Sonoelastografia szyjki macicy jako nowa metoda diagnostyczna w ocenie stanu szyjki u kobiet ciężarnych – doniesienie wstępne

Objectives: The study aimed at determining whether there exists a correlation between the cervical cohesion parameters assessed in the elastography and the length of the cervix. Material and methods: Assessment of cervical cohesion parameters with the use of real-time sonoelastography was performed on 59 patients between 28 and 39 weeks of gestation. Results: The analysis showed that there exists a statistically significant (p=0.033) correlation between the cervical length and the elasticity of the front cervical labium (strain ratio A). Correlation coefficient (r) stood at (-) 0.28. Conclusions: 1. There exists a negative correlation between the condition on the front cervical labium in elastographic imaging and the length of the cervical canal in USG imaging. 2. Elastography of the uterine cervix may be helpful in assessing the risk of premature labour or cervical insufficiency. 3. There is a need to perform a study on a larger group of patients in order to determine whether elastography may find its place among routine obstetric diagnostic methods.Cel pracy: Celem pracy było zbadanie czy istnieje korelacja między spoistością szyjki macicy ocenianej metodą elastografii a długością szyjki macicy. Materiał i metody: Badaniu poddano 59 ciężarnych kobiet pomiędzy 28. i 39. tygodniem ciąży, u których oceniono parametry konsystencji szyjki macicy przy użyciu sonoelastografii w czasie rzeczywistym (real-time sonoelastography) . Wyniki: Analiza wykazała, iż istnieje istotna statystycznie (p=0.033) korelacja między długością szyjki macicy a konsystencją przedniej wargi szyjki macicy (strain ratio A). Współczynnik korelacji (r) wyniósł (-) 0.28. Wnioski: 1. Istnieje ujemna korelacja pomiędzy stanem przedniej wargi szyjki macicy ciężarnej ocenianej w badaniu elastograficznym z długością kanału szyjki macicy w obrazie USG. 2. Badanie elastograficzne szyjki macicy może być pomocne w prognozowaniu ryzyka porodu przedwczesnego oraz niewydolności szyjki macicy. 3. Potrzebne są badania na większej grupie pacjentek aby stwierdzić czy elastografia znajdzie miejsce wśród rutynowych położniczych metod diagnostycznych

Ultrasonographic analysis of cesarean scars features in nonpregnant uterus

Abstract Objectives: To define and assess the new ultrasonographic parameters of cesarean hysterotomy scars and to analyze their variation depending on the number of cesarean sections. Material and methods: Transvaginal ultrasound was carried out among 109 patients after cesarean section in the lower uterine segment with single-layer uterine closure. The following cesarean hysterectomy scar parameters were assessed: angle of the apex (K), basis (P) and height (W) of the anechoic triangle, the thickness of the knit tissue scar segment (G), G/P index and G/W index. Results: Transvaginal ultrasound detected the cesarean hysterectomy scar in 100% of the examined woman. In 5,5% of cases the completely knit hysterectomy scar tissue was identified. All patients from this group underwent a single cesarean section. In the remaining 94,5% of women, the ultrasound detected a presence of the anechoic triangle, defined as scar defect. No difference of statistical importance considering assessed scar parameters was observed between the groups of patients after one and two cesarean sections. The decrease of the thickness of the knit tissue scar segment (G) in the group of patients after three cesarean, sections in comparison to the group of patients after single (1,3 mm vs 6,7 mm, p=0,0134) and two (1,3 mm vs 7,4 mm, p=0,0366) abdominal deliveries, was found, as well as statistically important decrease in G/P index value in the group of patients after three cesarean sections in comparison to the patients after one (0,3 vs 1,3, p=0,0263) and two cesarean sections (0,3 vs 1,2, p=0,0138). Conclusions: The new ultrasonographic parameters to assess the cesarean hysterectomy scar in nonpregnant uterus were introduced. Statistically important decrease in the thickness of the knit tissue scar segment (G) and G/P index value in the group of patients after three cesarean sections in comparison to the group of patients after single and two abdominal deliveries was revealed

Comparison of the physicochemical properties of TiO2 thin films obtained by magnetron sputtering with continuous and pulsed gas flow

In this paper, a comparison of TiO2 thin films prepared by magnetron sputtering with a continuous and pulsed gas flow was presented. Structural, surface, optical, and mechanical properties of deposited titanium dioxide coatings were analyzed with the use of a wide range of measurement techniques. It was found that thin films deposited with a gas impulse had a nanocrystalline rutile structure instead of fibrous-like anatase obtained with a continuous gas flow. TiO2 thin films deposited with both techniques were transparent in the visible wavelength range, however, a much higher refractive index and packing density were observed for coatings deposited by the pulsed gas technique. The application of a gas impulse improved the hardness and scratch resistance of the prepared TiO2 thin films

High Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering of In₂O₃/Sn Cold Sprayed Composite Target

High Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering (HiPIMS) was used for deposition of indium tin oxide (ITO) transparent thin films at low substrate temperature. A hybrid-type composite target was self-prepared by low-pressure cold spraying process. Prior to spraying In2O3 and oxidized Sn powders were mixed in a volume ratio of 3:1. Composite In2O3/Sn coating had a mean thickness of 900 µm. HiPIMS process was performed in various mixtures of Ar:O2: (i) 100:0 vol.%, (ii) 90:10 vol.%, (iii) 75:25 vol.%, (iv) 50:50 vol.%, and (v) 0:100 vol.%. Oxygen rich atmosphere was necessary to oxidize tin atoms. Self-design, simple high voltage power switch capable of charging the 20 µF capacitor bank from external high voltage power supply worked as a power supply for an unbalanced magnetron source. ITO thin films with thickness in the range of 30–40 nm were obtained after 300 deposition pulses of 900 V and deposition time of 900 s. The highest transmission of 88% at λ = 550 nm provided 0:100 vol. % Ar:O2 mixture, together with the lowest resistivity of 0.03 Ω·cm

Effect of pulsed magnetron sputtering process for the deposition of thin layers of nickel and nickel oxide

Magnetron sputtered nickel and nickel oxide films have been studied for various applications. We may find, among others, these films in electrochromic display devices, in resistive type gas sensors, as metal electrodes in electronic devices, in solar thermal absorbers. Pure nickel films deposited using PVD technique possess good corrosion and wear resistant properties. Magnetron sputtering has several advantages in film deposition (in comparison to other methods) such as relatively low heating temperature of the deposited substrate during sputtering process, high energy of sputtered atoms (about 10 eV) at the substrate, which influences positively the films adhesion. From application point of view, the most valuable feature of these films is the possibility of scaling target dimensions, which makes feasible the deposition on a several square meter surfaces. The improvement of magnetron sputtering devices design may influence positively the optimization of the deposition technology and its efficiency. The thin nickel and nickel oxide films were prepared by pulsed magnetron sputtering using original type WMK magnetron device. Ni (99.9 %) has been used as a sputtering target of 100 mm in diameter and different thicknesses (3 mm, 5 mm, and 6 mm). The distance between the substrate and target was the same in all experiments and equal to 120 mm. Argon and oxygen gases were introduced during the reactive process through needle gas valves at a total pressure of 0.4 Pa. The sputtering power, sputtering pressure and oxygen partial pressure have been used as technological knobs for deposition processes. The helpful tool for controlling the pulsed magnetron sputtering process was the original parameter of supply (so called circulating power). Results from our experiments showed that the deposition of Ni films is possible even from targets of 6 mm thickness. Deposition rate increased proportionally with the sputtering power. The aim of this work is to use the acquired expertise to develop an efficient technology of thin nickel oxide layers for electrochromic systems

Prevalence and Relevance of Pruritus in Pregnancy

Pregnant women are at greater risk to suffer from chronic pruritus, but data on this symptom in this group is very limited. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence, clinical characteristics, and the importance of pruritus in pregnant women. A total of 292 consecutive pregnant women at the 33.0±6.1 weeks of gestation (WoG) were recruited into this prospective, cross-sectional study. All patients underwent thorough anamnesis and detailed physical examination with the special emphasis on pruritus. Pruritus was assessed according to Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). Quality of life was measured with the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI). The point prevalence of pruritus was 20.2% (n=59), while pruritus prevalence during the entire pregnancy was 38.0% (n=111). Pruritus started on average at the 27.2±7.6 WoG; it was significantly more common among women in third trimester. The mean VAS was 4.8 (±2.4) points. The DLQI scoring significantly correlated with VAS (r=0.52, p<0.001). Based on the results of our study about one-third of women suffer from pruritus during pregnancy. Many of them find it a very distressing and disturbing symptom

Characterization of HfO₂ Optical Coatings Deposited by MF Magnetron Sputtering

The aim of this work is to determine the influence of medium frequency magnetron sputtering powers on the various properties of hafnium dioxide (HfO2) thin films. Microstructure observations show that an increase in the sputtering power has a significant influence on HfO2 films&#8217; microstructure. As-deposited hafnia thin films exhibit nanocrystalline structure with a monoclinic phase, however the rise of the sputtering power results in an increase of crystallite sizes. Atomic force microscopy investigations show that the surface of the deposited films is smooth, crack-free, and composed of visible grains. The surface roughness and the value of the water contact angle increase with the increase of the sputtering power. Measurements of the optical properties show that HfO2 coatings are transparent in the visible wavelength range. A higher sputtering power causes a decrease of an average transmittance level and a simultaneous increase of the real part of the refractive index. Nanoindentation measurements reveal that the thin film hardness and Young&#8217;s elastic modulus increase with an increase in the sputtering power. Moreover, the results of plasticity index H/E and plastic resistance parameter H3/E2 are discussed. Based on the obtained results, a correlation between the sputtering power and the structural, surface, and optical properties, as well as the hardness and Young&#8217;s elastic modulus, were determined

Ocena tolerancji i wpływu zastosowania drobnocząsteczkowego kwasu hialuronowego na jakość preparatyki podczas zabiegów pochwowych oraz przebieg pooperacyjny u pacjentek operowanych drogą pochwową z powodu zaburzeń statyki narządu płciowego

Zmiany zachodzące w narządzie płciowym kobiet po menopauzie prowadzą do występowania wielu dolegliwości,uciążliwych objawów i znacznego dyskomfortu. Problem zaburzeń statyki narządu płciowego dotyczy około50% kobiet po menopauzie. Skuteczne leczenie operacyjne zależy między innymi od warunków operacyjnych,a w przypadku zabiegów pochwowych od jakości błony śluzowej pochwy. Wśród medykamentów poprawiającychjakość śluzówki wymienia się preparaty kwasu hialuronowego. W niniejszej pracy oceniano wpływ zastosowaniadrobnocząsteczkowego kwasu hialuronowego na przebieg operacji oraz pooperacyjny u pacjentek z obniżeniemścian pochwy, poddawanych zabiegom ich plastyki. Obserwacja dotyczyła 40 operowanych kobiet, z którychu 20 zastosowano dopochwowo drobnocząsteczkowy kwas hialuronowy porównując następnie przebieg operacjii pooperacyjny. Uzyskane dane wskazują, iż zastosowanie drobnocząsteczkowego kwasu hialuronowego przedplanowanymi zabiegami pochwowymi może pozytywnie wpłynąć na jakość preparatyki i przebieg pooperacyjny