BackgroundThis is a cross-sectional study carried out in the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department at Kasr Al- Ainy Cairo University Hospitals.MethodsOne thousand female patients in the child bearing period (age 18-45 yrs) were included in this study. These females were non-pregnant and non-menstruating with no douching or intercourse for at least 2–3 days, no use of antibiotics, anti-protozoal or steroids for the past 15 days complaining of vaginal discharge with or without itching, burning sensation or both. Vaginal swabs were obtained from all patients for examination by direct wet mount examination, Giemsa staining, Modified Diamond culture and latex agglutination test Kalon) to detect the presence of Trichomonas vaginalis infection.ResultsThe prevalence of trichomonas infection was 50 cases, latex agglutination test detected 50 positive cases, 30 of which were also positive by culture, and only 10 were detected both by Giemsa staining and by wet mount.The wet mount, Giemsa staining and Kalon latex test had sensitivities of 33.3, 33.3% and 100% respectively while their specificities were 100%, 100% and 97.9% respectively.ConclusionScreening tests should be done routinely to depict cases of T. vaginalis infection and should be included in the control programs of sexually transmitted infections. Although wet mount is not a sensitive method for diagnosis of T. vaginalis yet, it is a good positive one. Staining is only useful when there is heavy T. vaginalis infection.Latex agglutination is a highly sensitive, simple, rapid and cost effective test. It provides results within 2-3 minutes and it has the potential for use in screening and diagnosis of T. vaginalis infection.

BackgroundA great association between vitamin D deficiency and type 2 diabetes mellitus has been suggested in literature. During pregnancy, this deficiency is even more critical. It appears that vitamin D insufficiency during pregnancy may be associated with maternal hazards. The aim of this study was to assess the relation between the levels of 25-hydroxy-cholecalciferol (vitamin D), and the glycemic control in pregnant women.MethodsAn observational cross-section study including 160 pregnant women between 20-40 years in age, in their third trimester, divided into two equal groups. First group consisted of 80 women with established diagnosis of gestational diabetes and the second group with proved normal blood glucose levels. We assessed vitamin D in serum, fasting blood glucose, serum insulin and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels and we depicted the insulin sensitivity using the Quantitative insulin sensitivity check index (Quicki). The results were collected and statistically correlated.ResultsThe mean vitamin D levels were 46.61 ± 6.087 and 47.25 ± 10.181in controls and women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) respectively. The fasting insulin levels were significantly higher in the group with GDM with a mean of 18.51 ± 6.44 compared to 8.95 ± 2.52 in the control group.The correlation coefficient (r) between HbA1c levels and Vitamin D level was -0.492 with a P value <0.05. Similar associations were also found with the fasting blood sugar levels (r = - 0.386) and with Quicki values (r = -0.250). Vitamin D levels correlated significantly with the fasting blood glucose, the fasting serum insulin and the HbA1c levels, the P value in all these correlations were <0.05. The P value with Quicki results was 0.064.ConclusionsThere is a statistically significant negative correlation between the glycemic control and vitamin D levels in serum in the whole study population. The effect of adequate vitamin D replacement on glycemic control was not studied in our work correlation. We suggest larger scale studies addressing this issue.

Oral antioxidants in the form of a combination of multivitamins and minerals (amino acid chelated) did not improve oocyte quality and pregnancy rates in women with unexplained infertility undergoing IVF/ICSI treatment.

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Objective: The objective of this study is to evaluate the prenatal diagnosis, postnatal characteristics, and the spectrum of associated findings in fetuses with holoprosencephaly (HPE).Methods: Fetal neurosonograms, postnatal assessment, and chromosomal analysis were performed in a cohort of 25 fetuses with HPE.Results: The prevalence of HPE in high-risk pregnancies was 4.4:10 000. The alobar subtype was the most frequently encountered, with 17 cases (68%). Interestingly, among them, four cases (16%) presented with the rare agnathia-otocephaly complex.Chromosomal abnormalities were detected in 11 cases (44%), the most frequent being trisomy 13 in seven cases (five alobar, one semilobar, and one lobar HPE), followed by trisomy 18 in two cases with semilobar HPE. One case of alobar HPE had 45, XX, t(18;22) (q10;q10), −18p karyotyping, and one case of semilobar HPE was associated with triploidy. Facial malformations in HPE spectrum ranged from cyclopia, proboscis, and arrhinia that were associated with the alobar subtype to hypotelorism and median cleft that were frequent among the semilobar and lobar subtypes. Associated neural tube defects were identified in 12% of cases. Conclusion:Our study illustrates the clinical and genetic heterogeneity of HPE and describes different chromosomal abnormalities associated with HPE.