Factors affecting pregnancy rates in infertile women performed abdominal myomectomy

Purpose:To evaluate pregnancy outcomes in infertile women performed abdominal myomectomy at our clinic. Patients and Methods:This retrospective study included 76 infertile women underwent abdominal myomectomy. The cases were divided into two groups according to postoperative pregnancy (Group 1, n=22), and cases with no postoperative pregnancy (Group 2, n=54). Risk factors recorded were; age, parity, size of the fibroids, body mass index (BMI), tumor markers and serum blood values. Results:A total of 76 infertile women underwent abdominal myomectomy during the study period. Of all cases 22 (28.94 %) became pregnant. There was statically significant difference between the groups in terms of age, BMI, diameter of the fibroids (p<0.05) (Table 2). The receiver operator curve (ROC) analyses showed that diameter of the fibroid may be a prognostic factor in order to assess the probability of pregnancy following abdominal myomectomy in infertile women. Conclusion:We think that in infertile women with intramural fibroids >5 cm the treatment modality should be abdominal myomectomy to increase the chance of postoperative pregnancy. [Cukurova Med J 2014; 39(4.000): 801-806

Real-time deformable objects for collaborative virtual environments

This paper presents a method for physical simulation of deformable closed surfaces over a network, which is suitable for realistic interactions between users and objects in a collaborative virtual environment (CVE). CVE's are being extensively used for training, design and gaming for several years. To demonstrate a deformable object in a CVE, we employ a real-time physical simulation of a uniform-tension-membrane, based on linear finite-element-discretization of the surface yielding a sparse linear system of equations, which is solved using the Runge-Kutta Fehlberg method. The proposed method introduces an architecture that distributes the computational load of physical simulation between each participant. Our approach requires a uniform-mesh representation of the simulated structure; therefore we designed and implemented a re-meshing algorithm that converts irregularly triangulated genus zero surfaces into a uniform triangular mesh with regular connectivity. The strength of our approach comes from the subdivision methodology that enables to use multi-resolution surfaces for graphical representation, physical simulation, and network transmission, without compromising simulation accuracy and visual quality

Common Mistakes in the Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DXA) in Turkey. A Retrospective Descriptive Multicenter Study

Background: Osteoporosis is a widespread metabolic bone disease representing a global public health problem currently affecting more than two hundred million people worldwide. The World Health Organization states that dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) is the best densitometric technique for assessing bone mineral density (BMD). DXA provides an accurate diagnosis of osteoporosis, a good estimation of fracture risk, and is a useful tool for monitoring patients undergoing treatment. Common mistakes in BMD testing can be divided into four principal categories: 1) indication errors, 2) lack of quality control and calibration, 3) analysis and interpretation errors, and 4) inappropriate acquisition techniques. The aim of this retrospective multicenter descriptive study is to identify the common errors in the application of the DXA technique in Turkey. Methods: All DXA scans performed during the observation period were included in the study if the measurements of both, the lumbar spine and proximal femur were recorded. Forearm measurement, total body measurements, and measurements performed on children were excluded. Each examination was surveyed by 30 consultants from 20 different centers each informed and trained in the principles of and the standards for DXA scanning before the study. Results: A total of 3,212 DXA scan results from 20 different centers in 15 different Turkish cities were collected. The percentage of the discovered erroneous measurements varied from 10.5% to 65.5% in the lumbar spine and from 21.3% to 74.2% in the proximal femur. The overall error rate was found to be 31.8% (n = 1021) for the lumbar spine and 49.0% (n = 1576) for the proximal femur. Conclusion: In Turkey, DXA measurements of BMD have been in use for over 20 years, and examination processes continue to improve. There is no educational standard for operator training, and a lack of knowledge can lead to significant errors in the acquisition, analysis, and interpretation