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In this study, the usability of magnesium oxide with titanium dioxide used in the manufacture of polyvinyl chloride door and window profiles is investigated in terms of discoloration or fading and some mechanical properties. By each compound associated with the different amount of MgO and TiO2, five different compounds are used to produce PVC profiles of doors and windows. The most suitable profile in terms of discoloration is obtained from the compound containing MgO and TiO2 with the ratio of MgO to TiO2 of 1/3. It is observed that the addition of MgO into a compound dramatically decreases the elongation of material and thus, it improves the hardness of PVC-based material. It is concluded that the profiles fabricated from the compounds with the ratios of MgO to TiO2 of 1/2 and 1/1 do not meet the standard in terms of brittleness obtained from the impact strength testing in low temperature (−10 °C). It is also concluded that although the brittleness of some profile associated with the ratios of MgO to TiO2 of 1/2 and 1/1 is not in standard values, the addition of the certain amount of MgO into the compound provides some improvements on the discoloration of PVC-based door and window profiles. The obtained results are evaluated by considering the previous studies and thus, they qualitatively agree with the previous studies.

To evaluate the reliability of vaginal washing fluid beta-HCG for the diagnosis of premature rupture of membranes (PROMs) and to determine a cut-off value.A total of 141 pregnant women were recruited. The first group consisted of 73 pregnant women between 14 and 41 weeks of gestation with the complaint of vaginal fluid leakage. These were further subdivided into two subgroups. Group 1-confirmed PROM group (amniotic fluid pooling (+) and nitrazine paper test (+); 34 patients). Group 2-suspected but unconfirmed PROM group (amniotic fluid pooling (+/-) and/or nitrazine paper test (+/-); 39 patients). The control group (Group 3) consisted of 68 pregnant women between 14 and 41 weeks of gestation without any complaint or complication. All patients underwent speculum examination for amniotic fluid pooling, nitrazine paper test, vaginal washing fluid beta-HCG sampling and ultrasonographic examination for gestational age determination, amniotic fluid index calculation. One-way ANOVA test, Scheffe multiple comparison test and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis were used.Geometric mean values of beta-HCG was found to be 95 for Group 1, 14 for Group 2, 10 for Group 3 (P0.0001). The optimal cut-off was a beta-HCG value of 65 mIU/ml (sensitivity 68%, specificity 95%, positive predictive value 82%, negative predictive value 90%, accuracy 87%).Vaginal washing fluid beta-HCG determination for the diagnosis of PROM is reliable, simple and rapid test.

A prospective randomized placebo controlled clinical trial was carried out on 250 patients (cycles) considered at risk of developing OHSS in an IVF programme. Criteria for inclusion were: estradiol value of more than 3000 pg/ml or the presence of more than 20 follicles on the day of hCG administration. Patients were randomized by using a random table to receive either 20% human albumin 50 ml (n: 82); 6% hydroxyethyl starch (200/0.5) 500 ml (n: 85) or a placebo of 500 ml 0.9% NaCl solution (n: 83) over 30 min during oocyte collection. Groups were similar with respect to patients' age, estradiol levels on hCG day, body mass index, number of oocytes retrieved, number of embryos transferred and pregnancies (P0.05). There was no severe OHSS in patients who received albumin and HES while four patients who received placebo developed severe OHSS. On the other hand moderate OHSS was encountered in four patients in the albumin group; five patients receiving HES; and 12 patients receiving placebo. There was a statistically significant difference in the incidence of moderate, severe and overall OHSS among groups (P values of0.05,0.05, and0.01, respectively). Both HES and albumin significantly reduced the incidence of moderate, severe and overall incidence of OHSS. It is concluded that hydroxyethyl starch is a cheaper and safer alternative to Human Albumin in OHSS prevention.

Cesarean section rates and perinatal outcomes of low risk pregnancies were evaluated in two different Turkish state hospitals. In this retrospective study, we compared cesarean section rates of 1668 low risk and non-private pregnancies managed by residents (group 1) and midwives (group 2), 53.3% and 46.6%, respectively. All patients belonged to a low socioeconomic class and none of them paid hospital costs themselves. Patient characteristics, mode of delivery and perinatal outcome information were studied by blind reviewers. Although patient characteristics and perinatal outcomes among the two groups were not statistically significant (P > 0.05), the cesarean section rate was three times higher in the resident group (9.88% vs. 3.08%) and this difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). These findings suggest that reducing the expanded use of cesarean section for low risk pregnancies in teaching hospitals would not have an adverse effect on perinatal outcome.

Although syringoma of the eyelids and the cheeks are well known and defined, vulvar syringoma is a rare clinical variant of this benign eccrine tumor. A case of syringoma of the vulva exacerbated during pregnancies with regression in the periods in between is presented. Histopathological examination showed typical features of syringomas. Only 20 patients with vulvar syringoma have been previously reported in the literature.