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Objective: Sleep quality affects pregnant women's health and quality of life. The aims of the study were to investigate the prevalence of sleep disorders and the effect of sleep health education on sleep quality in pregnant women with sleep disorders. Methods: To examine the frequency of sleep disorders among pregnant women, a cross-sectional study was conducted with an initial enrollment of 370 participants. Subsequently, 162 pregnant women were recruited for a pretest-posttest quasi-experimental design study. The intervention group (n = 82) performed sleep health education for four weeks and the control group (n = 80) received standard care. Sleep quality was assessed with Pittsburgh Sleep Quality. Results: The prevalence of sleep disorder was 61.9 percent (CI 95% 56.85-66.69). It was determined that health education improved some sleep quality subscales including subjective sleep quality, sleep latency, sleep duration and habitual sleep efficiency, and sleep disturbances, daytime dysfunction, and global sleep quality. The difference was still significant after adjusting for the PSQI baseline (η2 =.311, P <.001). Conclusion: These findings provide evidence of a relatively high prevalence of sleep disorders in pregnancy. Therefore, screening for sleep disorders and providing supportive programs and models to improve sleep quality during pregnancy should be considered as part of prenatal care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vitamin D and calcium deficiency have been reported as one of the causes of preeclampsia. In this study, levels of vitamin D, calcium and phosphorus were evaluated in 51 normotensive pregnant women and 52 women with preeclampsia at the gestational age between 28 and 36 weeks in Tabriz. Logistic regression and general linear models were used for comparing levels and means of vitamin D, calcium and phosphorus between the two groups adjusting for education and Body Mass Index (BMI). The results showed that mean serum vitamin D (p = .73), calcium (p = .12) and phosphorus (p = .60) levels were not significantly different between the groups after adjusting for education and BMI. Based on this study, no relationship was observed between vitamin D deficiency and preeclampsia; however, it was seen that the hypocalcaemia could increase the risk of preeclampsia up to 8.5 times. Based on our results and the literature, it seems that further studies need to be done to provide more insights into this area.Impact statementWhat is already known on this subject? Preeclampsia is one of the three leading causes of maternal morbidity and mortality worldwide. Despite the importance of preeclampsia, the causes and methods of prevention of this disease are still unknown. Deficiency of vitamin D affects the calcium balance of mothers and fetuses and has also been reported as one of the causes of preeclampsia disease. Reducing serum calcium can lead to increased blood pressure in preeclamptic women. Changes in calcium metabolism during pregnancy could be one of the potential causes of preeclampsia. Although the association of vitamin D, calcium and phosphorus with preeclampsia have been discussed previously, the results are not consistent.What do the results of this study add? The results showed that mean serum vitamin D, calcium and phosphorus levels were not significantly different between the groups.What are the implications of these findings for clinical practice and/or future research? Based on this study, no relationship was observed between vitamin D deficiency and preeclampsia; however, it was seen that the hypocalcaemia could increase the risk of preeclampsia by up to 8.5 times. Based on our results and the literature, it seems that further studies need to be done to provide more insights into this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Placenta accreta spectrum (PAS) is a serious complication of pregnancy with maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. Ultrasonography is a useful application in the prenatal diagnosis of PAS disorders. The main scope of this study was to assess the peak systolic velocity (PSV) of subplacental blood flow and its correlation with the clinical description of PAS disorders. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 60 pregnant women with persistent anterior placenta previa in the third trimester of pregnancy were examined by color Doppler and grayscale ultrasonography for the diagnosis of PAS disorders. The PSV and resistive index (RI) of the subplacental blood flow were measured by spectrum Doppler in the anterior wall of the inferior uterine segment. Eventually, the patients were followed up until delivery and the correlation between PSV, RI, and PAS disorders was assessed post-surgery. Results: A total of 26 (43.3%) out of 60 patients was diagnosed with PAS disorders. In cases with PAS disorders, the PSV of the subplacental blood flow was significantly higher (AUC = 0.94, 95% CI = 0.89-1.00) compared to the not affected ones. In addition, the PSV of = 43.65 cm/sec with 100% specificity was determined as the optimal cut-off for the prenatal diagnosis of PAS disorders. Finally, the RI of subplacental blood flow showed no significant difference between the two groups (AUC = 0.551, 95% CI = 0.398-0.705). Conclusions: Overall, the measurement of the PSV of the subplacental blood flow in patients with anterior placenta previa can increase the accuracy of the ultrasound diagnosis of PAS disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Biophysical profile (BPP) is a method to check fetal health. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of caffeine and acoustic stimulation on fetal BPP duration and score, and compare their results with control group with no intervention. Materials and Methods: This randomized clinical trial was conducted on 150 women who had referred to Tabriz Al-Zahra hospital. The participants were divided randomly into three groups of 50; group I (control) without intervention; group II (caffeine-recipient) who had caffeine before the procedure; and group III (acoustic stimulation) who received acoustic stimulation during the procedure using a reflex hammer. Results: Our results showed that both fetal BPP duration and fetal profile score were significantly different across the 3 groups. The fetal BPP duration was significantly shorter in the caffeine-receiving group (P=0.00), and fetal profile score in the same group was significantly higher (P=0.00). Conclusions: Generally, using caffeine-containing drink before BPP tests may result in shorter test duration and higher test score. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]