Women's preferences and mode of delivery in public and private hospitals: a prospective cohort study.

Background: Rates of caesarean section have steadily increased in most middle- and high-income countries over the last few decades without medical justification. Maternal request is one of the frequently cited non-medical factors contributing to this trend. The objectives of this study were to assess pregnant women's preferences regarding mode of delivery and to compare actual caesarean section rates in the public and private sectors.

Etiopathology of Arnold-Chiari malformation: a fetal rat model of dysraphism.

Objectives: We report an experimental fetal rat model with the aim of comparing two surgical methods used to check Arnold-Chiari Malformation (ACM) by dysraphism. We also wanted to (1) determine which type(s) of ACM akin to human anatomical findings were generated with the model and (2) study whether a cerebrospinal fluid pressure gradient could be responsible for ACM's etiopathology.

Materials And Methods: At E20, a mean of two fetuses per pregnant rat underwent an incision at the 2-3 lumbar level, deep into the medulla oblongata central canal, by two different surgical methods.

Thickening of the pulmonary artery wall in acute intramural hematoma of the ascending aorta.

Background: The occurrence of pulmonary artery obstruction in the course of acute aortic dissection is an unusual complication. The mechanism implicated is the rupture of the outer layer of the aorta and the subsequent hemorrhage into the adventitia of the pulmonary artery that causes its wall thickening and, at times, produces extrinsic obstruction of the vessel. There are no reports of this complication in acute intramural hematoma.