ULTRASOUND DIAGNOSTICS OF RETROCERVICAL ENDOMETRIOSIS

Background: Endometriosis is one of the major problems in current gynecology due to steady increase of its incidence, involvement of young females, high frequency of infertility and difficulties with diagnostics and treatment. Confirmation of diagnosis of advanced endometriosis is still within the competence of research centers and big federal treatment establishments.Aim: To improve ultrasound diagnostics and to develop an algorithm of assessment in retrocervical endometriosis.Materials and methods: Seventy two females were assessed laparoscopically due to a gynecology disorder or infertility. Based on intraoperational data and results of pathomorphological assessments, two groups were formed: group 1 (control group, n = 26) comprised patients in reproductive age who had been admitted for elective surgery due to a gynecological disorder. Group 2 (main group, n = 46) included patients with various types of endometriosis. Patients from group 2 were divided into 3 subgroups: 2а (n = 17) – with superficial forms of external genital endometriosis; 2b (n = 18) – with endometrioid cysts; 2c (n = 11) – with deep infiltrative types of endometriosis.Results: Patients with superficial external genital endometriosis were characterized by positive symptom of “folding” (“freezing”) of posterior uterine surface and of the walls of adjacent intestine. In endometriosis of posterior surface of cervix uteri, the diagnosis made by an ultrasound assessmentin 100% matched the diagnosis set during surgery, whereas if sacrouterine ligaments were involved, the diagnostic match was only 3%. In the group of patients with endometrioid cysts, in most of cases the cysts had specific ultrasound signs; coincidence of an ultrasound and a morphological diagnosis was seen in 98% of cases. Most cases of deep infiltrative endometriosis showed involvement of sacrouterine ligaments (72%) and of parametrium (81%). There was a positive folding sign and a “Indian headdress symptom”. Retrocervical endometriosis was characterized by involvement of adjacent organs, such as rectum and rectosigmoideal flexion of the colon, vaginal walls, vaginorectal septum, parametrium, as well as obstructive uretheral adhesions with a pyeloectasy on the site of involvement. Diagnostic mismatches between the ultrasound method and surgery was seen in 4% of females. False positive results were found in 2% of cases. Based on the assessments performed, an original algorithm of ultrasound diagnostics of endometriosis is proposed.Conclusion: Ultrasound assessment has a proven diagnostic value in retrocervical endometriosis

THE POSSIBILITIES TO DETERMINE FETAL MATURITY BY ULTRASOUND DIAGNOSTICS

Background: Extragenital disorders in a pregnant patient, as well as complications of pregnancy often necessitate preterm delivery, when the state of the fetus is one of the criteria determining terms and type of delivery. In connection with this, the physician faces the challenge of accurate assessment of fetal maturity. Aim: To identify ultrasound signs of functional fetal maturity. Materials and methods: 120 pregnant patients were assessed at 35 to 40 weeks of gestation. Beyond a standard fetometry, we assessed interhemispheric cerebellar size, the biggest size of the Beclard’s nucleus, the ratio of cortical to medullar substance of fetal adrenal glands (adrenal coefficient), the ration between ultrasound density of lungs, liver and ultrasound density of fetal urine (histogram analysis). Results: Up to 36 weeks of gestation, the interhemispheric cerebellar size was below 52 mm, starting from 37 weeks, above 53 mm and from week 40 on, above 58 mm. All newborns, which had their interhemispheric cerebellar size ≥ 53 mm antenatally, were assessed as being mature at birth (p < 0.05). All newborns, which had Beclard’s nucleus size ≥ 5 mm antenatally, were assessed as being mature at birth (p < 0.05). At 35–35.6 weeks of gestation, mean adrenal coefficients in all cases exceeded 1. Starting with full 36 weeks of gestation onwards, this parameter decreased to 0.94 and showed a steady decrease thereafter. There were no signs of functional immaturity or respiratory distress among newborns with antenatal adrenal coefficient of ≤ 0.99 (p < 0.05). The ratio between ultrasound density of lungs to ultrasound density of bladder contents increases up to 37 weeks of gestation and remains stable up to 40 weeks. The ratio of liver density to the same substrate is non-significantly lower due to lower ultrasound density of the liver itself. The ratio of ultrasound density of the lung to that of the liver up to 36 weeks was at least 1.41 and decreased from 37 to 40 weeks of gestation. Conclusion: The fetometric parameter of interhemispheric cerebellar size has the maximal correlation with the term of gestation and can serve as an indirect measure of functional fetal maturity. The size of Beclard’s nucleus and adrenal coefficient may serve as parameters that most clearly reflect fetal tissue maturity and allow predicting respiratory distress in a newborn. Linear sizes of the adrenal gland can not serve as a maturity criterion due to high error of measurements, depending on the level of section by its height (pyramidal form). Despite an increase of the ratio of ultrasound density of the lung to that of the liver with longer term of gestation, it cannot be considered a reliable parameter of lung maturity after 35 weeks of gestation

Neuroprotection and enhanced neurogenesis by extract from the tropical plant Knema laurina after inflammatory damage in living brain tissue

Inflammatory reactions in the CNS, resulting from a loss of control and involving a network of non-neuronal and neuronal cells, are major contributors to the onset and progress of several major neurodegenerative diseases. Therapeutic strategies should therefore keep or restore the well-controlled and finely-tuned balance of immune reactions, and protect neurons from inflammatory damage. In our study, we selected plants of the Malaysian rain forest by an ethnobotanic survey, and investigated them in cell-based-assay-systems and in living brain tissue cultures in order to identify anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects. We found that alcoholic extracts from the tropical plant Knema laurina (Black wild nutmeg) exhibited highly anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects in cell culture experiments, reduced NO- and IL-6-release from activated microglia cells dose-dependently, and protected living brain tissue from microglia-mediated inflammatory damage at a concentration of 30 microg/ml. On the intracellular level, the extract inhibited ERK-1/2-phosphorylation, IkB-phosphorylation and subsequently NF-kB-translocation in microglia cells. K. laurina belongs to the family of Myristicaceae, which have been used for centuries for treatment of digestive and inflammatory diseases and is also a major food plant of the Giant Hornbill. Moreover, extract from K. laurina promotes also neurogenesis in living brain tissue after oxygen-glucose deprivation. In conclusion, extract from K. laurina not only controls and limits inflammatory reaction after primary neuronal damage, it promotes moreover neurogenesis if given hours until days after stroke-like injury