effect of Ramadan fasting on outcome of pregnancy

Pregnancy is a physiological condition that its concurrence with fasting introduces some controversies about condition of mother and fetus. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of fasting on pregnancy outcome. The historical cohort paradigm of this study was conducted on referrals of one of the Tehran's hospitals in 2004. All pregnant women at one of the trimesters in holy month of Ramadan were included in the study. The women were divided into non-fasting, 1-10 days I fasting, 11-20 days fasting, and 21-30 days fasting. For statistical analysis of data, covariance analysis and SPSS package was used. Findings: In this study, 189 cases were evaluated and their mean age, weight, and body mass index [BMI] were 25.9 years, 61.7 kg, and 23.9 kg/m[2] respectively. The mean for number of days on fasting was 13 days and 66 cases [34.9%] had not been on fasting. In addition, there was no significant difference between BMI at the beginning of pregnancy, mother's age, number of pregnancies, and a history of abortion in different groups. Meanwhile, there was also no significant difference between means of weight, height, and head circumference of infants with number of days on fasting. Furthermore, there was no significant difference between pregnancy outcome parameters and fasting at different trimesters. According to these findings, in healthy women with appropriate nutrition, Islamic fasting has no inappropriate effect on intrauterine growth and birth-time indices. Meanwhile, relative risk of low weight birth was 1.5 times in mothers on fasting at first trimester as compared to non-fasting mothers

comparative study on the efficacy of rectal diazepam and midazolam for reduction of pre-operative anxiety in pediatric patients

Children, due to their great parental dependency, are amongst the cases that should receive preoperatively medication to reduce their fear and anxiety. The objective of this study was to compare the efficacy of rectal diazepam and midazolam for this purpose in pediatric patients scheduled for elective surgery. 60 children, aged between 1 and 6 years, scheduled for elective surgery, were included in this double blind, randomized controlled trial. Patients were randomly allocated into three equal groups. Patients in midazolam and diazepam groups received the drugs 0.3 mg/kg and 0.5 mg/kg respectively [in normal saline at a final volume of 2.5 ml] and placebo group received only 2.5 ml of normal saline 20 min before arriving operation room through rectal applicator. Sedation and anxiety scores at the time of separation from their parents before arriving operating room were recorded for all groups. There was a significant reduction in anxiety level in midazolam and diazepam groups as compared to placebo group [P<0.001]. Sedation rate was 65% for midazolam, 60% for diazepam, and 15% for placebo group [P=0.007]. There were no significant changes in hemodynamic parameters in the three study groups. With respect to effective anxiolytic and sedative activity, rectal midazolam [0.3 mg/Kg] and diazepam [0.5 mg/Kg] can be used as an anesthetic premedicant for children at pre-operative period and their use is safe regarding hemodynamic variables and related side-effects

Maternal determinants of giving birth to low-birth-weight neonates

Low-birth-weight [LBW] is universally used as an indicator of health status and is an important subject of national concern and a focus of health policy. LBW has been shown to be associated with a higher risk for childhood mortality and morbidity. To determine the important risk factors which could affect the delivery of LBW neonates. This case-control study was undertaken to determine some risk factors for LBW in two university hospitals in Tehran during a 12-month period between 2002 and 2003. One hundred and sixty neonates constituted the LBW group and 300 neonates constituted the control group. Maternal risk factors including body mass index [BMI], educational level, interval between pregnancies, history of previous delivery of LBW neonates, abortion, infertility, unwanted pregnancy, and diseases were analyzed between the two groups. Mean of maternal age was similar between the two groups. Of 160 LBW neonates, 58% were females and 42% males. It was found that mother's BMI, unwanted pregnancy, educational level of mother, short and long intervals between pregnancies, previous history of delivering LBW neonates, and maternal diseases are associated with an increased risk of LBW. The majority of factors which lead to the delivery of LBW neonates are preventable