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Biomedical subjects

J Dudenhausen

Publications and source records attributed to J Dudenhausen.

10 recordsLinked to original sources

Social support during pregnancy: effects on maternal depressive symptoms, smoking and pregnancy outcome.

BACKGROUND: The goal was to study the effects of social support during pregnancy on maternal depressive symptoms, quality of life and pregnancy outcomes. METHODS: Eight hundred ninety-six women were prospectively studied in the first trimester of pregnancy and following completion of the pregnancy. The sample was divided into quartiles yielding groups of low, medium and high social support based on perceived social support. RESULTS: Pregnant women with low support reported increased depressive symptoms and reduced quality of life. The effects of social support on pregnancy outcomes were particularly pronounced in women who had smoked during pregnancy, with significant main effects of social support in a two-way analysis of variance (smoking status and social support) for child body length (F = 4.26, P = 0.04; 50.43 +/- 2.81 cm with low support versus 51.76 +/- 2.31 cm with high support) and birthweight (F = 11.35, P = 0.001; 3175 +/- 453 g with low support versus 3571 +/- 409 g with high support). In smokers, pregnancy complications occurred more frequently when given low support {34 versus 10.3% with high support, chi(2) = 5.49, P = 0.019; relative risk (RR) = 3.3 [95% confidence interval (95% CI) = 1.1-10.2]}, and the proportion of preterm deliveries was greater given low support (10.0 versus 0% with high support, chi(2) = 3.84, P = 0.05, odds ratio = 8.1). CONCLUSIONS: Lack of social support constitutes an important risk factor for maternal well-being during pregnancy and has adverse effects on pregnancy outcomes.

Adult↗

Intrapartum translabial ultrasound (ITU): sonographic landmarks and correlation with successful vacuum extraction.

OBJECTIVE: Having studied intrapartum translabial ultrasound (ITU) to define easily obtainable sonographic criteria during maternal pushing, we used it dynamically immediately before vacuum extraction to determine its use in predicting successful operative vaginal delivery. METHODS: In a pilot study, maternal and fetal landmarks were determined sonographically during maternal pushing from a mid-sagittal translabial insonation using a curved array transducer in women delivering singleton fetuses in cephalic presentation spontaneously. With this transducer placed infrapubically ('infrapubic plane'), easily obtainable landmarks and signs were: (i) the 'infrapubic line', perpendicular to the long axis of the pubic joint and extending dorsally from its inferior margin in a mid-sagittal plane, (ii) the widest fetal head diameter and its movement with regard to the infrapubic line during pushing, and (iii) the 'head direction' with respect to the long axis of the symphysis. A three-dimensional reconstruction from a computed tomographic (CT) dataset of a normal female pelvis was then used to quantify accurately the spatial relationship between the infrapubic line and the anatomical landmarks. Finally, 20 pregnant women in spontaneous term labor with normal singleton fetuses in cephalic presentation and clinical indication for vacuum extraction were studied by ITU immediately before operative vaginal delivery. RESULTS: CT reconstruction demonstrated the infrapubic line to be 3 cm cranial to the parallel interspinous plane. Eleven of the 20 vacuum deliveries with the 'head-up' sign (head pointing ventrally) and objective descent of the fetal head below the infrapubic line, both noted at the height of pushing, resulted in successful ('simple' or 'moderately difficult') operative delivery. Lack of descent or lack of passage below the infrapubic line and horizontal or downward head direction were poor prognostic signs. CONCLUSIONS: ITU provides objective information on the dynamics of the second stage of labor, head station and head direction. ITU may be used to assess the prognosis for operative vaginal delivery.

Adolescent↗

Clinical practice evaluation of atosiban in preterm labour management in six European countries.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of early administration compared with standard administration of atosiban, when predefined eligibility criteria were met. DESIGN: A prospective, open-label, randomised clinical trial. Women were randomised to receive atosiban either immediately (early) or when specified criteria, in terms of duration/frequency of uterine contraction or status of cervical dilation/effacement, were fulfilled (standard). SETTING: Carried out at 105 centres in six European countries. POPULATION: Pregnant women admitted to hospital in threatened preterm labour between 24 and 34 weeks of gestation, comprising a subgroup of women enrolled in the Tractocile Efficacy Assessment Survey in Europe (TREASURE) clinical experience review. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Efficacy was defined as the successful delay of delivery with no alternative tocolytic agent for 48 hours. RESULTS: More women in the early group remained undelivered at 48 hours with no alternative tocolytic agent compared with those who received atosiban when specified criteria were fulfilled (88.9 versus 76.1%; P = 0.03). Safety was comparable between the groups. There were no statistical differences in maternal, fetal or neonatal adverse events between the early and standard atosiban arms. CONCLUSIONS: The use of atosiban was effective for the delay of preterm labour and presented no safety concerns irrespective of the time it was administered.

Adolescent↗

'Normal' pregnancy with adverse events on initial tocolytic treatment.

Preterm birth is never low risk and there are advantages gained by prolonging gestation even at relatively advanced stages of pregnancy. This means that high-value treatments should not just be reserved for high-risk pregnancies. Some women treated with tocolytics will experience adverse events, and some adverse events are particularly associated with different classes of tocolytic agents. Cardiovascular adverse events are particularly common with beta-agonists and there have been several maternal deaths from pulmonary oedema as a result of beta-agonist use for tocolysis. Calcium channel blockers are often associated with maternal hypotension, and a number of case studies reporting serious adverse events have been reported. The aim of this case study is to discuss what can be done if a patient experiences adverse events with tocolytics, and suggests approaches to continuing patient management and implications for obstetric practice.

Adolescent↗

Endothelial-cell permeability and protein kinase C in pre-eclampsia.

BACKGROUND: Oedema and vascular leakage play a part in the pathogenesis of pre-eclampsia. We tested the hypothesis that serum from pre-eclamptic patients increases endothelial-cell permeability and examined possible signal-transduction pathways. METHODS: We studied eight patients with pre-eclampsia, eight normotensive pregnant women, eight non-pregnant women, five pregnant patients with pre-existing hypertension, and four hypertensive non-pregnant women. Cultured human umbilical-vein endothelial-cell monolayers were used and permeability was measured by albumin flux. The part played by protein kinase C (PKC) signalling was examined by down-regulation with phorbol ester and with the inhibitors Goe 6976 and staurosporine. PKC isoforms were assessed by western blot and confocal microscopy. Antisense oligodesoxynucleotides (ODN) were used to test for specific PKC isoforms. FINDINGS: Serum from pre-eclamptic women increased endothelial permeability significantly (by 100%, p<0.01). The change in permeability decreased rapidly after delivery. Serum from normotensive pregnant women and non-pregnant women had no effect. Permeability was not influenced by serum from patients with essential hypertension or pregnant patients with pre-existing hypertension. Serum from pre-eclamptic patients induced a translocation of PKC isoforms alpha and epsilon within the cells. Goe 6976 and staurosporine (10(-8) mol/L) inhibited the increase in permeability induced by serum from pre-eclamptic patients. Down-regulation of PKC alpha and, to a lesser extent, PKC epsilon by antisense ODN also inhibited the pre-eclampsia-induced permeability increase. INTERPRETATION: Serum from pre-eclamptic patients contains a factor or factors that increase endothelial-cell permeability. The effect of pre-eclamptic serum may be mediated by PKC alpha and epsilon.

Adult↗

[Hydrops fetalis in tachycardia: diagnostic and therapeutic procedures].

We report on a 33-year-old para II who was admitted to our hospital in her 29th gestational week with extensive fetal hydrops. Examinations showed a fetal supraventricular tachycardia with biventrical cardiac insufficiency. Digoxin was given both to the mother and to the fetus. At first, this treatment seemed to have no effect. Over a period of several weeks, however, oral therapy with digoxin and verapamil resulted in a stabilized fetal heart rate (175-180 beats/min). Signs of fetal cardiac insufficiency disappeared almost completely. In the 39th week the child was born spontaneously. Clinical examination revealed only a slight cardiac insufficiency. New possibilities of intrauterine therapy are discussed in the light of this case and other reports in the literature.

Adult↗

Postpartum blood flow velocity waveforms of the uterine arteries.

Uterine arterial velocity waveforms, recorded by pulsed Doppler technology, demonstrated a significant increase in vascular resistance after the first postpartum day until the fourth to sixth postpartum week. In patients with an isthmic postcesarean hemorrhage, partial placental retention and puerperal endometritis, the corresponding waveforms presented higher diastolic velocity components than was the case for normal puerperal courses, indicating that lower uterine vascular resistance might be associated with these complications.

Arteries↗

[Endocrine parameters during artificial placentation and postnatal lung maturation].

During a experimental study in premature lamb the adaptation to a artificial placenta was evaluated by means of analysis of endocrine parameters. Performing cesarean section on day 125.-135.13 premature lambs were born and connected to a extracorporeal circuit providing CO2-Removal (ECCO2-R) during apnoic oxygenation over a period of 3 hours and 17 minutes mean duration. The intermittent analysis of 6 endocrine parameters was performed at the beginning of the experiment, after 1 hour and after 3 hours. TSH showed an statistical significant increase from a initial concentration of 0.638 +/- 0.051 microE/ml to 0.992 +/- 0.093 microE/ml after 1 hour (p 0.01). For T3 we found 0.273 +/- 0.074 nmol/l and 0.809 +/- 0.124 nmol/l. For RT3 we detected a decrease as the initial value was 4.304 +/- 0.474 ng/ml whereas after one hour we found 2.040 +/- 0.153 ng/ml. ACTH values increased from 543 +/- 109 pg/ml to 1150 +/- 194 pg/ml after 1 hour. Cortisol values increase from 39.6 +/- 7.5 ng/ml to 55.3 +/- 11.9 ng/ml. No significant change was found during the analysis of beta-endorphin concentrations. We conclude that the adaptation to artificial umbilical circulation is possible. Furthermore detected changes of endocrine parameters, namely cortisol and thyroxin levels, should provide a basis for postnatal organ maturation.

Adaptation, Physiological↗

[Postpartum diagnosis of diabetes in pregnancy in fetal macrosomia--comparison of two examinations].

Disorders of carbohydrate metabolism in pregnancy are often associated with macrosome newborns. There are two methods with different approach for retrospective diagnosis of gestational diabetes (GDM): 1. maternal postnatal oral glucose tolerance test (ppoGTT), 2. determination of cord blood insulin for detection of fetal hyperinsulinism. The presented study deals with the question how often macrosomia is correlated with pathologic cord blood insulin respectively pathologic ppoGTT and if both methods select identical collectives. Cord blood insulin was determined by RIA in 154 newborns with birth weight over the 90th percentile (threshold 15 microU/ml). On the 2nd day p.p. oGTT was performed in 80 women without prenatal diagnosis of GDM (threshold 95, 165, 145, 125 mg%). 37/154 (24%) newborns showed pathologic insulin values. 24/80 (30%) women had pathologic ppoGTT. In 30% of the cases pathologic results of cord blood insulin and ppoGTT selected different collectives: 17/66 pathologic ppoGTT with normal insulin values, 7/14 normal ppoGTT with pathologic insulin values. The only use of ppoGTT would fail in 50% of cases of GDM with proved fetal hyperinsulinism. The determination of cord blood insulin offers the opportunity of direct diagnostics on the child in contrast to maternal ppoGTT. For retrospective diagnosis of macrosomia due to disorders of carbohydrate metabolism determination of cord blood insulin should be given preference to oGTT in puerperium.

Blood Glucose↗