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Introduction: This study was designed to assess the percentage share of musculus obliquus externus abdominis , musculus obliquus internus abdominis and musculus transversus abdominis activity among women suffering from stress urinary incontinence using ultrasound imaging., Material and Methods: The study is a retrospective analysis of prospective collected data of 84 women aged 23-62 years. In the study group are women suffering from grade 1 or 2 stress urinary incontinence according to the Stamey classification; the control group consists of women with no micturition disorders. The abdominal muscles' activity was measured by using ultrasound imaging with assessment of muscle thickness., Results: The analysis of musculus obliquus externus abdominis in anterolateral abdominal wall activity shows a statistically significant difference between study and control groups concerning isometric tension of abdominal muscles ( p = 0.012) and lower abdomen tension ( p = 0.004). Women with stress urinary incontinence present higher activity of the musculus obliquus externus abdominis than women in the control group. In the case of the musculus obliquus internus abdominis , statistically significant differences were found during tension of the lower part of the abdomen ( p = 0.024). Comparison of activity of the musculus transversus abdominis between study and control groups shows a statistically significant difference during isometric tension of abdominal muscles ( p = 0.018)., Conclusions: The pattern of activity of the assessed muscles differs between the study group and the control group. In the study group, the activity pattern concerns the higher activity of the musculus obliquus externus abdominis and the lower activity of the musculus obliquus internus abdominis and musculus transversus abdominis., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright: © 2021 Termedia & Banach.)

Urinary incontinence in the general population occurs in 7% of non-pregnant women under 39 years old, 17% of those 40 to 59 years old, and 23-32% of those over 60 years old. In athletes the prevalence is higher, especially in high-impact training and gravity sports. Pelvic floor muscles (PFM) have two important roles; they serve as the support for abdominal organs and are crucial for closure of the urethra, vagina and rectum. We present the proper mechanisms of PFM caudal contractions with proper abdominal muscle control to avoid excessive intra-abdominal pressure. Pelvic floor sonography is discussed as the only objective method for pelvic floor examination among sportswomen and a tool which should be used routinely by urophysiotherapists and urogynecologists. A multidisciplinary individualized approach to stress urinary incontinence among athletes is presented including: physiotherapy, diagnostic imaging, use of a pessary, tampons, pharmacologic and surgical treatment. We present guidelines for stress urinary incontinence treatment in sportswomen of different age., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright: © 2020 Termedia & Banach.)

Introduction: Endometriosis is a chronic disease that involves the development of endometrium outside the uterine cavity with pain component predominance. The aim of the study was to discuss the occurrence of health problems in patients with endometriomas and simple cysts and the effect of these problems on the daily functioning of the patients., Material and Methods: The study included patients ( n = 40) treated laparoscopically and/or by laparotomy due to lesions in the form of endometriomas or simple cysts. The control group ( n = 36) consisted of healthy patients of the Gynecological Clinic, with no changes in adnexa confirmed in vaginal ultrasound examination. The original authors' questionnaire and the Nottingham Health Profile Questionnaire (NHP) were used as research tools., Results: Analysis of the correlation with Spearman's test demonstrated a statistically significant relationship between the size of the tumor and the occurrence of sleep disorders only in the group of women suffering from endometriomas ( r = -0.348; p = 0.041). Women with endometriomas significantly more often reported problems (Cramer's V) in the sphere of "paid work" ( p < 0.001), "housework" ( p < 0.001), in social life ( p < 0.001), problems in sexual life ( p < 0.001) as well as problems in continuing hobbies ( p < 0.001) and in spending free time ( p < 0.001)., Conclusions: Since the stage of endometriosis does not correlate with subjective complaints, it seems that an additional routine evaluation of quality of life, including an assessment of the severity of the disease, is warranted. Routine use of the Nottingham Health Profile Questionnaire in patients with endometriosis can improve also the assessment of the treatment., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright: © 2019 Termedia & Banach.)

Introduction: Cardiovascular (CV) diseases remain a leading global cause of death. It has been proven that the use of acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) in secondary prevention reduces the CV risk, while the benefits of ASA in primary prevention have recently been debated. The aim of the study was to compare the antiplatelet effect of standardised tomato extract (STE) and ASA in hypertensive patients with high CV risk., Material and Methods: The study involved high-risk patients with arterial hypertension (AH) randomly assigned to one of two groups: group 1 included 33 patients receiving ASA and group 2 included 32 patients receiving STE. The platelet aggregation was determined using the VerifyNow analyser., Results: After 4 weeks of ASA treatment in group 1, a statistically significant reduction in aspirin reaction units (ARU) was observed ( p < 0.001). However, the obese subgroup using ASA ( n = 18) did not reveal a significant decrease in ARU ( p > 0.05). After 4 weeks of STE treatment in the obese subgroup ( n = 14), significant declines in ARU by 8.6% (95% CI: -19.5 to -1.7%; p < 0.05) and in P2Y12 reaction units (PRU) by 7.5% (95% CI: -17.6 to 1.8%; p < 0.05) were observed., Conclusions: The antiplatelet effect of STE in hypertensive patients may be weight dependent. The group with AH and obesity might have potentially benefitted from STE treatment.

Introduction: The cause of a significant number of miscarriages remains unexplained. There is a need to identify the potential role of environmental, dietary and lifestyle factors in the risk of pregnancy loss. The present study was the first to investigate the content of miscarried embryonic material with respect to eight metals (aluminium, cadmium, chromium, copper, manganese, nickel, lead and zinc)., Material and Methods: Embryonic tissue samples ( n = 20) were obtained from women undergoing misoprostol-induced removal of the embryo between the 6 th and 9 th week of gestation. The content of metals was analyzed using microwave-induced nitrogen plasma atomic emission spectrometry. Based on a short questionnaire, the smoking habits, dietary patterns and place of living of the investigated women were determined., Results: The general mean content of metals (μg/g) decreased in the order copper (33.9) > manganese (24.7) > chromium (13.6) > zinc (13.3) > aluminium (6.5) > nickel (3.0) > lead (2.9) > cadmium (2.5). Profoundly increased concentrations (p < 0.05) of the toxic elements aluminium (over 5-fold), cadmium (over 2-fold) and lead (over 2-fold) were observed in samples obtained from former smoking women. The miscarried material in urban populations also revealed higher levels of cadmium (over 1.5-fold) and lead (over 2-fold) compared to that obtained from women living in rural areas ( p < 0.05). No associations with age or diet were found ( p > 0.05)., Conclusions: This study identified increased levels of aluminum, cadmium and lead in miscarried embryonic material and suggests some causative factors.

Introduction: There are many indications for breast augmentation, including reconstruction after mastectomy, correction of congenital disorders and cosmetic procedures. The most frequent local complication of this surgery is capsule formation due to fibrosis. The aim of the study was to assess the usefulness of sonoelastography in the evaluation of capsule formation around silicone implants., Material and Methods: The study group included 13 patients aged 20 to 41, who underwent breast augmentation with silicone implants. Their 26 breasts were examined before surgery, 7 and 14 days and a minimum of 8.5 months after surgery. The breast stiffness was assessed with tonometry and shear wave elastography to evaluate elasticity of the breast tissue and capsule formation after surgery., Results: We assessed the correlation between capsular elasticity measured at successive visits and the Baker scale. There were no significant relationships between any pairs of variables (p > 0.05). We also analyzed the correlation between the time of the follow-up and changes in the tissue elasticity of every region - no significant relationship was found. The greatest decrease in pericapsular elasticity was established in lower and inner quadrants. Moreover, there was a significant difference between the elasticity of the tissue before and 1 week after surgery (p < 0.05) and no significant changes in the elasticity before surgery and at the end of the follow-up., Conclusions: Sonoelastography is precise in evaluation of capsule formation after breast augmentation. It may show changes that cannot be assessed using palpation.

Introduction: Recent studies have demonstrated a strong correlation between obesity, insulin resistance, increased insulin and insulin-like growth factor levels and the risk of breast cancer. Our study was aimed at exploring correlations between glucose, insulin, insulin resistance, obesity and quantitatively estimated breast elasticity in healthy women., Material and Methods: The pilot study included 37 premenopausal women aged 22-45 years who underwent B-mode sonography and real-time shear wave elastography. Blood was collected for fasting insulin and glucose, and HOMA insulin resistance index was calculated., Results: The mean elasticity of glandular and fatty tissue measured in both breasts was 12.5 ±3.5 kPa and 10.9 ±3.7 kPa respectively. Insulin levels did not correlate with glandular tissue elasticity (Rs=-0.23, p=0.15), but nearly correlated with fat tissue elasticity (Rs=-0.30, p=0.06), in outer quadrants significantly (Rs=-0.38, p=0.02). Interestingly, a strong correlation of insulin and insulin resistance with elasticity heterogeneity was found in fatty tissue (Rs=-0.59, p<0.001 and Rs=-0.60, p<0.001 respectively). The heterogeneity of fatty tissue but not glandular elasticity also correlated with body mass index., Conclusions: Insulin levels and insulin resistance correlate with breast fat tissue heterogeneity, but their role in breast pathology remains unclear.

Introduction: Many physiological changes of breast elasticity depend on the age, hormonal status, menstrual cycle and many others. The aim of this study was to evaluate viscoelastic properties of normal breast tissues in a large group of women and to search for factors which play a role in its mechanical properties., Material and Methods: 101 women aged 18-74 years who underwent B-mode sonography and additionally sonoelastography. We measured viscoelasticity in 8 quadrants by a share wave ultrasonic device estimating Young modules in regions of interest., Results: Mean elasticity measured in all 8 scans in glandular and fatty tissue were 11.28 ±5.79 kPa (0.1-46.26 kPa) and 9.24 ±4.48 kPa (0.1-29.78 kPa), respectively. The correlation between age and mean elasticity of glandular tissue was Rs = 0.27 (p = 0.007). The correlation between glandular tissue elasticity heterogeneity and breast mastalgia measured by VAS was Rs = -0.23 (p = 0.241). Fat tissue elasticity correlated with duration of lactation was Rs = 0.21 (p = 0.01)., Conclusions: There are several parameters influencing breast viscoelasticity measured by share wave sonoelastography. Glandular tissue elasticity correlates positively with age, fatty tissue elasticity correlates positively with duration of lactation and heterogeneity of the elasticity map of glandular tissue correlates with breast pain and fat tissue with BMI.

Introduction: In modern medicine the cause of infertility is believed to be immune mechanism disorders as well as immune over-reactivity. The objective of this thesis is to evaluate the diagnostic usefulness of measuring the concentration of soluble TNF-α receptors p55 and p75 in women with primary infertility., Material and Methods: EXAMINATION SUBJECTS: 41 female patients with primary sterility in the period January-September 2005. The control group consisted of 13 female patients. For identification of soluble receptors' p55 and p75 TNF-α concentration was used commercial ELISA kits. Quantitative in vitro method of hormone identification in blood serum of plasma (ECLIA) has been used to estimate hormone concentration. Results have been analyzed with Student's t-test, Wilcoxon's test, Fisher's exact test and Spearman's test. P value<0.05 was considered significant., Results: There is no significant statistical relation between concentration of soluble p55 and p75 TNF-α receptors and age, BMI index, or length of periods. In the case of soluble p75 TNF-α receptor a statistical correlation with length of period was found (p = 0.004). From the statistical point of view, the most advantageous relation was found in the case of p75 TNF-α soluble receptor and thickness of endometrium (p = 0.007) as well as the correlation of p55/p75 soluble receptors (p = 0.05). The statistical analysis of correlations between TNFR1 and TNFR2 receptors and concentration of hormones FSH, LH, PRL, E2 and testosterone showed no dependence of TNFR1 and TNFR2 receptor concentrations and concentrations of examined hormones. Statistical analysis of relations of TNFR1/TNFR2 receptor concentrations revealed a significant correlation between these receptors and concentration of LH (p = 0.05)., Conclusions: The correlation between endometrium thickness, size of dominating vesicle and concentration of LH compared to concentrations of soluble TNF-α?receptors p55 and p75 and their ratio might condition the time of survival of the vesicle or lead to excessive expression of its atresion-leading conditions.