Increased clitoral artery pulsatility index and decreased sexual desire level in women with polycystic ovary syndrome

Objectives: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is claimed to effect the sexual desire, and recently, blood flow in the clitoral artery (CA) was measured by Doppler ultrasound (USG) examination and the level of sexual desire was objectively demonstrated by determining the pulsatility index (PI). In the present study, it was aimed to quantitatively determine the sexual desire levels in women with PCOS using Doppler USG and to compare the data with healthy women.Material and methods: The study included 71 patients diagnosed with PCOS and 78 healthy women who applied to our tertiary hospital gynecology clinics and for control purposes. Pulsatility indices were determined by measuring blood flows in the clitoral artery, uterine artery, ovarian artery and labial artery using Doppler USG in all participants. The clitoral artery pulsatility index was found to be increased significantly in women with PCOS. Results: The mean age was 28.5 ± 3.7 in the polycystic ovary syndrome group and 30.0 ± 5.2 in the control group. The mean clitoral artery pulsatility index (1.4 ± 0.5 cm/sec) in the PCOS group was significantly higher than the control group (1.2 ± 0.4 cm/sec) (p = 0.033 cm/sec).The mean ovarian artery pulsatility index (0.8 ± 0.2 cm/sec) in the PCOS group was also significantly higher than the control group (0.7 ± 0.2 cm/sec) (p = 0.015 cm/sec). PCOS is showed to influence sexual desire with an objective measurement. Since trying to obtain objective data about the level of sexual desire, questionnaires were not applied to the participants and no questions were asked.Conclusions: In our study, it was found that the clitoral artery pulsatility index, that is, the rate of resistance in the blood flow to the clitoral region, increased significantly in women with PCOS. This finding shows that the level of sexual desire in women with PCOS has decreased compared to healthy women

Effects of bromide ion and natural organic matter fractions on the formation and speciation of chlorination by-products

The impacts of bromide concentration and natural organic matter (NOM) characteristics on the formation and speciation of disinfection by-products (DBPs) in chlorinated NOM fractions were investigated. A total of 20 bulk water NOM fractions with a wide range of specific ultraviolet (UV) absorbance (SUVA(254)) values were obtained from a source water employing XAD-8 or XAD-4 resin adsorption in completely mixed batch reactors. SUVA was not a good predictor of DBP [trihalomethanes (THMs), haloacetic acids (HAAs), and adsorbable organic halogens (AOX)] formation and speciation. The destruction in the UV(254) absorbance from chlorination did not correlate with DBP formation at any bromide level. NOM moieties which do not absorb UV light at 254 nm significantly contributed to DBP formation. Mass balance calculations on halogens using THMs, HAAs, and AOX data indicated that significant amounts of DBPs (> 54% of AOX) other than THMs and HAAs were formed in NOM fractions with 60-110 mu g/L bromide concentration. The relative occurrence of such other halogenated by-products decreased with increasing bromide concentrations up to 500 mu g/L level. NOM in the studied water was more susceptible to the formation of brominated THM species as opposed to brominated HAAs. At constant dissolved organic carbon concentration, chlorine dose and pH, increasing bromide concentrations in NOM fractions increased the total concentrations of DBPs and resulted in a shift toward the formation of brominated species. Further, increasing bromide concentrations increased the spectrum of detected species (i.e., occurrence of all nine HAAs) and provided a competitive advantage to THM and HAA precursors in NOM over precursors of other DBPs

Competition Impact of Sulfate on NOM Removal by Anion-Exchange Resins in High-Sulfate and Low-SUVA Waters

The main objective of this study was to investigate the affinity and efficiency of anion-exchange resins on natural organic matter (NOM) removal in waters with low specific UV absorbance (SUVA) and high sulfate. Two low-SUVA surface waters (Camlidere and Kesikkopru) with different sulfate concentrations were used. NOM removal batch experiments using MIEX and DOWEX 11 resins were conducted at different resin doses. NOM removals by both resins were higher in low-sulfate-content than in high-sulfate-content waters. Continuous sorption tests were then conducted using both resins. To better investigate the effect of sulfate on dissolved organic carbon (DOC) removal, sulfate spiking was employed with different influent sulfate concentrations in Camlidere (17–300 mg/L) and Kesikkopru (390–600 mg/L) water samples. The decrease in NOM removal from 60% to 20% observed with increasing influent sulfate concentration indicates that sulfate content is a more important parameter influencing DOC removal than the contents of other anions such as bicarbonate, nitrate, and bromide

Impact of Natural Organic Matter Competition on the Adsorptive Removal of Acetochlor and Metolachlor from Low-Specific UV Absorbance Surface Waters

Although activated carbon adsorption is a very promising process for the removal of organic compounds from surface waters, the removal performance for nonionic pesticides could be adversely affected by co-occurring natural organic matter. Natural organic matter can compete with pesticides during the adsorption process, and the size of natural organic matter affects the removal of pesticides, as low-molecular-weight organics directly compete for adsorbent sites with pesticides. This study aims to investigate the competitive impact of low-molecular-weight organics on the adsorptive removal of acetochlor and metolachlor by four commercial powdered activated carbons. The adsorption features of selected powdered activated carbons were evaluated in surface water samples collected from the influent stream of the filtration process having 2.75 mg/L organic matter and 0.87 L/mg-m specific UV absorbance. The adsorption kinetics and capacities were examined by employing pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order, and intraparticle diffusion kinetic models and modified Freundlich and Langmuir isotherm models to the experimental data. The competitive removal of acetochlor and metolachlor in the presence of natural organic matter was evaluated for varied powdered activated carbon dosages on the basis of UV and specific UV absorbance values of adsorbed organic matter. The adsorption data were well represented by the modified Freundlich isotherm, as well as pseudo-second-order kinetics. The maximum organic matter adsorption capacities of the modified Freundlich isotherm were observed to be 120.6 and 127.2 mg/g by Norit SX Ultra and 99.5 and 100.6 mg/g by AC Puriss for acetochlor- and metolachlor-containing water samples, respectively. Among the four powdered activated carbons, Norit SX Ultra and AC Puriss provided the highest natural organic matter removal performances with 76 and 72% and 71 and 65% for acetochlor- and metolachlor-containing samples, respectively. Similarly, Norit SX Ultra and AC Puriss were very effective for adsorbing aromatic organics with higher than 80% specific UV absorbance removal efficiency. Metolachlor was almost completely removed by higher than 98% by Norit SX Ultra, Norit SX F Cat, and AC Puriss, even at low adsorbent dosages. However, an adsorbent dose of 100 mg/L and above should be added for all powdered activated carbons, except for Norit SX F Cat, for achieving an acetochlor removal performance of higher than 98%. The competition between low-molecular-weight organics (low-specific UV absorbance) and acetochlor and metolachlor was more apparent at low adsorbent dosages (10-75 mg/L)

Effects of Quenching Methods on HAA Determination in Chloraminated Waters

This study investigated how the determination of haloacetic acid (HAA) in chloraminated samples was affected by use of ammonium chloride (NH4Cl), the chlorine quenching agent recommended in U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Method 552.3. Alternative quenching agents and methods were also examined. Study results showed that using NH4Cl to preserve HAA samples obtained from chloraminated waters may result in positive errors for samples collected at short contact (or residence) time locations. The magnitude of these errors in practical applications will vary depending on several factors, including pH, reactivity of dissolved organic matter and concentration at the point of chloramination, and chlorine/ammonia application. Among various quenching agents or methods tested, sodium arsenite and stoichiometric amounts of sodium sulfate were found to be appropriate for chloramine samples but have some limitations for use in practical applications. Selection of sample quenching and preservation methods for HAA determination in chloramination systems must be carefully evaluated. In addition, better quenching methods for HAA determination in chloraminated waters are needed

Role of simvastatin in endotoxemia-induced muscle injury

We aimed to investigate the role of prior treatment of simvastatin on cytokine response, energy levels, and apoptotic molecules on muscle tissue in rats treated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) during the early phase of sepsis. Male Wistar albino rats (200-250 g) were divided into four groups: control, endotoxemia (20 mg/kg, i.p.), simvastatin (20 mg/kg, p.o.), and simvastatin + endotoxemia. Four hours after the beginning of the experiments, 8 rats from each group were sacrificied and gastrocnemius muscle tissue was dissected to examine for histologic changes using hematoxylin-eosin staining. The gene expressions of TNF-alpha, IL-10 and Bcl-2, Bax, and Caspase-3 mRNA levels were analyzed using real-time polymerase chain reaction. Creatine, creatine phosphate, adenosine triphosphate (ATP), adenosine diphosphate (ADP), and adenosine monophosphate (AMP) levels were investigated in muscle tissue using high performance liquid chromatography. ATP values were found low in the endotoxemia group and increased in the Simvastatin + endotoxemia group compared with the endotoxemia group (P < 0.05). Caspase-3, Bax, and TNF-alpha levels were significantly higher in the endotoxemia group than in the other groups (P < 0.01). In the simvastatin + endotoxemia group, Bcl-2 and TNF-alpha (P < 0.05), and IL-10 (P < 0.01) levels were higher than other groups. Muscle sections of the LPS group showed inflammation and atrophic areas. Tissue injury was reduced in the simvastatin + endotoxemia groups sections. Sepsis caused an increase of pro-inflammatory cytokine TNF-alpha and pro-apoptotic proteins; caspase-3 and Bax in muscle tissue may also have caused tissue damage. Pretreatment of simvastatin reduced muscle tissue damage by increasing levels of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 and the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2

Etiology Of Vaginal Discharge In Sexually Inactive Adolescents

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