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The present study was designed to investigate if exposure to dried ginger during pregnancy would increase the risk of adverse fetal and neonatal outcomes. Participants consisted of 159 singleton pregnant women who received dried ginger as a herbal medication. We also included a control group of 306 pregnant women who had not been exposed to any herbal medication or any known teratogen. No increased risk of major malformations was detected in exposed women (OR = 4.9; 95% CI 0.9-25.5; p = 0.051). The incidence of stillbirths in the exposed group was marginally higher than in the controls (OR = 7.8; 95% CI 0.9-70.3; p = 0.05). The risk was more evident when the exposed group was compared with the general population in the Republic of Korea (OR = 7.9; 95% CI 2.9-21.4; p < 0.0001). Other fetal and neonatal study outcomes investigated in the exposed group were similar (p > 0.05) to the controls. In conclusion, dried ginger does not appear to be a major teratogen. However, due to the limitations of the study, e.g. the large variability in the dose of dried ginger in the exposed group, as well as the concomitant exposure to other herbal medications, the increased incidence of stillbirths requires confirmation in larger cohort studies.

Information on the safety of first-trimester exposure to diagnostic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) remains scarce. We are reporting a case series of 15 consecutive pregnant women who underwent an MRI scan with a 1.5-Tesla scanner of either the head (n = 5), cervical spine (n = 4), lumbar spine (n = 4), pelvis (n = 1) or knee (n = 1) in their first trimester of pregnancy (mean gestational age at exposure: 3.8 weeks). Patients were prospectively followed up until the completion of their pregnancy. Two cases received gadolinium as a contrast agent. There were 15 babies born alive. Of them, one baby was born with the left kidney not visualised by ultrasound examination, and another one with an overlapping toe in the right foot. None of these abnormalities were considered by the authors related to the MRI exposure. In conclusion, our study provides support to published preliminary evidence regarding the safety of MRI in the first-trimester pregnant women.

Objective: Phosphatidylethanol (PEth) is formed endogenously by the direct action of ethanol, and has a half-life long enough to make it a reliable biomarker of alcohol exposure in early pregnancy. In this study, we aimed to characterize PEth blood concentrations to differentiate different levels of alcohol exposure in pregnant women., Methods: The study consisted of 305 consecutive pregnant women who had been referred to our hospital for antenatal care. Of them, 117 self-reported alcohol ingestion in the first trimester of pregnancy and 188 were abstainers. Total PEth concentration in whole blood was quantified by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Alcohol ingestion was classified according to the United States National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism into light drinkers: ≤ 3 drinks/week, moderate drinkers: 3-7 drinks/week, and heavier drinkers: > 7 drinks/week (a standard drink = 14 g of ethanol)., Results: Participants had quantifiable PEth blood levels 3-4 weeks after the last drink. There were 4.8% abstainers who had positive PEth concentrations; all of them reported a positive history of alcohol consumption before conception. PEth blood concentrations were significantly correlated to drinks per occasion (r = 0.44; P < 0.001) and days drinking per week (r = 0.34; P < 0.001). However, almost 74% of participants with ≤ 3 drinks/week of alcohol, and 46% with 3-7 drinks/week, had PEth blood concentrations below the lower limit of quantification (LLOQ). The area under the curve (AUC) generated by a receiver operation characteristic curve (ROC) analysis increased as the cutoff value of PEth blood concentration increased. However, the cutoff values were below or close to the LLOQ., Conclusions: Our study presents a formal characterization of PEth blood concentrations for screening alcohol ingestion in first-trimester pregnant women. However, caution is recommended for overrepresenting either negative or positive results.

Objective: A reliable biomarker of low alcohol exposure during pregnancy is needed to clarify the controversy on the teratogenicity of low-to-moderate alcohol levels., Methods: Blood samples were obtained from 13 pregnant women who self-reported alcohol ingestion between 2.5 and 20 drinks/week, and from 26 controls. Total lipids were extracted, and phosphatidylethanol (PEth) species 16:0/16:0, 16:0/18:1, and 16:0/18:1 were separated by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) on a reverse-phase phenyl column. These PEth species were quantified by MS/MS using phosphatidylpropanol as internal standard, with electrospray ionization and MRM., Results: PEth species were not detected in women who abstained from alcohol ingestion during pregnancy, whereas PEth-16:0/18:1 was > 5 nmol/L in those with positive alcohol ingestion. PEth species were detected for up to 4 weeks after cessation of exposure., Conclusions: PEth-16:0/18:1 was detected in pregnant women at 4-6 weeks after their last low-to-moderate alcohol ingestion, and therefore appears to be a reliable biomarker of prenatal alcohol exposure to study the teratogenicity of alcohol at these exposure levels.

Piglets appear to be neurologically sensitive to intrapartum asphyxia. Our aim was to investigate the short-term neurophysiologic consequences of intrapartum asphyxia in piglets. We studied 10 piglets suffering intrapartum asphyxia and 10 control piglets. Glucose and blood gas levels, tympanic membrane temperature, and body weight were measured within the first 2 min after birth. Animals were followed up for a 5-day period. As surrogated markers of piglets' neurological function, a viability score and the time elapsed from birth to the first contact with the maternal udder were recorded. In the control group, temperature and blood pH levels at birth were significantly higher (p < or = .001), whereas calcium, lactate and PCO2 levels were statistically lower (p < or = .05) than in the piglets experiencing intrapartum asphyxia. Lower temperature and blood pH levels as well as higher blood PCO2 and lactate levels were observed in piglets with lower viability scores and in piglets with prolonged times until first udder contact. At the end of the study, asphyxiated piglets weighed on average 200 g less (p = .023) than control piglets. In conclusion, intrapartum asphyxia in spontaneously born piglets was associated with signs of acute neurological dysfunction and lower weight gain, supporting the hypothesis that they may be used as a naturalistic model for the study of asphyxia in newborns.

Oxytocin is extensively used to induce or augment uterine contractions, especially to facilitate the third stage of labor in humans. Administration of oxytocin to parturient sows reduces duration of labor whereas mortality of the offspring may remain unchanged. This study aimed to evaluate whether time of administration of oxytocin during parturition may alter the uterine response and fetal outcomes. Two hundred parturient sows were randomly assigned to intramuscularly receive either saline solution (control group) or oxytocin 0.083 IU/kg immediately after the delivery of the 1st, 4th or 8th piglet (groups O-1, 0-4 and 0-8, respectively). Uterine effects and fetal outcomes were registered in all groups. The duration of labor was 20-40 min shorter (P < 0.0001) and time interval between babies was reduced by 3-5 min (P < 0.0001) in the three groups receiving oxytocin. The duration and intensity of contractions, meconium-stained piglets and intrapartum deaths decreased as time at which oxytocin administered during labor was increased. In group 0-8, we observed approximately 70% less meconium-stained piglets and intrapartum deaths than in the control group. In conclusion, oxytocin administered at early phases of parturition to sows may increase duration and intensity of uterine contractions as well as adverse fetal outcomes.