Behavioural, educational and respiratory outcomes of antenatal betamethasone for term caesarean section (ASTECS trial).

Objectives: To determine whether antenatal betamethasone prior to elective term caesarean section (CS) affects long term behavioural, cognitive or developmental outcome, and whether the risk of asthma or atopic disease is reduced.

Design: A questionnaire based follow-up of a multicentre randomised controlled trial (Antenatal Steroids for Term Elective Caesarean Section, BMJ 2005).

Setting: Four UK study centres from the original trial.

Antenatal betamethasone and incidence of neonatal respiratory distress after elective caesarean section: pragmatic randomised trial.

Objective: To test whether steroids reduce respiratory distress in babies born by elective caesarean section at term.

Design: Multicentre pragmatic randomised trial.

Setting: 10 maternity units.

Severe congenital myotonic dystrophy and severe anaemia of prematurity in an infant of Jehovah's Witness parents.

Severe congenital myotonic dystrophy (CMD) is an autosomal dominant condition characterized by hypotonia and respiratory insufficiency at birth. Terminal outcome has been reported in infants requiring ventilation for longer than 30 days. The case is reported of an infant born at 34 weeks' gestation with severe CMD.