Preconceptional factors associated with haemoglobin concentration in early pregnancy: a community-based cohort study in rural northeastern Tanzania.

Objective: Maternal anaemia in early pregnancy is associated with poor pregnancy outcomes. Furthermore, preconceptional health can influence the health during pregnancy. The aim of this study was to investigate which preconceptional factors were associated with haemoglobin (Hb) concentration in early pregnancy.

Prevalence and risk factors of preconception anemia: A community based cross sectional study of rural women of reproductive age in northeastern Tanzania.

Background: Anemia is a major public health problem that adversely affects pregnancy outcomes. The prevalence of anemia among pregnant women before conception is not well known in Tanzania. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence, types, and risk factors of preconception anemia in women of reproductive age from a rural Tanzanian setting.

The Effect of High Dose Cholecalciferol on Arterial Stiffness and Peripheral and Central Blood Pressure in Healthy Humans: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Low levels of serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D are associated with increased arterial stiffness and hypertension. Supplementation with vitamin D precursors has been proposed as a treatment option for these conditions. We examined the effect of oral cholecalciferol on arterial stiffness and blood pressure in healthy normotensive adults.

Antidepressants and the risk of hyponatremia: a Danish register-based population study.

Objective: To examine the association between classes of antidepressants and hyponatremia, and between specific antidepressants and hyponatremia.

Design: Retrospective register-based cohort study using nationwide registers from 1998 to 2012.

Setting: The North Denmark Region.

Expression of the small conductance Ca²⁺-activated potassium channel subtype 3 (SK3) in rat uterus after stimulation with 17β-estradiol.

Preterm births accounts for roughly 9% of all births worldwide and can have detrimental or even lethal consequences for the infant. However to develop new treatment that will lower the rate of preterm births, more knowledge is required on the factors contributing to the contraction and relaxation of the myometrium. The small conductance Ca²⁺-activated potassium channel subtype 3 (SK3) has been identified in the myometrium of several species including humans, mice and rats, but with great inter species variation of the expression pattern and regulation.

Urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) excretion increases in normal pregnancy but not in preeclampsia.

Background: Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) serum values have been shown to increase in preeclampsia. The goal of the present study was to evaluate changes in urinary NGAL concentrations during uncomplicated pregnancy and in cases of preeclampsia and hypertension.

Methods: Fifty-one pregnant women who developed preeclampsia and 28 diagnosed with essential or gestational hypertension were investigated for urinary NGAL concentrations during pregnancy.

An evaluation of the interference of hydroxycobalamin with chemistry and co-oximetry tests on nine commonly used instruments.

The administration of hydroxocobalamin (OHCob), alone or with sodium thiosulfate, is a standard therapy for cyanide poisoning. OHCob is a red chromophore, and its interference with co-oximetric and colorimetric laboratory measurements has been evaluated in a few conflicting reports. The interference of OHCob was investigated in samples spiked with 10 different concentrations of OHCob (0-1500 mg/L).

Error tracking in a clinical biochemistry laboratory.

Background: We report our results for the systematic recording of all errors in a standard clinical laboratory over a 1-year period.

Methods: Recording was performed using a commercial database program. All individuals in the laboratory were allowed to report errors.

Diagnosis of the syndrome of inappropriate secretion of antidiuretic hormone.

Background: Hyponatremia is a frequent condition in elderly patients. In diagnostic workup, a 24-hour urine sample is used to measure urinary osmolality and urinary sodium concentration necessary to confirm the diagnosis of the syndrome of inappropriate secretion of antidiuretic hormone (SIADH). This study was undertaken to test the hypothesis that a spot urine sample would be sufficient for urinalysis.

Acute recurrent polyhydramnios: a combination of amniocenteses and NSAID may be curative rather than palliative.

Acute recurrent polyhydramnios is a rare occurrence characterized by a poor fetal outcome. This is a case report describing a 34-year-old woman presenting with acute recurrent polyhydramnios. Treatment with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) and therapeutic amniocenteses was initiated immediately and resulted in a decreased amniotic fluid production from 30 weeks' gestation.

Blood sampling for biochemical analysis from central venous catheters: minimizing the volume of discarded blood.

The purpose of the work was to establish a reliable procedure for blood sampling from central venous catheters with a minimal loss of blood. Based on previous studies of potassium measurements, the routine procedure had been to discard 12 ml of blood. In order to clear the catheter from substances from the infusion including potassium, the catheters were first flushed with 5 ml of saline.