It Takes At Least Two: Male Partner Factors, Racial/Ethnic Disparity, and Chlamydia trachomatis Among Pregnant Women

Chlamydia trachomatis (CT), the most prevalent sexually transmitted infection in the United States, disproportionately infects women and people of color. This study aimed to identify risk factors for racial and ethnic disparities for CT infection, re-infection, and persistent infection among pregnant women. We present a secondary analysis of births from a retrospective cohort study in Syracuse, NY from January 2000 through March 2002. African American women [OR 3.35 CI (2.29, 4.92)], Latin American women [OR 4.35 CI (2.52, 7.48)], unmarried women [OR 7.57 CI (4.38, 13.10)], and teen mothers [OR 3.87 CI (2.91, 5.16)] demonstrated statistically significant increased risk for infection. In multivariate analyses that included male partner variables, father’s race/ethnicity but not the mother’s race/ethnicity remained statistically associated with CT. Despite near universal rates of screening pregnant women, challenges to CT control remain and reflect barriers to testing and treatment of male partners

Multigradient field-active contour model for multilayer boundary detection of ultrasound rectal wall image

Extraction and reconstruction of rectal wall structures from an ultrasound image is helpful for surgeons in rectal clinical diagnosis and 3-D reconstruction of rectal structures from ultrasound images. The primary task is to extract the boundary of the muscular layers on the rectal wall. However, due to the low SNR from ultrasound imaging and the thin muscular layer structure of the rectum, this boundary detection task remains a challenge. An active contour model is an effective high-level model, which has been used successfully to aid the tasks of object representation and recognition in many image-processing applications. We present a novel multigradient field active contour algorithm with an extended ability for multiple-object detection, which overcomes some limitations of ordinary active contour models—"snakes." The core part in the algorithm is the proposal of multigradient vector fields, which are used to replace image forces in kinetic function for alternative constraints on the deformation of active contour, thereby partially solving the initialization limitation of active contour for rectal wall boundary detection. An adaptive expanding force is also added to the model to help the active contour go through the homogenous region in the image. The efficacy of the model is explained and tested on the boundary detection of a ring-shaped image, a synthetic image, and an ultrasound image. The experimental results show that the proposed multigradient field-active contour is feasible for multilayer boundary detection of rectal wal

Rumble in the jungle

Colección de poemas para niños pequeños. Se oye un estruendo en la selva, el murmullo en los árboles, susurran las hojas y los animales se están despertando.SCBiblioteca de Educación del Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte; Calle San Agustín, 5 - 3 planta; 28014 Madrid; Tel. +34917748000; [email protected]

Müllerian Remnant Cyst as a Cause of Acute Abdomen in a Female Patient with Müllerian Agenesis: Radiologic and Pathologic Findings

We report a case of a 17-year-old female with Müllerian agenesis who presented with right sided abdominal pain clinically suspicious for acute appendicitis. Multimodality imaging workup revealed a heterogeneous cystic right upper quadrant mass with surrounding fluid and inflammatory changes. Surgical resection of this mass was performed and a histopathologic diagnosis of a hemorrhagic Müllerian remnant cyst was made, which to the best of our knowledge has never been described in a patient with Müllerian agenesis

Utility of Percutaneous Treatment in Spontaneous Renal Artery Dissection: Case Report and Review of the Literature

Spontaneous renal artery dissection (SRAD) is a relatively rare entity that has been described in several case reports and small series in the medical literature. The condition is best diagnosed with angiography, with renal ischemia or infarction a common complication. Conservative medical management, surgical intervention, and percutaneous intervention are all discussed in the current literature. However, there is no consensus on which treatment option provides the best clinical outcome. Percutaneous stent placement has only recently been considered as an option for treatment of SRAD. This case report reviews the course of an otherwise healthy patient with a solitary right kidney who had SRAD complicated by renal infarction and was treated by percutaneous renal artery stent placement. Subsequently, we discuss and review the literature on SRAD treatment

Segmental Testicular Infarction, an Underdiagnosed Entity: Case Report with Histopathologic Correlation and Review of the Diagnostic Features

A 30-year-old male presented with a 1-day history of left scrotal pain and a tender left testicle and epididymis on physical exam. Scrotal ultrasound showed an avascular, heterogeneous, hypoechoic lesion in the superior left testis suggestive of infarction or neoplasm. The patient was managed conservatively; however, his pain continued and follow-up ultrasound 6 days later showed interval increase in the size of the mass. Left radical orchiectomy was done and pathology result showed segmental infarction of the left testis

Physician-induced demand by Irish GPs

Approximately one-third of the Irish population receive all medical care services free. GPs (general practitioners) treat both public and private patients, and are remunerated on a fee-for service basis by the state for public patients, and by the patient, at a higher rate, for private patients. In 1981, the first author conducted a national survey of Irish medical care utilization, asking whether patients' most recent GP visits resulted in a return visit being arranged. This measure of self-referral by GPs is significantly and strongly associated with the ratio of GPs to population, and negatively with the ratio to population of persons eligible for free services, and with area per capita income. All three results are as hypothesized from a theoretical model, and point to significant self-interested physician-induced demand by Irish GPs.physician induced demand Eire