Misoprostol Abortion: ultrasonography versus Beta-hCG testing for verification of effectiveness

Miscarriage is a common complication of early pregnancy with medical and * psychological consequences. Dilation and Curettage are considered as two standard caring ways for early I pregnancy failure. Alternatively misoprostol has been used as a single agent for termination of early I pregnancy. Aim of the present study was to compare the usefulness of serum B-hCG measurement and ultrasound examination to predict complete abortion after medical induction. There were one hundred and thirty three patients experiencing missed abortion or blighted ovum. Ultrasound examination and serum 6-hCG test were performed before treatment and during follow-up in all these patients. Treatment was successful without any need for surgical intervention in 92.4% of the cases. Both methods could verify the complete abortion among all the patients at the end of the study [4[th] week]. Kappa agreement coefficient for the two methods of diagnosis was 0.327 [P < 0.5]. Based on our results, B- hCG is as effective as ultrasound in confirming a successful medically induced abortion in early pregnancy, but it should be used as supplements to clinical assessments

Comparison of newborn outcomes in women with gestational diabetes mellitus treated with metformin or insulin; a randomised blinded trial

Few studies have been done on the use of metformin in pregnancy and their results were not similar, therefore this research is performed to compare neonatal outcomes of metformin and insulin in the treatment of gestational diabetes. In this prospective randomized trial, 200 pregnant women within their 24[th] to 34[th] weeks of gestation with gestational diabetes, single fetus pregnancy, and in need of hyperglycemia treatment were entered and grouped as either metformin or insulin. Data related to maternal and neonatal outcomes were recorded and analyzed. Considering data recorded of HbA[1c] at the beginning of pregnancy, pregnancy induced hypertension, preeclampsia, birth weight, dystocia, first and 5[th] min APGAR, neonatal sepsis, rout of delivery, liver function tests of neonate, hypoglycemia, anomaly, and still birth, there were no significant statistical differences between groups. The end pregnancy HbA[1c], maternal weight gain during pregnancy, preterm labor, neonatal jaundice, respiratory distress and hospitalization of infants were higher in insulin group. Considering data from this study, metformin is efficient to control hyperglycemia in pregnancy. It is suggested performing more studies to evaluate long term side effects of metformin in pregnancy with higher sample size and longer follow-up of newborns

[ effect of letrozole on symptomatic uterine leiomyomas]

Uterine leiomyomas are the most common benign tumors of the uterine, and several medical treatments have been suggested for these myomas. This study was conducted with the aim of determining the effect of letrozole on symptomatic uterine leiomyomas in patients referring to Naghavi Clinic in Kashan city. This study is a before and after clinical trial, in which 30 premenopausal women with large symptomatic uterine leiomyoma equal to 3cm received 2.5mg letrozole daily for 90 days continuously. Then, the effect of letrozol on uterine and myoma size, hemoglobin, FSH, LH, and estradiol levels and also accompanied symptoms such as amount and duration of menstrual bleeding and dysmenorrhea were evaluated. Data were analyzed by statistical tests such as paired t-test and test. Levels of p<0.05 were considered as significant. In this study, letrozole had significant effect on decrease in uterine volume [p=0.001] and myoma volume [p<0.001]. Also, the means of amount [p<0.001] and duration [p=0.007] of menstrual bleeding decreased and hemoglobin increased by 8% [p<0.001], but have no effect on FSH, LH and, estradiol levels. The results of this study showed that letrozole leads to decrease in leiomyoma and uterine size, amount and duration of menstruation, and increase in hemoglobin level. Therefore, this drug can be used for treatment of symptomatic uterine leiomyomas

Concentrations of serum zinc, hemoglobin and ferritin among pregnant women and their effects on birth outcomes in Kashan, Iran

Zinc and Iron are essential micronutrients in fetus growth and development. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship of maternal serum Zinc, Hemoglobin and Ferritin levels with their newborns weight, height and head circumference. This cross sectional-analytical study carried out among pregnant women referred to Naghavi Polyclinic, Kashan, Iran from November 2009 to October 2010. One hundred and twenty-nine pregnant women in the third trimester were selected and anthropometric factors of their newborns [weight, height and head circumference] and their relation to serum Zn, Hemoglobin and Ferritin concentrations were assessed. Serum Hemoglobin deficiency [<11g/dl], serum Ferritin deficiency [<12 microg/L] and serum Zn deficiency [<66 microg/dl] were present in 11 [85%], 9 [7%] and 9 [7%] women, respectively. The proportion of newborns with birth weight of 2500-2999 g was greater among mothers with lower Hemoglobin [<11 g/dl] compared to mothers with normal Hemoglobin [>/= 11 g/dl;p-0.04] Multiple regression analysis showed that among biochemical characteristics of pregnant women, serum Hemoglobin levels were positively correlated with low birth weight [beta=0.26; p=0.04]. But serum Zn and Ferritin levels were not significantly associated with weight, height and head circumference. Low maternal serum hemoglobin levels are associated with low birth weight and does not have any association with birth height or head circumference; but there was no significant association between maternal serum zinc and Ferritin levels with weight, height and head circumference