Uterine torsion of 90 degrees: case report

Uterine torsion is defined as a rotation of uterus more than 45 degrees along its long axis. However, a pathologic rotation of the uterus beyond 45 degrees-torsion of the entire uterus-is rarely seen in obstetrical practice, authors report a case of torsion of the uterus by 90 degrees. The patient, a 30-year-old gravida 3 para 2 at 37 weeks’ gestation with a singleton pregnancy, her prior obstetrical history included two uncomplicated term vaginal deliveries, and the current pregnancy had been uncomplicated until the date of presentation was admitted to the obstetrical unit  with  labour at 37 weeks 5 days ,on obstetric examination the patient was in labour with transversal presentation of the fetus so an emergency caesarean section (CS) was carried out for. At the time of CS, the diagnosis of uterine torsion of 90 degrees was made. After the delivery of the baby, uterus returned to anatomical position and the torsion corrected spontaneously. The patient recovered and was discharged home with her baby on the third postoperative day. Uterine torsion is an infrequently reported and potentially dangerous complication of pregnancy that occurs mainly in the third trimester

The Changing Landscape for Stroke\ua0Prevention in AF: Findings From the GLORIA-AF Registry Phase 2

Background GLORIA-AF (Global Registry on Long-Term Oral Antithrombotic Treatment in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation) is a prospective, global registry program describing antithrombotic treatment patterns in patients with newly diagnosed nonvalvular atrial fibrillation at risk of stroke. Phase 2 began when dabigatran, the first non\u2013vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulant (NOAC), became available. Objectives This study sought to describe phase 2 baseline data and compare these with the pre-NOAC era collected during phase 1. Methods During phase 2, 15,641 consenting patients were enrolled (November 2011 to December 2014); 15,092 were eligible. This pre-specified cross-sectional analysis describes eligible patients\u2019 baseline characteristics. Atrial fibrillation disease characteristics, medical outcomes, and concomitant diseases and medications were collected. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results Of the total patients, 45.5% were female; median age was 71 (interquartile range: 64, 78) years. Patients were from Europe (47.1%), North America (22.5%), Asia (20.3%), Latin America (6.0%), and the Middle East/Africa (4.0%). Most had high stroke risk (CHA2DS2-VASc [Congestive heart failure, Hypertension, Age  6575 years, Diabetes mellitus, previous Stroke, Vascular disease, Age 65 to 74 years, Sex category] score  652; 86.1%); 13.9% had moderate risk (CHA2DS2-VASc = 1). Overall, 79.9% received oral anticoagulants, of whom 47.6% received NOAC and 32.3% vitamin K antagonists (VKA); 12.1% received antiplatelet agents; 7.8% received no antithrombotic treatment. For comparison, the proportion of phase 1 patients (of N = 1,063 all eligible) prescribed VKA was 32.8%, acetylsalicylic acid 41.7%, and no therapy 20.2%. In Europe in phase 2, treatment with NOAC was more common than VKA (52.3% and 37.8%, respectively); 6.0% of patients received antiplatelet treatment; and 3.8% received no antithrombotic treatment. In North America, 52.1%, 26.2%, and 14.0% of patients received NOAC, VKA, and antiplatelet drugs, respectively; 7.5% received no antithrombotic treatment. NOAC use was less common in Asia (27.7%), where 27.5% of patients received VKA, 25.0% antiplatelet drugs, and 19.8% no antithrombotic treatment. Conclusions The baseline data from GLORIA-AF phase 2 demonstrate that in newly diagnosed nonvalvular atrial fibrillation patients, NOAC have been highly adopted into practice, becoming more frequently prescribed than VKA in Europe and North America. Worldwide, however, a large proportion of patients remain undertreated, particularly in Asia and North America. (Global Registry on Long-Term Oral Antithrombotic Treatment in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation [GLORIA-AF]; NCT01468701

Effet de la composition chimique de la solution interstitielle de bétons jeunes sur la passivation d’un acier doux

L’alcalinitéde la solution interstitielle contenue dans les pores du béton engendre la formation d’une couche d’oxyde protectrice à la surface des armatures métalliques. L’objectif de ce travail est d’évaluer l’influence de la composition chimique de la solution interstitielle de bétons jeunes sur la qualité du film d’oxyde formé sur un acier doux C15. Pour ce faire, des mesures électrochimiques sont réalisées à pH 13, dans différentes solutions interstitielles synthétiques (CEM I, II et III), ainsi que dans une solution de référence NaOH 0,1 M et sont combinées à des analyses de surface par XPS. Les courbes de polarisation anodiques montrent l’intérêt des mesures stationnaires. Les diagrammes d’impédance électrochimique, tracés au potentiel de corrosion et à potentiels anodiques, mettent en évidence la présence d’une couche passive protectrice sur la surface d’acier, dont l’épaisseur est de l’ordre de 2,5 à 3 nm, en bon accord avec celle estimée par XPS. Le pH n’est pas le seul paramètre déterminant pour prédire le comportement à la corrosion de l’acier. Ainsi, plus la concentration en sulfate en solution est importante, plus la densité de courant passif stationnaire est élevée et moins la solution est passivante. Par ailleurs, la présence de Fe2+ à la surface du matériau pourrait en partie expliquer le fort pouvoir passivant de la solution CEM III

Anti-microbials in Society - Thailand, Study 2, 2017-2021

The AMIS Project Thailand (Study 2, MOPH) is an anthropological research project aimed at better understanding the role of antimicrobials in daily life in Thai society in diverse contexts and with different actors, including health care providers, farmers, day wage urban workers, scientists and policy-makers. The research focuses on the ways in which antimicrobials enable particular ways of life, livelihoods and institutional practices, and explores the context and the wider motivations for antimicrobial use in Thailand.Our use of antibiotics has escalated. We are often most aware of antibiotic use when we treat infections - for people, and animals. However, their use is more widespread. We use them routinely to reduce risks of infection amongst people with vulnerable immune systems, in farming livestock, to manage infection and to promote growth and even in crop farming. This widespread use is linked to a rise in antibiotic resistance (AMR). The amount of antibiotic chemicals in circulation is held responsible for driving selection pressure amongst bacteria such that some infections become untreatable with previously effective drugs. This can have dramatic consequences for both health and economics. And yet, scientists have emphasised the lack of evidence for using antibiotics in many scenarios. For example, it is estimated that at least 50% of human antibiotic usage has no clinical benefit. Policy makers are agreed that we must reduce our reliance on these medicines. But how? Efforts to change end user behaviour are often called for but thus far have not had the widespread impacts required to curb the emergence and spread of resistance. In this research, we propose that antibiotics are embedded within our socioeconomic infrastructure in such a deep way that attempts simply to change behaviour of patients, physicians of farmers are peripheral to our underlying dependency on their use. We suggest that by understanding the ways in which antibiotics are intertwined with our lives, institutions and infrastructures today we may identify ways to replace their use while minimising unintended consequences. For example, attempts to reduce use of one antibiotic often increases the use of another. Removing antibiotics all together may require a more systemic intervention such as the promotion of recovery time. In so-doing, however, other consequences could occur for the workforce and for economies tied up with pharmaceutical production and sales. We need to look closely at measures that have already been taken to reduce antibiotic use and understand what their consequences have been, as well as play out potential new interventions in different settings. If we are able to identify effective measures to reduce reliance on antibiotics in different scenarios, this will be more cost effective and timely than one-size-fits-all efforts to change end user behaviour. The issue of AMR is global, and is expected to have most severe consequences for low and middle income countries (LMICs). The need to reduce use of antibiotics in these settings presents a particular challenge, where markets fill the gaps of fractured health systems. An access-excess balance is described whereby many in need of antimicrobials remain untreated while these medicines are commonly used unnecessarily. This scenario persists despite decades of research and programmes into the rational use of medicines in LMICs. New approaches are needed to uncover the significance of antibiotics in our societies, to understand why the imperative to target their use so difficult to enact. This project presents a fresh approach beyond the traditionally delineated domains of social, biological or clinical sciences. The project aims to launch the AMIS Hub, an internationally recognised centre of excellence for developing, implementing and disseminating high quality research on antimicrobials in society, and two initial studies in Thailand and Uganda with the following objectives: 1) To understand the roles of antibiotics in every-day life and infrastructure 2) To evaluate the impact on care of imperatives to restrict antibiotics 3) To identify and rehearse counterfactuals to antibiotic use. This project will generate a critical mass of researchers undertaking high quality research into AMR, high quality comparative evidence indicating the nature of our reliance on antibiotics and recommendations for alternatives to antibiotics that will minimise unintended consequences.</p