To compare the usefulness of a lamellar body count, a fluorescence polarization assay, and the foam stability index for predicting neonatal lung maturity in high-risk pregnancies. This study was conducted at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the Department of Pediatrics, Assiut University Hospital. A prospective clinical trail. This study was performed after recruiting 73 pregnant women, 52 with high-risk pregnancies (25 had diabetes and 27 had premature labor) and 21 with a healthy full-term singleton pregnancy as controls. All women were delivered in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of Assiut University Hospital. The newborns with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) were admitted in the neonatal intensive care unit of the Department of Pediatrics. Amniotic fluid specimens were obtained near delivery. Apgar score, vital signs, anthropometric data, and complete clinical examination results were available for all newborns, and particular emphasis was placed on signs of RDS. The incidence of RDS was 44.2% in the newborns of women who had experienced a high-risk pregnancy (of these, 82.6% were born preterm and 17.4% to diabetic mothers). We found that a lamellar body count is a good screening test for predicting neonatal lung maturity. It is as good as the fetal lung maturity assay by fluorescence polarization in some respects and better in others; moreover, it is better than the foam stability index test in all respects. A lamellar body count with cutoffs of 41 x 10(3)/microL and 18 x 10(3)/microL was a good predictor of low and high risks of RDS in newborns. Values between 19 x 10(3)/microL and 40 x 10(3)/microL were the best to predict an intermediate risk of RDS. Lamellar body count is a good screening test for predicting the degree of neonatal lung maturity.

To compare the usefulness of a lamellar body count, a fluorescence polarization assay, and the foam stability index for predicting neonatal lung maturity in high-risk pregnancies. This study was conducted at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the Department of Pediatrics, Assiut University Hospital. A prospective clinical trail. This study was performed after recruiting 73 pregnant women, 52 with high-risk pregnancies (25 had diabetes and 27 had premature labor) and 21 with a healthy full-term singleton pregnancy as controls. All women were delivered in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of Assiut University Hospital. The newborns with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) were admitted in the neonatal intensive care unit of the Department of Pediatrics. Amniotic fluid specimens were obtained near delivery. Apgar score, vital signs, anthropometric data, and complete clinical examination results were available for all newborns, and particular emphasis was placed on signs of RDS. The incidence of RDS was 44.2% in the newborns of women who had experienced a high-risk pregnancy (of these, 82.6% were born preterm and 17.4% to diabetic mothers). We found that a lamellar body count is a good screening test for predicting neonatal lung maturity. It is as good as the fetal lung maturity assay by fluorescence polarization in some respects and better in others; moreover, it is better than the foam stability index test in all respects. A lamellar body count with cutoffs of 41 x 10(3)/microL and 18 x 10(3)/microL was a good predictor of low and high risks of RDS in newborns. Values between 19 x 10(3)/microL and 40 x 10(3)/microL were the best to predict an intermediate risk of RDS. Lamellar body count is a good screening test for predicting the degree of neonatal lung maturity.

Objectives: (1) To determine the serum levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). (2) To study Doppler blood flow changes within the ovarian stroma of women with PCOS. (3) To evaluate the relationship between VEGF and IGF-1 and Doppler indices as well as hormonal profile. Setting: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Egypt. Design: Cross-sectional study. Patients and methods: Fifty infertile women with PCOS diagnosed by ultrasound examination and a history of oligomenorrhea, hirsutism and obesity were studied. Serum levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and hormonal profile were measured. Doppler blood flow velocity waveforms analysis in both right and left intraovarian arteries was done. Twenty healthy and fertile women with regular menstrual cycles served as a comparison group were similarly studied at the third day of the cycle. Results: The serum levels of VEGF, IGF-1 (4.79 ± 0.91, 253.15 ± 70.07 versus 2.39 ± 0.42, 186.65 ± 42.7) were significantly elevated ( P 0.001 and P 0.01, respectively) in women with PCOS compared with control. Doppler indices, PI (2.01 ± 0.77, 2.66 ± 1.00 versus 2.98 ± 0.77, 3.75 ± 0.98) and RI (0.77 ± 0.12, 0.82 ± 0.09 versus 0.87 ± 0.09, 0.89 ± 0.09) in both right and left intraovarian vessels were significantly lower in the patients than controls. The VEGF and IGF-1 levels were negatively correlated with RI and PI in the uterine and intraovarian arteries. VEGF level was positively correlated with IGF-1 ( r = 0.41, P 0.05) in women with PCOS. Conclusions: Higher serum levels of VEGF and IGF-1 in PCOS women may be related to the increased vascularity that underlies the increased blood flow demonstrated by Doppler blood flow measurements in these women.

Objectives: (1) To determine the serum levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). (2) To study Doppler blood flow changes within the ovarian stroma of women with PCOS. (3) To evaluate the relationship between VEGF and IGF-1 and Doppler indices as well as hormonal profile. Setting: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Egypt. Design: Cross-sectional study. Patients and methods: Fifty infertile women with PCOS diagnosed by ultrasound examination and a history of oligomenorrhea, hirsutism and obesity were studied. Serum levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and hormonal profile were measured. Doppler blood flow velocity waveforms analysis in both right and left intraovarian arteries was done. Twenty healthy and fertile women with regular menstrual cycles served as a comparison group were similarly studied at the third day of the cycle. Results: The serum levels of VEGF, IGF-1 (4.79 ± 0.91, 253.15 ± 70.07 versus 2.39 ± 0.42, 186.65 ± 42.7) were significantly elevated ( P 0.001 and P 0.01, respectively) in women with PCOS compared with control. Doppler indices, PI (2.01 ± 0.77, 2.66 ± 1.00 versus 2.98 ± 0.77, 3.75 ± 0.98) and RI (0.77 ± 0.12, 0.82 ± 0.09 versus 0.87 ± 0.09, 0.89 ± 0.09) in both right and left intraovarian vessels were significantly lower in the patients than controls. The VEGF and IGF-1 levels were negatively correlated with RI and PI in the uterine and intraovarian arteries. VEGF level was positively correlated with IGF-1 ( r = 0.41, P 0.05) in women with PCOS. Conclusions: Higher serum levels of VEGF and IGF-1 in PCOS women may be related to the increased vascularity that underlies the increased blood flow demonstrated by Doppler blood flow measurements in these women.

Objectives: (1) To determine the serum levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). (2) To study Doppler blood flow changes within the ovarian stroma of women with PCOS. (3) To evaluate the relationship between VEGF and IGF-1 and Doppler indices as well as hormonal profile. Setting: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Egypt. Design: Cross-sectional study. Patients and methods: Fifty infertile women with PCOS diagnosed by ultrasound examination and a history of oligomenorrhea, hirsutism and obesity were studied. Serum levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and hormonal profile were measured. Doppler blood flow velocity waveforms analysis in both right and left intraovarian arteries was done. Twenty healthy and fertile women with regular menstrual cycles served as a comparison group were similarly studied at the third day of the cycle. Results: The serum levels of VEGF, IGF-1 (4.79 ± 0.91, 253.15 ± 70.07 versus 2.39 ± 0.42, 186.65 ± 42.7) were significantly elevated ( P 0.001 and P 0.01, respectively) in women with PCOS compared with control. Doppler indices, PI (2.01 ± 0.77, 2.66 ± 1.00 versus 2.98 ± 0.77, 3.75 ± 0.98) and RI (0.77 ± 0.12, 0.82 ± 0.09 versus 0.87 ± 0.09, 0.89 ± 0.09) in both right and left intraovarian vessels were significantly lower in the patients than controls. The VEGF and IGF-1 levels were negatively correlated with RI and PI in the uterine and intraovarian arteries. VEGF level was positively correlated with IGF-1 ( r = 0.41, P 0.05) in women with PCOS. Conclusions: Higher serum levels of VEGF and IGF-1 in PCOS women may be related to the increased vascularity that underlies the increased blood flow demonstrated by Doppler blood flow measurements in these women.

Objectives: (1) To determine the serum levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). (2) To study Doppler blood flow changes within the ovarian stroma of women with PCOS. (3) To evaluate the relationship between VEGF and IGF-1 and Doppler indices as well as hormonal profile. Setting: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Egypt. Design: Cross-sectional study. Patients and methods: Fifty infertile women with PCOS diagnosed by ultrasound examination and a history of oligomenorrhea, hirsutism and obesity were studied. Serum levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and hormonal profile were measured. Doppler blood flow velocity waveforms analysis in both right and left intraovarian arteries was done. Twenty healthy and fertile women with regular menstrual cycles served as a comparison group were similarly studied at the third day of the cycle. Results: The serum levels of VEGF, IGF-1 (4.79 ± 0.91, 253.15 ± 70.07 versus 2.39 ± 0.42, 186.65 ± 42.7) were significantly elevated ( P 0.001 and P 0.01, respectively) in women with PCOS compared with control. Doppler indices, PI (2.01 ± 0.77, 2.66 ± 1.00 versus 2.98 ± 0.77, 3.75 ± 0.98) and RI (0.77 ± 0.12, 0.82 ± 0.09 versus 0.87 ± 0.09, 0.89 ± 0.09) in both right and left intraovarian vessels were significantly lower in the patients than controls. The VEGF and IGF-1 levels were negatively correlated with RI and PI in the uterine and intraovarian arteries. VEGF level was positively correlated with IGF-1 ( r = 0.41, P 0.05) in women with PCOS. Conclusions: Higher serum levels of VEGF and IGF-1 in PCOS women may be related to the increased vascularity that underlies the increased blood flow demonstrated by Doppler blood flow measurements in these women.

NULL

NULL

Abstract Objective To assess the effect of short‐term maternal fasting on uterine, umbilical, and middle cerebral artery Doppler indices, and on maternal serum glucose levels and fetal behavior. Methods Maternal serum glucose levels, fetal biophysical profiles, and uterine, umbilical, and middle cerebral artery Doppler indices were assessed in 110 healthy women in the third trimester of pregnancy after fasting for 10–12 hours and 2 hours after a balanced meal. Results Maternal serum glucose levels, nonstress test results, fetal breathing movements, and biophysical profile improved after a meal compared with after fasting for 10–12 hours. Uterine, umbilical, and middle cerebral artery Doppler indices were not significantly different after fasting and after a meal. Conclusion Short‐term maternal fasting during the third trimester of pregnancy has no effect on uterine, umbilical, or fetal cerebral artery Doppler indices, and has a transient but significant effect on maternal serum glucose levels and fetal behavior.

Abstract Objective To assess the effect of short‐term maternal fasting on uterine, umbilical, and middle cerebral artery Doppler indices, and on maternal serum glucose levels and fetal behavior. Methods Maternal serum glucose levels, fetal biophysical profiles, and uterine, umbilical, and middle cerebral artery Doppler indices were assessed in 110 healthy women in the third trimester of pregnancy after fasting for 10–12 hours and 2 hours after a balanced meal. Results Maternal serum glucose levels, nonstress test results, fetal breathing movements, and biophysical profile improved after a meal compared with after fasting for 10–12 hours. Uterine, umbilical, and middle cerebral artery Doppler indices were not significantly different after fasting and after a meal. Conclusion Short‐term maternal fasting during the third trimester of pregnancy has no effect on uterine, umbilical, or fetal cerebral artery Doppler indices, and has a transient but significant effect on maternal serum glucose levels and fetal behavior.