OBJECTIVE To determine the leading causes of perinatal deaths and to evaluate any changes, with the inclusion of placental histology. METHOD At perinatal mortality meetings, primary and final causes of death were assigned for the period 1 July 2006 - 30 June 2007. All singleton babies born to women residing in the metropolitan area serviced by Tygerberg Hospital were included in the prospecti...

Birth weight is a reliable index of intra-uterine growth and a major factor determining child survival, future physical growth and mental development1. Babies born with low birth weight (LBW) have poorer chance of survival and healthy growth and development than babies born with normal weight2. These babies experience greater mental, physical and neurological handicaps later in life3. The birth...

Background: Intrauterine foetal demise or still birth refers to an antepartum intrapartum death occurring after 20 weeks of gestation. The majority these deaths would probably be prevented with better access expert healthcare and providing health education the women.Aims: To find out associated risk factors for intra uterine determine probable cause demiseMaterials& methods: This is a prospecti...

During pregnancy parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP) is one of many growth factors that play important roles to promote fetal growth and development including stimulating placental calcium transport. Angiotensin II, acting through the AT1a, receptor is also known to promote placental growth. We examined the effects of bilateral uterine artery and vein ligation (Restricted), which mimics...

Epidemiological studies have linked intra-uterine growth restriction (IUGR) with an increased risk of CVD later in life. The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of maternal protein restriction on cardiac function in adulthood during dobutamine (DOB) stimulation. IUGR was induced in Wistar Kyoto dams through administration of a low-protein diet (LPD; 8.7 % casein) during pregnancy...

BACKGROUND Despite extensive studies of the developmental consequences of increased glucocorticoid exposure in mid- to late pregnancy, relatively little is known regarding the significance of glucocorticoids in early pregnancy. The objective of this review was to consider potential roles for this family of corticosteroids that might relate to early pregnancy. METHODS Although this is a narrat...

OBJECTIVES To determine the accuracy with which uterine artery Doppler in the first trimester of pregnancy predicts pre-eclampsia and fetal growth restriction, particularly early-onset disease. METHODS We searched MEDLINE (1951-2012), EMBASE (1980-2012) and the Cochrane Library (2012) for relevant citations without language restrictions. Two reviewers independently selected studies that evalu...