Intrapartum application of the continuous glucose monitoring system in pregnancies complicated with diabetes: A review and feasibility study

Intrapartum maternal normoglycemia seems to play an important role in the prevention of adverse perinatal, maternal and neonatal outcomes. Several glucose monitoring protocols have been developed, aiming to achieve a tight glucose monitoring and control. Depending on the type of diabetes and the optimal or suboptimal glycemic control, the treatment options include fasting status of the parturient, frequent monitoring of capillary blood glucose, intravenous dextrose infusion and subcutaneous or intravenous use of insulin. Continuous glucose monitoring system (CGMS) is a relatively new technology that measures interstitial glucose at very short time intervals over a specific period of time. The resulting profile provides a more comprehensive measure of glycemic excursions than intermittent home blood glucose monitoring. Results of studies applying the CGMS technology in patients with or without diabetes mellitus (DM) have revealed new insights in glucose metabolism. Moreover, CGMS have a potential role in the improvement of glycemic control during pregnancy and labor, which may lead to a decrease in perinatal morbidity and mortality. In conclusion, the use of CGMS, with its important technical advantages compared to the conventional way of monitoring, may lead into a more etiological intrapartum management of both the mother and her fetus/infant in pregnancies complicated with DM.     

Live birth,cumulative live birth and perinatal outcome following assisted reproductive treatments using donor sperm in single women vs. women in lesbian couples: a prospective controlled cohort study

Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics - Assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatments with donor sperm have been allowed for women in lesbian relationships (WLR) since 2005 in Sweden,...     

World Wide Web resources on prevention and treatment of postoperative infections

The internet can serve in opening the door to quality educational material. However, the huge amount of information available over the internet may be misleading and makes tracking of quality resources time and effort consuming. This article is a compilation of web sites that provide high-quality educational information on the prevention and treatment of postoperative infections.