Validating staging criteria for sonographic and physical examination for cervical changes at <24 weeks' gestation to predict preterm birth.

Background: Preterm birth represents a significant clinical challenge, and the ability to predict it effectively is a priority in obstetrics. The cervix undergoes specific changes during pregnancy, and staging these changes may offer a valuable predictive model for preterm birth, particularly among women with a midtrimester short cervical length.

Objective: The study aimed to validate a proposed staging model for asymptomatic women with midtrimester short cervical length and to evaluate its potential for predicting preterm birth.

Amniotic fluid rubidium concentration association with newborn birthweight: a maternal-neonatal pilot study.

Background: Although most biological systems, including human tissues, contain rubidium, its biogeochemical functions and possible role in neonatal birthweight are largely unknown. An animal study indicated a correlation between rubidium deficiency in the maternal diet and lower newborn birthweight.

Objective: This pilot study measured rubidium concentrations in amniotic fluid during the second trimester of (low-risk) pregnancy and investigated potential correlations between rubidium levels and third-trimester newborn birthweight-small for gestational age, appropriate for gestational age, and large for gestational age-and between preterm birth and term birth in uncomplicated pregnancies.