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Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of passive maternal smoking on blood flow velocities in arteries of the fetal-placental-maternal circulation.Materials and Methods: A total of 79 pregnant women in their third trimester, including 33 passive smokers, 23 active smokers, and 23 nonsmoking controls, were enrolled in the study. Fetal biophysical indices were evaluated with B-mode scanning, whereas blood flow waveforms of uterine, umbilical, and fetal middle cerebral (MCA) arteries were analyzed with Doppler ultrasonography.Results: There were significant differences among active smokers vs. passive smokers vs. controls with regard to the presence of a uterine artery diastolic notch (39.1% vs. 18.2% vs. 4.3%; P = 0.012); ratio of peak systolic/end-diastolic velocity of fetal MCA [3.73 ± 1.27 vs. 4.26 ± 1.20 vs. 5.00 ± 2.15, analysis of variance (ANOVA) P = 0.026]; resistance index of fetal MCA (0.74 ± 0.08 vs. 0.75 ± 0.07 vs. 0.80 ± 0.09; ANOVA P = 0.014); ratio of fetal MCA/umbilical artery resistance index (1.27 ± 0.20 vs. 1.24 ± 0.14 vs. 1.39 ± 0.21; ANOVA P = 0.011); and ratio of fetal MCA/umbilical artery pulsatility index (1.56 ± 0.44 vs. 1.63 ± 0.43 vs. 1.97 ± 0.54; ANOVA P = 0.046).Conclusion: Effects of passive maternal smoking on the fetal-placental-maternal unit were comparable to those with active maternal smoking as determined by the means of increased resistance in the maternal vasculature and adaptive changes of cerebroplacental circulation for maintaining fetal cerebral circulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To report the authors' experience in bilateral hypogastric (internal iliac) artery ligation which was performed for controlling intractable postpartum hemorrhage in a secondary care center., Materials and Methods: The patients that required bilateral hypogastric artery ligation for severe intractable postpartum hemorrhage from November 2007 to August 2009 were included in this retrospective study. Data were retrieved from patients' hospital records., Results: A total of 26 cases required hypogastric artery ligation during the study period. Causes of postpartum hemorrhage included uterine atony, placental abruption, uterine rupture, and placenta accreta. Hemorrhage was effectively controlled in 20 of 26 cases (76.9%) and hysterectomy was avoided. Iliac vein injury occurred in one patient (3.8%) as an operative complication. There was one maternal death., Conclusion: Hypogastric artery ligation is an effective therapeutic option for severe postpartum hemorrhage and should be kept in mind during obstetric emergency conditions.

The particle-induced X-ray emission (PIXE) of thick biomineral targets provides pertinent surface analysis, but if good reference materials are missing then complementary approaches are required to handle the matrix effects. This is illustrated by our results from qualitative and semiquantitative analysis of biomaterials and calcified tissues in which PIXE usually detected up to 20 elements with Z > 14 per sample, many at trace levels. Relative concentrations allow the classification of dental composites according to the mean Z and by multivariate statistics. In femur bones from streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats, trace element changes showed high individual variability but correlated to each other, and multivariate statistics improved discrimination of abnormal pathology. Changes on the in vitro demineralization of dental enamel suggested that a dissolution of Ca compounds in the outermost layer results in the uncovering of deeper layers containing higher trace element levels. Thus, in spite of significant limitations, standardless PIXE analysis of thick biomineral samples together with proper additional procedures can provide relevant information in biomedical research.

Arteriovenous malformations (AVM) of the brain, errors in the development of the vasculature, produce high flow arteriovenous shunts. They steal blood from surrounding brain tissue, which is chronically hypoperfused. Hypoperfusion is a condition of inadequate tissue perfusion and oxygenation resulting in abnormal tissue metabolism. In the present study Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was used to investigate the effects of hypoperfusion on rat cranial bone mineral and organic matrix at the molecular level. FTIR spectroscopic analysis revealed that in cranial bones of an experimental group the relative amount of carbonate and phosphate groups increased whereas that of protein (amide I) decreased. Curve-fitting analysis of the v(2) carbonate band showed that amounts of type A and type B carbonates increased slightly ( p=0.423 for both) whereas, type L carbonate decreased slightly ( p=0.522) in hypoperfused cranial bones. Analysis of the C-H region revealed a significant increase ( p=0.037) in the lipid to protein ratio. Because the lipid content is high, hypoperfused cranial bone tissue is more prone to lipid peroxidation. Dialdehydes derived from lipid peroxidation can make cross-links with collagen and might lead to disturbances in the collagen cross-link profile. The 1660 cm(-1)/1690 cm(-1) partial area ratio derived from curve-fitting analysis of the Amide I band is sensitive to the relative amount of collagen non-reducible cross-link hydroxylysyl/lysylpyridinolines (Pyr) and reducible cross-link dihydroxylysinonorleucine (DHLNL) and this ratio reflects collagen maturity. In chronic hypoperfusion a significant decrease ( p=0.004) was observed in this ratio. This means there were less mature collagen cross-links. Disturbances in the collagen maturation can affect mineralization process and lead to formation of pathologic structures in cranial bones. These findings clearly demonstrate that FTIR spectroscopy can be used to extract valuable information at molecular level, leading to better understanding of the effect of hypoperfusion on rat cranial bones.