Objective: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is associated with an increased risk of subsequent diabetes and metabolic syndrome (MS). The independent significance of overweight, often associated with GDM, is controversial. This study was aimed to investigate the prevalence of MS and carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) values in normal and overweight women with previous insulin-treated GDM and control without GDM 19 years after the index pregnancy. Methods: The study group consisted of 61 women with prior GDM and 55 controls who gave birth in Oulu University Hospital between 1988 and 1993. These women were further divided into subgroups according to pre-pregnancy BMI (!25 or R25 kg/m 2 ). In 2008-2010, anthropometrics and blood pressure were measured, blood samples were taken, and an oral glucose tolerance test was performed to investigate the components of MS. CIMT was measured by Doppler ultrasound. Results: Total prevalence of MS was 62% in the GDM group and 31% in the control group (PZ0.001); it was highest (86%) in GDM women with pre-pregnancy overweight. CIMT was significantly thicker (0.67 vs 0.56 mm, PZ0.007) and more often abnormal (71.7 vs 45.3%, PZ0.004) in the GDM group compared with the controls. In logistic regression analysis, the strongest factor predicting MS in the whole study population was pre-pregnancy overweight. Conclusions: Pre-pregnancy overweight was the strongest predictive factor for later MS, whereas GDM indicated increased risk of subsequent diabetes and subclinical atherosclerosis. The risk of MS was highest when both of these factors were present.

To assess the visibility of breast micro-calcifications using ultrasonography (US) and the accuracy and clinical usefulness of vacuum-assisted biopsy (VAB) using US guidance (USVAB) as compared to stereotactic guidance (SVAB). The study material comprised 158 retrospectively reviewed micro-calcification cases examined with US before VAB. The pre-biopsy US positivity frequency distributions were calculated, and the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of VAB determined by comparing VAB histology with the surgical pathology or a 12-month follow-up. 158 US examinations yielded 80 positive and 78 negative results. US positivity correlated to a large size and a suspicious BI-RADS category of the calcifications. USVAB was performed in 49 cases with 61 % malignant, 12 % high-risk and 27 % benign results. The percentages for the 109 SVAB cases were 40 %, 28 % and 32 %, respectively. Specimen radiography demonstrated calcifications in 48 of the 49 (98 %) USVAB cases and in 107 of the 109 (98 %) SVAB cases. The overall accuracy of VAB was 94 % (USVAB 98 %, SVAB 94 %), the sensitivity was 88 % (USVAB 97 %, SVAB 83 %), and the specificity was 100 %. The higher sensitivity of USVAB was due to an accumulation of atypical hyperplasia diagnoses in the SVAB group. The final diagnosis was invasive ductal carcinoma in 21 US-positive and in 4 US-negative cases. Approximately 50 % of mammographically detected micro-calcifications could be detected with ultrasonography. US was found to be a valuable alternative guidance method for vacuum-assisted biopsy of micro-calcifications with a technical success rate and diagnostic accuracy well comparable to the stereotactic method.