Objectives: Our aim was to evaluate the effect of standard surgical and N-95 respiratory mask use on maternal oxygen saturation, vital signs and result on non-stress tests in term pregnancies. Methods: It is a prospective observational study. The study included healthy, not in labor, singleton pregnant women of 370/7–410/7 weeks who were applied to our hospital for routine obstetric control examination between March 1, 2020, and August 31, 2020. Patients were randomised by coin toss method. Oxygen saturation, systolic, and diastolic arterial blood pressure, pulse, respiratory rate, and temperature of pregnant women using surgical masks and respiratory masks were measured before and after the non-stress test. The tolerance of the masks was also evaluated. Student’s t-test was used for variables showing parametric distribution and the Mann Whitney U-test was used for non-parametric tests. The categorical variables between the groups was analyzed by using the Chi square test or Fisher Exact test. The statistical significance level was taken as p<0.05 in all tests. Results: A total of 297 pregnant women using masks were included in the study. The effect of mask type on oxygen saturation before and after the non-stress test was found to be significant (97.1±1.8 corresponds to 95.3±2.6 for the surgical mask, p=0.0001; 97.8±1.7 corresponds to 93.7±2.0 for the respiratory mask, p=0.0001). Mask tolerance of patients using respiratory masks was significantly higher than those using surgical masks (mean 8, 1–10, p=0.0001). Conclusions: Surgical mask and respiratory mask usage decreased significantly in oxygen saturation in term pregnancies.

Estimation of foetal weight in the prenatal period is important in many respects. For this purpose, during different periods of pregnancy; mostly in the last trimester; many methods or formulas have been described, almost of them using ultrasound. Foetal epicardial adipose tissue has previously been described as a metabolic organ in studies. Foetal epicardial fat tissue thickness (EFT) measurement has been previously described in the literature and has been associated with metabolic conditions such as preeclampsia or gestational diabetes. The purpose of this study was to determine the strength and cut-off value of EFT measured by ultrasound in the second trimester in the prediction of large for gestational age (LGA) foetuses. Epicardial fat tissue thicknesses which were recorded during second trimester anomaly screening were evaluated retrospectively. Birth weights of the same cases were also obtained from the database and analysed with IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows Version 22.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA). LGA babies had thicker EFT measurements and we established a cut-off EFT value of 1.38 mm. Our results suggest that EFT thickness measured by ultrasound in the second trimester may be useful in predicting LGA foetuses.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a part of the metabolic syndrome and is associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes. The aim of this study was to determine whether unexplained elevated ALT in early pregnancy has any effect in the prediction of large for gestational age (LGA) infants. In this study, the relationship between birth weights of LGA babies and babies with normal weight for gestational age (AGA) and ALT values measured in early pregnancy was evaluated. While a positive, moderately strong, statistically significant correlation was found between infant birth weight and ALT levels in LGA babies this correlation was continued when GDM was not detected and ALT levels were below 36 U/L. Foetal macrosomia, which can develop in advanced gestational weeks, can be predicted with this cheap, easy and simple method that can be checked in the first trimester and pregnancy follow-up can be shaped accordingly.

Objective Antenatal steroids are commonly used to stimulate fetal lung maturation, particularly in pregnancies at risk of early preterm labor. This study aimed to compare the effects of administering betamethasone at a 12- versus 24-hour interval on perinatal outcomes. Study Design This retrospective study included 423 early preterm births from 26^+0/7 to 33^+6/7 weeks of gestation. Patients received betamethasone at either a 12- or 24-hour dosing interval. Results When all patients in each group were evaluated together, there was no statistically significant difference between both groups for complications of prematurity, including respiratory distress syndrome (RDS). When the two groups were divided by gestational age (GA), the 32^+0/7 to 33^+6/7-week group that received betamethasone at a 24-hour interval had statistically lower 1- and 5-minute APGAR scores (p = 0.06 and p = 0.02, respectively). They also had a greater need for neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), NICU length of stay, RDS, and need for surfactant (p = 0.20, p = 0.09, p = 0.27, and p = 0.23, respectively) than did the infants at 32^+0/7 to 33^+6/7 weeks, who received betamethasone at a 12-hour interval. In the group with GA between 28^+0/7 and 29^+6/7 weeks, the 1-minute APGAR score was lower (p = 0.22), and the durations of hospital stay, and mechanical ventilation were longer (p = 0.048, p = 0.21, respectively) in the 24-hour interval group. No statistically significant difference was observed for all parameters in other GA groups. Conclusion A 12-hour dosing interval for betamethasone appears to be more appropriate, as it results in a reduction in some neonatal complications and provides a short dose interval. Key Points Received: 06 June 2021 Accepted: 13 August 2021 Publication Date: 20 September 2021 (online) © 2021. Thieme. All rights reserved. Thieme Medical Publishers, Inc. 333 Seventh Avenue, 18th Floor, New York, NY 10001, USA