Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) is one of the non-pharmacological means of pain relief for labor and delivery. We aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of TENS on specific acupuncture points for reducing pain in the first stage of labor. In this double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, we randomly assigned healthy full-term parturients in active phase of first-stage labor to either TENS on four acupuncture points (Hegu [Li 4] and Sanyinjiao [Sp 6]) (n=52) or the TENS placebo (n=53). Visual analogue scale (VAS) was used to assess pain before and 30 and 60 min after treatment. The primary outcome was the rate of VAS score decrease 3 in each group. A questionnaire was given at 24h post-partum to evaluate the satisfaction of pain relieving method and the willingness to have the same treatment again. Mode of delivery and neonatal effect were measured as secondary outcome. One hundred women were eligible for analysis. TENS group experienced VAS score reduction 3 significantly more common than the TENS placebo group (31/50 [62%] vs 7/50 [14%], P<0.001). Willingness of using the same analgesic method for a future childbirth was also significantly different (TENS: 48/50 [96%] vs TENS placebo: 33/50 [66%], P<0.001). Operative delivery was increased in the TENS group (12/50 [24%] vs 4/50 [8%], P=0.05), but the neonatal outcomes were not different. The application of TENS on specific acupuncture points could be a non-invasive adjunct for pain relief in the first stage of labor.
A complete hydatidiform mole (CHM) is an abnormal pregnancy with hyperproliferative vesicular trophoblast and no fetal development. Most CHM are sporadic and androgenetic, but recurrent HM have biparental inheritance (BiHM) with disrupted DNA methylation at differentially methylated regions (DMRs) of imprinted loci. Some women with recurrent BiHM have mutations in the NLRP7 gene on chromosome 19q13.42. Using bisulfite genomic sequencing at eight imprinted DMRs on DNA from two BiHMs, we found a pattern of failure to acquire or maintain DNA methylation at DMRs (PEG3, SNRPN, KCNQ1OT1, GNAS exon 1A) that normally acquire CpG methylation during oogenesis, but not at H19, which acquires CpG methylation during spermatogenesis. Secondary imprints at the GNAS locus showed variable abnormal patterns with both gain and loss of CpG methylation. We found novel missense and splice-site mutations in NLRP7 in women with non-familial recurrent BiHM. We identified and characterized a homozygous intragenic tandem duplication including exons 2 through 5 of NLRP7 that results in a predicted truncated protein in affected women of three unrelated Egyptian kindreds, suggesting a founder effect. Our findings firmly establish that NLRP7 mutations are a major cause of BiHM and confirm presence of a complex pattern of imprinting abnormalities in BiHM tissues.
Significant elevation of leptin can be detected in AF 2 months earlier than the appearance of symptoms; thus, it may be used as a predictive marker for preeclampsia. The increase of these antiangiogenic proteins supports the roles of inflammation and oxidative stress in pathogenesis of preeclampsia.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.