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Sol - gel-based optical sensors for both gas-phase and dissolved oxygen have been developed. Both sensors operate on the principle of fluorescence quenching of a ruthenium complex which has been entrapped in a porous sol - gel silica film. A comprehensive investigation was carried out in order to establish optimal film-processing parameters for the two sensing environments. Both tetraethoxysilane and organically modified sol - gel precursors such as methyltriethoxysilane and ethyltriethoxysilane were used. Film hydrophobicity increases as a function of modified precursor content, and this was correlated with enhanced dissolved oxygen (DO) sensor performance. Extending the aliphalic group of the modified precursor further improved DO sensitivity. The influence of water/precursor molar ratio, R, on the solgel film microstructure was investigated. R value tailoring of the microstructure and film surface hydrophobicity tailoring were correlated with oxygen diffusion behavior in the films via the Stern - Volmer constants for both gas phase and DO sensing. Excellent performance characteristics were measured for both gas-phase and DO oxygen sensors. The long-term quenching stability of DO sensing films was established over a period of 6 months.

Background: Pregestational diabetes mellitus (PGDM) is associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes. Studies assessing interventions to improve maternal and infant outcomes have increased exponentially over recent years. Several outcomes in this field of maternal diabetes are rare, making it difficult to synthesise evidence. Objectives: To collect outcomes reported in studies assessing treatment interventions in pregnant women with PGDM. Search strategy: CENTRAL, Web of Science, Medline, CINAHL, Embase and ClinicalTrials.gov from their inception until 27 January 2020. Selection criteria: Any randomised controlled trial assessing treatment interventions in pregnant women with PGDM reported in English. Data collection and analysis: Two independent reviewers assessed the suitability of articles and retrieved the data. Outcomes extracted from the literature were broadly categorised into maternal, fetal/infant or other outcomes by the study advisory group. Main results: Sixty‐seven of the 1475 studies identified fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The median number of outcomes reported per study was 15 (range 1–46). The majority of studies were from North America and Europe. Insulin and metformin were the most commonly investigated pharmacological interventions. Glucose monitoring was the most assessed technological intervention. In all, 131 unique outcomes were extracted: maternal (n = 69), fetal/infant (n = 61) and other (n = 1). Conclusions: Outcome reporting in treatment interventions trials of pregnant women with PGDM is varied, making it difficult to synthesise evidence, especially for rare outcomes. Systems are needed to standardise outcome reporting in future clinical trials and so facilitate evidence synthesis in this area of maternal diabetes. Registration: The systematic review was registered prospectively with the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) database (Registration number CRD42020173549). Outcome reporting is heterogeneous in intervention trials of pregnant women with diabetes existing before pregnancy. Outcome reporting is heterogeneous in intervention trials of pregnant women with diabetes existing before pregnancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To develop a core outcome set (COS) for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating the effectiveness of interventions for the treatment of pregnant women with pregestational diabetes mellitus (PGDM). Design: A consensus developmental study. Setting: International. Population: Two hundred and five stakeholders completed the first round. Methods: The study consisted of three components. (1) A systematic review of the literature to produce a list of outcomes reported in RCTs assessing the effectiveness of interventions for the treatment of pregnant women with PGDM. (2) A three‐round, online eDelphi survey to prioritise these outcomes by international stakeholders (including healthcare professionals, researchers and women with PGDM). (3) A consensus meeting where stakeholders from each group decided on the final COS. Main outcome measures: All outcomes were extracted from the literature. Results: We extracted 131 unique outcomes from 67 records meeting the full inclusion criteria. Of the 205 stakeholders who completed the first round, 174/205 (85%) and 165/174 (95%) completed rounds 2 and 3, respectively. Participants at the subsequent consensus meeting chose 19 outcomes for inclusion into the COS: trimester‐specific haemoglobin A1c, maternal weight gain during pregnancy, severe maternal hypoglycaemia, diabetic ketoacidosis, miscarriage, pregnancy‐induced hypertension, pre‐eclampsia, maternal death, birthweight, large for gestational age, small for gestational age, gestational age at birth, preterm birth, mode of birth, shoulder dystocia, neonatal hypoglycaemia, congenital malformations, stillbirth and neonatal death. Conclusions: This COS will enable better comparison between RCTs to produce robust evidence synthesis, improve trial reporting and optimise research efficiency in studies assessing treatment of pregnant women with PGDM. 165 key stakeholders have developed #Treatment #CoreOutcomes in pregnant women with #diabetes existing before pregnancy. 165 key stakeholders have developed #Treatment #CoreOutcomes in pregnant women with #diabetes existing before pregnancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]