Prevalence of Abnormal Cerebroplacental Ratio in Uncomplicated Full-term Pregnancy and Correlation with Adverse Perinatal Outcomes

Objective: To investigate the prevalence of abnormal cerebroplacental ratio (CPR) and predicting values for adverse perinatal outcomes in uncomplicated full-term pregnancies. Materials and Methods: This prospective cross-sectional study was conducted at Bhumibol Adulyadej Hospital, Royal Thai Air Force, Thailand between July and December 2023. The study population comprised pregnant women between the ages 18 and 45 presenting uncomplicated full-term pregnancies. Transabdominal ultrasonography in Doppler color mode was performed on all participants. Umbilical artery pulsatility index (UAPI) and middle cerebral artery pulsatility index (MCAPI) were both measured. CPR was calculated by MCAPI divided by UAPI. A CPR value was considered low if it was less than 1.03. Obstetric and perinatal outcomes were recorded including route of delivery, gestational age (GA) at delivery, obstetric complications, Apgar score, neonatal birth weight, neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admission, and fetal non-reassuring tracing (FNR). Results: A total of 250 pregnant women were recruited. The mean maternal age and GA was 27.7 years, 39.6 weeks, respectively. Low CPR prevalence was recorded at 16.4 percent. There were 41 and 209 cases in low (<1.03) and normal (≥1.03) CPR groups, respectively. UAPI and MCAPI of the normal/low CPR group were 0.8/1.3 and 1.1/0.9 with statistical significance. CPR for predicted value of FNR (1.03) gave sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV at 95.5, 91.2, 51.2 and 99.5 percent, respectively. This study presented no adverse perinatal outcomes. Conclusion: Low CPR prevalence was 16.4 percent. Normal CPR values measured within a week before birth was a good indicator of normal perinatal outcomes.

Sublingual Misoprostol versus Oxytocin to Induce Labor in Term Premature Rupture of Membranes in Pregnant Women: A Randomized Single-Blind Controlled Trial

Objective. The aim of this study was to compare maternal and neonatal outcomes between sublingual misoprostol and oxytocin on stimulating labor in term premature rupture of membranes (PROM) in pregnant women. Materials and method. This randomized single-blind control trial was conducted at Bhumibol Adulyadej Hospital (BAH), Royal Thai Air Force, Bangkok, Thailand, between September 2020 and February 2021. Subjects were term pregnant women who had PROM and came to BAH for delivery. Participants were allocated into study (misoprostol) and control (oxytocin) groups. The study and control groups were, respectively, administered sublingual misoprostol and intravenous oxytocin to induce labor. Induction time and second stage of labor were recorded. Neonatal outcomes and maternal and fetal complications were also recorded and analyzed. Result. A total of 170 women were enrolled and equally divided into study and control groups. Mean maternal age, body mass index, parity, gestational age, and bishop score of both groups were comparable. Induction time of the study group was statistically shorter than the control group (338 and 399 min, respectively). Duration of active phase (450/427 min) and the second stage (19/21 min) of labor between study and control groups were not significantly different. Cesarean section delivery rate of study was lower than the control group (13.3 and 28.8%, p = 0.002 ). Intrapartum complications, neonatal outcomes, and intra- and postpartum complications among both groups were not significantly differentiated. There was no instance of postpartum hemorrhage or uterine rupture in the present study. Conclusion. Induction time and cesarean section rates of sublingual misoprostol group were significantly lower than the intravenous oxytocin group in full-term PROM pregnancy.</jats:p

Identification of Conserved Linear Epitopes on Viral Protein 2 of Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus Serotype O by Monoclonal Antibodies 6F4.D11.B6 and 8D6.B9.C3

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is a highly infectious disease of cloven-hoofed animals with a significant economic impact. Early diagnosis and effective prevention and control could reduce the spread of the disease which could possibly minimize economic losses. Epitope characterization based on monoclonal antibodies provide essential information for developing diagnostic assays and vaccine designs. In this study, monoclonal antibodies raised against FMD virus (FMDV) were produced. Sixty-six monoclonal antibodies demonstrated strong reactivity and specificity to FMDV. The purified monoclonal antibodies were further used for bio-panning to select phage expressing specific epitopes from phage-displayed 12 mer-peptide library. The phage peptide sequences were analyzed using multiple sequence alignment and evaluated by peptide ELISA. Two hybridoma clones secreted monoclonal antibodies recognizing linear epitopes on VP2 of FMDV serotype O. The non-neutralizing monoclonal antibody 6F4.D11.B6 recognized the residues 67&ndash;78 on antigenic site 2 resinding in VP2, while the neutralizing monoclonal antibody 8D6.B9.C3 recognized a novel linear epitope encompassing residues 115&ndash;126 on VP2. This information and the FMDV-specific monoclonal antibodies provide valuable sources for further study and application in diagnosis, therapeutics and vaccine designs to strengthen the disease prevention and control measures