Female sexual functioning during pregnancy.

Sexuality is a fundamental, biological function of every human body, regardless of age, gender or race. However, the need for intimacy, closeness and sexual activity changes over time; it is influenced by the age, experience, physical and health condition. Sex is also one of the most important domains of the quality of life (QoL).

Sexual functions in individuals with inflammatory bowel diseases.

Problems with intimacy and sexuality are one of the major concerns of patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). Many symptoms, complications, and consequences of these disorders are likely to impact on body image, intimacy, and sexual function. Moreover, mood disorders, in particular depression, which is a major risk factor for sexual dysfunctions, are reported to be common in chronic illnesses such as IBD.

Reproduction and Pregnancy in Inflammatory Bowel Disease - Management and Treatment Based on Current Guidelines.

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) affect mainly young population. Therefore, fertility and pregnancy are important clinical issues to be considered. Generally, fertility in IBD patients is not decreased either in males or females when compared to a healthy population.

Plasma C16-Cer levels are increased in patients with preterm labor.

Introduction: The pathogenesis of preterm labor is fragmentarily explained. The most widely accepted theory points out to infection and inflammation as possible causes, which can be mediated by potentially different factors, including sphingolipid mediators. Sphingolipids are a class of lipids that have been shown as important mediators in various cell processes such as: proliferation, growth, apoptosis, stress response, necrosis and inflammation.

Inflammation and ovarian cancer--current views.

Ovarian cancers pose the greatest challenge for gynecological oncology. They are a heterogeneous, rapidly progressing and highly lethal group of malignancies and their etiology is still poorly understood. Among many hypotheses, explaining the pathogenesis of malignant tumors, chronic inflammation seems to play a significant role, which was proved in cervical, hepatic and esophageal cancers.

Assessment of the selected biochemical markers in predicting preterm labour.

Objective: The differential diagnosis between preterm and false labour remains one of the most challenging issues in perinatal medicine.

Aim: To assess the prognostic importance of the selected biochemical markers in predicting preterm labour.

Material And Methods: 74 patients hospitalized due to threatening preterm labour.

Abrasion resistance of medical glove materials.

Due to the increasing demand for nonlatex medical gloves in the health-care community, there is a need to assess the durability of alternative glove materials. This study examines durability characteristics of various glove materials by abrasion resistance testing. Natural rubber latex (latex), polyvinyl chloride (vinyl), acrylonitrile butadiene (nitrile), polychloroprene (neoprene), and a styrene-ethylene/butylene-styrene block copolymer (SEBS) were tested.

An in vitro study of the effect of in-folds on the durability of mammary implants.

We hypothesize that the presence of in-folding in a filled mammary shell leads to shortening of the time to failure under tensile fatigue. Specimens, cut from pristine shells, were mounted in S-folded, creased, and unfolded configurations. A characteristic change, occurring in a transmembrane capacitance-proportional alternating current (AC) signal, which was used to monitor working of each specimen, was chosen as a robust marker that preceded frank shell perforation.

Biaxial flex-fatigue and viral penetration of natural rubber latex gloves before and after artificial aging.

Barrier integrity of unaged and oven-aged (at 70 degrees C) natural rubber latex examination gloves was assessed with a biaxial flex-fatigue method where failure was detected electronically, and by live viral penetration testing performed according to a modified version of ASTM F1671-97a. When no change in barrier properties was detected during flex testing, no virus passage was found after viral challenge. Conversely, when a change in the barrier properties was indicated by the electrical signal, virus passage was found in 74% of the specimens.