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The COVID-19 pandemic had significant effects on healthcare systems worldwide, including the disruption of routine screening programs for cervical cancer. This study aimed to compare the incidence of cervical intra-epithelial neoplasia (CIN)2 and CIN3 lesions, adenocarcinoma, and squamous carcinoma of the cervix before and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Purpose: We aimed to evaluate the near-final height (nFHt) in a large cohort of pediatricpatients with growth hormone deficiency (GHD) and to elaborate a new predictive method of nFHt. Methods: We recruited GHD patients diagnosed between 1987 and 2014 and followed-up until nFHt. To predict the values of nFHt, each predictor was run in a univariable spline. Results: We enrolled 1051 patients. Pre-treatment height was −2.43 SDS, lower than parental height (THt) (−1.09 SDS, p< 0.001). The dose of recombinant human GH (rhGH) was 0.21mg/kg/week at start of treatment. nFHt was −1.08 SDS (height gain 1.27 SDS), higher than pre-treatment height (p< 0.001) and comparable to THt. 1.6% of the patients were shorter than −2 SDS from THt. The rhGH dose at nFHt was 0.19 mg/kg/week, lower than at the start (p< 0.001). The polynomial regression showed that nFHt was affected by gender, THt, age at puberty, height at puberty, age at the end of treatment (F= 325.37, p< 0.0001, R287.2%). Conclusion: This large national study shows that GHD children can reach their THt. The rhGH/kg/day dose significantly decreased from the start to the end of the treatment. Our model suggests the importance of a timely diagnosis, possibly before puberty, the beneficial effect of long-term treatment with rhGH, and the key-role of THt. Our prediction model has a very acceptable error compared to the majority of other published studies.

The association between environmental conditions and pregnancy outcome has been under investigation for a long time, but results appear to be inconclusive regarding damage to either the newborn or the mother. The aim of this study was to evaluate the distribution of hospitalization of newborns with low birthweight (

Few studies have investigated factors possibly related to the source of Helicobacter pyloriinfection in humans.

The authors assessed the analytic performance of the Stratus CS (Dade Behring) β-human chorionic gonadotropin (βhCG) assay for quantitative measurement of intact hCG and β-subunit of hCG, and the possible use of this test in point-of-care testing (POCT). Commercial control samples and plasma pools were used to determine the calibration curve stability, precision, detection limit, and linearity, and stability of samples and reagents at room temperature. To assess the agreement between the Stratus CS βhCG and Dimension RxL hCG assays, a series of consecutive samples, recruited from outpatients (nonpregnant women) and from patients in the obstetric ward, were used. The total imprecision was 3.5 to 4.2% for concentrations ranging from 9.0 to 3370 IU/L βhCG. The detection limit was 0.39 IU/L. The assay was linear up to 950 IU/L. Sample and reagent stability studies showed a nonsignificant effect of room temperature. The comparison between Stratus CS βhCG and Dimension RxL hCG showed agreement when the determinations were evaluated inside the linearity of the βhCG assay (0-1250 IU/L; bias, −3.474). The bias measurement was found to be unsatisfactory when the determinations were evaluated on the homogeneous sample groups (pregnancy, spontaneous abortions, and ectopic pregnancy). The Stratus CS βhCG test is a fast, precise, and sensitive method for the determination of hCG and βhCG, and can thus be used in the routine or stat laboratory workups. This comparison study confirms that accurate utilization of POCT in the emergency department, and optimal integration between POCT and the core laboratory for hCG methods requires a methodological standardization of assays.