The non-pharmacological treatment of primary dysmenorrhea - efficiency and safety

Primary dysmenorrhea  is the most common, though often underdiagnosed, gynecological disorder of women of reproductive age. The disease presents with painful abdominal cramps associated with menstrual bleeding in the absence of pelvic abnormalities. Symptoms are caused primarily by increased levels of prostaglandins produced by the endometrium, which provides hypercontraction of the uterine muscles, ischemia, and pain.  Dysmenorrhea is usually treated pharmacologically with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or hormonal contraception. In particularly severe cases, surgical treatment is also possible. Nonetheless, an increasing amount of studies on non-pharmacological treatments have been published recently. Methods like Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS), acupuncture, continuous topical heat, or exercise and yoga seem to be effective in reducing the symptoms of primary dysmenorrhea. All have an anti-inflammatory effect by lowering prostaglandin levels, but they also contribute to reducing symptoms through other mechanisms. TENS elevates the pain threshold and, together with acupuncture, causes the release of endogenous opioids. Heat, yoga, and acupuncture also lead to increased blood flow in the uterus, reducing hypoxia. Their additional advantage is the low cost and ease of self-use, except for acupuncture, depending on the patient's needs. Side effects of non-pharmacological treatments are usually mild and rarely reported

TSSOI as an efficient tool for diagnostics of SOI technology in Institute of Electron Technology, Journal of Telecommunications and Information Technology, 2005, nr 1

This paper reports a test structure for characterization of a new technology combining a standard CMOS process with pixel detector manufacturing technique. These processes are combined on a single thick-_lm SOI wafer. Preliminary results of the measurements performed on both MOS SOI transistors and dedicated SOI test structures are described in detail

The Role of Dactylis Glomerata and Diesel Oil in the Formation of Microbiome and Soil Enzyme Activity

The global demand for petroleum contributes to a significant increase in soil pollution with petroleum-based products that pose a severe risk not only to humans but also to plants and the soil microbiome. The increasing pollution of the natural environment urges the search for effective remediation methods. Considering the above, the objective of this study was to determine the usability of Dactylis glomerata for the degradation of hydrocarbons contained in diesel oil (DO), as well as the effects of both the plant tested and DO on the biochemical functionality and changes in the soil microbiome. The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse with non-polluted soil as well as soil polluted with DO and phytoremediated with Dactylis glomerata. Soil pollution with DO increased the numbers of microorganisms and soil enzymes and decreased the value of the ecophysiological diversity index of microorganisms. Besides, it contributed to changes in the bacterial structure at all taxonomic levels. DO was found to increase the abundance of Proteobacteria and to decrease that of Actinobacteria, Acidobacteria, Chloroflexi, Gemmatimonadetes and Firmicutes. In the non-polluted soil, the core microbiome was represented by Kaistobacter and Rhodoplanes, whereas in the DO-polluted soil, it was represented by Parvibaculum and Rhodococcus. In soil sown with Dactylis glomerata, gasoline fraction (C6–C12) degradation was higher by 17%; mineral oil (C12–C35), by 9%; benzene, by 31%; anthracene, by 12%; chrysene, by 38%; benzo(a)anthracene, by 19%; benzo(a)pyrene, by 17%; benzo(b)fluoranthene, by 15%; and benzo(k)fluoranthene, by 18% than in non-sowed soil. To conclude, Dactylis glomerata proved useful in degrading DO hydrocarbons and, therefore, may be recommended for the phytoremediation of soils polluted with petroleum-based products. It has been shown that the microbiological, biochemical and chemical tests are fast and sensitive in the diagnosis of soil contamination with petroleum products, and a combination of all these tests gives a reliable assessment of the state of soils