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We aimed to determine and compare the reproductive hormone level and metabolic of patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) when treated with a levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system (LNG-IUS). Sixty-four women with PCOS (Group A) and sixty-six healthy women inserted with a LNG-IUS for conception (Group B) were recruited from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology in Jinhua Hospital Zhejiang University School of Medicine. We compared the general characteristics of the cases between the two groups, including age, body mass index (BMI), systolic arterial pressure (SAP), diastolic arterial pressure (DAP), abdominal circumference (AC) and waist circumference (WC). Each patient was evaluated by transvaginal ultrasonography (TVS) to determine the number of oocytes and ovarian volume, and the intima-media thickness (IMT) of the common carotid artery was measured on an ECG image from the left common carotid artery before and six months, 12 months and 24 months after patients were inserted with the LNG-IUS. Hormone levels (follicle stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, serum estradiol and total testosterone), serum insulin, sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG), total cholesterol (TC), high density lipoprotein (HDL), and triglyceride (TG), were evaluated before and six months, 12 months and 24 months after patients were inserted with an LNG-IUS. The levels of testosterone (T) in the non-HA (hyperandrogenemia) group and HA group in PCOS group were compared with the baseline. We also compared cases without insulin resistance in the PCOS group with their baseline. Prior to LNG-IUS insertion, the PCOS group had significantly higher total testosterone levels (p < 0.05), lower HDL levels (p < 0.05), and a greater ovarian volume (p < 0.05) than the control group. Compared to baseline values, there was a significant increase in fasting glycemia at six months after LNG-IUS insertion (p < 0.05). Mean ovarian volume was significantly smaller than the volume prior to LNG-IUS insertion (p < 0.05); LDL and TC were significantly reduced when compared to baseline evaluation in the PCOS group. The remaining variables did not differ significantly during the 24 months follow-up period. The control group did not show any significant changes when compared to the period before LNG-IUS insertion. When the groups were compared after the 24-month follow-up, WC, AC, FSH, LH, T, SHBG, HDL, FINs, FAI and ovarian volume were significantly different when compared between the two groups (p < 0.05). The LNG-IUS is an effective and safe non-surgical device and the use of this system for 24 months did not result in significant changes in the clinical and metabolic variables in women with PCOS and healthy control females. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The present study aimed to investigate the efficacy of ultrasonic dissectors for adenomyomectomy using the double/multiple-flap method combined with temporary occlusion of the temporary bilateral uterine artery and the utero-ovarian vessels for the treatment of symptomatic adenomyosis. Design: This was a retrospective study. Participants: In total, 162 patients with symptomatic adenomyosis were included, and all of them had originally been scheduled to group A (n = 82) and group B (n = 80) with each group representing a different surgical application. All eligible women were informed of the potential complications, benefits, and alternatives of each approach before they were assigned to one of the two groups, and patients chose group A or group B by themselves. In group A, we performed laparoscopic ultrasonic dissectors in adenomyosis with the double/multiple-flap method combined with temporary occlusion of the bilateral uterine artery and utero-ovarian vessels, while in group B, we performed adenomyomectomy with scissors. During the period of treatment, we evaluated operative time, intraoperative blood loss, and the degree of fatigue of surgeons' fingers. Results: The estimated blood loss, operative time, and the degree of fatigue of surgeons' fingers in group A were significantly lower than that in group B (p < 0.001). No serious perioperative complications were observed in either group. Limitations: This was a retrospective study. Conclusion: The use of ultrasonic dissectors in laparoscopic adenomyomectomy with temporary occlusion of the bilateral uterine artery and the utero-ovarian vessels leads to improvements and releases the fatigue of surgeons' fingers in laparoscopic adenomyomectomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To determine the optimal hemostatic technique for laparoscopic myomectomy (LM) by comparing temporary uterine artery blockage alone or combined with blockage of the utero-ovarian vessels.Patients: Women with symptomatic uterine myoma attending the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology in Jinhua Municipal Central Hospital.Method: A total of 200 patients with symptomatic uterine fibroids were randomly divided into Group A (n = 65), Group B (n = 67) and Group C (n = 68). At the beginning of the procedure, 6 U of vasopressin was injected into the myometrium of all women. LM was performed in Group A; temporary bilateral uterine artery occlusion and myomectomy were performed in Group B and temporary bilateral uterine artery and utero-ovarian vessel occlusion was performed in Group C. We then evaluated operative time, perioperative bleeding, follow-up relief of menorrhagia, and the recurrence of fibroids.Results: General characteristics of the patients were similar across all 3 groups. All patients underwent successful laparoscopic operation and none of the cases needed to be converted to laparotomy; there were no intraoperative complications. There was no significant difference in the operative time between groups (p = 0.332 and p = 0.346 for single-myoma and multiple-myoma respectively), and for both single and multiple-myoma groups, the blood loss was significantly lower in Group C than Groups A and B (p < 0.001). There were no differences in the recurrence rate and menorrhagia symptom relief outcomes when -compared across the 3 groups at the 30-month follow-up (p = 0.953 and p = 0.841, respectively). At final follow-up, the pregnancy rate of the sexually active patients without contraception was not statistically significant (p = 0.958). The fertility index of anti-Mullerian hormone showed no statistical difference between groups preoperatively or at 2 days, 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year postoperatively (p = 0.998, p = 0.965, p = 0.999, p = 0.994 and p = 0.993, respectively).Conclusion: LM with temporary bilateral uterine artery and utero-ovarian vessels occlusion has the advantages of less intraoperative bleeding compared with LM and laparoscopic transient uterine artery ligation and does not increase the mean operative time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On the sixth postoperative day, the patient was discharged following per-speculum examination, which revealed a normal shape of the cervix (Figure 1(f)), an ultrasound scan which showed a normal uterine cervix and an intact intrauterine pregnancy. The conservation techniques of the uterus were achieved by combining curettage with cervical packing, suturing, balloon tamponade, hysteroscopic endocervical resection, uterine artery embolisation and MTX (Sharma et al. [7]). The conservative management techniques (Creinin and Feldstein [2]) to the CP such as curettage, methotrexate (MTX), angiographic embolisation and ultrasound-guided foeticide injections are not appropriate for this condition with a living embryo in the intrauterine cavity. If none of these methods is possible, the patient's life would be in danger, and when the bleeding cannot be controlled, an immediate hysterectomy may be needed. [Extracted from the article]

Metal oxides and metal nanoparticles dispersed on oxide substrates have gained increasing interest in surface science because of their widespread applications, especially in heterogeneous catalysis. In this review we summarize our recent vibrational spectroscopic studies on pure and metal-covered oxide surfaces (ZnO, TiO2, Au/ZnO and Cu/ZnO) using a number of small molecules (H2, CO, CO2, NO and HCOOH) as probes and/or reactants. High-resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (HREELS) turned out to be a powerful tool to investigate well-defined oxide and metal/oxide model systems. The application of a novel ultrahigh vacuum IR spectroscopy (UHV-FTIRS) apparatus allowed us to record high-quality IR data on oxide surfaces of both single crystals and polycrystalline powder particles. We will particularly focus on following important issues: (i) the interaction of hydrogen with ZnO; (ii) structure and reactivity of polar and nonpolar ZnO surfaces; (iii) the role of defects in surface chemistry of oxides; (iv) the origin of significant difference in photocatalytic activity between anatase and rutile TiO2 and (v) the interaction between metal nanoparticles and oxide supports. We will demonstrate that the data from HREELS and UHV-FTIRS provide detailed insight into structural, electronic and chemical properties of the studied systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Objective: Abnormal expression of Annexin A2 and S100A proteins has been reported to induce sensitivity/resistance to chemotherapy in a variety of cancers. The aim of this study was to evaluate the significance of Annexin A2 and S100A protein expression to predict response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy and prognostic significance of these protein expressions in bulky stage IB–IIA cervical cancer patients. Methods: Paired tumor samples (pre- and post-chemotherapy) were obtained from 68 patients who were treated with cisplatin-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy and radical hysterectomy at our hospital from 2006 to 2011. The expression of Annexin A2 and S100A proteins was analyzed by immunohistochemistry. Results: Thirty-six patients were identified as chemotherapy-response and 32 were non-response. (a). Protein expression in tumor cells: (1). Exposure of tumor cells to chemotherapy results in a change of Annexin A2 and S100A expression (P <0.05). (2). Annexin A2, S100A8 and S100A9 protein expression correlates with tumor response to chemotherapy (P <0.05). (b). Protein expression in stromal cells: (1). Expression of Annexin A2, S100A8 and S100A9 was increased, but S100A2 and S100A4 was decreased after exposure to chemotherapy (P <0.05). (2). Only S100A4 expression was associated with response to chemotherapy (P <0.05). Multivariate analysis revealed that tumor size (P =0.022), differentiation (P =0.000), Annexin A2 expression in stromal cells (P =0.009), and S100A8 expression in tumor cells (P =0.008) were independent prognostic factors for progression-free survival of cervical cancer patients. Conclusions: Expression of some of the measured proteins in tumor and stromal cells correlates with chemotherapy exposure, response to therapy, and progression-free survival. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Deprotonierung einer Base: Mithilfe von hochauflösender Elektronenenergieverlust ‐ Spektroskopie und Hochvakuum ‐ Infrarotspektroskopie wurde nachgewiesen, dass bei hoher Oberflächenbelegung von ZnO ‐ Einkristallen oder ‐ Nanopartikeln mit Ammoniak ein Protonentransfer von diesem Adsorbat auf Sauerstoffatome der Oberfläche stattfinden kann (siehe Bild; Zn blaue Stäbe, O rot, N blaue Kugeln, H gelb). Die Ergebnisse von DFT ‐ Rechnungen stützen diese Beobachtung. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deprotonating a base: High‐resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy and ultrahigh‐vacuum infrared spectroscopy have been used to determine that high surface coverage can induce proton transfer from adsorbed ammonia to surface oxygen atoms on both single crystals and nanoparticles of ZnO (see picture; Zn blue sticks, O red, N blue spheres, H yellow). These observations are supported by DFT calculations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dispersed Pd nanoparticles (Pd,) have been synthesized by reducing H2PdCl4 with ethanol, and stabilized using poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP). The Pdn is applied to the glassy carbon substrate to form a thin film, and then the potential cyclic scanning at 50 mV .s-1 from -0.25 to 1.25 V was carried out for about 30 min to form the aggregations of Pdn (Pdnag). FTIR spectroscopy of both transmission and reflection modes was employed to study CO adsorption on Pdn and Pdnag in both solidlliquid and solid¦gas interfaces. It has been revealed that CO adsorption on Pdn film yields two IR bands near 1964 and 1906 cm-1, which are assigned to IR absorption of CO bonded on asymmetric and symmetric bridge sites, respectively. In contrast to the IR properties of CO adsorbed on Pdn, only species of CO bonded on asymmetric bridge sites was determined on Pdnag, and the direction of the IR band near 1963 cm-1 is completely inverted. The full width at half-maximum (FWHM) of the COBas band near 1964 cm-1 is measured to be 14 cm-1 on Pdn film, while it is 24 cm-1 on Pdnag film. The results of the present study demonstrated that the inverting of the IR band direction is a general phenomenon that is closely related to the interaction between nanoparticles in aggregation of Pdn. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]