The Effect of Using Dexamethasone Tablets Vaginally for Improving Cervical Bishop Score in Nulliparous Pregnant Women: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Background: Cervix ripening and labor induction are common interventions in obstetrics. For optimal maternal health, labor may be induced under certain situations to improve fetal survival outcomes. Labor induction of an unripe cervix can lead to complications; therefore, several approaches can facilitate the ripening process. Methods: This randomized clinical trial was a triple-blind study that involved 84 pregnant nulliparous women enrolled between October 2019 and June 2021 in the labor ward of Kamali Hospital, Karaj, Iran. The pregnant women in the study underwent labor induction and were randomized into 2 groups: 1 group received vaginal dexamethasone and the other group was given a placebo. Results: There was no significant difference between the groups regarding maternal age, demographic characteristics, and initial Bishop score. The median second Bishop score (6 hours after intervention) was 3.5 in dexamethasone recipients and 3 in placebo recipients (P = 0.48). The median labor latent phase duration was 4 hours in dexamethasone recipients and 5 hours in placebo recipients (P = 0.57). Conclusions: This randomized clinical trial demonstrated that administering dexamethasone tablets vaginally did not significantly improve cervical Bishop scores. (Curr Ther Res Clin Exp. 2023; 84:XXX-XXX). ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT05070468.

Prediction of glucose intolerance at 24-28 weeks of gestation by glucose and insulin level measurements in the first trimester.

BACKGROUND: Gestational diabetes is the second common disorder in pregnancy period, which is detected in 24-28 weeks of gestational age through screening tests in low-risk women. The women with gestational diabetes are prone to prenatal mortality and development of future diabetes. Therefore, detection of these individuals in the first trimester and conducting preventive interventions is of great importance. This study aimed to define the predictive value of fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and fasting plasma insulin (FPI) test in first trimester concerning the positive result of oral glucose challenge test (OGCT). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a prospective and observational study conducted on 88 pregnant women in Tehran. After FPG and FPI measurements in these women in the first trimester, a screening test of GCT with 50 g oral glucose was conducted in 24-28 weeks of gestational age. Diagnostic value of FPG and in these two groups of positive and normal GCT results was evaluated through receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve. P < 0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: In this study, 15 subjects (17%) were detected with a positive GCT result. The sub-curve area of ROC diagram for FPG and FPI was calculated to be 0.573and 0.592, respectively, which reveals that FPG and FPI cannot have a proper predictive value for the positive result of GCT. Based on the results, the best cutoff points for FPG and FPI are 79.5 mg/dl and 7.55 µIU/ml, with accuracy of 60-67% and specificity of 45.2-47%. CONCLUSIONS: Only higher fasting glucose levels in early pregnancy, within the normoglycemic range, would predict the development of glucose intolerance with limited sensitivity and specificity.