05]. Infants born to mothers on the DASH group had significantly lower body weight [3222.7 vs 3818.8 g, P<0.05], head circumference [34.2 vs 35.1 cm, P<0.05] and ponderal index [2.50 vs 2.87 kg/m[3], P<0.05] compared to those born to mothers on the control diet

Conclusion: Consumption of dietary approaches to stop hypertension for 4 weeks among pregnant women with GDM resulted in improved pregnancy outcomes

Ultrasound-guided core needle biopsy of liver hemangiomas: three-year experience

In patients with atypical hemangiomas who have inconclusive imaging features, performing other diagnostic procedures, especially biopsy, is indicated. Bleeding is the most feared complication due to the high vascular nature of hemangioma. The objective of this study was to present our experience on ultrasound-guided core needle biopsy of liver hemangiomas. We carried out ultrasound-guided core needle biopsies in 443 patients with focal hepatic lesions of whom 32 were subsequently diagnosed as having cavernous hemangiomas. Biopsies were done using a 16-18 G cutting needle at Mashhad Imam Reza Hospital and Isfahan Baharestan Hospital during 2004-07. The mean age of patients with hemangioma was 49.3 years [F/M = 2/1]. The lesions were 0.8-14 [mean: 6.5] cm long. 13 patients had multiple [2-10] lesions; others had solitary lesions with atypical imaging features. We did not observe any complications including hemorrhage during or after the procedure. Ultrasonically-guided core needle biopsy seems to be a relatively safe procedure even when "atypical hemangioma" is a diagnostic possibility