Background: Sugar-sweetened soft drinks have been linked to a number of adverse health outcomes such as high weight gain. Therefore, artificially sweetened soft drinks are often promoted as an alternative. However, the safety of artificial sweeteners has been disputed, and consequences of high intakes of artificial sweeteners for pregnant women have been minimally addressed. Objective: We exami...

OBJECTIVE To compare, in singleton and twin pregnancies, the effectiveness of transvaginal ultrasound versus digital examination in predicting preterm delivery in women with suspected preterm labor. METHODS Transvaginal ultrasound and pelvic examinations were performed on patients admitted with suspected preterm labor between 23 and 33 weeks' gestation. Ultrasound assessment of cervical lengt...

BACKGROUND Preterm delivery (<37 weeks gestational age) affects 11% of all pregnancies, but data are conflicting whether preterm birth is associated with long-term adverse maternal cardiovascular outcomes. We aimed to systematically evaluate and summarize the evidence on the relationship between preterm birth and future maternal risk of cardiovascular diseases. METHODS AND RESULTS A systemati...

BACKGROUND Endothelial dysfunction is key to the development of atherosclerosis. Preterm delivery foreshadows later maternal cardiovascular disease (CVD), but it is not known if endothelial dysfunction also occurs. We prospectively measured circulating biomarkers of endothelial dysfunction in pregnant women with preterm or term delivery. METHODS We conducted a case-control study nested within...

BACKGROUND Sugar-sweetened soft drinks have been linked to a number of adverse health outcomes such as high weight gain. Therefore, artificially sweetened soft drinks are often promoted as an alternative. However, the safety of artificial sweeteners has been disputed, and consequences of high intakes of artificial sweeteners for pregnant women have been minimally addressed. OBJECTIVE We exami...

Although preterm delivery and low birth weight (LBW) have been Background: studied in India, findings may not be generalisable to rural areas such as the Marathwada region of Maharashtra state. There is limited information available on maternal and child health indicators from this region. We aimed to present some local estimates of preterm delivery and LBW in the Osmanabad district of Marathwa...

Introduction : Preterm delivery is defined as delivery before 37 weeks of gestation, approximately two-thirds of infant deaths in the first year of life is involved and is still considered as one of the major health problems. Incidence of preterm delivery in different studies mentioned , this study determined the frequency of this type of delivery in women admitted to health centers of Mashhad ...

We read with interest the excellent publication by DiGiulio et al. (1), which offers some fascinating insight into the composition and stability of the vaginal bacterial microbiome during pregnancy. Our initial impression, which we suspect would be shared by most readers, is that the study provides evidence supporting the concept that abnormal vaginal microbiota, and in particular the presence ...

Aim: Few data on insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) and preterm delivery are reported in type 1 diabetes mellitus while cross-sectional studies with regulators of IGF-1 indicate association with preterm delivery and fetal growth. We evaluated time-course relationship between the maternal serum IGF-1 and the subsequent obstetrical outcome. Setting and design: Consecutive follow-up study of 130...

Prevention and treatment of preterm delivery is not one of the success stories of modern medicine, preterm birth constitutes the major determinant of perinatal mortality and morbidity, and the long-term results of being born too early often lead to a shorter, less healthy life and a more difficult school and professional career. Different methods have been introduced to predict the advent of pr...