Perceptions of Obstetrics/Gynecology Surgeons on Non-medically Indicated Cesarean Sections: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Numerous factors can influence decisions regarding the type of delivery of human babies. There is an increasing demand for non-medically indicated cesarean sections (CS) (non-miCS) or CS on request (CSor). Therefore, this survey study aimed to identify the factors that may foster the decision of CS among obstetricians.

Assessing serum C-reactive protein as a predictor of COVID-19 outcomes: a retrospective cross-sectional study.

Unlabelled: Despite being very infectious and fatal, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) lacks a reliable and practical biomarker to assess how serious it will be.

Aim: The current study aims to conclude the possibility of C-reactive protein (CRP) level serving as a biomarker for early prediction of COVID-19 infections.

Methods: In this retrospective cross-sectional study, 88 people participated who were infected with COVID-19, aged from 25 to 79 years old.

Physicochemical and mineralogical characterization of biomass ash from different power plants in the Upper Rhine Region.

Bottom and fly ash samples from six biomass power plants with different power scales and various flue gas treatment strategies were collected and analyzed in regard to their mineralogical composition, and their bulk major and trace element contents, all of which are of concern for regulations on biomass ash for further utilization. Furthermore, individual ash particles were investigated by scanning electron microscopy to characterize their physicochemical microstructures. Thermal behavior of wood-pellet ash, i.

Use of biomass ash from different sources and processes in cement.

Substitution of cement clinker with suitable excess materials from other processes is an effective way to reduce CO emissions of cement production. Moreover, specific properties of the resulting mortar or concrete can be designed with different clinker replacement materials and their mixing ratios. In this study, bottom and fly ashes from six biomass power plants with different power scales and various flue-gas treatment strategies were admixed to mortars, whose properties (influence of water requirement and final compressive strength) were then assessed in the laboratory by following industrial standard procedures.

Cause-and-Effect Analysis as a Tool To Improve the Reproducibility of Nanobioassays: Four Case Studies.

One of the challenges in using data to understand the potential risks of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) is that results often differ or are even contradictory among studies. While it is recognized that numerous factors can influence results produced by nanobioassays, there has not yet been a consistently used conceptual framework to identify key sources of variability in these assays. In this paper, we use cause-and-effect analysis to systematically describe sources of variability in four key nanobioassays: the 2',7'-dichlorofluorescein assay, an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for measuring interleukin-8, a flow cytometry assay (Annexin V/propidium iodide), and the Comet assay.

Characterization and biological effects of ambient air PM from a rural, an industrial and an urban site in Sulaimani City, Iraq.

High urban atmospheric pollution is caused by economic and industrial growth, especially in developing countries. The objective of this study was to assess possible relationships between effects on human alveolar epithelial cells of source-related dust types collected at Sulaimani City (Iraq), and to determine their mineralogical and chemical composition. A passive sampler was used to collect dust particles at a rural, an industrial and an urban sampling site during July and August 2014.

Cytotoxic and genotoxic responses of human lung cells to combustion smoke particles of Miscanthus straw, softwood and beech wood chips.

Inhalation of particulate matter (PM) from residential biomass combustion is epidemiologically associated with cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases. This study investigates PM emissions from combustion of commercial Miscanthus straw (MS), softwood chips (SWC) and beech wood chips (BWC) in a domestic-scale boiler (40 kW). The PM emitted during combustion of the MS, SWC and BWC were characterized by ICP-MS/OES, XRD, SEM, TEM, and DLS.

Genotoxic properties of XLR-11, a widely consumed synthetic cannabinoid, and of the benzoyl indole RCS-4.

Aim of this study was the investigation of the genotoxic properties of XLR-11 [1-(5-fluoropentyl)-1H-indol-3-yl](2,2,3,3-tetramethylcyclopropyl)methanone, a widely consumed synthetic cannabinoid (SC), and of the benzoyl indole RCS-4 (4-methoxyphenyl)(1-pentyl-1H-indol-3-yl)methanone). We characterized the DNA-damaging properties of these drugs in different experimental systems. No evidence for induction of gene mutations was detected in bacterial (Salmonella/microsome) tests, but clear dose-dependent effects were found in in vitro single cell gel electrophoresis (SCGE) assays with human lymphocytes and with buccal- and lung-derived human cell lines (TR-146 and A-549).