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Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces 2019 Feb 6;177:306-312. Epub 2019 Feb 6.

State and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Novel Functional Polymeric Materials, College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, PR China.

Gene transfection, as an effective treatment for inherited and acquired life threatening diseases caused by genetic deficiencies and abnormalities, has evolved as a promising therapeutic strategy for cancer and other intractable diseases. Non-target-specific vectors will affect normal cells as well as pathogenic cells, resulting in a relative decrease in transfection efficiency and unnecessary cytotoxicity. In the present work, gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) functionalized with folate (FA)-modified polyethylenimine (PEI-FA) were prepared by a single step method (without additional reducing agent) for targeted gene transfection in tumor cells. Read More

Acta Pharm Sin B 2019 Jan 20;9(1):74-86. Epub 2018 Sep 20.

Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) remains a great challenge in treatment due to pathological complexity. It has been proven that phytomedicines and natural medicines have prominent antidiabetic effects. This work aimed to develop selenium-layered nanoparticles (SeNPs) for oral delivery of mulberry leaf and extracts (MPE), a group of phytomedicines with significant hypoglycemic activities, to achieve a synergic antidiabetic effect. Read More

Eur Respir J 2019 Feb 14. Epub 2019 Feb 14.

Laboratory of Clinical Exercise Physiology and Respiratory Investigation Unit, Queen's University & Kingston General Hospital, Kingston, ON, Canada.

Impaired aerobic function is a potential mechanism of exercise intolerance in patients with combined cardiorespiratory disease. We investigated the pathophysiological and sensory consequences of a low Δ O uptake (V̇O)/Δ work rate (WR) relationship during incremental exercise in patients with coexisting chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and systolic heart failure (HF).After clinical stabilisation, 51 COPD-HF patients performed an incremental cardiopulmonary exercise test to symptom limitation. Read More

Am J Obstet Gynecol 2019 Feb 5. Epub 2019 Feb 5.

Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Prince of Wales Hospital, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong SAR. Electronic address:

Background: The traditional approach to assessing labor progress is by digital vaginal examination, however, it is subjective and imprecise. Recent studies have investigated the role of transperineal ultrasonographic assessment of fetal head descent by measuring angle of progression and head-perineum distance.

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate factors that affected labor progress, defined by the transperineal ultrasonographic parameters, in women achieving vaginal delivery. Read More

Aust N Z J Obstet Gynaecol 2019 Feb 7. Epub 2019 Feb 7.

Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Monash Medical Centre, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

Background: Vaginal instrumental delivery is a common obstetrical intervention, but its effect on children's later development is not well known.

Aims: To determine if vaginal instrumental delivery is associated with adverse neurodevelopment as measured by school achievement.

Material And Methods: We performed a whole-of-population study involving linkage of routinely collected perinatal data with school assessments among children born in South Australia from 1999 to 2008. Read More

Langmuir 2019 Feb 6. Epub 2019 Feb 6.

Aggregation behavior of proteins on the surface of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) has been extensively studied for its promising applications in biosensing, bioimaging, photodynamic therapy, drug delivery, etc. In this work, we studied adsorption kinetics of an antimicrobial protein, REG3A (regenerating islet-derived protein 3-alpha), on the surface of as-synthesized citrate-capped AuNPs under the influence of lipopolysaccharides (LPSs), with a combined method of UV-vis spectroscopy, multivariate analysis, and molecular dockings. In the AuNPs-REG3A binary system a component with the "up-and-down" signal was detected by the in-depth data analysis on the time-resolved spectroscopic data, corresponding with the protein agglomeration and exfoliation observed in the TEM (Transmission Electron Microscopy) and AFM (Atomic Force Microscopy) experiments. Read More

Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces 2019 Jan 29;177:112-120. Epub 2019 Jan 29.

Key Laboratory of Tropical Medicinal Plant Chemistry of Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hainan Normal University, Haikou, 571158, China; Key Laboratory of Water Pollution Treatment & Resource Reuse of Hainan Province, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hainan Normal University, Haikou, 571158, Hainan, China. Electronic address:

In this work, the interfacial assembly of amphiphilic bacterial cellulose nanocrystals (BCNs) by Pickering emulsion method was proposed to improve the compatibility between the alginate and hydrophobic drug. BCNs prepared by sulfuric acid hydrolysis of biosynthesized bacterial cellulose was used as the particulate emulsifiers, whereas the model drug, alfacalcidol, dissolved in CHCl was used as the oil phase. The oil-in-water Pickering emulsions were prepared by ultrasonic dispersion method and then they were well dispersed in alginate solution. Read More

Life Sci 2019 Mar 1;220:156-161. Epub 2019 Feb 1.

Zhongda Hospital, School of Medicine, Southeast University, Nanjing, People's Republic of China. Electronic address:

Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) are promising candidates for drug delivery and treatment of various disorders. Toxicity evaluation is a critical point in the development of nanoformulations and therefore, draws considerable attention. Formulations involving individual or combinatorial nanoparticle suspensions might be used for targeted delivery and treatment. Read More

Fish Shellfish Immunol 2019 Jan 30;87:627-637. Epub 2019 Jan 30.

College of Animal Science and Technology, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, 130118, China. Electronic address:

Aeromonas veronii is an important type of gram-negative pathogen of human-livestock-aquatic animal and causes great economic losses in the aquaculture industry. Vaccination is an effective method of defence against A. veronii. Read More

Int J Pharm 2019 Jan 30;559:289-298. Epub 2019 Jan 30.

College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, China. Electronic address:

In this study, we developed novel thermal and redox-responsive micelles based on the Pluronic F127 tri-block copolymer and employed these for redox-responsive intratumor release of bufalin, an anti-cancer drug. Pluronic F127 was first functionalized with carboxylate groups, and then assembled into micelles. The HOOC-F127-COOH micelles are 20 ± 4 nm in size at 37 °C, but expand to 281 ± 5 nm when cooled to 4 °C. Read More

Prog Neurobiol 2019 Jan 25. Epub 2019 Jan 25.

Department of Pathology, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA 98104, USA; Beijing Key Laboratory of Research and Transformation on Neurodegenerative Diseases Biomarkers, Department of Pathology, Peking University Third Hospital/Institute of Basic Science, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing 100083, China. Electronic address:

Extracellular vesicles (EVs), including exosomes and (shedding) microvesicles, are released by nearly all cell types and carry a cargo of proteins and nucleic acids that varies by the cell of origin. They are thought to play critical roles in normal central nervous system (CNS) function and neurological disorders. A recently revealed key characteristic of EVs is that they may travel between the CNS and peripheral circulation. Read More

Ultrasound Med Biol 2019 Jan 23. Epub 2019 Jan 23.

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Attenuation coefficient estimation has the potential to be a useful tool for placental tissue characterization. A current challenge is the presence of inhomogeneities in biological tissue that result in a large variance in the attenuation coefficient estimate (ACE), restricting its clinical utility. In this work, we propose a new Attenuation Estimation Region Of Interest (AEROI) selection method for computing the ACE based on the (i) envelope signal-to-noise ratio deviation and (ii) coefficient of variation of the transmit pulse bandwidth. Read More

Mater Sci Eng C Mater Biol Appl 2019 Apr 26;97:632-643. Epub 2018 Dec 26.

Department of cardiovascular surgery, the Union Hospital Affiliated to Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.

The original intention for building a tissue-engineered heart valve (TEHV) was to simulate a normal heart valve and overcome the insufficiency of the commonly used heart valve replacement in the clinic. The endothelialization of the TEHV is very important as the endothelialized TEHV can decrease platelet adhesion and delay the valvular calcification decline process. In this work, we encapsulated vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) into polycaprolactone (PCL) nanoparticles. Read More

J Matern Fetal Neonatal Med 2019 Feb 10:1-8. Epub 2019 Feb 10.

b Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Uniwersytet Warminsko-Mazurski Wydzial Nauk Medycznych , Olsztyn , Poland.

Background: There is a great number of studies dealing with the impact of birth anesthesia on the course of labor and condition of the newborn. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of birth anesthesia on the parameters of oxygenation and acid-base balance in umbilical cord blood.

Methods: Subjects were divided into four groups: vaginal delivery without anesthesia, vaginal delivery with epidural anesthesia, delivery by cesarean section under a subarachnoid block, and delivery by cesarean section under general anesthesia. Read More

Int J Environ Res Public Health 2019 Jan 24;16(3). Epub 2019 Jan 24.

Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Stavanger, 4036 Stavanger, Norway.

: Intrapartum foetal heart rate (FHR) monitoring is crucial for identification of hypoxic foetuses and subsequent interventions. We compared continuous monitoring using a novel nine-crystal FHR monitor (Moyo) versus intermittent single crystal Doppler (Doppler) for the detection of abnormal FHR. : An unmasked randomised controlled study was conducted in a tertiary hospital in Tanzania (ClinicalTrials. Read More

Int J Nanomedicine 2019 11;14:543-556. Epub 2019 Jan 11.

Laboratory of Internal Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Nanbaixiang, Ouhai District, Wenzhou, Zhejiang 325000, China,

Purpose: Nanoparticle (NP)-based drug delivery approaches have tremendous potential for enhancing treatment efficacy and decreasing doses of chemotherapeutics. Idarubicin (IDA) is one of the most common chemotherapeutic drugs used in the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). However, severe side effects and drug resistance markedly limit the application of IDA. Read More

Acta Biomater 2019 Jan 18. Epub 2019 Jan 18.

U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research, Combat Trauma and Burn Injury Research, JBSA Fort Sam Houston, TX, USA. Electronic address:

Despite great advances in skin wound care utilizing grafting techniques, the resulting severe scarring, deformity and ineffective vascularization remains a challenge. Alternatively, tissue engineering of new skin using patient-derived stem cells and scaffolding materials promises to greatly increase the functional and aesthetic outcome of skin wound healing. This work focused on the optimization of a polyethylene glycol modified (PEGylated) platelet-rich plasma (PRP) hydrogel for the protracted release of cytokines, growth factors, and signaling molecules and also the delivery of a provisional physical framework for stem cell angiogenesis. Read More

Pediatr Res 2019 Jan 19. Epub 2019 Jan 19.

Lecturer, Department of public health, Addis Ababa University College of Health Sciences School of Allied Health Sciences, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Background: Timely initiation of breastfeeding is one important intervention to prevent childhood morbidities and mortalities. Globally, not more than 35 and 39% in developing countries, 52% in Ethiopia and 38% in Amhara region were initiated with breastfeeding early.

Methods: A community based cross-sectional study was conducted from 20 March to April, 2016. Read More

ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 2019 Feb 29;11(6):5701-5713. Epub 2019 Jan 29.

CAS Key Laboratory for Biomedical Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety & CAS Center for Excellence in Nanoscience , National Center for Nanoscience and Technology of China, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing 100190 , China.

The development of an intelligent biomaterial system that can efficiently accumulate at the tumor site and release a drug in a controlled way is very important for cancer chemotherapy. PEG is widely selected as a hydrophilic shell to acquire prolonged circulation time and enhanced accumulation at the tumor site, but it also restrains the cellular transport and uptake and leads to insufficient therapeutic efficacy. In this work, a PEG-detachable pH-responsive polymer that forms micelles from copolymer cholesterol grafted poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether- D-poly(β-amino ester)- D-poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether (MPEG- D-PAE- g-Chol) is developed to overcome the aforementioned challenges based on pH value changes among normal physiological, extracellular (pH), and intracellular (pH) environments. Read More

Indian J Pharmacol 2018 Sep-Oct;50(5):260-265

Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health Science, Bandirma Onyedi Eylül University, Balikesir, Turkey.

Objective: The aim of this study is to examine the effectiveness and adverse effects of local glyceryl trinitrate (GTN) application during labor compared with a placebo group.

Methods: The study consisted of 70 pregnant women with overdue pregnancies who presented to the hospital for labor induction between January 2009 and January 2011 in the Obstetrics Clinic of Istanbul Süleymaniye Gynecology and Obstetrics Education and Training Hospital. Vaginal suppositories-containing GTN (36/70) or placebo (34/70) was administered to the participants in a randomized fashion. Read More

World J Pediatr 2019 Jan 11. Epub 2019 Jan 11.

Chinese Evidence-based Medicine Center, Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Evidence-based Medicine, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, No. 37 Guoxue Alley, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, China.

Background: Fetal macrosomia, defined as birth weight equal or over 4000 g, is a major concern for both neonatal and maternal health. A rapid increasing trend in fetal macrosomia is observed in different regions of China. We aimed to examine the association between fetal macrosomia and risk of childhood obesity in Western China. Read More

AAPS PharmSciTech 2019 Jan 11;20(2):77. Epub 2019 Jan 11.

Department of Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery, University of Mississippi, Oxford, Mississippi, 38677, USA.

Application of heat (hyperthermic conditions) on skin is known to enhance drug transfer and facilitate skin penetration of molecules. The aim of this work was to study the effect of hyperthermia on the drug release and skin permeation from nicotine transdermal patches. The drug release and skin permeation were characterized by in vitro release test and in vitro permeation test. Read More

Comput Math Methods Med 2018 27;2018:5919467. Epub 2018 Nov 27.

Department of Radiology, University of Yamanashi, Japan.

During respiratory-gated radiotherapy (RGRT), gate on and off latencies cause deviations of gating windows, possibly leading to delivery of low- and high-dose radiations to tumors and normal tissues, respectively. Currently, there are no RGRT systems that have definite tools to compensate for the delays. To address the problem, we propose a framework consisting of two steps: (1) multistep-ahead prediction and (2) prediction-based gating. Read More

Kidney Res Clin Pract 2018 Dec 31;37(4):338-346. Epub 2018 Dec 31.

Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Srinakharinwirot University, Nakhon Nayok, Thailand.

Background: The most common cause of acute kidney injury (AKI) in pregnancy is preeclampsia. Serum cystatin C (CysC) is a potential biomarker of early kidney damage as its levels are not disturbed by volume status changes in pregnancy, and serum CysC levels could serve as a replacement for conventionally used creatinine. In this study, we investigated the serum levels of CysC in severe preeclampsia cases and the associations between CysC levels and poor obstetric outcomes. Read More

J Family Med Prim Care 2018 Nov-Dec;7(6):1542-1547

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Marat Ospanov, West Kazakhstan State Medical University (WKSMU), Aktobe, Kazakhstan.

Background: Vaginal birth after cesarean section (VBAC) increases the chance of subsequent vaginal deliveries and reduces the repeat cesarean section (CS) rate with subsequent postoperative morbidity.

Objectives: To detect the outcome of VBAC during the second birth order in Aktobe region of West Kazakhstan.

Patients And Methods: A total of 832 women eligible for trial of VBAC were included in this study. Read More

Int J Nanomedicine 2019 21;14:135-148. Epub 2018 Dec 21.

School of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin, China,

Background: We previously developed cabazitaxel (CTX)-loaded human serum albumin nanoparticles (NPs-CTX) via a self-assembly method, and these NPs showed efficacy in prostate cancer therapy. Many studies have shown that the levels of folic acid (FA) receptor on the surface of various tumor cells are high. Therefore, FA-modified NPs-CTX may have enhanced antitumor effects compared with unmodified NPs-CTX. Read More

Nanoscale 2019 Jan;11(3):1423-1436

MOE Key Laboratory of Laser Life Science & Institute of Laser Life Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China.

Drug delivery to a tumor site with an insufficient microvascular network remains a challenge due to the size preference for transport in terms of circulation and distribution. In this work, an integrated nano-therapeutic parcel disintegrable by a photoacoustic shockwave was developed. Nano-therapeutic particles with red absorbance are packaged into a larger parcel to generate a longer circulation half-life and improved accumulation in tumor tissue. Read More

Ann Hepatol 2018 Oct;17(6):1026-1034

Departamento de Gastroenterología. Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición "Salvador Zubirán", Mexico City, Mexico.

Introduction And Aim: Hepatic encephalopathy (HE), caused by hyperammonemia resulting from liver disease, is a spectrum of neuropsychiatric and motor disorders that can lead to death. Existing therapies are deficient and alternative treatments are needed. We have shown that gene therapy with a baculovirus vector containing the glutamine synthetase (Bac-GS) gene is efficient for reducing ammonia levels in an acute hyperammonemia rat model. Read More

J Drug Target 2018 Dec 31:1-13. Epub 2018 Dec 31.

c Department of Chemistry , Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Waterloo , Waterloo , Canada.

Pancreatic cancer (PC) is highly malignant with a low 5-year survival rate. PC currently does not have good early diagnostic markers and responses poorly to chemotherapeutic drugs. The search for better biomarkers and developing more effective chemotherapy are important ways to improve the healthcare of PC patients. Read More

Medicine (Baltimore) 2018 Dec;97(52):e13901

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children (Sichuan University) of Ministry of Education, Chengdu.

The aim of the study was to explore the role of parity, maternal age, medical interventions, and birth weight with respect to labor duration and cervical dilation.A total of 1601 pregnant women who had a singleton term gestation, spontaneous onset of labor, vertex presentation, vaginal delivery, and a normal perinatal outcome were reviewed. The retrospective study was conducted in patients from West China Second University Hospital of Sichuan University during June 2008 to June 2013. Read More

BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 2018 Dec 27;18(1):509. Epub 2018 Dec 27.

Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Liaocheng People's Hospital, Liaocheng, 252000, Shandong Province, People's Republic of China.

Background: We examined the influence of pre-pregnancy body weight on the rates of attempted and successfully assisted-vaginal delivery.

Methods: We used 2008-2016 inpatient records including 3408 women who had singleton gestations and needed operative delivery assistance to conduct a retrospective cohort study. Patients were categorized based on pre-pregnancy BMI (normal weight = 18. Read More

Niger Postgrad Med J 2018 Oct-Dec;25(4):234-238

Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Lagos, Nigeria.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate foeto-placental (F/P) parameters, namely foetal birth weight, placental weight (PW) and F/P weight ratio, in normal pregnancy and factors affecting them.

Methodology: A retrospective study was conducted on labour ward data obtained over a period of 3 years (2015-2017). Only deliveries above 28-week gestational age which met other selection criteria were included in the study. Read More

BMJ Open 2018 Dec 19;8(12):e021793. Epub 2018 Dec 19.

National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit, Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.

Objective: To conduct a systematic review to investigate the safety of induction and/or augmentation of labour compared with spontaneous-onset normal labour among pregnant women with iron-deficiency anaemia.

Design: Systematic review.

Setting: Studies from all countries, worldwide. Read More

Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces 2019 Mar 13;175:477-486. Epub 2018 Dec 13.

Department of Urology, Mindong Hospital Affiliated to Fujian Medical University, Fu'an, 355000, People's Republic of China.

Nanoparticular drug delivery system (NDDS) has great potential for enhancing the efficacy of traditional chemotherapeutic drugs. However, it is still a great challenge to fabricate a biocompatible NDDS with simple structure capable of optimizing therapeutic efficacy, such as high tumor accumulation, suitable drug release profile (e.g. Read More

Rev Assoc Med Bras (1992) 2018 Nov;64(11):1045-1049

Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Social Medicine Department, Porto Alegre, RS, Brasil.

Objective: To describe the number of funds made by the Brazilian National Health System to normal delivery and cesarean procedures, according to the Brazilian regions in 2015, and estimate the cost cutting if the recommendation concerning the prevalence of cesarean deliveries by the World Health Organization (10 to 15%) were respected.

Methods: Secondary analysis of data from the Hospital Information System of the Brazilian National Health System. The variables considered were the type of delivery (cesarean section and normal), geographic region of admission, length of stay and amount paid for admission in 2015. Read More

J Gynecol Obstet Hum Reprod 2018 Dec 12. Epub 2018 Dec 12.

Obs/Gyn, Epidemiologist. INSERM CIC1402, Université de Poitiers, CHU de Poitiers, France. Electronic address:

Introduction: The objective of these clinical practice guidelines was to analyse all of the interventions during pregnancy and childbirth that might prevent obstetric anal sphincter injuries (OASIS) and postnatal pelvic floor symptoms.

Material And Methods: These guidelines were developed in accordance with the methods prescribed by the French Health Authority (HAS).

Results: A prenatal clinical examination of the perineum is recommended for women with a history of Crohn's disease, OASIS, genital mutilation, or perianal lesions (professional consensus). Read More

Int J Nanomedicine 2018 22;13:7873-7889. Epub 2018 Nov 22.

School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, China,

Background: cis-Dichlorodiamineplatinum (CDDP) was one of the most common used drugs in clinic for cancer treatment. However, CDDP caused a variety of side effects. The abundant carboxyl groups on the surface of poly glutamic acid (PGA) could be modified with various kinds of targeted ligands. Read More

Cell Death Discov 2018 5;4:113. Epub 2018 Dec 5.

1Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford, Department of Radiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Room E150, 318 Campus Drive West, Stanford, CA 94305 USA.

Glioblastoma is the most common yet most lethal of primary brain cancers with a one-year post-diagnosis survival rate of 65% and a five-year survival rate of barely 5%. Recently the U.S. Read More

Pediatric Health Med Ther 2018 16;9:157-163. Epub 2018 Nov 16.

Department of Midwifery and Reproductive Health, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

Background: Infantile colic viewed as a non-dangerous prevalent issue could lead to stress in parents and long-term negative consequences in ex-colicky children. Researchers have not been successful in finding a certain treatment for colic symptoms. Studies suggest completely different approaches as its treatment. Read More

Int Med Case Rep J 2018 15;11:333-337. Epub 2018 Nov 15.

Department of Pediatrics, Queen Paola Children's Hospital, Antwerp, Belgium,

Neonatal neutropenia is regularly seen with variable etiology. We describe a breastfed infant with maternal medication use as a probable cause of neonatal neutropenia. An 8 days old exclusively breastfed female infant of Arab-Berber descent was referred to our hospital because of an infection of the umbilicus. Read More

Obstet Gynecol 2019 Jan;133(1):81-90

University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois; Novartis Oncology, East Hanover, New Jersey; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, DC; and Premier, Inc, Charlotte, North Carolina.

Women who experience an uncomplicated vaginal delivery have acute intrapartum pain and variable pain in the immediate postpartum period. Although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has urged clinicians to improve opioid-prescribing behavior, there are no published clinical practice guidelines for prescribing opioids during labor and delivery and at discharge for patients with uncomplicated normal spontaneous vaginal delivery. To address the knowledge gap regarding guidelines for pain management in this population, we used the national Premiere Health Care Database for deliveries of uncomplicated vaginal births from January 1, 2014, to December 31, 2016, to determine the prevalence of opioid administration. Read More

Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol 2019 Feb 3;233:1-5. Epub 2018 Dec 3.

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Finland.

Objective: Erythropoietin - a hormone regulating erythropoiesis - is a biomarker of chronic fetal hypoxia. High erythropoietin levels in fetal plasma and amniotic fluid are associated with increased risk of adverse neonatal outcome. Since the risk of perinatal morbidity and mortality is increased in pregnancies beyond 41 gestational weeks, we evaluated erythropoietin levels in amniotic fluid and umbilical cord serum in apparently low-risk term (≥ 37 gestational weeks) and prolonged pregnancies (≥ 41 gestational weeks) with labor induction. Read More

Acta Biomater 2018 Dec 6. Epub 2018 Dec 6.

Department of Bioengineering, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Mechanical Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA. Electronic address:

Drug delivery to avascular, negatively charged tissues like cartilage remains a challenge. The constant turnover of synovial fluid results in short residence time of administered drugs in the joint space and the dense negatively charged matrix of cartilage hinders their diffusive transport. Drugs are, therefore, unable to reach their cell and matrix targets in sufficient doses, and fail to elicit relevant biological response, which has led to unsuccessful clinical trials. Read More

J Pain Res 2018 8;11:2791-2796. Epub 2018 Nov 8.

Institute of Clinical Research, Jiaxing university, Jiaxing, China,

Background: It was reported that epidural volume extension could decrease the ED of intrathecal plain bupivacaine. In this study, we investigated the ED of intrathecal hyperbaric ropivacaine followed by epidural normal saline bolus for cesarean section.

Methods: Sixty parturients were allocated into two groups in this prospective study. Read More

Rev Peru Med Exp Salud Publica 2018 Jul-Sep;35(3):449-455

. Hospital III Yanahuara. Arequipa, Perú.

Objectives: To assess the effects of the administration of oxytocin during labor management on the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), nitric oxide (NO), and S100B protein in newborns.

Materials And Methods: We selected 80 term pregnant women without obstetric and fetal pathology, forming two groups: pregnant women with normal delivery and pregnant women conducted with oxytocin. Blood was collected immediately after delivery from the umbilical cord vein to measure MDA, ON and from the artery for protein S100B. Read More

Reprod Health 2018 Dec 4;15(1):198. Epub 2018 Dec 4.

School of Nursing and Midwifery, Trinity College Dublin, 24 D'Olier Street, Dublin, DO2 T283, Ireland.

Background: Respectful maternity care includes treating women with dignity, consulting them about preferences, gaining consent for treatment, respecting their wishes, and giving care based on evidence, not routines. In the absence of any documented evidence, this study aimed to ascertain maternity care-givers' perceptions of respectful care provided for childbearing women in Czech Republic.

Methods: Following ethical approval, an online quantitative survey with qualitative comments was completed by 52 respondents recruited from workshops on promoting normal birth, followed by snowball sampling. Read More

Int J Nanomedicine 2018 8;13:7251-7273. Epub 2018 Nov 8.

Graduate Institute of Biomedical Materials and Tissue Engineering, College of Biomedical Engineering, Taipei Medical University, Taipei City, Taiwan,

Introduction: Dry-eye syndrome (DES) is a general eye disease. Eye drops are the common ophthalmological medication. However, the ocular barrier makes it difficult to attain high drug bioavailability. Read More

Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces 2019 Feb 24;174:575-581. Epub 2018 Nov 24.

College of Life Information Science and Instrument Engineering, Hangzhou Dianzi University, Hangzhou, 310018, People's Republic of China. Electronic address:

Due to the unique structural and mechanical properties, graphene quantum dots (GQDs) are considered as potential candidates in the field of biosensors, bioimaging, and drug delivery etc. In this work, the adsorption of protein villin headpiece (HP35) on GQDs with different sizes was investigated by molecular dynamics simulations. The simulation results identified the key role of the π-π stacking interactions between the aromatic residues of HP35 and GQDs as the binding site. Read More

Am J Perinatol 2018 Nov 30. Epub 2018 Nov 30.

Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute, Seattle, Washington.

Objectives:  Women with prediabetes are identified from screening for overt diabetes in early pregnancy, but the clinical significance of prediabetes in pregnancy is unclear. We examined whether prediabetes in early pregnancy was associated with risks of adverse outcomes.

Study Design:  We conducted a retrospective cohort study of pregnant women enrolled in Kaiser Permanente Washington from 2011 to 2014. Read More

Bioorg Chem 2019 Mar 22;84:115-124. Epub 2018 Nov 22.

Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Cairo University, Giza 12613, Egypt.

The aim of the present work was to investigate the preparation of polyelectrolyte hydrogel as potential drug carrier for antibacterial Ciprofloxacin drug (CFX), intended for controlled release formulation. Hydrogel of N-trimehtyl chitosan (TMC)/sodium carboxymethyl xanthan gum (CMXG) was prepared and ciprofloxacin was employed as a model drug to investigate the loading and release performance of the prepared hydrogel. FTIR, DSC, TGA and SEM analysis were used to characterize the TMC/CMXG hydrogel and its CFX loaded hydrogel. Read More