BackgroundTwo criteria based on a 2 h 75 g OGTT are being used for the diagnosis of gestational diabetes (GDM), those recommended over the years by the World Health Organization (WHO), and those recently recommended by the International Association for Diabetes in Pregnancy Study Group (IADPSG), the latter generated in the HAPO study and based on pregnancy outcomes. Our aim is to systematically review the evidence for the associations between GDM (according to these criteria) and adverse outcomes.MethodsWe searched relevant studies in MEDLINE, EMBASE, LILACS, the Cochrane Library, CINHAL, WHO-Afro library, IMSEAR, EMCAT, IMEMR and WPRIM. We included cohort studies permitting the evaluation of GDM diagnosed by WHO and or IADPSG criteria against adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes in untreated women. Only studies with universal application of a 75 g OGTT were included. Relative risks (RRs) and their 95% confidence intervals (CI) were obtained for each study. We combined study results using a random-effects model. Inconsistency across studies was defined by an inconsistency index (I2) > 50%.ResultsData were extracted from eight studies, totaling 44,829 women. Greater risk of adverse outcomes was observed for both diagnostic criteria. When using the WHO criteria, consistent associations were seen for macrosomia (RR = 1.81; 95%CI 1.47-2.22; p < 0.001); large for gestational age (RR = 1.53; 95%CI 1.39-1.69; p < 0.001); perinatal mortality (RR = 1.55; 95% CI 0.88-2.73; p = 0.13); preeclampsia (RR = 1.69; 95%CI 1.31-2.18; p < 0.001); and cesarean delivery (RR = 1.37;95%CI 1.24-1.51; p < 0.001). Less data were available for the IADPSG criteria, and associations were inconsistent across studies (I2 ≥ 73%). Magnitudes of RRs and their 95%CIs were 1.73 (1.28-2.35; p = 0.001) for large for gestational age; 1.71 (1.38-2.13; p < 0.001) for preeclampsia; and 1.23 (1.01-1.51; p = 0.04) for cesarean delivery. Excluding either the HAPO or the EBDG studies minimally altered these associations, but the RRs seen for the IADPSG criteria were reduced after excluding HAPO.ConclusionsThe WHO and the IADPSG criteria for GDM identified women at a small increased risk for adverse pregnancy outcomes. Associations were of similar magnitude for both criteria. However, high inconsistency was seen for those with the IADPSG criteria. Full evaluation of the latter in settings other than HAPO requires additional studies.

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CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE: The prevalence and characteristics of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) have changed over time, reflecting the nutritional transition and changes in diagnostic criteria. We aimed to evaluate characteristics of women with GDM over a 20-year interval. DESIGN AND SETTING: Comparison of two pregnancy cohorts enrolled in different periods, in university hospitals in Porto Alegre, Brazil: 1991 to 1993 and 2009 to 2013 (n = 375). METHODS:We applied two diagnostic criteria to the cohorts: International Association of Diabetes and Pregnancy Study Groups (IADPSG)/World Health Organization (WHO); and National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). We compared maternal-fetal characteristics and outcomes between the cohorts and within each cohort. RESULTS:The women in the 2010s cohort were older (31 ± 7 versus 30 ± 6 years), more frequently obese (29.4% versus 15.2%), with more hypertensive disorders (14.1% versus 5.6%) and at increased risk of cesarean section (adjusted relative risk 1.8; 95% confidence interval: 1.4 -2.3), compared with those in the 1990s cohort. Neonatal outcomes such as birth weight category and hypoglycemia were similar. In the 1990s cohort, women only fulfilling IADPSG/WHO or only fulfilling NICE criteria had similar characteristics and outcomes; in the 2010s cohort, women only diagnosed through IADPSG/WHO were more frequently obese than those diagnosed only through NICE (33 ± 8 kg/m 2 versus 28 ± 6 kg/m 2 ; P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The epidemic of obesity seems to have modified the profile of women with GDM. Despite similar neonatal outcomes, there were differences in the intensity of treatment over time. The IADPSG/ WHO criteria seemed to identify a profile more associated with obesity. RESUMO

As a result of the advances in glucose monitoring and insulin administration, there has been a dramatic improvement in the outcomes of pregnancy in diabetic women over the past decades. Pregnancy in type 1 diabetic women is associated with an increase in risk both to the fetus and to the mother. The normalization of blood glucose in order to prevent congenital anomalies and spontaneous abortions is considered a priority. As the pregnancy progress, the mother is at an increased risk for hypoglycemia or diabetic ketoacidosis. Later in the pregnancy, she is at risk of accelerated retinopathy, pregnancy-induced hypertension and preeclampsia-eclampsia, urinary tract infection, and polyhydramnios. At the end of pregnancy, there is also an increased risk of macrosomia and sudden death of the fetus in uterus. All of these complications can be prevented or, at least, minimized with careful planning of the pregnancy and intensive tight glucose control.

In order to evaluate the performance of a 1-h 75-g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) for the diagnosis of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), a cohort of 4998 women, 20 years or older, without previous diabetes being treated in prenatal care clinics in Brazil answered a questionnaire and performed a 75-g OGTT including fasting, 1-h and 2-h glucose measurements between their 24th and 28th gestational weeks. Pregnancy outcomes were transcribed from medical registries. GDM was defined according to WHO criteria (fasting: ≥126 mg/dL; 2-h value: ≥140 mg/dL) and macrosomia as a birth weight equal to or higher than 4000 g. Areas under the receiver operator characteristic curve (AUC) were compared and diagnostic properties of various cutoff points were evaluated. The AUCs for the prediction of macrosomia were 0.606 (0.572-0.637) for the 1-h and 0.589 (0.557-0.622) for the 2-h plasma glucose test. Similar predictability was demonstrable regarding combined adverse outcomes: 0.582 (0.559-0.604) for the 1-h test and 0.572 (0.549-0.595) for the 2-h test. When the 1-h glucose test was evaluated against a diagnosis of GDM defined by the 2-h glucose test, the AUC was 0.903 (0.886-0.919). The cut-off point that maximized sensitivity (83%) and specificity (83%) was 141 mg/dL, identifying 21% of the women as positive. A cut-off point of 160 mg/dL, with lower sensitivity (62%), had higher specificity (94%), labeling 8.6% as positive. Detection of GDM can be done with a 1-h 75-g OGTT: : :: : the value of 160 mg/dL has the same diagnostic performance as the conventional 2-h value (140 mg/dL). The simplification of the test may improve coverage and timing of the diagnosis of GDM.

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history of angina, myocardial infarction, heart failure, stroke, peripheral vascular disease) in this predominantly African American patient population. We conducted a cross-sectional study involving 41 African American patients (14 M, 27 F; 60 Ϯ 16 years) who were on hemodialysis Ն 3 months. Patient demographics and medical histories were obtained. Predialysis serum PAI-1 (ELISA) and serum carnitine levels (spectrophotometry) were measured. Other markers of inflammation and oxidative stress, including C-reactive protein (CRP), IL-6, IL-10, and TNF-␣, were also measured (ELISA). The subjects were divided into two groups: group 1 (n = 36) -low total serum carnitine (< 31 µmol/L for women and < 42 µmol/L for men) and group 2 (n = 5) -normal total serum carnitine (Ն 31 µmol/L for women and Ն 42 µmol/L for men). There were no significant differences in mean age (60 Ϯ 16 years vs 64 Ϯ 13 years; p = ns), gender, presence of hypertension or diabetes, etiology of CKD or serum levels of CRP, IL-6, IL-10, or TNF-␣ between the groups. PAI-1 levels were significantly higher in subjects in group 1 as compared to group 2 (62 Ϯ 24 IU/mL vs 37 Ϯ 21 IU/mL; p = .03). Nine subjects in group 1 had a composite cardiovascular end point as compared to none in group 2. In this population, patients with low carnitine levels had higher levels of PAI-1 as compared to patients with normal carnitine levels. This study was limited by small sample size and the high prevalence of low carnitine levels in hemodialysis patients. More studies are needed to further clarify this observation and the association with cardiovascular disease. Purpose: ASPECTS is a robust method for quantifying acute stroke hypodensity on noncontrast CT (NCCT) and helps predict clinical outcome. Whole brain source images obtained with CT angiography (CTA-SI) may increase ischemic brain conspicuity. We sought to determine if CTA-SI is more sensitive than NCCT in detecting acute middle cerebral artery (MCA) infarction and in predicting final infarct size using a modified ASPECT score for lesion delineation. Materials and Methods: After informed consent, we reviewed NCCT and CTA-SI scans of 51 patients with suspected MCA stroke, imaged within 12 hours of symptoms onset, enrolled in a dual-center cohort study. Two blinded neuroimagers rated presence and extent of NCCT and CTA-SI hypodensity using modified ASPECTS. Level of certainty for hypodensity detection was graded on admission and follow-up images using a 5-point scale (5 = definitely present; 1 = definitely absent). Linear regression and receiver operator characteristic (ROC) analyses were performed. Results: Thirty-three patients had confirmed infarction at follow-up (mean 6.5 days). Using certainty levels Ն 4 (probable/definite) for ischemic hypodensity, sensitivity for acute stroke detection was 49% with NCCT and 70% with CTA-SI (p = .04, ROC analysis); specificity was 100% for both. Linear regression showed R 2 = .42 (p < .0001) for the correlation between acute NCCT modified ASPECTS and follow-up modified ASPECTS, ...

Background Women with diabetes first diagnosed during pregnancy (overt diabetes) may be at the same risk level of adverse outcomes as those with known pregestational diabetes. We compared pregnancy outcomes between these groups. Methods We evaluated pregnant women with type 2 diabetes, pregestational or overt diabetes, attending high risk antenatal care in two public hospitals in Southern Brazil, from May 20, 2005 to June 30, 2021. Outcomes were retrieved from electronic medical records. Risk of adverse outcomes, expressed as relative risk (RR) and 95% confidence interval (CI), were calculated using Poisson regression with robust estimates. Results Of 618 women, 33% were labelled as having overt diabetes and 67%, pregestational diabetes. Baseline maternal characteristics were similar: there was a slight, non-clinically relevant, difference in maternal age (33 ± 5.7 years in women with pregestational diabetes vs. 32 ± 6.0 years in women with overt diabetes, p = 0.004); and women with overt diabetes reported smoking almost twice compared to those with pregestational diabetes (12.3% vs. 6.5%, p = 0.024). There were no relevant differences between the groups regarding pregnancy outcomes, although there was a trend of higher neonatal intensive care admission in the group of women with pregestational diabetes (45.2% vs. 36.1%, p = 0.051). Conclusions Overt diabetes was diagnosed in one third of this cohort of pregnant women with hyperglycemia. Their pregnancy outcomes were similar to those of women with pregestational diabetes and were mostly related to maternal demographic characteristics and metabolic control. A call to action should be made to identify women of childbearing age at risk for pre-pregnancy diabetes; to detect hyperglycemia before conception; and to implement timely preconception care to all women with diabetes.