Effect of prenatal EPA and DHA on maternal and cord blood insulin sensitivity: a secondary analysis of the mothers, omega 3, and mental health study.

BACKGROUND: We sought to determine whether prenatal supplementation with the omega-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) or docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) would increase markers of insulin sensitivity in maternal or cord blood compared with placebo supplementation. A secondary aim was to evaluate the association of serum EPA and DHA fractions with adiponectin, leptin and the adiponectin:leptin ratio (ALR). We hypothesized that omega-3 fatty acid supplementation would increase markers of insulin sensitivity in maternal and umbilical cord plasma. METHODS: We analyzed stored plasma samples collected from a prior 3-arm prospective, double-blinded, randomized controlled trial in which 126 women with singleton pregnancies between 12- and 20-weeks' gestation were randomized to receive: 1) an EPA-rich fish oil supplement, 2) a DHA-rich fish oil supplement, or 3) a soy oil placebo. Maternal venous blood samples were collected at 12-20 weeks gestation (before supplementation) and at 34-36 weeks gestation. At delivery, cord blood was collected. Samples were analyzed using sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits to quantify leptin and adiponectin levels which were utilized to calculate the ALR, a proxy measure for insulin sensitivity. RESULTS: We found no difference in adiponectin, leptin, and the ALR between the treatment and placebo groups at baseline, after supplementation, or in umbilical cord blood. In regression analyses, higher maternal serum DHA fraction was associated with increased ALR before (p = 0.01) and after (p = 0.04) DHA supplementation. There was no association of EPA fraction with any measure of insulin sensitivity. Cord blood DHA fraction was significantly associated with cord plasma leptin (p = 0.02). Early pregnancy BMI was significantly associated with maternal leptin levels at baseline and in late pregnancy (p < 0.001) and was inversely associated with the ALR (p < 0.001). The ALR decreased significantly between the early and late pregnancy visits (p < 0.001). Pregnancy weight gain was inversely associated with the ALR (P. < 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: EPA- and DHA- rich fish oil supplementation had no effect on plasma markers of insulin sensitivity. However, maternal serum DHA fraction was significantly associated with markers of insulin sensitivity. TRIAL REGISTRATION: https://clinicaltrials.gov/, registration number NCT00711971, 7/7/2008.

SMFM Special Report: Putting the "M" back in MFM: Reducing racial and ethnic disparities in maternal morbidity and mortality: A call to action.

Racial and ethnic disparities in maternal morbidity and mortality rates are an important public health problem in the United States. Because racial and ethnic minorities are expected to comprise more than one-half of the US population by 2050, this issue needs to be addressed urgently. Research suggests that the drivers of health disparities occur at 3 levels: patient, provider, and system. Although we have recognized this issue and identified elements that contribute to it, knowledge must be converted into action to address it. In addition, despite available funding and databases, research directed towards understanding and reducing these disparities is lacking. This document summarizes findings of a workshop convened at the 2016 Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine's 36th Annual Pregnancy meeting in Atlanta, GA, to review and make recommendations about immediate actions in clinical care and research that will serve to reduce racial and ethnic disparities in maternal morbidity and mortality rates in the United States.

Paravertebral blocks in breast cancer surgery: is there a difference in postoperative pain, nausea, and vomiting?

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to evaluate postoperative pain and postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) in patients with paravertebral blocks (PVB) undergoing breast cancer surgery with or without axillary staging. METHODS: An Institutional Review Board approved, retrospective chart review from January 2007 to December 2009 was performed at a single institution. Charts were reviewed for type of breast cancer surgery, axillary staging, PVB, PONV, postoperative pain score, dosages of pain medication and antiemetic medication given in the Post Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU), and during the postoperative days (POD). The study population consisted of females with a diagnosis of breast cancer undergoing breast cancer surgery, with or without axillary staging. Patients were excluded if they: had simultaneous myocutaneous tissue flap breast reconstruction, had additional surgical procedures, used continuous delivery postoperative pain medications, had a history of chronic pain, or had a history of chronic antiemetics prior to surgery. All patients received standard perioperative medications per the anesthesia department. RESULTS: A total of 419 patients underwent breast cancer surgery during the given time period of which 337 patients were able to be included in the study. Of these patients, 241 of the 337 patients had PVB and 96 patients did not have PVB. The mean age was 59.5 years. The mean BMI was 28.7 kg/m(2). Also, 45.5% of the patients who had PVB (110) had a mastectomy, while 41.1% of patients in the non-PVB cohort (39) had a mastectomy. In addition, 45 patients with PVB had immediate tissue expander reconstruction and only 14 patients in the non-PVB group. Of patients with PVB, 53.3% (129) had a sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLN) and 33.5% (81) had full axillary dissections. Of patients in the non-PVB, 35.8% (34) had no axillary staging and 44.2% (42) underwent SLN. Also, 229 patients with PVB and 78 patients without PVB had a general anesthetic. Only 3.3% of patients with PVB and 4.2% of patients without PVB had postoperative nausea (P = 0.746). One patient with PVB and no patients without PVB reported emesis in the PACU (P = 1). There was no difference in morphine equivalents (P = 0.234) or in pain scores (P = 0.521) between the 2 groups in the PACU. There was no difference in amount of morphine equivalents given on POD0 (P = 0.8) or POD1 (P = 0.079). The reconstruction patients with PVB used less opioid analgesic on POD1 compared with the non-PVB reconstruction group (P = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Patients undergoing breast cancer surgery who have paravertebral blocks have similar postoperative nausea and vomiting and similar postoperative pain scores compared with patients without paravertebral blocks. PVB may have an important role in decreasing postoperative pain and opioid analgesic usage in patients electing to have immediate breast reconstruction with tissue expanders.

Renal artery Doppler studies in the assessment of monochorionic, diamniotic twin pregnancies with and without twin-twin transfusion syndrome.

BACKGROUND: In monochorionic, diamniotic twin pregnancies complicated by twin-twin transfusion syndrome, imbalanced fetofetal blood shunting and discordant activation of the renin-angiotensin system result in a hypovolemic, oliguric donor twin and a hypervolemic, polyuric recipient twin. Renal artery Doppler assessments have been reported to predict oligohydramnios in singleton pregnancies; however, their value in assessing monochorionic, diamniotic twin gestations, including pregnancies complicated by twin-twin transfusion syndrome, remains unstudied. OBJECTIVE: This investigation evaluated whether renal artery Doppler parameters are different between sets of monochorionic, diamniotic twins with and without twin-twin transfusion syndrome. STUDY DESIGN: We conducted a prospective study of women with monochorionic, diamniotic twin pregnancies complicated by twin-twin transfusion syndrome and women with gestational-age matched monochorionic, diamniotic twin control pregnancies without twin-twin transfusion syndrome. For each twin, renal artery Doppler assessment was performed from a coronal view of the fetus, and pulsatility index, resistive index, and peak systolic velocity were measured. In twin pairs complicated by twin-twin transfusion syndrome, renal artery Doppler pulsatility index, resistive index, and peak systolic velocity intertwin ratios were calculated by comparing paired recipient-to-donor values. Similar ratios were calculated for control twin pairs. We compared each measurement between donors and controls and between recipients and controls. Intertwin ratios were compared between twin-twin transfusion syndrome cases and monochorionic, diamniotic controls. Our primary outcome was a comparison of renal artery Doppler pulsatility index measurement between donor fetuses in twin-twin transfusion syndrome cases and matched control twins. Secondary outcomes included comparisons of other renal artery Doppler parameters between twin-twin transfusion syndrome donor twins and controls and between twin-twin transfusion syndrome recipients and controls and comparisons of the renal artery Doppler parameter ratios between twin-twin transfusion syndrome and non-twin-twin transfusion syndrome twin pair groups. Finally, we performed a subgroup analysis involving pregnancies with twin-twin transfusion syndrome that underwent fetoscopic laser therapy and resulted in twin survivors to evaluate if laser therapy influenced renal artery Doppler findings. RESULTS: We recruited 12 donors and 12 controls. Renal artery Doppler pulsatility index and resistive index did not differ between donors and controls. However, donor renal artery Doppler peak systolic velocity (median, 14.24 [11.51-15.36]) was significantly lower than that of controls (median, 24.79 [22.46-27.03]; P<.0004). When recipient twins were compared with controls, there was no difference in renal artery Doppler pulsatility index, renal artery Doppler resistive index, or renal artery Doppler peak systolic velocity. Renal artery Doppler peak systolic velocity ratios were significantly higher among cases with twin-twin transfusion syndrome (median, 1.70 [1.53-2.02]) than controls (median, 1.06 [1.03-1.15]; P=.002). Applying a renal artery Doppler peak systolic velocity ratio cutoff of >1.35 for the diagnosis of twin-twin transfusion syndrome correctly classified 11 of 12 cases with twin-twin transfusion syndrome and all 12 controls without twin-twin transfusion syndrome (92% sensitivity and 100% specificity). Among donors with twin-twin transfusion syndrome with double survivors after undergoing laser therapy (n=4), prelaser renal artery Doppler peak systolic velocity ratios (mean, 1.46; standard deviation, 0.37) were significantly higher than postlaser renal artery Doppler peak systolic velocity ratios (mean, 0.87; standard deviation=0.37; P=.02). Postlaser intertwin renal artery Doppler peak systolic velocity ratios did not differ from control twin pairs (P=.125). CONCLUSION: Renal artery Doppler peak systolic velocity ratios differ between monochorionic, diamniotic twins with twin-twin transfusion syndrome and those without twin-twin transfusion syndrome. This effect seems to be driven by altered donor twin renal artery Doppler peak systolic velocity. Laser therapy may normalize renal artery Doppler peak systolic velocity ratios and donor twin renal artery Doppler values to those observed in monochorionic, diamniotic twins without twin-twin transfusion syndrome. Further study is warranted to explore whether renal artery Doppler peak systolic velocity has utility as a tool for twin-twin transfusion syndrome prediction, diagnosis, or staging, and fetal response to laser therapy.

Strategies to reduce disparities in maternal morbidity and mortality: Patient and provider education.

A reduction in racial disparities in maternal morbidity and mortality requires effective education of both patients and providers. Although providers seem to recognize that disparities exist, there is a widespread need for improving our understanding differences in health care and outcomes and the factors that contribute to them. There are increasingly more educational materials available for the purpose of augmenting disparities education among patients and providers. However, it is important to incorporate contemporary learning methodologies and technologies to address our current knowledge deficit. Collaborative educational models with a multi-disciplinary approach to patient education will be essential. Ultimately, the comprehensive education of providers and patients will require efforts on the part of numerous stakeholders within patient care delivery models. Further investigation will be necessary to determine how best to disseminate this information to maximize the impact of patient and provider educations with the goal of eliminating disparities in maternal morbidity and mortality.

Future directions in preterm birth research.

The problem of preterm birth continues to pose one of the most significant research challenges that we face due to its immense scope and complexity. With evidence that 95% of cases of spontaneous preterm birth are intractable to current interventions, our best hope in resolving this problem may lie in new, innovative ideas. Novel approaches to researching preterm birth are currently underway, building upon our prior discoveries and probing into the unknown on multiple fronts. Here we discuss some of the major focuses of future investigation that provide a promising outlook for discovery, including advanced techniques to evaluate the cervix, new strategies to identify the role of the microbiome, and advances in molecular and epigenetic-based research.

Uterine artery pseudoaneurysm after uterine cervical conization.

BACKGROUND: Uterine artery pseudoaneurysm is a rare postoperative complication. Several case reports describe this occurring after cesarean deliveries, typically presenting as delayed postoperative bleeding. CASE: A 26-year-old woman (gravida 1, para 0010) underwent a cervical cold-knife conization. She later presented three times over the subsequent 18 days with intermittent vaginal hemorrhage. After unsuccessful treatment with suture, prothrombotic agents, and ferric subsulfate, arteriography was performed with no abnormality identified. A bilateral iliac and uterine arteriography was repeated to facilitate prophylactic uterine artery embolization. A pseudoaneurysm of the right uterine artery was then visualized and embolized, resolving the symptoms. CONCLUSION: Injury to the uterine artery causing pseudoaneurysm formation can cause persistent vaginal hemorrhage after cervical conization and may elude diagnosis by arteriography.