Misoprostol With Foley Bulb Compared With Misoprostol Alone for Cervical Ripening: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that cervical ripening using a combination of misoprostol and a transcervical Foley bulb leads to delivery within a shorter time compared with misoprostol alone. METHODS: This randomized controlled trial was offered to women admitted for cervical ripening. Inclusion criteria were gestational age 37 weeks or greater with intact membranes, singleton fetus, cephalic presentation, and Bishop score 6 or less. Exclusion criteria included, among others, prior uterine surgery, ruptured membranes, and any contraindication to vaginal delivery. Patients were randomized to cervical ripening using misoprostol and a transcervical Foley bulb simultaneously or misoprostol alone. Primary outcome was time from placement of the misoprostol to delivery. Secondary outcomes included time to active phase, time from active phase to delivery, cesarean delivery rate, uterine tachysystole, estimated blood loss, chorioamnionitis, cord pH, 5-minute Apgar score, and neonatal intensive care unit admission. Sample size calculation revealed that 94 participants were required in each group to detect a 3-hour difference with 80% power and α error of 0.05. Intention-to-treat analysis was performed. RESULTS: From September 2015 to July 2016, a total of 200 patients were randomized, 100 to each group. There were no differences between groups with respect to parity, body mass index, gestational age, Bishop score, birth weight, or indication for induction. Time to delivery was significantly shorter in the combined misoprostol-transcervical Foley group: 15.0 (11.0-21.8) hours (median [interquartile range]) vs 19.0 (14.0-27.3) hours in the misoprostol-only group (P=.001). This time difference remained significant after subanalysis by parity or after excluding cesarean deliveries. There was no difference between groups with respect to the rate or indication for cesarean delivery, estimated blood loss, rate of tachysystole, chorioamnionitis, or neonatal outcomes. CONCLUSION: Cervical ripening using misoprostol in combination with a transcervical Foley bulb is an effective method to shorten the course of labor compared with misoprostol alone. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02566005.

Current trends in the diagnosis and management of gestational diabetes mellitus in the United States.

OBJECTIVE: To assess current practice patterns among members of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM) with respect to the diagnosis and management of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). METHODS: A 38 question survey on GDM diagnosis and management was distributed to SMFM members. RESULTS: 2330 SMFM members were surveyed with a 40% response rate. Overall, 90.6% of respondents recommend a 2-step (versus a 1-step) diagnostic test. Cutoff values for the 1-h-50 g glucose challenge test vary from 130-140 mg/dL, but the majority (83%) adopts Carpenter Coustan criteria for the 3-h-100 g oral glucose tolerance test. The majority recommend glucose testing four times a day, with 55% preferring post-prandial testing at 2 h. Glyburide is used by 57% as a first-line agent, while 4% use metformin. Long-acting insulin analogs (glargine and/or detemir) are used by 46% and 33.6% of respondents, respectively. Antenatal testing is recommended by 38.7% for diet-controlled GDM compared to 98.7% for pharmacologically controlled GDM, with 56% starting by 34 weeks gestation. Most respondents recommend delivery of diet-controlled GDM at 40 weeks and pharmacologically controlled GDM at 39 weeks. Most (69%) offer elective cesarean section for an estimated fetal weight of >4500 g. CONCLUSIONS: There is significant variation in the diagnosis and management of GDM among SMFM members.

Weight gain in gestational diabetes: the effect of treatment modality.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate treatment effectiveness (diet alone, insulin or glyburide) on maternal weight gain in gestational diabetes (GDM). METHODS: GDM patients were treated with diet alone, insulin or glyburide. Weight gain was stratified into: prior to GDM diagnosis, from diagnosis to delivery and total pregnancy weight gain. Good glycemic control was defined as mean blood glucose ≤ 105 mg/dl and obesity as Body Mass Index (BMI) ≥ 30 kg/m(2), overweight BMI 25-29 kg/m(2) and normal < 25 kg/m(2). RESULTS: Total weight gain was similar in all the treatment groups. Two-thirds of weight gain occurred prior to diagnosis (diet 85%, insulin 67% and glyburide 78%). Post-diagnosis, patients on diet alone gained less weight than those on insulin or glyburide (p < 0.001); insulin-treated patients showed greater weight gain than glyburide-treated patients (p < 0.001). Patients on diet with good glycemic control showed less weight gain after diagnosis than patients on insulin or glyburide (2.8 ± 13, 6.6 ± 10, 5.2 ± 7.9 lbs, respectively, p < 0.02). Poorly-controlled patients, regardless of treatment, had similar patterns of weight gain throughout pregnancy. CONCLUSION: Patterns of maternal weight gain in GDM pregnancies are associated with treatment modality and level of glycemic control.

Randomized controlled trial of insulin detemir versus NPH for the treatment of pregnant women with diabetes.

OBJECTIVE: We sought to determine if insulin detemir (IDet) is noninferior to insulin neutral protamine Hagedorn (NPH) for the treatment of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in pregnancy. STUDY DESIGN: We conducted a randomized, controlled noninferiority trial of women with GDM and T2DM who entered our Diabetes in Pregnancy Program from March 2013 through October 2014. Exclusion criteria were type 1 diabetes, age <18 years, and insulin allergy. Women who failed to achieve good glycemic control (GC) (mean blood glucose [BG] <100 mg/dL) on diet and/or hypoglycemic agents were randomized to receive either IDet or NPH, with short-acting insulin aspart added as needed. Patients were instructed to test BG 4 times a day (fasting and 2-hour postprandial). Targets of GC were fasting BG <90 mg/dL and postprandial BG <120 mg/dL, and insulin was adjusted as needed to achieve the targets. The primary outcome was overall mean BG during insulin treatment; secondary outcomes included overall mean postprandial and fasting BG, median number of weeks to achieve GC, percent of patients with overall GC, maternal weight gain, perinatal/neonatal outcomes, and number of hypoglycemic events. Power analysis (90% power) determined that 88 patients would need to be randomized, assuming a maximal acceptable difference in overall mean BG of 7 mg/dL (SD ± 10 mg/dL). A per protocol analysis was performed. RESULTS: In all, 105 women were randomized. Eighteen women were excluded leaving 87 participants for analysis (45 NPH, 42 IDet). Maternal characteristics were similar in both groups. The difference in the mean BG of the groups was 2.1 mg/dL with a 1-sided upper 95% confidence limit of 5.5 mg/dL (less than the maximal acceptable difference of 7 mg/dL; P = .2937). There was no significant difference in the primary outcome when an intent-to-treat analysis was performed or when the T2DM patients were excluded. The time to achieve GC was similar in both groups. There were no differences in perinatal outcomes and maternal weight gain among the groups. There were more hypoglycemic events per patient in the NPH group. CONCLUSION: IDet is noninferior to insulin NPH for the treatment of GDM and T2DM in pregnancy.

Association between maternal smoking and increased symptom severity in Tourette's syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: Substantial evidence suggests that both environmental and genetic factors contribute to the development and clinical expression of Tourette's syndrome. Although genetic studies of Tourette's syndrome are common, studies of environmental factors are relatively few and have not identified consistent risk factors across studies. This study examines in a large cohort of subjects (N=180) the relationship between prenatal/perinatal adverse events with Tourette's syndrome severity as determined by tic severity and rates of commonly comorbid disorders such as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and self-injurious behavior. METHOD: Tic severity, OCD, ADHD, self-injurious behavior, and exposure to a variety of prenatal/perinatal events were systematically assessed in all subjects enrolled in three genetic studies of Tourette's syndrome. Using linear and logistic regression, a best-fit model was determined for each outcome of interest. RESULTS: Prenatal maternal smoking was strongly correlated with increased tic severity and with the presence of comorbid OCD in these Tourette's syndrome subjects. Other variables, such as paternal age and subject's birth weight, were significantly but less strongly associated with increased symptom severity. The authors found no association between symptom severity and hypoxia, forceps delivery, or hyperemesis during pregnancy, which have been previously identified as risk factors. CONCLUSIONS: This study identifies prenatal maternal smoking as a strong risk factor for increased symptom severity in Tourette's syndrome.