The Effect of High Dose Folic Acid throughout Pregnancy on Homocysteine (Hcy) Concentration and Pre-Eclampsia: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

UNLABELLED: Pre-eclampsia is a pregnancy-related multi-systemic hypertensive disorder and affects at least 5% of pregnancies. This randomized clinical trial aimed at assessing the effect of low doses and high doses of folic acid on homocysteine (Hcy) levels, blood pressure, urea, creatinine and neonatal outcome. A randomized clinical trial was done at Alzahra Teaching Hospital, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences from April 2008 to March 2013. Four-hundred and sixty nulliparous pregnant women were randomly assigned into two groups. Group 1 (n = 230) received 0.5 mg of folic acid and group 2 (n = 230) received 5 mg of folic acid per daily. They were followed until delivery. Blood pressure and laboratory changes, including plasma Hcy levels, were measured and compared between the groups. Homocysteine concentrations were significantly higher at the time of delivery in group 1 (13.17±3.89 µmol/l) than in group 2 (10.31±3.54, µmol/l) (p<0.001). No statistically significant differences were observed in systolic and diastolic blood pressure (p = 0.84 and 0.15, respectively). Birth weight was significantly higher in group 2 (p = 0.031) and early abortion was significantly higher in group 1 than group 2 (p = 0.001). This study has provided evidence that a high dosage of folic acid supplements throughout pregnancy reduces Hcy concentrations at the time of delivery. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials IRCT201402175283N9.

Comparison of the effect of gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist and dopamine receptor agonist on uterine myoma growth. Histologic, sonographic, and intra-operative changes.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of 2 medications; Diphereline and Cabergoline, on uterine leiomyoma growth, and its histologic, sonographic, and intra-operative changes. METHODS: In an effort to treat large uterine leiomyoma in symptomatic patients in the Gynecology Clinics of the Alzahra Teaching Hospital of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran, from September 2007 to November 2008, 60 candidates randomized to receive Diphereline 3.75 mg, 4 times every 28 days (group I), and Cabergoline 0.5 mg, once a week for 6 weeks (group II), were included in this study. Clinical symptoms, feasibility of intra-operative dissection, intraoperative complications, sonographic, and pathologic characteristics of the tumor were evaluated. RESULTS: Thirteen patients from group I, and 10 patients from group II underwent surgery. There was a significant difference between the groups in the rate of lymphocyte infiltration (p=0.003), but not in other pathologic features. In both groups, the mitotic index was between 0-10. While there was no significant difference between the groups in the number (p=0.30), and volume of leiomyomas (p=0.65), however, changes in the uterine artery circulation was significant (p=0.001 [group I], p=0.026 [group II]). In addition, there was a significant difference between the groups for intra-operative hemorrhage and adhesion of leiomyomas to the uterine wall. CONCLUSION: This study found that Cabergoline is as effective as Diphereline in the shrinkage of myomas, accompanied by improvement in the sonographic, clinical, and intra-operative outcomes without any adverse pathological changes, and could be a good medical regimen as an adjunct to surgical management.