Prevalence of Mitral Valve Disease in Pregnancy and its Effects on Maternal-Fetal Outcomes

Objective: Heart diseases are among the most prevalent diseases that endanger the life of both mother and fetus and cause complications for them. Rheumatic mitral valve is the most prevalent organic involvement in pregnant women with mitral valve disease in Southeast Asia. Mitral valve disease is a serious and common problem for pregnant women. Despite medical and surgical advances in treatment of heart diseases, it is still the fourth cause of mortality in pregnant women. Accordingly, the purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of mitral valve disease in pregnancy and its effects on maternal-fetal outcomes. Material and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on pregnant women with heart problems who were selected through convenience sampling. Data were analyzed in SPSS version 17.0. Results: Findings showed that heart valve problems were the most frequent medical history of pregnant women. Among the subjects, the most prevalent heart disease was related to Mitral Stenosis (MS) (39.6%) and mitral valve prolapse (MVP) (22.8%). The most frequent causes of hospitalization were high blood pressure (43.2%) and chest pain (38.2%). The mean age of participants was 25±83 years. Conclusion: Heart diseases during pregnancy are highly risky, but their progress and complications for mother and fetus can be avoided by constant prevention and treatment before and during pregnancy

Effect of non-ionizing electromagnetic field on the alteration of ovarian follicles in rats

Introduction: In recent years, there has been an increase in the attention paid to safety effects, environmental and society’s health, extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields (ELF-EMF), and radio frequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF). The aim of this research was to determine the effect of EMF on the alteration of ovarian follicles. Methods: In this experimental study at Tabriz Medical University in 2015, we did EMF exposures and assessed the alteration of rats’ ovarian follicles. Thirty three-month old rats were selected randomly from laboratory animals, and, after their ages and weights were determined, they were divided randomly into three groups. The control group consisted of 10 rats without any treatment, and they were kept in normal conditions. The second group of rats was influenced by a magnetic field of 50 Hz for eight weeks (three weeks intrauterine and five weeks ectopic). The third group of rats was influenced by a magnetic field of 50 Hz for 13 weeks (three weeks intrauterine and ten weeks ectopic). Samples were fixed in 10% buffered formaldehyde and cleared with Xylol and embedded in paraffin. After sectioning and staining, samples were studied by optic microscopy. Finally, SPSS version 17, were used for data analysis. Results: EMF radiation increased the harmful effects on the formation of ovarian follicles and oocytes implantation. Studies on the effects of electromagnetic fields on ovarian follicles have shown that the nuclei of the oocytes become smaller and change shape. There were significant, harmful changes in the groups affected by electromagnetic waves. Atresia of ovarian follicles was significantly significant in both study groups compared to the control group (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Exposure to electromagnetic fields during embryonic development can cause morphological changes in oocytes and affect the differentiation of oocytes and folliculogenesis, resulting in decreased ovarian reserve leading to infertility or reduced fertility