Risk Factors for Macrosomia in Multipara: A Multi-Center Retrospective Study.

The increased incidence of macrosomia has caused an enormous burden after the transition from the almost 40-year one-child policy to the universal two-child policy in 2015 and further to the three-child policy in 2021 in China. However, studies on risk factors of macrosomia in multipara under the new fertility policy in China are limited. We aim to explore the incidence and risk factors for macrosomia in multipara to provide the scientific basis for preventing macrosomia in multipara. A multi-center retrospective study was conducted among 6200 women who had two consecutive deliveries in the same hospital and their second newborn was delivered from January to October 2018 at one of 18 hospitals in 12 provinces in China. Macrosomia was defined as birth weight ≥ 4000 g. Logistic regression models were performed to analyze risk factors for macrosomia in multipara. The incidence of macrosomia in multipara was 7.6% (470/6200) and the recurrence rate of macrosomia in multipara was 27.2% (121/445). After adjusting for potential confounders, a higher prepregnancy BMI, higher gestational weight gain, history of macrosomia, a longer gestation in the subsequent pregnancy were independent risk factors of macrosomia in multipara (p < 0.05). Healthcare education and preconception consultation should be conducted for multipara patients with a history of macrosomia to promote maintaining optimal prepregnancy BMI and avoid excessive gestational weight gain to prevent macrosomia.

Risk of gestational diabetes recurrence and the development of type 2 diabetes among women with a history of gestational diabetes and risk factors: a study among 18 clinical centers in China.

BACKGROUND: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) brings health issues for both mothers and offspring, and GDM prevention is as important as GDM management. It was shown that a history of GDM was significantly associated with a higher maternal risk for GDM recurrence. The incidence of GDM recurrence was unclear because of the incidence of second-child was low before 2016 in China. We aim to investigate the prevalence of GDM recurrence and its associated high-risk factors which may be useful for the prediction of GDM recurrence in China. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted which enrolled participants who underwent regular prenatal examination and delivered twice in the same hospital of 18 research centers. All participants were enrolled from January 2018 to October 2018, where they delivered the second baby during this period. A total of 6204 women were enrolled in this study, and 1002 women with a history of GDM were analyzed further. All participants enrolled in the study had an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) result at 24 to 28 weeks and were diagnosed as GDM in the first pregnancy according to the OGTT value (when any one of the following values is met or exceeded to the 75-g OGTT: 0 h [fasting], ≥5.10 mmol/L; 1 h, ≥10.00 mmol/L; and 2 h, ≥8.50 mmol/L). The prevalence of GDM recurrence and development of type 2 diabetes mellitus were calculated, and its related risk factors were analyzed. RESULTS: In 6204 participants, there are 1002 women (1002/6204,16.15%) with a history of GDM and 5202 women (5202/6204, 83.85%) without a history of GDM. There are significant differences in age (32.43 ±â€Š4.03 years vs. 33.00 ±â€Š3.34 years vs. 32.19 ±â€Š3.37 years, P  < 0.001), pregnancy interval (4.06 ±â€Š1.44 years vs. 3.52 ±â€Š1.43 years vs. 3.38 ±â€Š1.35 years, P  = 0.004), prepregnancy body mass index (BMI) (27.40 ±â€Š4.62 kg/m2vs. 23.50 ±â€Š3.52 kg/m2vs. 22.55 ±â€Š3.47 kg/m2, P < 0.001), history of delivered macrosomia (22.7% vs. 11.0% vs. 6.2%, P < 0.001) among the development of diabetes mellitus (DM), recurrence of GDM, and normal women. Moreover, it seems so important in the degree of abnormal glucose metabolism in the first pregnancy to the recurrence of GDM and the development of DM. There are significant differences in OGTT levels of the first pregnancy such as area under the curve of OGTT value (18.31 ±â€Š1.90 mmol/L vs. 16.27 ±â€Š1.93 mmol/L vs. 15.55 ±â€Š1.92 mmol/L, P < 0.001), OGTT fasting value (5.43 ±â€Š0.48 mmol/L vs. 5.16 ±â€Š0.49 mmol/L vs. 5.02 ±â€Š0.47 mmol/L, P < 0.001), OGTT 1-hour value (10.93 ±â€Š1.34 mmol/L vs. 9.69 ±â€Š1.53 mmol/L vs. 9.15 ±â€Š1.58 mmol/L, P < 0.001), OGTT 2-hour value (9.30 ±â€Š1.66 mmol/L vs. 8.01 ±â€Š1.32 mmol/L vs. 7.79 ±â€Š1.38 mmol/L, P < 0.001), incidence of impaired fasting glucose (IFG) (fasting plasma glucose ≥5.6 mmol/L) (31.3% vs. 14.6% vs. 8.8%, P < 0.001), and incidence of two or more abnormal OGTT values (68.8% vs. 39.7% vs. 23.9%, P < 0.001) among the three groups. Using multivariate analysis, the factors, such as age (1.07 [1.02-1.12], P = 0.006), prepregnancy BMI (1.07 [1.02, 1.12], P  = 0.003), and area under the curve of OGTT in the first pregnancy (1.14 [1.02, 1.26], P  = 0.02), have an effect on maternal GDM recurrence; the factors, such as age (1.28 [1.01-1.61], P  = 0.04), pre-pregnancy BMI (1.26 [1.04, 1.53], P = 0.02), and area under the curve of OGTT in the first pregnancy (1.65 [1.04, 2.62], P = 0.03), have an effect on maternal DM developed further. CONCLUSIONS: The history of GDM was significantly associated with a higher maternal risk for GDM recurrence during follow-up after the first pregnancy. The associated risk factors for GDM recurrence or development of DM include age, high pre-pregnancy BMI, history of delivered macrosomia, the OGTT level in the first pregnancy, such as the high area under the curve of OGTT, IFG, and two or more abnormal OGTT values. To prevent GDM recurrence, women with a history of GDM should do the preconception counseling before preparing next pregnancy.

Placenta percreta evaluated by MRI: correlation with maternal morbidity.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the capability of MRI in depicting the topography of placenta percreta (PP) and to further explore the correlation between invasion topography and maternal outcomes. METHODS: 55 patients with histologically or surgically confirmed PP were included in this retrospective study. Two senior radiologists evaluated the topography of PP based on MR images: the invasion topography was depicted as S1, S2, parametrial, bladder, and cervical invasion. The correlation between invasion topography and maternal outcomes was analyzed using Chi-square statistic. RESULTS: MRI showed high sensitivity and specificity in delineating the invasion topography of PP (ranging from 87.5 to 100%). MRI had 100% specificity for predicting the parametrial, bladder, and cervical invasion. The rate of cesarean hysterectomy, ureteral injuries and ICU administration, and the amount of blood transfusions in PP with S2 invasion were higher than S1 invasion (P < 0.05). In addition, all patients with bladder invasion (8/8) received partial bladder resection by urologists. All the patients with S2 parametrial invasion (12/12) or cervical invasion (9/9) underwent cesarean hysterectomy. CONCLUSION: MRI was capable in predicting the invasion topography of PP patients. Moreover, PP patients with S2, parametrial, bladder or cervical invasion had more severe maternal morbidity.

Multilayer urban canopy modelling and mapping for traffic pollutant dispersion at high density urban areas.

A semi-empirical multilayer urban canopy model is developed to estimate the vertical dispersion of traffic emissions in high density urban areas. It is motivated by the heterogeneity of urban morphology in real urban cities and the need of quick urban design and planning. The urban canopy is divided into multiple layers, to include the impact of building height variance on pollutant dispersion. The model is derived by mass conservation within each layer through adopting a box model. To validate the model, results in several cases with uniform and non-uniform building height distributions are compared with CFD simulations. The validation study indicates that the assumption of zero pollutant concentration over the modeled canopy and no horizontal pollutant transfer has increasingly negligible influence with increasing urban densities. The new multilayer model performs well to model the vertical pollutant transport, and modelling results can mostly follow the trend of the CFD simulations. The present paper conducts two case studies in metropolitan areas in Singapore and Hong Kong to illustrate how to implement this multilayer urban canopy model in the planning practice. With an in-house GIS team using available data, the multilayer model provides planners a way to understand air pollutant dispersion in high-density urban areas.

Morphological evaluation of cervix using MRI at 32 to 36 weeks of gestation: Findings for predicting invasive placenta previa.

This study is to investigate the role of cervical morphology evaluated by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in predicting invasive placenta previa (IPP).Totally 105 cases of pregnant women underwent prenatal placental MRI at 32 to 36 weeks of gestation for suspected IPP were included in this study. Cervical morphology (cervical length and placental protrusion) was evaluated independently by 2 radiologists. The association between the cervical morphology and surgery findings was analyzed.Totally, 57 pregnant women were confirmed as IPP. For invasion degree, there were 17 cases with placenta percreta and 40 with accreta. For invasion topography, there were 27 cases with S1 invasion and 30 with S2 invasion. The sensitivity and specificity for the MRI sign of placental protrusion in evaluating cervical invasion of IPP were 100% and 100%, respectively. All the 7 IPP patents with cervical invasion received total hysterectomy and had severe blood loss (3500-6000 mL). The IPP patients with S2 invasion had shorter cervical length than those with S1 invasion (2.66 ±â€Š0.66 cm vs 3.24 ±â€Š0.64 cm, P <.001). However, cervical lengths did not correlate with the degree of invasion (placenta percreta vs placenta accreta: 2.82 ±â€Š0.86 vs 2.99 ±â€Š0.60, P = .21).Placental protrusion is a reliable MRI sign for cervical invasion of IPP, and cervical lengths correlate with the invasion topography.

Invasive placenta previa: Placental bulge with distorted uterine outline and uterine serosal hypervascularity at 1.5T MRI - useful features for differentiating placenta percreta from placenta accreta.

OBJECTIVES: To characterise MRI features of invasive placenta previa and to identify specific features for differentiating placenta percreta (PP) from placenta accreta (PA). METHODS: Forty-five women with PP and 93 women with PA who underwent 1.5T placental MRI were included. Two radiologists independently evaluated the MRI features of invasive placenta previa, including our novel type of placental bulge (i.e. placental bulge type-II, characterized by placental bulge with distorted uterine outline). Pearson's chi-squared or Fisher's two-sided exact test was performed to compare the MRI features between PP and PA. Logistic stepwise regression analysis and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) were performed to select the optimal features for differentiating PP from PA. RESULTS: Significant differences were found in nine MRI features between women with PP and those with PA (P <0.05). Placental bulge type-II and uterine serosal hypervascularity were independently associated with PP (odds ratio = 48.618, P < 0.001; odds ratio = 4.165, P = 0.018 respectively), and the combination of the two MRI features to distinguish PP from PA yielded an AUC of 0.92 for its predictive performance. CONCLUSION: Placental bulge type-II and uterine serosal hypervascularity are useful MRI features for differentiating PP from PA. KEY POINTS: • Placental bulge type-II demonstrated the strongest independent association with PP. • Uterine serosal hypervascularity is a useful feature for differentiating PP from PA. • MRI features associated with abnormal vessels increase the risk of massive haemorrhage.

Fetal cleft lip with and without cleft palate: comparison between MR imaging and US for prenatal diagnosis.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the magnetic resonance (MR) imaging findings of fetal CL/CP and evaluate its diagnostic value. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Twelve fetuses with CL/CP diagnosed by transabdominal US underwent MR imaging within 2 days of US. Half-Fourier acquisition single-shot turbo spin echo (HASTE) sequence on T2-weighted images was performed on sagittal, coronal, and axial planes anatomic to the fetuses during maternal breath holding. US and MR imaging findings were compared with final diagnoses obtained from post-natal physical examination or fetal autopsy. RESULTS: Final diagnoses confirmed incomplete midline cleft lip (n=1), unilateral cleft lip and palate (n=7), bilateral cleft lip and palate (n=1), midline cleft lip and palate (n=3). US and MR imaging diagnosed all 12 fetuses with cleft lip and the laterality. 5 (45.5%) of 11 cleft palates were identified with US, 2 of 7 fetuses with unilateral cleft palate, 2 of 3 fetuses with midline cleft palate, and one fetus with bilateral cleft palate. On MR imaging, 10 (91%) of 11 cleft palates were correctly detected. One fetus with unilateral cleft palate was not detected. No false-positives occurred. CONCLUSION: MR imaging is valuable for diagnosis of fetal CL/CP. It can demonstrate additional findings and provide more information compared with US.

Polymorphisms in the MTHRF, VDR, MMP-9 and IL-ß genes and the risk of premature rupture of membranes.

BACKGROUND: Premature rupture of membranes (PROM) occurs 2.5-3 times more often in premature births than in births that are full term, is accompanied by many complications for both the mother and fetus and can cause serious adverse consequences. Little is known about the genetic susceptibility of PROM. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between several genotypes and PROM in a high-risk hospital-based population. METHODS: The cases were 206 pregnant women who had PROM in labor, and the controls were 287 pregnant women who did not have PROM in labor. All subjects were selected between July 2006 and July 2007 from the Maternal and Child Health Hospital in Jinan City. We genotyped the following genes: the MTHFR C677T, MMP-9 C1562T, VDR C352T and IL-1ß C3593T genotypes. The associations between the genotypes and risk of PROM were analyzed. RESULTS: The CC genotype at MTHFR C677T, combined with bacterial vaginosis, was associated with a significantly increased risk of PROM (odds ratio, OR: 3.55; 95% confidence interval, CI: 1.05-12.02). Compared to those in the stratum of 40 or more weeks of gestation, those in the stratum of 37 or less weeks of gestation had an increased risk of PROM (OR: 5.11, 95% CI: 2.0-13.05 for the TT/TC genotype of MTHFR C677T; OR: 5.31, 95% CI: 1.07-26.44 for the TC/TT genotype of MMP-9 C1562T, and OR: 6.08, 95% CI: 1.39-26.60 for the TT genotype of VDR C352T). CONCLUSION: The results indicated that an interaction exists between genetic and environmental factors that are related to the occurrence of PROM.

Fetal central nervous system anomalies: comparison of magnetic resonance imaging and ultrasonography for diagnosis.

BACKGROUND: Evaluation of fetal central nervous system (CNS) agenesis by ultrasonography (US) is frequently limited, but magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has its own advantages and is gaining popularity in displaying suspected fetal anomalies. The purpose of this study was to explore the value of MRI in detecting fetal CNS agenesis. METHODS: Thirty-four women (aged from 22 to 35 years, average 27 years) with complicated pregnancies (16 - 39 weeks of gestation, average 30 weeks) were examined with a 1.5 T superconductive MR unit within 24 hours after ultrasonography. Half-Fourier acquisition single-shot turbo spin-echo (HASTE) T(2)-weighted imaging (T(2)WI) sequence were performed in all patients, and fast low angle shot (FLASH) T(1)-weighted imaging (T(1)WI) sequence were applied sequentially in seven of them. Comparison of the results was made between the MRI and US findings as well as autopsy or postnatal follow-up MRI findings. RESULTS: The gyrus, sulcus, corpus callosum, thalamus, cerebellum, brainstem, and spinal cord of fetus were shown more clearly on T(2)-weighted MR images than on T(1)-weighted MR images. MRI corrected the diagnosis of US in 10 cases (10/34, 29.41%) and the diagnosis was missed only in 1 case (1/34, 2.94%). CONCLUSION: MRI has advantages to US in detecting fetal CNS anomalies and is a supplement to US in complicated pregnancies.