Ultrasound intima-media thickness measurement of the carotid artery using ant colony optimization combined with a curvelet-based orientation-selective filter.

Purpose: Automatic measurement of the intima-media thickness (IMT) from ultrasound carotid images is an important task in clinical diagnosis. Many computer-based techniques for IMT measurement have been proposed to overcome the limits of manual segmentation. However, the robustness of the algorithms would be influenced by the inherent speckle noise of ultrasound image.

[Effects of raloxifene combined with conjugated equine estrogen on prothrombotic state in ovariectomized rats].

Objective: To study effects of raloxifene (RLX) with different doses of conjugated equine estrogen(CEE) on prothrombotic profiles in the ovariectomized rats model.

Methods: Total of 32 healthy female SD rats at age of 9 to 10 months were equally divided into every 8 rats at 4 groups randomly. One week after ovariectomized, they were treated by drugs, including control group with placebo(0.

Sperm head vacuoles--light microscopic and ultrastructural observations: a case report.

Background: Sperm head vacuoles are easily detectable in human spermatozoa under the electron microscope. A sperm head vacuole is considered abnormal when it exceeds 20% of the head's cross-sectional area. The authors report a rare case of primary spermatozoa deformity with 100% vacuolated head and evaluate the correlation between presence of head vacuoles/nucleus vacuoles and abnormal transformation of nucleoprotamine types, defects of nucleoprotamine, and gene disorders of chromatin/chromosome/spermatogenesis.

[Clinical observation of propofol combined with misoprostol for painless induced abortion].

Objective: To observe the effects of propofol combined with misoprostol for painless induced abortion.

Methods: Two hundred early pregnant women, nullipara or pluripara with history of cesarean section, were randomly divided into two groups: control group receiving intravenous injection of propofol 2.5 mg/kg and then underwent induced abortion after becoming unconscious, and experimental group receiving misoprostol 200 microg intravaginally two hours before undergoing induced abortion.