Religion in the Negro Spiritual

Much work, especially in recent years, has been done on the music of the Spiritual; but, though others .have generalized in discussing the text of the Spirituals, we propose to go one step farther and point out the doctrines contained in the text of the Spirituals. We believe this has never been done before and for that reason our work has proved all the more interesting. However, in studying the Spirituals, we found that we could not limit ourselves to the text only, for we find that the religion of the Negro is also portrayed by the type of music the texts of the spirituals are sung to

Biology of Human Cutaneous Melanoma

A review of the natural behavior of cutaneous melanoma, clinical and pathological factors, prognostic indicators, some basic research and the present and possible futuristic strategies in the management of this disease are presented. While surgery remains to be the most effective therapeutic approach in the management of early primary lesions, there is no standard adjuvant therapy after surgical resection, or for metastatic disease

Cytokines and Growth Factors Expressed by Human Cutaneous Melanoma

Cytokines and growth factors have biologic effects that could stimulate tumor growth, invasion and angiogenesis. The incidence of 24 factors was investigated in 25 cultured human melanoma cell lines and in 62 fixed tissues at different stages of the disease. Over 80% of the human melanoma cell lines expressed TGF-β, IL-8, IL-6, VEGF, PDGF-AA and OPN. Significantly higher TGF-β, IGF-1 and IL-15 were determined in primary lesions compared to distant metastases by immunohistochemistry. Illustrating the complexity of the milieu of the tumor microenvironment, some of these factors may have to be considered in targeted therapy

Management of primary dysmenorrhea in young women with frameless LNG-IUS

Dirk Wildemeersch,1 Sohela Jandi,2 Ansgar Pett,2 Thomas Hasskamp3 1Gynecological Outpatient Clinic and IUD Training Center, Ghent, Belgium; 2Gynecological Outpatient Clinic, Berlin, Germany; 3GynMünster, Münster, Germany Abstract: The objective of this paper is to discuss the potential advantages of intrauterine treatment with a frameless levonorgestrel (LNG)-releasing intrauterine system (IUS) in young women presenting with primary dysmenorrhea associated with heavy menstrual bleeding. The paper is based on clinical reports of 21 cases of primary and secondary dysmenorrhea treated with the frameless LNG-IUS. Three typical examples of young women between 16 and 20 years of age, who presented with moderate-to-severe primary dysmenorrhea associated with heavy menstrual bleeding, are presented as examples. Following pelvic examination, including vaginal sonography, a frameless LNG-IUS, releasing 20 µg of LNG/day, was inserted. The three patients developed amenorrhea, or scanty menstrual bleeding, and absence of pain complaints within a few months. We conclude that continuous, intrauterine progestogen delivery could be a treatment of choice of this inconvenient condition. In addition, the good experiences with the frameless LNG-IUS in other studies suggests that the frameless design may be preferred over a framed LNG-IUS, as the absence of a frame, resulting in optimal tolerance, is particularly advantageous in these women. Keywords: heavy menstrual bleeding, contraception, FibroPlant, intrauterine syste

Intrauterine device quo vadis? Why intrauterine device use should be revisited particularly in nulliparous women?

Dirk Wildemeersch,1 Norman Goldstuck,2 Thomas Hasskamp,3 Sohela Jandi,4 Ansgar Pett4 1Gynecological Outpatient Clinic and IUD Training Center, Ghent, Belgium; 2Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University and Tygerberg Hospital, Western Cape, South Africa; 3GynMünster, Münster, 4Gynecological Outpatient Clinic, Berlin, Germany Background: Long-acting reversible contraceptive (LARC) methods, including intrauterine devices (IUDs) and the contraceptive implant, are considered the best methods for preventing unintended pregnancies, rapid repeat pregnancy, and abortion in young women. An opinion paper of 2012 by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends Mirena and Paragard for use in nulliparous and adolescent women. However, these IUDs are not designed for young women and are not optimal as they often lead to early discontinuation. Objective: This article was written with the objective to respond to the urgent need to improve intrauterine contraception as it is likely that the objectives of LARC will not be met without significant improvement of IUD design. Anatomical variations in size and shape of the uterus are not sufficiently considered, producing harm and suffering, which often lead to early removal of the IUD. Proposed problem solving: The article describes why IUDs should be revisited to meet the challenge of LARC and proposes how to solve these problems. The opinion statement presented here may be considered provocative but is based on hundreds of women with IUD problems who consult or are referred to the practices of the authors of this article due to the disproportion between the IUD and their small uterine cavity. The solution is simple but requires a revision of the current design of IUDs. One-dimensional (longitudinal) IUDs are likely to be the first option. Framed devices with shortened transverse arm and IUDs which adapt to the width of the given uterus are viewed as second best. Conclusion: One of the reasons of the high unintended pregnancy rate in the USA may be the paucity of suitable IUDs. Also, the legal climate in the USA seems to be a problem for developers as many lawsuits have recently been reported. Clinical studies conducted in young nulliparous and adolescent women suggest that IUDs that fit well in the uterine cavity, like a shoe, result in better tolerance, less side effects, and last but not least, higher use continuation rates. Keywords: IUD screening, counseling, frameless IUD/IUS, adapted IUDs, efficacy, tolerance, continuation rat

Biology of Human Cutaneous Melanoma

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