Oxytocin versus sustained-release dinoprostone vaginal pessary for labor induction of unfavorable cervix with Bishop score >= 4 and >= 6: A randomized controlled trial

Aim To compare the efficacy and safety of high-dose intravenous oxytocin and sustained-release dinoprostone vaginal pessaries for cervical ripening and labor induction in pregnant patients at term with poor Bishop scores. Material and Methods Women at term with a Bishop score 4 and 6 were randomized into two groups to undergo induction of labor with either high-dose oxytocin administered intravenously (n=90) or dinoprostone-only vaginal pessary without oxytocin augmentation (n=90). The main outcome measures were rate of cesarean delivery, induction to delivery interval, number of deliveries achieved within 4, 8, 12, and 16h of labor induction, maternal complications during induction, fetal outcome, and total hospital stay. In this study, per-protocol analysis was performed. Results There were fewer cesarean deliveries with oxytocin compared to dinoprostone-only groups (7/79 vs 14/89); however, the difference was not statistically significant. The inductiondelivery intervals (7.9h vs 12.0h, P<0.001; and 5.7 vs 10.4h, P<0.001; oxytocin vs dinoprostone-only for primiparous and multiparous patients, respectively) were significantly shorter in oxytocin-induced patients compared to dinoprostone-only. A significantly higher percentage of patients delivered in the oxytocin group compared to the dinoprostone-only group in 4, 8, 12, 16, and 20h. Conclusion Intravenous oxytocin is effective to stimulate labor at term for patients with Bishop scores 4 and 6, with a shorter time interval from induction to vaginal delivery

Nuclear factor-κB expression in the endometrium of normal and overweight women with polycystic ovary syndrome

The aim of this study was to investigate whether the expression levels of endometrial NFκB p65 differ between normal weight and overweight PCOS women and to compare them with BMI-matched control subjects without PCOS. The study group comprised 20 normal weight (BMI: 18.5–24.9 kg/m2) and 15 overweight PCOS women (BMI: 25–29.9 kg/m2) with infertility. Healthy fertile women without PCOS were recruited as the control group. The patients in the normal weight PCOS group and control group were age and BMI-matched. Endometrial samples were obtained during the mid-luteal phase for immunohistochemical staining. The H-Score method was used to evaluate NF-κB p65 (Rel A) expression. Both normal and overweight PCOS women demonstrated significantly higher endometrial NF-κB p65 expression than the women without PCOS. The H-scores of endometrial NF-κB p65 expression were similar in both groups of PCOS women. NF-κB p65 was positively correlated with serum insulin, HOMA-IR and total testosterone levels in PCOS women. By leading to pathological inflammation, an increase in NF-κB p65 expression in the endometrium of normal and overweight PCOS women may contribute to PCOS-related subfertility.Impact statement What is already known on this subject: Although the pathogenesis of PCOS has not yet been clarified, low-grade chronic inflammation is gradually being established as an important pathogenetic factor. Increased levels of inflammatory cytokines such as IL-6 and TNF-α have been reported in women with PCOS. Causes of pathological endometrial inflammation may arise from either a local endometrial disease or linked to diseases which are located in a distant reproductive tissue. Nevertheless, possible role of endometrial NF-κB, basic cellular regulatory of inflammation, in the pathophysiology of PCOS related implantation defect has not been elucidated yet. What do the results of this study add: This study provides first and novel insights into the relationship between PCOS related infertility and pathological endometrial inflammation. We demonstrated that there is a close association between PCOS and pathological endometrial inflammation. Moreover, we clearly showed that pathological endometrial inflammation occurs in both normal and overweight women with PCOS. Further, endometrial NF-κB p65 (Rel A) expression were found to be positively correlated with serum insulin levels and hyperandrogenism in overweight PCOS women. What are the implications of these findings for clinical practice: If we can analyse pathological endometrial inflammation by measuring endometrial NF-κB p65 (Rel A) expression, treatment could be directed towards eliminating the source of pathological endometrial inflammation

Unusual Presentation of Hydatid Cyst in Breast with Magnetic Resonance Imaging Findings

We report a case of 59-year-old woman with a painful left breast mass, compatible with types II-III hydatid cyst. Lesion was evaluated with mammography, ultrasound, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging modalities. Magnetic resonance imaging had important diagnostic role with demonstrating characteristic features of the lesion and had capability of showing complications. Surgery also confirmed the diagnosis of a hydatid cyst

A Thienothiophene-Based Cation Treatment Allows Semitransparent Perovskite Solar Cells with Improved Efficiency and Stability

© 2021 Wiley-VCH GmbHPerovskite surface treatment with additives has been reported to improve charge extraction, stability, and/or surface passivation. In this study, treatment of a 3D perovskite ((FAPbI3)1−x(MAPbBr3)x) layer with a thienothiophene-based organic cation (TTMAI), synthesized in this work, is investigated. Detailed analyses reveal that a 2D (n = 1) or quasi-2D layer does not form on the PbI2-rich surface 3D perovskite. TTMAI-treated 3D perovskite solar cells (PSCs) fabricated in this study show improved fill factors, providing an increase in their power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) from 17% to over 20%. It is demonstrated that the enhancement is due to better hole extraction by drift-diffusion simulations. Furthermore, thanks to the hydrophobic nature of the TTMAI, PSC maintains 82% of its initial PCE under 15% humidity for over 380 h (the reference retains 38%). Additionally, semitransparent cells are demonstrated reaching 17.9% PCE with treated 3D perovskite, which is one of the highest reported efficiencies for double cationic 3D perovskites. Moreover, the semitransparent 3D PSC (TTMAI-treated) maintains 87% of its initial efficiency for six weeks (>1000 h) when kept in the dark at room temperature. These results clearly show that this study fills a critical void in perovskite research where highly efficient and stable semitransparent perovskite solar cells are scarce