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Aim: To investigate the effects of uncomplicated vaginal delivery and epidural analgesia on fetal acid-base parameters in women with gestational diabetes (GDM) compared with controls., Methods: A retrospective case-control study of 142 women with gestational diabetes and 284 controls. To evaluate the effect of diabetes and analgesia on acid-base status correcting for potential confounders we used ordered logistic equations including quartiles of fetal arterial acid-base parameters collected at birth as outcomes and categories of diabetes and epidural analgesia as explanatory variables., Results: In the GDM group cord base deficit (-2.63 mmol/l, interquartile range [IQR]=4.2 to -0.65 mmol/l vs. -1.9 mmol/l, IQR=-3.3 to -0.2 mmol/l, p=0.009, odds ratio (OR)=1.51, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.04-2.18) was lower and concentration of calcium higher (1.49 mmol/l, IQR=1.42-1.56 mmol/l vs. 1.47 mmol/l, IQR=1.41-1.51 mmol/l, p=0.009, OR=1.69, 95% CI=1.12-2.56) compared with controls. Epidural analgesia in the GDM group was associated with reduced cord concentration of glucose (84.0mg/dl [4.7 mmol/l], IQR=70-103.3mg/dl vs. 92.5mg/dl [5.1 mmol/l], IQR=76.5-121.8 mg/dl, p=0.004), lactate (2.65 mmol/l (IQR=1.80-4.20) vs. 3.70 mmol/l (IQR=2.90-5.55 mmol/l), p=0.002) and less pronounced base deficit (-2.05 mmol/l, IQR=-3.90 to -0.17 mmol/l vs. -2.8, IQR=-5.57 to -1.05 mmol/l, p=0.01, OR=0.7, 95% CI=0.49-0.99)., Conclusions: In uncomplicated pregnancies and deliveries, well-controlled gestational diabetes mellitus has potentially significant detrimental effects on fetal acid-base status at birth. Epidural analgesia reduces cord arterial glucose and lactates., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Aims: To assess pregnancy-associated plasma protein A (PAPP-A) correlation with GDM and its usefulness in predicting GDM in primiparous women., Methods: First trimester data related to 307 pregnant women affected by GDM and 366 control pregnant women were retrieved from a computer data base and integrated with ad hoc data. Clinical data were recorded at delivery. A logistic model was used to analyze the association between first trimester data and subsequent clinical outcomes. We derived a risk score using both classical risk factors for GDM and PAPP-A., Results: Diabetic and control women were significantly different in terms of age (p<0.001), BMI (p<0.001), weight (p<0.001), family history of diabetes (p<0.001), PAPP-A concentration and PAPP-A corrected multiple of the median (MoM) (p<0.001). The ROC-AUC of the clinical risk score was 0.60 (95%CI 0.56-0.64), the adjusted score including PAPP-A MoM was 0.70 (95%CI 0.66-0.74)., Conclusions: Low PAPP-A was strongly associated with GDM and lower values were found in diabetic women needing insulin therapy. Adding PAPP-A to first trimester screening could improve the prediction of women at high risk who will develop GDM. Further studies are needed to validate the applicability of our findings in different populations and settings., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)