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BACKGROUND: In light of the recent Great Recession, increasing attention has focused on the health consequences of economic downturns. The perinatal literature does not converge on whether ambient economic declines threaten the health of cohorts in gestation. We set out to test the economic stress hypothesis that the monthly count of cesarean deliveries (CD), which may gauge the level of fetal distress in a population, rises after the economy declines. We focus on male CD since the literature reports that male more than female fetuses appear sensitive to stressors in utero. METHODS: We tested our ecological hypothesis in California for 228 months from January 1989 to December 2007, the most recent data available to us at the time of our tests. We used as the independent variable the Bureau of Labor Statistics unadjusted total state employment series. Time-series methods controlled for patterns of male CD over time. We also adjusted for the monthly count of female CD, which controls for well-characterized factors (e.g., medical-legal environment, changing risk profile of births) that affect CD but are shared across infant sex. RESULTS: Findings support the economic stress hypothesis in that male CD increases above its expected value one month after employment declines (employment coefficient = -24.09, standard error = 11.88, p = .04). Additional exploratory analyses at the metropolitan level indicate that findings in Los Angeles and Orange Counties appear to drive the State-level relation. CONCLUSIONS: Contracting economies may perturb the health of male more than female fetuses sufficiently enough to warrant more CD. Male relative to female CD may sensitively gauge the cohort health of gestations.

Introduction: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a public health problem that currently affects a large part of the female population and has short‐ and long‐term consequences for the fetus and the mother. It has been reported that GDM affects 1%–14% of all pregnancies, and that its incidence has been steadily rising. In recent years while exploring the etiological factors responsible for the emergence of insulin resistance particularly that of transient nature, vitamin D has emerged as one of the possible factors. Although systematic review and metaanalysis of observational studies show that low blood vitamin D level during pregnancy is associated with 1.8 times higher odds of GDM as compared to those having normal blood vitamin D levels; however, individual observational studies about maternal vitamin D status and risk of GDM are conflicting, The aim of this study is to compare the levels of 25(OH) vitamin D in women with gestational diabetes mellitus and normoglycemic pregnant women to assess the pathogenic role of vitamin D in the causation of GDM. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Era's Lucknow Medical College and Hospital (ELMCH), Lucknow from December 2018 to November 2020 The present study was an analytical case–control study, in which a total of 30 pregnant women in 24–28 weeks of gestation diagnosed as GDM using Diabetes in Pregnancy Study Group criteria were enrolled as cases while another 30 pregnant women in same gestational age range with normoglycemic profile were enrolled as controls. The 25(OH)D levels were assessed by the chemiluminecence immunoassay. The statistical analysis was performed using SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) Version 21.0. Results: On multivariate analysis, vegetarian diet and GDM were found to be significantly associated with vitamin D deficiency. The present study endorsed the relationship between vitamin D deficiency and GDM and showed a high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency, and that too at severe level could result in GDM. Appropriate awareness and intervention strategies are warranted on a larger sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Liver abscess in pregnancy is a rare entity and can be a life threatening condition. Here we present A case of amoebic liver abscess in 25 years old lady in third trimester of pregnancy, with highlights on treatment difficulties which we had faced in the management and timely intervention leads to good fetomaternal outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prevalence of diabetes in pregnancy has risen in the past few decades across the globe. Along with it, maternal and perinatal complications have also increased. Still-birth remains an important complication and till date, largely unexplained. As the pathogenesis is unclear, we are still not able to predict babies at higher risk of still-birth. Recent studies have focused on cardiac dysfunction as a probable causative factor. The present review was conducted to consolidate the existing information about cardio-dynamics and discuss its role in causation of still-birth in diabetic pregnancies. Electronic databases were searched using relevant MeSH terms for original articles, meta-analysis, case reports, case series and standard guidelines issued by maternal and foetal medicine societies. Still-birth remains an important area of research in diabetic pregnancies. Foetal cardiac studies may help in development of prediction models for prognostication of foetuses at high risk of still-birth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Liver abscess in pregnancy is a rare entity and can be a life threatening condition. Here we present A case of amoebic liver abscess in 25 years old lady in of pregnancy, with highlights on treatment third trimester difficulties which we had faced in the management and timely intervention leads to good fetomaternal outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bardet Biedl Syndrome (BBS) is a rare idiopathic autosomal recessive disorder which affects multiple organs and organ systems. In India less than 15 cases have been reported so far. We present case of 41 year old third gravida who presented at 17 weeks of gestation. She had a suspicious history of delayed milestones in the previous child and ultrasound findings of echogenic kidneys, bilateral talipes, and polydactyly. Index child evaluation showed type-6 variant of BBS. Amniocentesis in the present pregnancy showed the same mutation in the fetus. The couple decided on termination of t pregnancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bardet Biedl Syndrome (BBS) is a rare idiopathic autosomal recessive disorder which affects multiple organs and organ systems. In India less than 15 cases have been reported so far. We present case of 41 year old third gravida who presented at 17 weeks of gestation. She had a suspicious history of delayed milestones in the previous child and ultrasound findings of echogenic kidneys, bilateral talipes, and polydactyly. Index child evaluation showed type-6 variant of BBS. Amniocentesis in the present pregnancy showed the same mutation in the fetus. The couple decided on termination of t pregnancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]