Background: Hysterectomy is the most commonly performed surgery in our gynaecological practice, abdominal route being the most common. Here we compare the various features and outcomes of laparoscopically assisted vaginal hysterectomy (LAVH) with total abdominal hysterectomy (TAH).Methods: The study design is a retrospective observational study. Outcome measures were indication, duration, complications of surgery, post op recovery and cost following TAH and LAVH.Results: A total of 116 cases underwent hysterectomy. Of these 98 underwent TAH and 18 underwent LAVH. Commonest indication for TAH in our study was fibroid followed by abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB); whereas in LAVH it was AUB followed by fibroid. Mean operating time in TAH was 118 minutes whereas in LAVH it was 166 minutes. One patient who underwent LAVH had ureteric injury and another had vault abscess. There were no major complications among TAH cases. A few patients had minor complications like fever, wound infection and urinary tract infection following TAH whereas fever was the only minor complication seen in a minority of the LAVH patients. Mean fall in haemoglobin in TAH was 1.05 gm% whereas in LAVH it was 0.95 gm%. None of the patients required postoperative blood transfusion. A few patients following TAH required additional analgesics apart from routine whereas in LAVH none required it. Mean duration of hospital stay following TAH was 6.84 days where as in LAVH it was 3.1 days. Mean hospital expenses in TAH were INR 28480, while for LAVH it was 44360.Conclusions: Undoubtedly expertise is the decisive factor behind the success of hysterectomy. LAVH though advantageous in many aspects like less post operative pain and cosmetic benefits, it could be technically demanding with availability only in well-equipped centres and cost factors. Surgeons need to be trained in all modalities of hysterectomy.
The role of progestogens in supporting early pregnancy in women with unexplained recurrent pregnancy loss has always been controversial and always stirs up debate. Serum progesterone levels of women were checked on the day of positive urine pregnancy test and repeated 48 hours later. The primary objective of the trial was to study the improvement of pregnancy rate, confirmed by the presence of fetal heartbeat at 12 weeks' gestation, determined by transvaginal ultrasound. The meta-analysis concluded that administration of progestogens early in pregnancy to women with recurrent miscarriages may lower the miscarriage rate from 26.3% to 19.4%. Treatment was started immediately after documentation of ovulation using ultrasound through luteal phase until confirmation of pregnancy and continued until 28 weeks. The primary objective of the trial was to study the improvement of pregnancy rate, confirmed by the presence of fetal heartbeat at 12 weeks' gestation, determined by transvaginal ultrasound.
Objective This was a prospective questionnaire-based survey conducted in the Barnsley District of the United Kingdom among antenatal women smoking during pregnancy. The aim of the study was to assess the awareness of women regarding the risks with smoking during pregnancy, study their smoking behavior, their willingness to quit smoking during pregnancy, and the factors that could influence their intention to quit smoking. Methods A cohort of antenatal women smoking during pregnancy was surveyed prior to their contact with the maternity Stop Smoking Services. A well-structured, pre-tested, and validated questionnaire was used to assess their awareness regarding risks with smoking during pregnancy and their willingness to quit smoking during pregnancy. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the results. Binomial logistic regression (univariate and multivariate) was used to identify the factors influencing the women's willingness to quit smoking during pregnancy. Results Among 66 women surveyed, 52 (79%) were multigravida and 14 (21%) were primigravida, with a mean age of 27.4 ± 5.7 years. Most women (68%) were in the first trimester of their pregnancy. Nearly two-thirds of women (64%) had low educational attainment, 53% were unemployed, 68% lived with family members who smoked, and 35% had mental health problems. One-third (33%) of women had an unsuccessful attempt at quitting smoking in the past. Around 44% of women had a low level of nicotine dependence, while 56% had a moderate level of nicotine dependence. More than three-fourths of women (77%) were aware that smoking during pregnancy is harmful for their baby, though most could not report the specific adverse effects. Nearly half of the women (51.5%) were willing to quit smoking during pregnancy with the rationality of having a healthy baby. On multivariate logistic regression analysis, awareness of the women that smoking during pregnancy has ill effects on the baby (adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 46.459, confidence interval (CI): 5.356-402.961, p value <0.001) was found to be the strongest predictor of willingness to quit smoking during pregnancy. Other determinants found to be significantly associated with willingness to quit smoking during pregnancy were unsuccessful quit attempts in the past (aOR: 0.048, CI: 0.007-0.309, p value 0.001) and the absence of any mental health concerns (aOR: 6.097, CI: 1.105-33.647, p value 0.038). Conclusion There is considerable room for raising awareness about the risks of smoking during pregnancy and providing effective smoking cessation and relapse prevention interventions in pregnancy. Obstetricians and midwives should actively participate in providing risk-focused information to pregnant women on smoking during pregnancy and support them in smoking cessation. Various factors such as employment status, nicotine dependence, previous failed attempts at quitting smoking, mental health issues, and awareness levels significantly influence the willingness to quit smoking during pregnancy. Hence, there is an imperative need to identify and address the barriers that could affect a woman's intention to quit smoking during pregnancy.
Background The concept of Umbilical Cord blood (UCB) stem cells is emerging as a non-invasive, efficacious alternative source of hematopoietic stem cells to treat a variety of blood and bone marrow diseases, blood cancers, metabolic disorders and immune deficiencies. Aim of the present study was to determine the level of awareness about banking UCB among pregnant women in India. We also assessed patient perception for banking of UCB and explored the patient expectations of banking UCB in future. This is the first study to assess current attitudes, in a sample population of potential donors from one of the largest potential UCB repository (India). Obtaining this information may help optimize recruitment efforts and improve patient education. Material and Method Present explorative questionnaire based survey included 254 pregnant women in the final analysis. Results We established only 26.5% pregnant women in our study population knew what exactly is meant by UCB. A large proportion (55.1%) was undecided on whether they want to bank UCB or not. Women were more aware of the more advertised private cord blood banking compared to public banking. More than half of the pregnant women expected their obstetrician to inform them regarding UCB. One-third of the women in our population had undue expectations from banking of the UCB. Conclusion Obstetricians should play a more active role in explaining the patients regarding pros and cons of UCB banking.
Amoxicillin though originally introduced in the early 1970’s for oral use in U.K., has found a gradually regular place as broad spectrum antibacterial to treat the infections of various diseases. Amoxicillin has been found to be more effective against gram positive than gram negative micro‐ organisms and demonstrated greater efficacy to penicillin and penicillin V. Moreover, it has been found comparable to other antibiotics, e.g. ampicillin, azithromycin, clarithromycin, cefuroxime and doxycycline in treatment of various infections/ diseases. In the past decade, amoxicillin has been reported to be useful in the management of many indications and is used to treat infections of the middle ear (otitis media) , tonsils (tonsillitis & tonsillopharyngitis), throat, larynx (laryngitis) , pharynx (pharyngitis), bronchi (bronchitis), lungs (pneumonia), urinary tract (UTI), skin and to treat gonorrhoea. Recent studies suggested that it can be used as prophylaxis against bacterial endocarditis, in patients with prosthetic joint replacements and in dentistry. The renewed interest of the molecule has prompted a review of the salient facets of the drug.
Describe and characterize the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) appearance of annulus fibrosus (AF) high-intensity zone (HIZ) in dogs suffering from intervertebral disc disease (IVDD).
Acne vulgaris is a multifactorial skin disease associated with the colonization of Propionibacterium acnes. Antibiotics are a mainstay of treatment for acne, yet the emergence of resistance against the currently approved antibiotics is a serious concern. In this case report, a slow responder had multiple Propionibacterium acnes isolates with varied levels of sensitivity to the conventional antibiotics. The bacterial isolates obtained from acne samples collected from the patient were analyzed for phylogeny, and was found to be largely restricted to two different lineage patterns. Propionibacterium acnes phylotype IA1, which is considered to be pathogenic, displayed clindamycin sensitivity, but phylotype IB, which is associated with commensals, exhibited high clindamycin resistance. Sensitivity analysis revealed uniform resistance to macrolides, but susceptibility to tetracycline and nadifloxacin. These results implicate Propionibacterium acnes in the pathophysiology of acne vulgaris, although the lines between commensal and pathological phylotypes may be blurred. Switching the patient to a combination of minocycline and nadifloxacin resulted in a significant improvement in the clinical lesions. Such a science-driven judicious selection of antibiotics can minimize the probability of development of resistance, and might be the way forward in the treatment of acne.