Progesterone effects on preterm birth in high-risk pregnancies: a randomized placebo-controlled trial.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether the prophylactic administration of vaginal progesterone would reduce the preterm birth rate in high-risk population including singleton and twin pregnancies.

Methods: This was a randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled study that included 150 high-risk pregnancies. Risk groups included prior spontaneous preterm birth, twin pregnancy, and uterine malformation.

Comparison of TVT and TVT-O in patients with stress urinary incontinence: short-term cure rates and factors influencing the outcome. A prospective randomised study.

Background: Recently, mid-urethral slings have been commonly used in treatment of patients with stress urinary incontinence (SUI).

Aims: To investigate tension-free vaginal tape (TVT) and tension-free obturator tape (TVT-O) for surgical treatment of SUI for cure rates (primary endpoint), complications and factors influencing cure rate (secondary endpoints).

Methods: One-hundred and sixty-four patients were included in the study (n = 81 for TVT, n = 83 for TVT-O).

Validation of the prolapse quality of life questionnaire (P-QOL) in a Turkish population.

Objective: To validate the Turkish translated version of the prolapse quality of life questionnaire (P-QOL).

Study Design: After establishing the test-retest reliability and internal consistency in a pilot study, 310 patients were enrolled in the study and general and subscale scores of the questionnaires were calculated. All participants underwent the International Continence Society (ICS) prolapse score (POP-Q).

Validation of the short forms of the incontinence impact questionnaire (IIQ-7) and the urogenital distress inventory (UDI-6) in a Turkish population.

Aim: To validate the Turkish versions of the IIQ-7 and UDI-6 for use in Turkish-speaking populations.

Methods: After establishing the test-retest reliability and internal consistency in a pilot study, 302 patients were enrolled in the study and general and subscale scores of the questionnaires were calculated. All participants underwent an urodynamic assessment.

A faster converging snake algorithm to locate object boundaries.

A different contour search algorithm is presented in this paper that provides a faster convergence to the object contours than both the greedy snake algorithm (GSA) and the fast greedy snake (FGSA) algorithm. This new algorithm performs the search in an alternate skipping way between the even and odd nodes (snaxels) of a snake with different step sizes such that the snake moves to a likely local minimum in a twisting way. The alternative step sizes are adjusted so that the snake is less likely to be trapped at a pseudo-local minimum.