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G Mello

Publications and source records attributed to G Mello.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1997

Anthropometric characteristics of full-term infants: effects of varying degrees of "normal" glucose metabolism.

Aim of this study was to examine the maternal-neonatal outcome and the neonatal anthropometric characteristics of a full-term mother-infant pairs group with a positive oral glucose challenge test (GCT) without gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Our study involved 1615 white women with singleton pregnancies who underwent universal screening for GDM in two periods of pregnancy. This population was divided into three groups according to GCT results: 1) 172 patients with abnormal GCT in both periods; 2) 391 patient with normal GCT in the early period and abnormal GCT in the late period; 3) 1052 patients with normal GCT in both periods (control group). The incidence of LGA (large for gestational age) infants was higher in Group (40.7%) and Group 2 (22.0%) respect to control group (8.3%) (p < 0.00001 and p < 0.0001 respectively) and was significantly different in the two groups (p < 0.0008). Comparison among the three groups of LGA infants showed the following results: male and female newborns of Group I were heavier than those of Group 2 and of the control group, while males and females of the control group had significantly greater length and cranial circumference means. A significant decrease in ponderal index, choracic circumference, weight/length ratio means could be seen as well as a significative increase in cranial/thoracic circumference ratio means from Group I to the control group. These data confirm the involvement of fetal development in terms of weight and anthropometric characteristics in the presence of alterations in maternal glucose metabolism which are not currently classified as gestational diabetes.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Excursion of daily glucose profiles in pregnant women with IDDM: relationship with perinatal outcome.

The relationship between perinatal outcome and daily glucose profile throughout pregnancy was assessed in 31 White Class B through R pregnant diabetic women. The study population was divided into two groups on the basis of perinatal outcome: 20 patients (Group I) without neonatal complications; 11 patients (Group II) with at least one form of neonatal complications. The overall capillary blood glucose average levels of Group I (98.53 +/- 22.33 mg/dl) and of Group II (110.14 +/- 20.77 mg/dl) was significantly different (ANOVA p < 0.0001). From the first trimester of pregnancy Group I showed significantly lower mean glycemic levels for daytime, evening and night (Bonferroni test p < 0.05) than Group II and both presented daily glycemic profiles with very extensive excursions. During the second trimester the groups continued to maintain these differences in mean glycemic levels (Bonferroni test p < 0.05) but a daily glycemic rthythm with relative nocturnal hypoglycemia with closer fluctuations. In contrast, during the third trimester the two groups presented both a daily rhythm of glucose and glycemic values for daytime, evening and night not statistically different (Bonferroni test p < 0.06). The distribution of women according to glucose levels reached during the night showed a mode of distribution in both Group I and II collocated in a range 70-100 mg/dl. These findings suggest that an optimum perinatal outcome can be achieved only if the pre-pregnancy diabetic women can achieve a metabolic equilibrium during the second trimester which matches the daily excursions of glycemia present in a non-diabetic pregnant women avoiding individual episodes of night-time hypoglycemia.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Risk factors for fetal macrosomia: the importance of a positive oral glucose challenge test.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate whether minor abnormalities of glucose metabolism without gestational diabetes are a risk factor for fetal overgrowth. DESIGN: A sample of 1883 unselected white mother-infant pairs were screened for gestational diabetes using a 50 g 1-h oral glucose challenge test (GCT) in two periods of pregnancy: early (16-20 weeks) and late (26-30 weeks). METHODS: The effects of risk factors (glucose metabolism, previous history of mothers, obesity, multiparity and age of mothers) were estimated using a multinomial logit model. RESULTS: The level of risk was related to gestational age at the appearance of an abnormal GCT. Patients with an abnormal GCT in the early and late periods of pregnancy (Group 1) had a risk of delivering a large for gestational age (LGA) infant seven times higher than the control group (normal GCT in both periods), and patients with a normal GCT in the early period and an abnormal GCT in the late period (Group 2) showed a risk three times higher than the control group. Among the historical risk factors for LGA infants, such as maternal obesity, multiparity, previous gestational diabetes and previous delivery of an infant weighing 4000 g or more, only the latter was associated with fetal overgrowth with a risk level 4.7 higher than the control group. Group 1 patients had a significantly higher incidence of pregnancy-induced hypertension and preterm birth. There were no differences in the frequency of 5-min Apgar score < 7 and metabolic complications among the infants of all groups. We found a significantly higher rate of shoulder dystocia in Group 1 infants than in infants in the other groups. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that a positive GCT at 26-30 weeks is the most important risk factor for fetal overgrowth. This result was strongly enforced in patients who had also shown a positive early GCT at 16-20 weeks.

Blood Glucose↗
PubMed1997

[Glycemic thresholds in spontaneous abortion during the first trimester in pregnant women with insulin dependent diabetes].

BACKGROUND AND AIM: To evaluate the hypothesis that insulin-dependent diabetic (IDDM) pregnant women have a threshold of glycemic control during the first trimester of pregnancy for an increased risk of spontaneous abortion. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Seventy IDDM pregnant women were enrolled before the 9th week of gestation and monitored throughout pregnancy. Fifteen pregnancies (21.4%) led to spontaneous abortion within the first trimester (study group) and 55 (76%) continued until term (control group). In order to evaluate the differences between the study group and the control group variance analysis and Student's t-test were used for constant variables and chi 2 and Fisher's exact test for discrete variables; p < 0.05 was considered statistically significance. RESULTS: Mean levels of glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and fructosamine at the initial prenatal visit were significantly higher in the study group (p < 0.03) compared to the control group. The threshold for an increased risk of spontaneous abortion in the first trimester was found to be initial concentrations > 8% for HbA1c and > 300 mmol/l for fructosamine. CONCLUSIONS: Pregnant women suffering from IDDM with initial HbA1c levels higher than 8% and fructosamine > 3 mmol/l have an increased risk of spontaneous abortion in the first trimester of pregnancy. Below this threshold the risk of spontaneous abortion during the first trimester of pregnancy is similar to that for non-diabetic pregnant women.

Abortion, Spontaneous↗
PubMed1997

[Intensive care of insulin dependent diabetic pregnant women. Perinatal outcome in relation to gestational age at the initial visit].

BACKGROUND AND AIM: To correlate the perinatal outcome of insulin-dependent diabetic (IDDM) pregnant women with the quality of metabolic control defined as gestational age at initial visit, extent and duration. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 64 pregnant women classified from White's class B to class R were included in the study: 55 pregnant women joined the study before the 9th week (early control group), 9 after the 26th week (late control group). On the basis of perinatal outcome, the 55 pregnant women in the early control group were then subdivided into a further two groups: 34 patients with optimal outcome and 21 with non-optimal outcome. RESULTS: In the early control group of pregnant women, overall mean daily glycemia was significantly lower in the group with optimal outcome compared to that with non-optimal outcome during the 1st and 2nd trimester, but not in the 3rd. Compared to the early control group, during the 3rd trimester patients in the late control group showed significantly higher levels of: overall mean daily glycemia, glycosylated hemoglobin and fructosamine. In the early control group maternal morbidity (p < 0.05), neonatal morbidity (p < 0.03) and perinatal mortality (p < 0.05) were significantly lower than in the late control group. CONCLUSIONS: The achievement of optimal glycometabolic control in the 2nd trimester appears to be a prerequisite for improving maternal-fetal outcome in the early control group compared to that in the late control group in which the attainment of good glycemic control during the 3rd trimester does not seem to be efficacious in reducing overall morbidity and mortality.

Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1↗
PubMed1996

Blood clotting activation during normal pregnancy.

Pregnancy is considered as a hypercoagulable state and an increased incidence of thromboembolic phenomena has been reported in pregnant women. Relevant changes in the hemostatic mechanism have been reported during physiological pregnancy: briefly, increased levels of coagulation factors, enhanced thrombin generation and suppression of fibrinolysis are commonly found in women with uncomplicated pregnancy. We recently described progressive increases in fibrinogen and D-dimer plasma levels during normal pregnancy. The increase in D-dimer levels makes difficult their interpretation for the exclusion of thromboembolic phenomena in pregnancy. The behavior of prothrombin fragment 1+2 (F1+2) levels during physiological pregnancy is scarcely known. The aim of this preliminary study was to establish range values of F1+2 plasma levels for different periods of normal pregnancy.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Antiphospholipid antibodies and pregnancy disorders in women with insulin dependent diabetes.

Insulin dependent diabetes (IDD) is considered to be an immune endocrinopathy as in such patients a disorder of the immune system is involved; however, up to now no data are available on the occurrence of antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) in IDD pregnant women and on possible correlation between the presence of aPL and the high fetomaternal morbidity reported in these patients. The presence of lupus anticoagulant (LA) and of anticardiolipin antibodies (ACA) was monthly evaluated. In 35 IDD pregnant women referring within the 7 degrees week of pregnancy to the High Risk Pregnancy Medical Unit. Levels of D-dimer, fibrin degradation product, were also assayed. Twelve IDD pregnant women resulted to be aPL positive with a markedly high prevalence of positivity (34%). aPL positive did not significantly differ from aPL negative women in age, duration and severity of diabetes and in metabolic control throughout pregnancy. Pregnancy induced hypertension (PIH) and intrauterin growth retard (IUGR) were observed in 6/12 aPL positive and in only 2/23 aPL negative patients (p < 0.02). A pathological increase in D-dimer levels occurred in 6/12 aPL positive patients and in none aPL negative (p < 0.03). The high frequency of aPL positivity and its strict relation to pregnancy complications strongly support a major role for an autoimmune pathogenetic mechanism in the occurrence of feto-maternal morbidity in IDD pregnant women. The identification of this subgroup at risk for complications may be clinically relevant.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed1996

[Acute abdomen in the third trimester].

The authors report a case of acute abdomen in the third trimester of pregnancy as observed at the II Obstetrics and Gynecologic Department of Florence University. Emphasis is laid on the frequent abnormality of the symptomatology and therefore the difficult of early diagnosis. The conclusion is reached that a greater semeiologic accuracy on behalf of the specialist as well as memorization of the several clinical charts responsible for such pathology, allow an earlier diagnosis with consequent improvement of maternal and fetal prognosis.

Abdomen, Acute↗
PubMed1995

D-Dimer in intra-uterine growth retardation and gestational hypertension.

Pregnancy is sometime related to thromboembolic complications (1) and alterations in different hemostatic parameters have been reported in pregnancy (2-4). In particular, a progressive increase in fibrinogen and D-dimer levels occurs during normal pregnancy (5-9). D-dimer levels may be predictive for some complications such as preeclampsia (10) and they have been also reported to be useful for diagnosis of abruptio placentae (6). However, it remains to be established if common ELISA for D-dimer are able to discriminate pathologic samples in conditions such as intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) or gestational hypertension (GH). Aim of the present study has been to evaluate the behavior of D-dimer in pregnant women with IUGR and GH.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

D-dimer concentrations during normal pregnancy, as measured by ELISA.

In pregnant women a number of changes in blood clotting and fibrinolysis proteins have been reported so indicating the existence of a state of hypercoagulability. In addition to fibrinogen and antithrombin III (AT), D-dimer is frequently checked during pregnancy, in particular during at risk pregnancy, but the exact pattern of D-dimer modifications during uncomplicated pregnancy is not definitively described. The aim of this study was to establish the range values in three different periods of uncomplicated pregnancy (A: 1-20 wks; B: 21-30 wks; C: 31-40 wks). We measured plasma levels of D-dimer, clottable fibrinogen and AT in 108 consecutive normal pregnant women aged 16 to 42 years. In period A, the range of D-dimer values was 43-211 ng/mL, not different from controls, while fibrinogen levels were significantly higher (p < 0.05) than in matched non pregnant women. Mean D-dimer levels were higher in periods B (p < 0.05) and C (p < 0.05) vs period A. Similarly, mean fibrinogen levels were found more elevated in periods B and C vs period A (p < 0.05). A significant correlation was found between fibrinogen and D-dimer levels (p < 0.001). No differences in AT levels were found among the three periods of pregnancy. The results of this study indicate that levels of D-dimer up to 685 micrograms/L may be reached at the end of physiological pregnancy. This fact should be taken into account in the evaluation of hemostatic studies performed in uncomplicated and complicated pregnant women.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Glycosilated fetal hemoglobin in neonates of diabetic mothers.

In diabetic patients, the correlation between glycosilated adult hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels and average glucose concentration over the preceding weeks is well known. We have, therefore, sought the possibility to identify newborns at risk measuring cord blood levels of fetal glycosilated hemoglobin (HbF1) in neonates of diabetic mothers. HbF1 was tested by the isoelectrofocusing method. Mean values of HbF1 have been proven to be higher in in infants born to diabetic mothers as compared to normal newborns. The highest levels were encountered in those babies whose mothers had shown a poor glycemic control during the last few weeks of pregnancy.

Female↗