OBJECTIVE: Traditional prolonged fasting regimens have recently been replaced with guidelines to take carbohydrate-rich clear fluids until 2 hours before surgery. With this study, we wanted to study if the addition of carbohydrates to preoperative oral fluids confers any advantage.
METHODS: Randomized clinical trial.
METHODS: The study was conducted at a single center in North India among singleton pregnancies at term, scheduled for elective cesarean section under subarachnoid block. Participants were randomized into 2 groups of 50 participants each. The \"Carbohydrate group\" received 400 mL of fluid containing 50 g of glucose, while the \"plain water\" group received 400 mL of water 2 to 4 hours before surgery. A visual analog scale was used to assess hunger, thirst, anxiety, fatigue, and nausea before surgery. Intraoperative mean arterial pressure, hypotension, nausea, and vomiting were noted. On the first postoperative day, recovery from anesthesia was assessed using the Quality of recovery from anesthesia- 40 (QoR-40) questionnaire. Blood sugar levels were compared on the first postoperative day and in cord blood.
RESULTS: Preoperative visual analog scale scores for hunger, thirst, anxiety, nausea, and fatigue were similar in both groups. The occurrence of hypotension (P = .688) and phenylephrine use (P = .39), recovery from anesthesia (P = .92), cord blood sugar levels (P = .24), and postoperative blood sugar levels were also not significantly different in both groups (P = .81).
CONCLUSIONS: This study did not find any significant advantage of preoperative carbohydrate-containing fluid over preoperative plain water in women undergoing elective cesarean delivery under Subarachnoid block.

BACKGROUND: Increased use of labor induction has renewed interest in outpatient cervical ripening. Post-term pregnancy (i.e., ≥41 weeks) is a specific situation of increased neonatal risk, including greater risk of perinatal death and adverse perinatal outcomes. While a high proportion of these patients will need induction, outpatient management of this specific population has never been studied. Therefore, our objective was to compare two policies of management of post term pregnancies: the use of a transcervical Foley catheter for outpatient cervical ripening compared with expectant management.
METHODS: Multicenter, randomized controlled open-label study comparing home induction with a Foley catheter versus expectant management. Inclusion criteria were nulliparous, live singleton fetus in a vertex position, post-term (at 41 + 4 days), requiring cervical ripening (Bishop score <6), intact membranes, and distance home-hospital within 40 min. The primary endpoint was change in Bishop score beetween randomization (41 + 4 days) and consultation (41 + 5 days).
RESULTS: Forty-five women were included: 21 in the home induction group and 24 in the control group. The study was stopped due to low recruitment. The difference in Bishop score increases one day after randomization approached significance (p = 0.055), with home induction showing a larger change compared with expectant management (Cohen\'s d = 0.60; 95 % confidence interval [CI] -0.002 to 1.21). Regarding change in Bishop score, 81 % of home induction group patients had a better score at 41 + 5 days versus 52.2 % in the control group (relative risk = 1.55; 95 %CI 0.99 to 2.15).
CONCLUSIONS: By specifically evaluating home induction in nulliparous women with post term pregnancies, we observed a Bishop score improvement in the home induction group. These data support further evaluation of induction methods and birth experiences in a larger cohort of this population.
BACKGROUND: The study was registered under European policy (number EudraCT 2015-A01298-41) and on www.clinitrials.gov (number NCT02932319). Date of registration: 13/10/2016, Date of initial participant enrollment: 31/03/2017.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether equivocal prelabor rupture of membranes (PROM) cases are associated with adverse outcomes.
METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted in a tertiary medical center between July 2012 and March 2022. The cohort comprised all women diagnosed with term PROM (≥37 gestational weeks), divided into two groups. (1) Certain PROM-suggestive history of a watery vaginal discharge confirmed by visualization of fluid leaking from the cervix or pooling in the vagina on speculum examination. (2) Uncertain PROM-suggestive history of a watery vaginal discharge not supported by speculum examination. All patients were hospitalized and gave birth spontaneously or following either expectant management for up to 24 h from PROM or induction. The primary outcome measure was cesarean delivery (CD) rate. Secondary outcome measures were adverse maternal/neonatal events.
RESULTS: Of the 2012 women included in the study, 1750 had certain PROM and 262 uncertain PROM. CD rate was 5.8% in the certain PROM group and 8.8% in the uncertain PROM group; the difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.074). There was a significant between-group difference in the rate of CD due to failed induction on univariate analysis (0.69% vs 2.67%, respectively, P = 0.007), but it was not maintained on multivariate logistic regression (odds ratio 0.37, 95% confidence interval: 0.12-1.17). Other maternal and neonatal outcomes were similar in the two groups.
CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that following the same management guidelines for equivocal cases of ruptured membranes as for confirmed cases of term PROM did not compromise maternal or fetal outcomes.

Objectives: To determine whether in a labor floor housed continuously by senior physicians the risk of adverse maternal and neonatal outcome is affected by time of delivery. Methods: This retrospective cohort study, conducted at a tertiary medical center, assessed singleton term deliveries from 1 January 2011 to 30 January 2020. Participants were categorized based on delivery timing, correlating with nursing shifts, to evaluate perinatal outcomes. The primary endpoint included adverse maternal outcomes such as emergency Cesarean section, anal sphincter injuries, blood product transfusions, and postpartum surgeries (laparotomy/laparoscopy). Secondary outcomes focused on neonatal health indicators, including low Apgar scores, ICU admissions, respiratory issues, extended hospital stays, and neurological complications. Results: 87,863 deliveries were available for analysis with equal distribution during the day. The risk of adverse composite maternal outcome was highest during the evening (aOR 1.25, 95% CI 1.18-1.32) and lowest during the night (aOR 0.94, 95% CI 0.88-0.99) compared to daytime deliveries. This difference was primarily driven by the highest rate of emergency CD in the evening. Neonatal outcomes were comparable, except for length of stay > 5 days, which was more frequent among newborns delivered during the evening and night shifts compared to the morning shift (aOR 1.19, 95% CI 1.07-1.33 and aOR 1.17, 95% CI 1.05-1.31, respectively). Conclusions: In term pregnancies, the evening shift is associated with the highest risk of adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes despite physician seniority.

Background: With the increasing popularity of elective induction after 39 + 0 weeks, the question of whether induction of labor (IOL) is safe in women with isolated polyhydramnios has become more relevant. We aimed to evaluate the pregnancy outcomes associated with IOL among women with and without isolated polyhydramnios. Methods: This was a multicenter retrospective cohort that included women who underwent induction of labor at term. The study compared women who underwent IOL due to isolated polyhydramnios to low-risk women who underwent elective IOL due to gestational age only. The main outcome measure was a composite adverse maternal outcome, while the secondary outcomes included maternal and neonatal adverse pregnancy outcomes. Results: During the study period, 1004 women underwent IOL at term and met inclusion and exclusion criteria; 162 had isolated polyhydramnios, and 842 had a normal amount of amniotic fluid. Women who had isolated polyhydramnios had higher rates of the composite adverse maternal outcome (28.7% vs. 20.4%, p = 0.02), prolonged hospital stay, perineal tear grade 3/4, postpartum hemorrhage, and neonatal hypoglycemia. Multivariate analyses revealed that among women with IOL, polyhydramnios was significantly associated with adverse composite maternal outcome [aOR 1.98 (1.27-3.10), p < 0.01]. Conclusions: IOL in women with isolated polyhydramnios at term was associated with worse perinatal outcomes compared to low-risk women who underwent elective IOL. Our findings suggest that the management of women with polyhydramnios cannot be extrapolated from studies of low-risk populations and that clinical decision-making should take into account the individual patient\'s risk factors and preferences.

OBJECTIVE: To compare rates of adverse pregnancy outcomes in term pregnancies complicated by polyhydramnios between women who had induction of labor (IOB) versus women who had expectant management.
METHODS: This multicenter retrospective study included term pregnancies complicated by isolated polyhydramnios. Patients who underwent IOB were compared with those who had expectant management. The primary outcome was defined as a composite adverse maternal outcome, and secondary outcomes were various maternal and neonatal adverse outcomes. Univariate analyses were followed by multivariate logistic regression.
RESULTS: A total of 865 pregnancies with term isolated polyhydramnios were included: 169 patients underwent IOB (19.5%), while 696 had expectant management and developed spontaneous onset of labor (80.5%). Women who underwent IOB had significantly higher rates of composite adverse maternal outcome (23.1% vs 9.8%, P < 0.01), prolonged hospital stay, perineal tear grade 3/4, intrapartum cesarean, postpartum hemorrhage, blood products transfusion, and neonatal asphyxia compared with expectant management. While the perinatal fetal death rate was similar between the groups (0.6% vs 0.6%, P = 0.98), the timing of the loss was different. Four women in the expectant management group had a stillbirth, while in the induction group one case of intrapartum fetal death occurred due to uterine rupture. Multivariate analyses revealed that IOB was associated with a higher rate of composite adverse maternal outcome (adjusted odds ratio, 2.22 [95% CI, 1.28-3.83]; P < 0.01).
CONCLUSIONS: IOB in women with term isolated polyhydramnios is associated with higher rates of adverse maternal outcomes in comparison to expectant management. Further research is needed to determine the optimal approach for the management of isolated polyhydramnios at term.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant and enduring influence on global health, including maternal and fetal well-being. Evidence suggests that placental dysfunction is a potential consequence of SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy, which may result in adverse outcomes such as preeclampsia and preterm birth. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying this association remain unclear, and it is uncertain whether a mature placenta can protect the fetus from SARS-CoV-2 infection. To address the above gap, we conducted a transcriptome-based study of the placenta in both maternal and fetal compartments. We collected placental samples from 16 women immediately after term delivery, seven of which had SARS-CoV-2 infection confirmed by PCR before parturition. Notably, we did not detect any viral load in either the maternal or fetal compartments of the placenta, regardless of symptomatic status. We separately extracted total RNA from placental tissues from maternal and fetal compartments, constructed cDNA libraries, and sequenced them to assess mRNA. Our analysis revealed 635 differentially expressed genes when a false discovery rate (FDR ≤ 0.05) was applied in the maternal placental tissue, with 518 upregulated and 117 downregulated genes in the SARS-CoV-2-positive women (n = 6) compared with the healthy SARS-CoV-2-negative women (n = 8). In contrast, the fetal compartment did not exhibit any significant changes in gene expression with SARS-CoV-2 infection. We observed a significant downregulation of nine genes belonging to the pregnancy-specific glycoprotein related to the immunoglobulin superfamily in the maternal compartment with active SARS-CoV-2 infection (fold change range from -13.70 to -5.28; FDR ≤ 0.01). Additionally, comparing symptomatic women with healthy women, we identified 1788 DEGs. Furthermore, a signaling pathway enrichment analysis revealed that pathways related to oxidative phosphorylation, insulin secretion, cortisol synthesis, estrogen signaling, oxytocin signaling, antigen processing, and presentation were altered significantly in symptomatic women. Overall, our study sheds light on the molecular mechanisms underlying the reported clinical risks of preeclampsia and preterm delivery in women with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Nonetheless, studies with larger sample sizes are warranted to further deepen our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of the placenta\'s anti-viral effects in maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Background: Chorioamnionitis during labor exposes the fetus to an intrauterine state that may alter the future immune response and may expose the offspring to future susceptibility to infectious disease. We evaluated the long-term pediatric infectious morbidity of children born at term to mothers who have chorioamnionitis during labor. Methods: This was a population-based cohort analysis including only term singleton deliveries at a regional tertiary hospital between the years 1991 and 2021. Offspring to mothers with and without a diagnosis of chorioamnionitis during labor were compared. Offspring hospitalizations up to the age of 18 years involving infectious morbidity were evaluated using the Kaplan-Meier survival curve and a Cox regression model to control possible confounders. Results: A total of 331,598 deliveries were included, 988 (0.3%) of which were of mothers diagnosed with chorioamnionitis during labor. All infectious morbidity rates included in the analysis were comparable between groups. The Kaplan-Meier survival curves were similar for both groups (log-rank = 0.881) and the multivariable analysis ascertained that chorioamnionitis during labor was not a risk factor for offspring\'s long-term infectious morbidity (HR 0.929, 95%CI 0.818-1.054, p = 0.254). Conclusions: In our cohort, term chorioamnionitis during labor was not associated with a higher risk of pediatric hospitalization due to infections. The infectious/inflammatory state during labor did not expose nor increase the susceptibility of the term offspring to future infectious morbidity.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the reliability of sonographic measurements of six cervical and pelvic parameters by three sonographers with varying levels of experience.
METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in pregnant women with a gestational age of ≥39 weeks. Each pregnant woman was examined by two sonographers with different levels of experience. Six parameters were measured: cervical length (CL), cervical strain elastography (extrinsic type), posterior cervical angle (PCA), fetal head-to-perineum distance (FHPD), fetal head-to-pubic symphysis distance (FHSD), and angle of progression (AOP). Intra- and interobserver reliabilities were assessed using the intraclass correlation coefficient with a 95% confidence interval. Pearson pairwise correlation coefficients were used to analyze the correlation between the parameter values.
RESULTS: In all, 66 pregnant women were enrolled in this study. We found excellent intraobserver reliability for measurements of CL, PCA, FHPD, FHSD, and AOP and good-to-excellent intraobserver reliability for cervical strain values in the cross-sectional view of the endocervix in the internal os area and cross-sectional view of the entire cervix in the internal os area. Interobserver reliability was excellent for all pelvic parameters, except for the FHPD. Strain values were moderate to excellent in the area of the internal os. A significant negative correlation between CL and strain values at the internal os was observed.
CONCLUSIONS: Pelvic parameters, except for FHPD, have excellent intra- and interobserver reliabilities. The high reproducibility of CL and cervical strain elastography at the internal os level, with a negative correlation between these two parameters, may play an important role in predicting successful induction of labor.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate adverse pregnancy outcomes in patients complicated with GDMA1 who delivered at term before or after 40 weeks of gestation.
METHODS: A population-based cohort study including all women with GDMA1 during pregnancy was conducted. Deliveries occurred between 1988 and 2016 at a large university tertiary medical center.
RESULTS: During the study period, 11,765 women with GDMA1 met the inclusion criteria. Of these, 1303 (11 %) delivered after 40 weeks (post-date, study group), while 10,462 (89 %) delivered at term before 40 weeks of gestation (before date, control group). Those who delivered after 40 weeks of gestation (the study group) had a significantly lower percent of cesarean deliveries (CD), higher rates of spontaneous vaginal deliveries and induction of labor in comparison to those who delivered before 40 weeks of gestation (the control group). The control group had significantly higher rates of preeclampsia and intrauterine growth restriction than the study group. Using a multivariable logistic regression model, delivery after 40 weeks was noted as an independent protective factor for CD (adjusted OR = 0.78, 95 %CI 0.66-0.92, p value = 0.001). Delivery after 41 + 0 weeks had a significantly higher rate of CD and LGA.
CONCLUSIONS: No significant increase in adverse pregnancy outcomes at term post-date pregnancies complicated with GDMA1 was demonstrated. Furthermore, there was no increase in the rate of CD with the increase in gestational age until 41 weeks of gestation.