American journal of obstetrics and gynecology
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Am. J. Obstet. Gynecol. · Jul 1996
Comparative StudyCervical fetal fibronectin in patients at increased risk for preterm delivery.
This study aimed to evaluate fetal fibronectin concentrations in cervical secretions measured by either a rapid immunoassay or an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay as a tool for the screening of premature delivery in otherwise asymptomatic pregnant women at high risk for prematurity. ⋯ The rapid result membrane test is comparable to the standard fetal fibronectin enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays for the detection of fetal fibronectin in cervical secretions between the twenty-fourth and thirty-fourth weeks of gestation. Moreover, both assays were found to be good tools for the prediction of premature delivery in asymptomatic pregnant women at high risk for prematurity. The availability of a rapid search for the presence of cervical fetal fibronectin should improve our ability to efficiently identify patients at risk for preterm delivery to discriminate between such patients and those with benign Braxton Hicks contractions.
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Am. J. Obstet. Gynecol. · Jul 1996
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical TrialA comparison of misoprostol with and without laminaria tents for induction of second-trimester abortion.
Our purpose was to determine whether intracervical placement of laminaria tents would improve the effectiveness of the prostaglandin analog misoprostol for the elective termination of pregnancies in the second trimester. ⋯ Laminaria tents inserted concurrently with the first dose of misoprostol do not significantly improve the abortifacient effect of vaginal misoprostol in the second trimester of pregnancy.
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Am. J. Obstet. Gynecol. · Jul 1996
Fetal ionized magnesium levels parallel maternal levels during magnesium sulfate therapy for preeclampsia.
Little is known about ion regulation in fetuses. Our aim was to determine the effects of magnesium sulfate therapy on ionized (bioactive) magnesium in the cord blood of pregnancies complicated by preeclampsia. ⋯ In preeclamptic women undergoing magnesium sulfate therapy, ionized magnesium levels in cord blood parallel maternal levels. Before magnesium therapy ionized calcium levels were lower in preeclamptic women than in matched controls. In the presence of elevated magnesium levels ionized calcium appears to be tightly regulated.