Maternal obesity, length of gestation, risk of postdates pregnancy and spontaneous onset of labour at term.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of maternal body mass index (BMI) on postdates pregnancy, length of gestation and likelihood of spontaneous onset of labour at term. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Swedish Medical Birth Register. POPULATION: A total of 186 087 primiparous women (of whom 143 519 had spontaneous onset of labour at term) who gave birth between 1998 and 2002. METHODS: Mann-Whitney test, one-way analysis of variance, linear regression and single variable logistic regression. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Postdates pregnancy (>/=294 days or 42(+0) weeks), length of gestation and likelihood of spontaneous onset of labour at term. RESULTS: About 6.8% of pregnancies delivered postdates. Higher maternal BMI (kg/m(2)) during the first trimester was associated with longer gestation (P < 0.001) as was a greater change in BMI between the first and third trimesters (BMI measured on admission prior to delivery) with mean (SD) gestation at delivery of 280.7 (8.6) and 283.2 (8.6) days for increases in BMI of <2 and >/=10 kg/m(2), respectively. Higher BMI during the first trimester was associated with a lower chance of spontaneous onset of labour at term. Compared with BMI 20 to <25 kg/m(2), the odds ratios (95% CI) for spontaneous onset of labour at term were 1.21 (1.15-1.27) for BMI of <20 kg/m(2), 0.71 (0.69-0.74) for BMI of 25 to <30 kg/m(2), 0.57 (0.54-0.60) for BMI of 30 to <35 kg/m(2) and 0.43 (0.40-0.47) for BMI of >/=35 kg/m(2). Higher BMI during the first trimester (BMI of >/=35 kg/m(2) compared with BMI of 20 to <25 kg/m(2)) was also associated with an increased risk of complications including stillbirth (OR 3.90, 95% CI 2.44-6.22), gestational diabetes (OR 5.61, 95% CI 4.61-6.83) and caesarean section (OR 2.39; 95% CI 2.20-2.59). CONCLUSIONS: Higher maternal BMI in the first trimester and a greater change in BMI during pregnancy were associated with longer gestation and an increased risk of postdates pregnancy. Higher maternal BMI during the first trimester was also associated with decreased likelihood of spontaneous onset of labour at term and increased likelihood of complications.

Operating on the obese woman--A review.

In this review the authors recognise the growing contribution of obesity to problems in obstetrics and gynaecology. They then focus on methods to reduce complications in intrapartum and gynaecological care particularly in relation to operating on the obese woman. Strategies to reduce surgical morbidity are discussed including consideration of the site of incision, asepsis and reduction in postoperative complications.

Sleep-disordered breathing and upper airway size in pregnancy and post-partum.

Sleep-disordered breathing and snoring are common in pregnancy. The aim of this study was to determine whether pregnancy was associated with upper airway narrowing. One-hundred females in the third trimester of pregnancy were recruited and 50 agreed to be restudied 3 months after delivery. One-hundred nonpregnant females were also recruited. Upper airway dimensions were measured using acoustic reflection. Snoring was less common in nonpregnant (17%) than pregnant females (41%; odds ratio (OR) 3.34; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.65-6.74) and returned to nonpregnant levels after delivery (18%; OR 0.15; 95% CI 0.06-0.40). Pregnant females had significantly smaller upper airways than nonpregnant females at the oropharyngeal junction when seated (mean difference 0.12; 95% CI 0.008-0.25), and smaller mean pharyngeal areas in the seated (mean difference 0.14; 95% CI 0.001-0.28), supine (mean difference 0.11; 95% CI 0.01-0.22) and lateral postures (mean difference 0.13; 95% CI 0.02-0.24) compared with the nonpregnant females. Pregnant females had smaller mean pharyngeal areas compared with post-partum in the seated (mean difference 0.18; 95% CI 0.02-0.32), supine (mean difference 0.20; 95% CI 0.06-0.35) and lateral postures (mean difference 0.26; 95% CI 0.12-0.39). In conclusion, this study confirmed increased snoring and showed narrower upper airways during the third trimester of pregnancy.

The Scottish Perinatal Neuropathology Study--clinicopathological correlation in stillbirths.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the neuropathology of fetuses dying before birth, to determine the timing of any brain damage seen and to ascertain clinical associations of pre-existing brain damage. DESIGN: Population-based observational study. SETTING: All 22 delivery units within Scotland, 1995-1998. SAMPLE: All stillborn fetuses > or =24 weeks of gestation excluding those with chromosomal abnormality or central nervous system/cardiothoracic malformation. METHODS: Clinical detail was collected on all stillborn fetuses. Requests for postmortem included separate request for detailed neuropathological examination. Stillborn fetuses were classified as full term antepartum (normal growth/growth restricted), preterm antepartum (normal growth/growth restricted), intrapartum (full term/preterm), multiple births and stillborn fetuses following abruptions. Clinicopathological correlation attempted to define the timing of brain insult. Placentas were examined for each case where available. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Presence of established and/or recent brain damage. RESULTS Clinical details were available for 471 stillborn fetuses, and detailed neuropathology was possible in 191 cases. Of these 191, 13 were multiple births, 9 died following abruption, 12 were intrapartum deaths and 157 were antepartum stillborn fetuses (99 preterm and 58 full term). Recent or established brain damage was seen in 66% of the entire cohort. Thirty-five percent of all cases showed well-established hypoxic damage predating the last evidence of fetal life, and this was more common in preterm fetuses (P = 0.015), those fetuses with evidence of recent damage (P < 0.001), in pregnancies complicated by pregnancy-induced hypertension (P = 0.044) and those in whom the placenta was <10th centile (P = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: Brain damage is commonly seen in stillborn infants, and in around one-third of cases, damage predates the period immediately before death. Factors suggesting suboptimal placental function are associated with such damage. Early identification of placental impairment may lead to improved pregnancy outcome.

Clinical associations of striae gravidarum.

Striae gravidarum are a common finding in the abdominal skin of pregnant women. This study of 128 pregnant women examined factors which are associated with their occurrence. It is clear that women with higher body mass indices have more striae and that striae are also more common in younger women. These findings may be explained by the greater degrees of stretch applied to the skin in obese women with larger babies, and by changes in skin collagen and connective tissue that are age-related and affect its tendency to tear.

Mannan binding lectin concentration and risk of miscarriage.

Recurrent miscarriage is associated with low concentrations of mannan-binding lectin (MBL), but it is not known below which value relative MBL deficiency becomes a significant risk factor. The sera of 397 patients (male and female) suffering from recurrent miscarriage and 376 controls were assayed for MBL and the data analysed. It was found that the lower the cut-off value, the greater the statistical strength of the association. It was concluded that only MBL concentrations

Attitudes of general practitioners to screening for cystic fibrosis.

OBJECTIVE: To ascertain the views of general practitioners (GPs) about screening for cystic fibrosis. To find out whether and under what conditions they might play a part in the delivery of such programmes. SETTING: All GP practices within the Lothian Health Board area. METHODS: A self administered questionnaire was sent to each of the 532 GPs in the area. RESULTS: 334 (63%) GPs participated in the study. Only 23% of these claimed to have no professional or personal experience of the disorder. 77% of GPs were aware of the existence of a programme of antenatal screening for cystic fibrosis (CF), which had been running in Edinburgh for the past six years, with only 2% unfavourably disposed to it. However, when asked to rank CF screening against antenatal screening for spina bifida and Down's syndrome, or cervical and breast screening, 55% gave it the lowest priority. There was fairly equal support for the screening site being an antenatal clinic, a genetic centre, a family planning clinic, or a GP surgery, but little enthusiasm for programmes in schools or the workplace. Surprisingly, only 13% of GPs thought that screening should be offered to those with a negative family history of the disorder. Although the idea of involvement in screening was favoured, GPs claimed that any aspect of delivery that they undertook would need to be supported. There were no significant differences between the responses of fundholding GPs and non-fundholders. CONCLUSIONS: The low ranking by GPs of CF screening against other programmes, together with the need for support if they were to be involved, suggests that it is currently impractical to move the programme from its existing site in antenatal clinics.

Prenatal screening for cystic fibrosis carriers: does the method of testing affect the longer-term understanding and reproductive behaviour of women?

A comparative study of women who underwent prenatal cystic fibrosis (CF) carrier screening by either the 'two-step method' or the 'couple method' was carried out 2-4 years after testing. Recall of the screening test and test result, understanding of the implications of the test result, and reproductive intentions and behaviour were compared. Women screened by the two-step method were significantly better informed on the genetic implications of the test result and the significance of being a single gene carrier than their couple screen counterparts. Regardless of the method of screening, a majority of those who had received a negative test result erroneously believed that they were definitely not a carrier. However, women who intended having further children were significantly more likely to understand correctly that a negative test result meant that they were unlikely to be a CF carrier. The method of testing had no influence on reproductive intentions or behaviour. Differences in emphasis, content and presentation of pre-screening information and counselling between the two methods of screening are identified. Reasons for variation in the long-term understanding between women screened by the two methods are discussed.

Evidence for a familial pregnancy-induced hypertension locus in the eNOS-gene region.

Pregnancy-induced hypertension may be regarded as a manifestation of endothelial-cell dysfunction. The role of the eNOS gene in the development of a familial pregnancy-induced hypertension was evaluated by analysis of linkage among affected sisters and in multiplex families (n = 50). Markers from a 4-cM region encoding the eNOS gene showed distortion from the expected allele sharing among affected sisters (P = .001-.05), and the statistic obtained from the multilocus application of the affected-pedigree-member method also showed distortion (T[f(P)=sqrt(P)] = 3.53; P < .001). A LOD score of 3.36 was obtained for D7S505 when a best-fitting model derived from genetic epidemiological data was used, and LOD scores of 2.54-4.03 were obtained when various other genetic models were used. Estimates of recombination rate, rather than maximum LOD-score values, were affected by changes in the genetic parameters. The transmission-disequilibrium test, a model-free estimate of linkage, showed strongest association and linkage with a microsatellite within intron 13 of the eNOS gene (P = .005). These results support the localization of a familial pregnancy-induced hypertension-susceptibility locus in the region of chromosome 7q36 encoding the eNOS gene.

Routine antenatal screening for syphilis in Lothian: a study of the results 1988 to 1994.

A retrospective study was carried out of the cases of positive syphilis serology detected by routine antenatal screening within Edinburgh (and surrounding district) over the six years 1988 to 1994. The study demonstrated a low incidence of syphilis with only 15 pregnancies in 58,445 screened. In eight cases serology and history were suggestive of late latent syphilis and in the remainder of previous infection which had been treated. All women were delivered of liveborn infants at term without stigmata of congenital syphilis. Lack of identifiable risk factors in women with positive serology suggests that routine rather than selective screening should continue.

Diverticulitis. A comprehensive follow-up.

PURPOSE: This study was undertaken to examine the longterm results of medical and surgical management for diverticulitis. METHODS: A retrospective review of all patients admitted to Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, Virginia, between January 1991 and February 1994, was conducted. Of 78 patients included in the study, 65 were able to be contacted for follow-up. RESULTS: The surgically treated group consisted of 33 patients, and medically treated group had 32 patients. Of the medically treated group, 62.5 percent were found to have continuing symptoms. Medically treated patients with a long history and infrequent flares tended to be less symptomatic after hospitalization. Conversely, those medical patients with a short intense history were more likely to have symptoms. The frequency of symptoms in the surgical group was surprising, because 27.2 percent of this group reported continuing symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Close follow-up of medically treated patients for objective evidence of diverticulitis is indicated. When surgical therapy is undertaken, patients should be counseled that symptoms may be largely unchanged following operation.

Mannan-binding protein in human umbilical cord blood.

Mannan binding protein (MBP) may be important for host defence particularly in infancy. MBP concentration was measured in 237 umbilical cord blood samples from singleton pregnancies and compared to those of 352 blood donors. Both data sets yielded a bimodal frequency distribution, consisting of a log-normal peak and a long tail of lower values. The range (0-23 U/ml) and median (7.2 U/ml) of cord blood values were significantly lower than those of blood donors (range 0-43 U/ml; median 8.3 U/ml). MBP was also measured in the cord blood samples of 8 pairs of twin siblings. Discordant values in two pairs of twins suggest that cord blood MBP is derived from the fetoplacental unit and not from the maternal circulation by transplacental passage.