Normal Range for Maternal Lactic Acid during Pregnancy and Labor: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies.

Objective: This article systematically reviews the literature to establish the normal range of lactic acid in healthy pregnant women.

Study Design: Ovid MEDLINE, Embase.com, and Clinicaltrials.

Effect of Glucose on 3D Cardiac Microtissues Derived from Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells.

Maternal hyperglycemia is a risk factor for fetal cardiac anomalies. This study aimed to assess the effect of high glucose on human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocyte self-assembly into 3D microtissues and their calcium handling. Stem cells were differentiated to beating cardiomyocytes using established protocols.

Pregnancy programming and preeclampsia: identifying a human endothelial model to study pregnancy-adapted endothelial function and endothelial adaptive failure in preeclamptic subjects.

We have previously reported that the increase in vasodilator production in an ovine model pregnancy is underpinned by an increase in connexin 43 (Cx43) gap junction function, so allowing more uterine artery endothelial cells to produce a more sustained Ca(2+) burst response to agonist stimulation. Since activation of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) requires elevated [Ca(2+)]i, it follows that the direct result of enhanced bursting in turn is an increase in nitric oxide (NO) production per cell from more cells, and for a longer period of time. Preeclampsia (PE) is associated with endothelial vasodilatory dysfunction, and the endocrine profile of women with PE includes an increase in a number of factors found in wound sites.

Vulvar abscess: a retrospective review.

Vulvar abscesses can progress to cause significant illness requiring disfiguring surgical debridement, broad spectrum antibiotics, and require hospitalization. A retrospective review of de-identified charts of 13 patients admitted for inpatient care for vulvar abscesses from 2004-2009 at West Virginia University Hospitals was conducted. Risk factors for vulvar abscess in these patients included obesity and diabetes.

Assay of the von Willebrand factor (VWF) propeptide to identify patients with type 1 von Willebrand disease with decreased VWF survival.

Type 1 von Willebrand disease (VWD) is characterized by a partial quantitative deficiency of von Willebrand factor (VWF). Few VWF gene mutations have been identified that cause dominant type 1 VWD. The decreased survival of VWF in plasma has recently been identified as a novel mechanism for type 1 VWD.