Assessing Second Trimester Ferning in Diagnosing Preterm Prelabor Rupture of Membranes.

Preterm prelabor rupture of membranes (PPROM) diagnosis is made through visualization of amniotic fluid (pooling), nitrizine testing, sonographic low amniotic fluid, and microscopic detection of amniotic fluid arborization (ferning). Data exits on the specificity and sensitivity of ferning detection but has not focused on the second trimester. Our objective is to evaluate the presence of ferning in transvaginally collected amniotic fluid in pregnancies with known second trimester PPROM to determine if there is a difference in ferning based on gestational age and sample drying time.

Evaluating the Association between Prenatal Care Visits and Adverse Perinatal Outcome in Pregnancies Complicated by Opioid Use Disorder.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the association between number of prenatal care visits and adverse perinatal outcome among pregnant individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD).

Study Design: This is a retrospective cohort of singleton, nonanomalous pregnancies complicated by OUD that delivered from January 2015 to July 2020 at our academic medical center. Primary outcome was the presence of composite adverse perinatal outcome, defined as one or more of the following: stillbirth, placental abruption, perinatal death, neonatal respiratory distress syndrome, need for morphine treatment, and hyperbilirubinemia.

Implementing American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Outpatient Antepartum Testing Recommendations: Can Your Clinic Handle It?

Objective: This study was conducted to determine the difference in the number of pregnancies that would qualify for outpatient fetal testing between our current academic practice and that of the 2021 American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) antepartum recommendations.

Study Design: We performed a retrospective study of all pregnancies that delivered and received prenatal care at our institution between January 1, 2019, and May 31, 2021. The timing and amount of outpatient antepartum testing was determined for each patient.

Impact of obesity on blood pressures measured at alternative locations during pregnancy.

Background: In patients with obesity, the distribution of subcutaneous tissue can make blood pressure measurement on the standard location of the upper arm difficult. In these cases, alternative locations, such as the lower arm or wrist, are commonly used. It is unknown whether there is a discrepancy in these measurements for pregnant patients at extremes of body mass index.

Use of gestation adjusted projection method for predicting fetal head circumference.

Objectives: The aim of this study is to determine if the gestation adjusted projection (GAP) method applied to a fetal head circumference (FHC) measured on ultrasound between 32 and 36 weeks and 6 days gestation can predict birth head circumference, specifically ≥ 35 cm, which is a known risk factor for Cesarean.

Methods: This is a retrospective chart review of 60 pregnancies from January to December 2019. Eligible patients delivered a singleton term neonate and received two ultrasounds, one at 32-36 weeks and 6 days gestation (period 1) and a second within 7 days of a term birth (period 2).

Gestational Diabetes: Overview with Emphasis on Medical Management.

With the rising trend in obesity, the incidence of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and perinatal complications associated with the condition are also on the rise. Since the early 1900s, much knowledge has been gained about the diagnosis, implications, and management of gestational diabetes with improved outcomes for the mother and fetus. Worldwide, there is variation in the definition of GDM, methods to screen for the condition, and management options.

Inhibiting ERα expression in the medial amygdala increases prosocial behavior in male meadow voles (Microtus pennsylvanicus).

This study tested the hypothesis that site-specific estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) expression is a critical factor in the expression of male prosocial behavior and aggression. Previous studies have shown that in the socially monogamous prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster) low levels of ERα expression, in the medial amygdala (MeA), play an essential role in the expression of high levels of male prosocial behavior and that increasing ERα expression reduced male prosocial behavior. We used an shRNA adeno-associated viral vector to knock down/inhibit ERα in the MeA of the polygynous male meadow vole (M.