Correlation between maternal and cord blood leptin and fetal growth

Leptin is a protein secreted mainly by the adipocyte in proportion to fat mass. The serum leptin concentration reflects the amount of adipose tissue in the body and has potential role on the fat deposition in the fetus. In the present study, we investigated whether umbilical and maternal serum leptin concentrations correlate with fetal growth. In addition, we determined the relationship between leptin concentration in the maternal and cord blood. We studied 100 newborn infants (48 female and 52 male; gestational age, 34 - 40 weeks) and their mothers at Alzahra hospital in Tabriz city. Serum leptin concentrations were measured by ELISA and linear regression analysis was used to evaluate correlation. In the results, there was no significant correlation between umbilical and maternal leptin concentrations (r = 0.011; p = 0.459) in all study groups. There was a correlation between umbilicalleptin concentration and birth weight of newborns (r = 0.278; p = 0.003) and correlation with body mass index (BMI) of the newborns (r = 0.249; p = 0.006). Maternal leptin concentrations correlated withmaternal weight and BMI (r = 0.277; p = 0.003, r = 0.290; p = 0.002, respectively). There was no correlation between maternal leptin concentrations and birth weight (r = - 0.162; p = 0.054) and with BMIof the newborns (r = - 0.158; p = 0.058). There was gender difference in leptin concentrations in the newborns (r = 0.331; p = 0.00025) with greater level in females. In conclusion, we have shown that theassociation between umbilical serum leptin and birth weight in this and other studies suggests a pivotal role of fetal leptin in regulating fetal growth and development

852-856 Evaluation of the appropriateness of hospital stay in gynecological wards in Tabriz Teaching Hospitals

ABSTRACT Objective: The increasing demand for health care services together with the increasing cost of providing them supports the need for a reconsideration of the existing structures. This study evaluated the appropriateness of hospital stay in gynecological wards. Methodology: This is a descriptive-analytic study which was conducted in 2006-2007 by using modified appropriateness evaluation protocol. Results: The average duration of hospital stay for 402 patients was 55.18±45.03 hours. The length of hospital stay was inappropriate in 61.2%.The main reasons for unnecessary stay before surgery included: no prior outpatient preparation of patients for operation, inadequate diagnostic procedures and the problems resulting from urgent admission (OR=2.91, CI=1. 53-5.28, OR=1.56, CI=1.10-2.99 and OR=1.01, CI=0.08-2.58 respectively).The most important factors for inappropriate stay after surgery included: patient's home-hospital distance and delayed physician's order for discharge (OR=4.18, CI=2.57-13.20 and OR=2.06, CI=1.02-4.43). Conclusions: Inappropriate hospital stay was 61.2%, and it could be decreased to 28.10% by using appropriate approaches