Factors influencing fertility outcome after ectopic pregnancy: a descriptive observational study

Background: Ectopic pregnancy is the commonest gynecological emergencies. If not treated timely, threatens the life but also places major morbidity on future fertility. This study performed to determine the future pregnancy outcomes following surgical management of ectopic pregnancy and factors influencing the outcome.Methods: Prospective observational study conducted at Tertiary Hospital. Records of patients with ectopic pregnancy between 2005 to 2010 traced, interviewed about fertility outcomes and the risk factors using a structured questionnaire. Patients followed for 3 years from index ectopic pregnancy. The main outcome measure was the occurrence of intrauterine   pregnancy or ectopic pregnancy at 3 years of follow-up after the index ectopic pregnancy.Results: 64 patients with primary ectopic formed the basis of the study. 84.37% of patients undergone radical surgery (salpingectomy) and 15.62% forming the conservative group (Salpingotomy/milking) were included. In 3 years follow up, 40% of conservative group and 59% of radical group had intrauterine pregnancy. 30% in conservative group and 46% of radical group had term delivery. 20% of conservative group and 18.51% in radical group had repeated ectopic. Incidence of term delivery in patients with the past history of sub fertility was 25% and without subfertility 46%. 17% with tubal pathology and 63% with normal tube had term pregnancy. 37% aged more than 30 years and 44.64% aged less than 30 years had term pregnancy.Conclusions: Subfertility, tubal pathology and age will influence on future fertility outcome following ectopic pregnancy. Radical or conservative surgery does not have influence on future pregnancy outcome.

Behaviour change interventions to reduce second-hand smoke (SHS) exposure at home in pregnant women - A systematic review and intervention appraisal

Abstract Background Second-hand smoke (SHS) exposure during pregnancy is associated with poor pregnancy and foetal outcomes. Theory-based behaviour change interventions (BCI) have been used successfully to change smoking related behaviours and offer the potential to reduce exposure of SHS in pregnant women. Systematic reviews conducted so far do not evaluate the generalisability and scalability of interventions. The objectives of this review were to (1) report the BCIs for reduction in home exposure to SHS for pregnant women; and (2) critically appraise intervention-reporting, generalisability, feasibility and scalability of the BCIs employed. Methods Standard methods following PRISMA guidelines were employed. Eight databases were searched from 2000 to 2015 in English. The studies included used BCIs on pregnant women to reduce their home SHS exposure by targeting husbands/partners. The Workgroup for Intervention Development and Evaluation Research (WIDER) guidelines were used to assess intervention reporting. Generalisability, feasibility and scalability were assessed against criteria described by Bonell and Milat. Results Of 3479 papers identified, six studies met the inclusion criteria. These studies found that BCIs led to increased knowledge about SHS harms, reduction or husbands quitting smoking, and increased susceptibility and change in level of actions to reduce SHS at home. Two studies reported objective exposure measures, and one reported objective health outcomes. The studies partially followed WIDER guidelines for reporting, and none met all generalisability, feasibility and scalability criteria. Conclusions There is a dearth of literature in this area and the quality of studies reviewed was moderate to low. The BCIs appear effective in reducing SHS, however, weak study methodology (self-reported exposure, lack of objective outcome assessment, short follow-up, absence of control group) preclude firm conclusion. Some components of the WIDER checklist were followed for BCI reporting, scalability and feasibility of the studies were not described. More rigorous studies using biochemical and clinical measures for exposures and health outcomes in varied study settings are required. Studies should report interventions in detail using WIDER checklist and assess them for generalisability, feasibility and scalability. Trial registration CRD40125026666

Gene expression patterns in the hippocampus and amygdala of endogenous depression and chronic stress models

The etiology of depression is still poorly understood, but two major causative hypotheses have been put forth: the monoamine deficiency and the stress hypotheses of depression. We evaluate these hypotheses using animal models of endogenous depression and chronic stress. The endogenously depressed rat and its control strain were developed by bidirectional selective breeding from the Wistar–Kyoto (WKY) rat, an accepted model of major depressive disorder (MDD). The WKY More Immobile (WMI) substrain shows high immobility/despair-like behavior in the forced swim test (FST), while the control substrain, WKY Less Immobile (WLI), shows no depressive behavior in the FST. Chronic stress responses were investigated by using Brown Norway, Fischer 344, Lewis and WKY, genetically and behaviorally distinct strains of rats. Animals were either not stressed (NS) or exposed to chronic restraint stress (CRS). Genome-wide microarray analyses identified differentially expressed genes in hippocampi and amygdalae of the endogenous depression and the chronic stress models. No significant difference was observed in the expression of monoaminergic transmission-related genes in either model. Furthermore, very few genes showed overlapping changes in the WMI vs WLI and CRS vs NS comparisons, strongly suggesting divergence between endogenous depressive behavior- and chronic stress-related molecular mechanisms. Taken together, these results posit that although chronic stress may induce depressive behavior, its molecular underpinnings differ from those of endogenous depression in animals and possibly in humans, suggesting the need for different treatments. The identification of novel endogenous depression-related and chronic stress response genes suggests that unexplored molecular mechanisms could be targeted for the development of novel therapeutic agents

Automated Reporter Quantification In Vivo: High-Throughput Screening Method for Reporter-Based Assays in Zebrafish

Reporter-based assays underlie many high-throughput screening (HTS) platforms, but most are limited to in vitro applications. Here, we report a simple whole-organism HTS method for quantifying changes in reporter intensity in individual zebrafish over time termed, Automated Reporter Quantification in vivo (ARQiv). ARQiv differs from current “high-content” (e.g., confocal imaging-based) whole-organism screening technologies by providing a purely quantitative data acquisition approach that affords marked improvements in throughput. ARQiv uses a fluorescence microplate reader with specific detection functionalities necessary for robust quantification of reporter signals in vivo. This approach is: 1) Rapid; achieving true HTS capacities (i.e., >50,000 units per day), 2) Reproducible; attaining HTS-compatible assay quality (i.e., Z'-factors of ≥0.5), and 3) Flexible; amenable to nearly any reporter-based assay in zebrafish embryos, larvae, or juveniles. ARQiv is used here to quantify changes in: 1) Cell number; loss and regeneration of two different fluorescently tagged cell types (pancreatic beta cells and rod photoreceptors), 2) Cell signaling; relative activity of a transgenic Notch-signaling reporter, and 3) Cell metabolism; accumulation of reactive oxygen species. In summary, ARQiv is a versatile and readily accessible approach facilitating evaluation of genetic and/or chemical manipulations in living zebrafish that complements current “high-content” whole-organism screening methods by providing a first-tier in vivo HTS drug discovery platform

Evaluation of Delfino (TMS320F28379D) Processor for Helmet ANC Application

Embedding Active Noise Control (ANC) system to fighter aircraft helmet imposes size constraint for the controller board as it needs to be integrated inside ear cup. Further ANC system development needs to take place under stringent weight and power constraints. Selection of a suitable processing platform plays a key role in meeting the requirements. This paper proposes to use TMS320F28379D, a microcontroller with DSP capabilities. Evaluation is done by carrying out single channel ANC simulation. Also, the size, weight and power consumption of the ANC controller achievable with this processor is worked out to ascertain that it can be integrated into the helmet