CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE Previous studies have led to speculation that the association between ropivacaine and clonidine might be more effective than ropivacaine alone. We examined the maternal-fetal effects of two pharmacological approaches: a low dose of ropivacaine or a lower dose of ropivacaine plus clonidine for epidural analgesia during labor. DESIGN AND SETTING Prospective study at Depart...

BACKGROUND The diagnosis of labor onset has been described as one of the most important judgments in maternity care. There is compelling evidence that the duration of both latent and active phase labor are clinically important and require consistent approaches to measurement. In order to measure the duration of labor phases systematically, we need standard definitions of their onset. We reviewe...

Background: The modified WHO partograph is an inexpensive but valuable tool that provides a continuous pictorial overview of progress of labor. It helps to detect the abnormal progress of labor. It guides the obstetrician to decide about the need for augmentation of labor and helps to recognize prolong labour before obstruction occurs. Objectives: The objectives were to study the course of norm...

BACKGROUND Precipitous labor is defined as expulsion of the fetus within less than 3 hours of commencement of regular contractions. We retrospectively examined our cases of precipitous labor to identify the clinical significance and perinatal outcomes following precipitous labor in singleton vertex deliveries. METHODS A retrospective population-based study was conducted comparing women with s...

The underlying data from which the U.S. unemployment rate, labor-force participation and duration of are calculated contain numerous internal contradictions. This paper catalogs these inconsistencies proposes a unified reconciliation. We find that usual statistics understate rate by about two percentage points on average bias in latter has increased over time. BLS estimate substantially oversta...

This paper explores the evolution of the labor market across the business cycle and specifically the relationship between the unemployment rate and the average duration of unemployment. Labor market recoveries have long been thought of as lagging recoveries in broad economic activity. In particular, the unemployment rate peaks several months after the official business cycle trough and the aver...