373 research outputs found
Ureaplasma urealyticum, Mycoplasma hominis and adverse pregnancy outcomes.
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Mycoplasma hominis and Ureaplasma urealyticum may colonize the human genital tract and have been associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes. Chorioamnionitis, spontaneous preterm labour and preterm premature rupture of membranes are significant contributors to neonatal morbidity and mortality. However, as these bacteria can reside in the normal vaginal flora, there are controversies regarding their true role during pregnancy and thus the need to treat these organisms.
RECENT FINDINGS: We review here the recent data on the epidemiology of mycoplasmas and their clinical role during pregnancy. The association of these organisms with preterm labour has been suggested by many observational studies, but proof of causality remains limited. PCR is an excellent alternative to culture to detect the presence of these organisms, but culture allows antibiotic susceptibility testing. Whether antimicrobial treatment of mycoplasma-colonized pregnant patients can effectively reduce the incidence of adverse pregnancy outcomes warrants further investigations.
SUMMARY: The role of Mycoplasma spp. and U. urealyticum in adverse pregnancy outcomes is increasingly accepted. However, sole presence of these microorganisms in the vaginal flora might be insufficient to cause pathological issues, but their combination with other factors such as bacterial vaginosis or cervical incompetence may be additionally needed to induce preterm birth
Triangular Sierpinski Microwave Band-Stop Resonators for K-Band Filtering
Triangular resonators re-shaped with Sierpinski geometry were designed, manufactured, and tested for potential applications in the K-Band. Prototypes of band-stop filters working around 20 GHz and 26 GHz, interesting for RADAR and satellite communications, were studied in a coplanar waveguide (CPW) configuration. Single and coupled structures were analyzed to give evidence for: (i) the tuning of the resonance frequency by increasing the internal complexity of the triangle and (ii) resonance enhancement when coupled structures are considered. The exploited devices were part of the more extended family of metamaterial-inspired structures, and they were studied for their heuristic approach to the prediction of the spectrum using experimental results supported by electromagnetic simulations. As a result, a Sierpinski resonator, not only fed into but also fully embedded into a CPW environment, had a frequency response that was not easily determined by classical theoretical approaches
MEMS-Switched Triangular and U-Shaped Band-Stop Resonators for K-Band Operation
Triangular resonators re-shaped into Sierpinski geometry and U-shaped resonators were designed, linking them with single-pole-double-through (SPDT) RF MEMS switches to provide frequency tuning for potential applications in the K-Band. Prototypes of band-stop narrowband filters working around 20 GHz and 26 GHz, interesting for RADAR and satellite communications, were studied in a coplanar waveguide (CPW) configuration, and the tuning was obtained by switching between two paths of the devices loaded with different resonators. As a result, dual-band operation or fine-tuning could be obtained depending on the choice of the resonator, acting as a building block. The studied filters belong to the more general group of devices inspired by a metamaterial design
22q11 Deletion Syndrome and Urogenital Manifestations: A Clinicopathological Case Report.
Deletion in the chromosomal region 22q11 results from the abnormal development of the third and fourth pharyngeal pouches during embryonic life and presents an expansive phenotype with more than 180 clinical features described that involve every organ and system.
A 23-year-old African woman presented for the first trimester echography, which revealed an isolated anechoic structure suggesting a ureteral dilatation. The suspicion of a malposition of great arteries in the second trimester indicated an amniocentesis leading to a diagnosis of 22q11 deletion.
At 32 weeks, the patient was admitted for premature rupture of membranes and gave birth 2 weeks later to a male newborn who presented a respiratory distress syndrome and probably died secondary to a tracheal stenosis. Necropsy revealed typical clinical features of 22q11 deletion associated with left renal agenesis, hypospadias, and penile hypoplasia.
We report a case of 22q11 deletion syndrome with typical clinical features associated with urogenital manifestations suspected at the first trimester ultrasound
The Effect of Manual Therapy on Muscle Stiffness in Healthy Individuals
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the immediate and delayed changes in muscle stiffness (in a resting and contracted state) related to DN of the gastrocnemius compared to a sham DN condition. To further investigate this relationship, we investigated these changes at the site of the TP, as well as at a standard site (medial head of the gastrocnemius). We hypothesize that gastrocnemius DN reduces muscle stiffness in individuals with TP
High-resolution tracking in a GEM-Emulsion detector
SHiP (Search for Hidden Particles) is a beam dump experiment proposed at the
CERN SPS aiming at the observation of long lived particles very weakly coupled
with ordinary matter mostly produced in the decay of charmed hadrons. The beam
dump facility of SHiP is also a copious factory of neutrinos of all three kinds
and therefore a dedicated neutrino detector is foreseen in the SHiP apparatus.
The neutrino detector exploits the Emulsion Cloud Chamber technique with a
modular structure, alternating walls of target units and planes of electronic
detectors providing the time stamp to the event. GEM detectors are one of the
possible choices for this task. This paper reports the results of the first
exposure to a muon beam at CERN of a new hybrid chamber, obtained by coupling a
GEM chamber and an emulsion detector. Thanks to the micrometric accuracy of the
emulsion detector, the position resolution of the GEM chamber as a function of
the particle inclination was evaluated in two configurations, with and without
the magnetic fiel
Near-field microwave techniques for micro – and nano - scale characterization in materials science
In this paper, the basic principles of Near-Field Microscopy will be reviewed with focus on the micro-
and nano-scale resolution configurations for material science measurements. Results on doping profile, dielectric
and magnetic properties will be presented, with details on the calibration protocols needed for quantitative estimation
of the dielectric constant and of the permeability
Characterization and Performance of PADME's Cherenkov-Based Small-Angle Calorimeter
The PADME experiment, at the Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati (LNF), in
Italy, will search for invisible decays of the hypothetical dark photon via the
process , where the escapes detection. The
dark photon mass range sensitivity in a first phase will be 1 to 24 MeV. We
report here on measurement and simulation studies of the performance of the
Small-Angle Calorimeter, a component of PADME's detector dedicated to rejecting
2- and 3-gamma backgrounds. The crucial requirement is a timing resolution of
less than 200 ps, which is satisfied by the choice of PbF crystals and the
newly released Hamamatsu R13478UV photomultiplier tubes (PMTs). We find a
timing resolution of 81 ps (with double-peak separation resolution of 1.8 ns)
and a single-crystal energy resolution of 5.7%/ with light yield of
2.07 photo-electrons per MeV, using 100 to 400 MeV electrons at the Beam Test
Facility of LNF. We also propose the investigation of a two-PMT solution
coupled to a single PbF crystal for higher-energy applications, which has
potentially attractive features.Comment: 12 pages, 19 figures. v2: added section on radiation damage studie
A 1 m Gas Time Projection Chamber with Optical Readout for Directional Dark Matter Searches: the CYGNO Experiment
The aim of the CYGNO project is the construction and operation of a 1~m
gas TPC for directional dark matter searches and coherent neutrino scattering
measurements, as a prototype toward the 100-1000~m (0.15-1.5 tons) CYGNUS
network of underground experiments. In such a TPC, electrons produced by
dark-matter- or neutrino-induced nuclear recoils will drift toward and will be
multiplied by a three-layer GEM structure, and the light produced in the
avalanche processes will be readout by a sCMOS camera, providing a 2D image of
the event with a resolution of a few hundred micrometers. Photomultipliers will
also provide a simultaneous fast readout of the time profile of the light
production, giving information about the third coordinate and hence allowing a
3D reconstruction of the event, from which the direction of the nuclear recoil
and consequently the direction of the incoming particle can be inferred. Such a
detailed reconstruction of the event topology will also allow a pure and
efficient signal to background discrimination. These two features are the key
to reach and overcome the solar neutrino background that will ultimately limit
non-directional dark matter searches.Comment: 5 page, 7 figures, contribution to the Conference Records of 2018
IEEE NSS/MI
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