Sexual violence against women: a multidisciplinary integrated care model

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Fetal Doppler changes one week after endoscopic equatorial laser for twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome: a longitudinal study

Objective: To investigate sequential Doppler changes in donors and recipients before and 1 week after endoscopic laser for twin\u2010to\u2010twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS) and to examine factors that may be associated with such changes. Methods: In TTTS pregnancies undergoing laser treatment, we examined fetal Doppler changes before and 1 week postintervention. Intrauterine death rates and preoperative factors were analyzed in relation to Doppler changes. Results: Among 129 (85.4%) donors surviving at 1 week after laser, there was normalization of umbilical artery flow in 26 (72.2%) of 36 cases with preoperative abnormal Dopplers. In the remaining 10 (27.8%) fetuses, abnormal findings persisted. The rate of later intrauterine death was significantly higher in the latter group (6 of 10, 60.0%) compared with fetuses in which Doppler findings normalized (4 of 26, 15.4%; P < .05), with no difference in the rate of severe donor growth restriction between the 2 groups (80.0% vs 65.4%, respectively; P = .688). Conclusions: In about 70% of TTTS donors with preoperative abnormal umbilical artery Doppler, there was normalization 1 week after endoscopic laser. The incidence of fetal growth restriction was not significantly different in donors with persistence of Doppler abnormalities compared with those with normalized findings

Development of a Three-Dimensional In Vitro Model for Longitudinal Observation of Cell Behavior: Monitoring by Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Optical Imaging

Purpose: The aim of this study is the development of a three-dimensional multicellular spheroid cell culture model for the longitudinal comparative and large-scale screening of cancer cell proliferation with noninvasive molecular imaging techniques under controlled and quantifiable conditions. Procedures: The human glioblastoma cell line Gli36ΔEGFR was genetically modified to constitutively express the fluorescence protein mCherry, and additionally labeled with iron oxide nanoparticles for high-field MRI detection. The proliferation of aggregates was longitudinally monitored with fluorescence imaging and correlated with aggregate size by light microscopy, while MRI measurements served localization in 3D space. Irradiation with γ-rays was used to detect proliferational response. Results: Cell proliferation in the stationary three-dimensonal model can be observed over days with high accuracy. A linear relationship of fluorescence intensity with cell aggregate size was found, allowing absolute quantitation of cells in a wide range of cell amounts. Glioblastoma cells showed pronounced suppression of proliferation for several days following high-dose γ-irradiation. Conclusions: Through the combination of two-dimensional optical imaging and 3D MRI, the position of individual cell aggregates and their corresponding light emission can be detected. This allows an exact quantification of cell proliferation, with a focus on very small cell amounts (below 100 cells) using high resolution noninvasive techniques as a well-controlled basis for further cell transplantation studies

Mutilazioni genitali femminili : la risposta giudiziaria

Dopo un esame comparatistico delle norme di legge emanate in merito alla questione delle mutilazioni genitali femminili da alcuni Stati africani e Paesi extra-europei ed europei, gli Autori esaminano la norma italiana ed affrontano la questione dell'efficacia della risposta giudiziaria e dei problemi che essa solleva. Viene preso in considerazione anche il dibattito bioetico relativo, in particolare, al doppio standard legislativo esistente per le mutilazioni genitali femminili e la circoncisione rituale maschile o la chirurgia estetica ed alla questione della libert\ue0 ed autonomia delle donne adulte che richiedessero per s\ue9 queste pratiche

Persistence of spermatozoa on decomposing human skin : a scanning electron microscopy study

Finding spermatozoa is of the utmost importance in judicial cases involving both the living and the dead; however, most of literature actually deals with inner genitalia and does not take into consideration the chance of external deposition of semen on skin, which is not rare. In addition, the most advanced microscopic technologies such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM) have not been thoroughly investigated within this specific field of research. This study aims at applying SEM analysis to samples of decomposed skin in order to test its potential in detecting spermatozoa particularly in decomposed cadavers. A sample of skin was obtained at autopsy and divided into two thin strips; one of the samples was used as a negative control. Semen was then taken from a "donor" (with a normal spermiogram) and was spread onto the other skin sample. Every 3 days for the first 15 days (for a total of six samples), a standard slide was prepared from swabs on the treated and control skin and analyzed by standard light microscopy. In addition, every 7 days up to 91 days (3 months circa), a skin sample was taken from the positive and negative control and examined by SEM for a total of 14 samples. Results show that after 12 days, light microscopy failed in detecting spermatozoa, whereas they were still visible up to 84 days by SEM analysis. This study therefore suggests the persistence of sperm structures in time and in decomposing material as well as the possible application of SEM technology to decomposed skin in order to detect semen

Increased levetiracetam clearance and breakthrough seizure in a pregnant patient successfully handled by intensive therapeutic drug monitoring

We report a 36-year-old pregnant patient with subtherapeutic trough plasma levels of levetiracetam (LVT) and a breakthrough nocturnal seizure while assuming 3 times a day dosing of the drug. An intensive pharmacokinetic study was performed from immediately before to 11 hours after the morning LVT dose administration and suggested that the patient was not adequately exposed to the drug during the night. After changing the dosing of LVT to 4 times a day, the patient experienced no seizures and delivered a healthy newborn without complications. Afterward, trough plasma levels of LVT remained always within the therapeutic range until delivery, and no major increase of the drug daily dose was required