Effect of Remifentanil on Active Phase Duration of Labor in Nulliparous Pregnant Women: A Cross-sectional Study

Objectives: Due to the increase in elective cesarean section and its high complications, epidural analgesia is the gold standard for reducing the pain of vaginal delivery. In contraindication cases, other effective and safe analgesic methods such as remifentanil are suggested. The present study aimed to compare the duration of active phase of labor at stages I and II, as well as neonatal Apgar score following the use of remifentanil analgesia. Materials and Methods: In this study, 120 healthy primiparous women who were candidates for vaginal delivery were selected. After matching for age and body mass index (BMI), the participants were assigned into two equal groups (n=60 each) of intervention (receiving remifentanil) and control. We compared the duration of active phase of labor at stages I and II, neonatal Apgar scores, and the cesarean section rate between the groups. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software (version 23). Results: There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of the duration of active phase in the first and second stages of labor (P=0.84 and P=0.78, respectively), 1-minute Apgar score (P=0.95), 5-min Apgar score (P=0.92), and the rate of cesarean section (P=0.067). Moreover, we observed no maternal complications with remifentanil. Conclusions: According to our results, remifentanil did not increase the duration of labor, rate of cesarean section, and maternal complications. Hence, it can be a good alternative in cases where epidural analgesia is contraindicated

Adsorption of Cesium, Strontium, and Rubidium radionuclides in the Mag-molecular process: The influence of important factors

In this study, the adsorption of cesium, strontium, and rubidium radionuclides by ferritin magmolecules in a batch system was investigated under different experimental conditions. The experiments were conducted in a pilot plant that involved the contactor unit and the magnetic separator unit. The impact of the pollutant concentrations, adsorbent concentration, and pH on the efficiency of the process were investigated thoroughly. The maximum recovery of radionuclides in the studied domain were 57.05%, 85.42% and 71.82% for Cs+, Sr2+ and Rb+ ,respectively, in which the pollutant concentration was 363.63 mg/l, the adsorbent concentration was 0.011 g/l, and the pH was 7.5. The results showed that the ferritin adsorbent in the magmolecular process manifested a higher efficiency in adsorbing the bivalent ions of strontium compared to the univalent ions of cesium and rubidium. Furthermore, the results were statistically analyzed and the model and residual plots of each radionuclide were presented. The results also signified  relationships between the independent variables and recovery

Effect of Urinary Incontinence on Quality of Life among Iranian Women.

Objective: Present study aimed to evaluate the effects of stress, urge and mixed urinary incontinence on the quality of life and mental health of Iranian women with urinary incontinence (UI). Materials and methods:This was a cross sectional study of quality of life and mental health among women without and with different types of urinary incontinence (n = 140). Quality of life (QOL) and mental health were compared and measured using the Urogenital Distress Inventory (UDI-6), the Incontinence Impact Questionnaire (IIQ-7) and the 12-items General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). Results: Women with any types of urinary incontinence showed a significant lower degree of mental health. Women with mixed incontinence reported significantly lower QOL and mental health (P < 0.0001) compared to those with stress and urge incontinence, while there was no significant difference between women with stress and urge incontinence (P= 0.95). Conclusion: Patients with UI showed inferior mental health and QOL while these symptoms were more severe among patients with mixed urinary incontinence

Early detection of Toxoplasma gondii by real-time polymerase chain reaction methods in patients with recurrent spontaneous abortions

Introduction: One of the causes of recurrent spontaneous abortions (RSA) is an infection by the toxoplasmosis Protozoa. In comparison, we present detailed results using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods of detection. In this study, it was tried to detect Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) by real-time PCR methods in patients with RSA. Methods: Amniotic fluid sampling was performed in the 16-20th weeks of gestation in 50 pregnant women with a history of RSA. The extracted deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) samples were analyzed using quantitative real-time PCR. Results: In all the cases, the detection of T. gondii was negative in the peripheral blood, and amniotic fluid samples by using the molecular methods (real-time PCR). Using the serological detection methods, 6% of patients were diagnosed as positive for the immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibody. In addition, the IgG antibody was positive in 46% of the patients. Conclusion: It can be concluded that the serological methods lack specificity