Tehran University Medical Journal

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Background: The aim of this study was to statistically evaluate the hypothesis that the presence of meconium-stained amniotic fluid is associated with postpartum maternal infection.
Methods: This prospective cohort study included 573 term pregnant women in labor, with no other medical problems, that underwent cesarean section for pregnancy termination. Women with prolonged active-phase labor, prolonged rupture of membranes, complicated cesarean section and pre-operative infections were excluded from this study.
The subjects were divided into two groups: 280 women with meconium-stained amniotic fluid (M group), and 293 women with clear amniotic fluid (C group). A comparison was done regarding postpartum fever, endometritis and wound infection between the two groups. Student's t-test and chi square test were used for data analysis, along with linear regression, with p<0.05 indicating significance.
Results: Among the 573 women, a total of 82 women (14%) had fever after cesarean 42 women from the M group, and 40 women from the C group (p= 0.3). Among the 82 women who had fever, 33 women had continuous fever, 6.5% in group M and 2.7% in group C (p<0.05, RR: 1.98, 95% CI 1.3-3.1). Among the 573 women, 4% developed endometritis 5% in group M and 2% in group C (p<0.05, RR: 2.3, 95%, CI 1.3-3.4). Similarly, among the 573 women, a total of 5 women (1%) developed wound infection, 1.7% in group M and 0.68% in group C (p=0.7).
Conclusion: Meconium-stained amniotic fluid is associated with increased postpartum infection independent of other risk factors for infection.

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Background: Recent studies have suggested that impaired fetal growth are indicators that may be present in the first trimester. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between crown-rump length (CRL) and pregnancy associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A) measurements in first trimester for low birth weight (LBW).
Methods: This prospective cohort study were on 120 pregnant women in first pregnan-cy trimester, in Women's Hospital Mirza Kochak Khan in 2011-2012. Gestational age according to crown-rump length and gestational age according to last menstrual period (LMP), neonatal weight, small for gestational age, pregnancy associated plasma protein-A and low birth weight were recorded. Main outcome measures was weight and gestational age at birth. Statistical tests used included descriptive statistics, t-test, χ² and all tests were two-tailed and differences with P<0.05 were considered to be statistically significant.
Results: Our findings showed that a total of 120 cases were included CRL Z-score and log 10 (MOM PAPP-A) were positively correlated with fetal birth weight. The mean Crown-rump length Z-score was significantly can be reduced in LBW in first trimester pregnancy. (P<0.001) Mean PAPP-A in low birth weight was (0.4±0.11 MOM), but in normal weight infants was (1.04±0.7 MOM). (P=0.011) also mean PAPP-A in pregnant women with SGA infants is significantly less than other pregnant women (0.5±0.2 versus 1.1±0.7) (P<0.001).
Conclusion: Our data suggest that crown-rump length and maternal levels of PAPP-A measured during the first trimester are independent factors that influence fetal birth weight. But their predictive powers are not sufficiently good for them to be used alone for low birth weight screening.

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Background: Receptivity of endometrium has a critical role in the establishment of pregnancy after embryo transfer in the treatment process of infertile couples. As the glycoprotein CA-125 is a product of human endometrium and is measurable in the peripheral circulation, it is investigated whether it might serve as an indicator of endometrial receptivity and predictor of pregnancy following Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).

Methods: In an observational diagnostic study, over a twelve-month period (from August 2013 to July 2014), all couples with male-factor infertility who attended to infertility clinic of Moheb Yas Hospital, Tehran and were candidate of performing ICSI, were invited to participate in the study. Based on the inclusion criteria of study, 64 women were eligible to take part in the study. They were assessed for serum CA-125 levels on the day of human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) administration and also on the day of oocyte retrieval. After ICSI, the possibility of pregnancy was assessed by measuring serum concentration of &beta-HCG on 14 days after embryo transfer and also by visualizing the gestational sac by trans-vaginal ultrasound examination on four to five weeks after transfer. The pregnancy rate was compared between those with normal and high CA-125 levels.

Results: Among the subjects, 15 patients (23.4%) had high CA-125 levels, and totally 19 patients (29.7%) experienced pregnancy. Among those with normal and high CA-125 levels, 16 patients (32.7%) and 3 subjects (20%) experienced pregnancy, respectively, that showed no statistically significant difference according to Chi-square test (P=0.348). Also, according to the Fisher’s exact test, there was no correlation between CA-125 levels and the rate of pregnancy on the basis of body mass index (BMI).

Conclusion: Totally, according to the obtained results in current study, it may be concluded that serum CA-125 levels has no prognostic value in prediction of the outcomes of ICSI among infertile couples with male-factor infertility.