BJOG : an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology
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Spectral analysis of heart-rate variability is used to monitor autonomic nervous system fluctuations. The low-frequency component is associated with sympathetic and parasympathetic modulation and the high-frequency component is associated with parasympathetic modulation. The objective was to study whether changes in low-frequency or high-frequency power of heart-rate variability occur in case of fetal distress. ⋯ The autonomic nervous system of human fetuses at term responds adequately to severe stress during labour. Normalised low and high frequency power of heart-rate variability might be able to discriminate between normal and abnormal fetal condition.
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To assess causes, trends and substandard care factors in maternal mortality in the Netherlands. Design Confidential enquiry into the causes of maternal mortality. ⋯ Maternal mortality in the Netherlands has increased since 1983-1992. Pre-eclampsia remains the number one cause. Groups at higher risk for complications during pregnancy should be better identified early in pregnancy or before conception, in order to receive preconception advice and more frequent antenatal visits. There is an urgent need for the better education of women and professionals concerning the danger signs, and for the training of professionals in order to improve maternal health care.
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Cytogenetic studies have demonstrated that duplications or deletions of entire chromosomes or microscopically visible aberrations are associated with specific congenital disorders. The subsequent development and application of microarray-based assays have established the importance of copy number variants (CNV) as a substantial source of genetic diversity in the human genome. ⋯ This has caused many clinicians to resist the introduction of microarray technologies in detecting CNVs in a genome-wide manner for prenatal applications. This review summarises our current understanding of CNVs, the common detection methods, and the implications for human health and prenatal diagnosis.