This paper introduces a new kind of local consistency based on the general idea of singleton arc consistency (SAC). This is a reduced form of SAC that only considers neighbourhoods of a variable with a singleton domain; hence, the name “neighbourhood SAC” (NSAC). Like AC and SAC, NSAC has a unique fixpoint, so that NSAC algorithms will produce the same result when applied to a problem regardles...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate whether manual or electric vacuum aspiration results in greater immediate confirmation of completed abortion at less than 6 weeks of gestation. METHODS Five hundred pregnant women presenting for surgical abortion with mean gestational sac diameter of less than 12 mm or no visible sac on ultrasonography were randomized to manual or electric vacuum aspiration. Tissue exami...

OBJECTIVES New early first-trimester diagnostic criteria for nonviable pregnancy recommended by the Society of Radiologists in Ultrasound via a multispecialty consensus panel extended the diagnostic size criteria of crown-rump length from 5 to 7 mm for embryos without a heartbeat and mean sac diameter from 16 to 25 mm for "empty" sacs. Our study assessed the potential impact of the new criteria...

Introduction: In an ectopic pregnancy, most patients present with 5 to 9 weeks of amenorrhea, mild pelvic pain and vaginal spotting which triggers the evaluation pregnancy. The presence extrauterine gestational sac containing a yolk or embryo is specific sonographic finding whereas echogenic tubal ring in adnexa common finding.1 This study aimed find accuracy ultrasound findings versus clinical...

The dearth of plasma alpha fetoprotein reference ranges for preterm infants often impairs the clinical interpretation of plasma alpha fetoprotein data collected from ill babies. This study tested our hypothesis that meaningful plasma reference ranges could be established for preterm infants by a simple correction of patient age at sampling date for gestational age deficit at birth. Using a modi...

Throughout life, the hematopoietic system requires a supportive microenvironment that allows for the maintenance and differentiation of hematopoietic stem cells (HSC). To understand the cellular interactions and molecules that provide these functions, investigators have previously established stromal cell lines from the late gestational stage and adult murine hematopoietic microenvironments. Ho...

In early pregnancy, the O(2) gradient between the maternal circulation and the gestational sac tissues modulates trophoblast biological functions. The aim was to evaluate if placental partial pressure of oxygen (PaO(2)) modulates in vivo synthesis of specific placental proteins inside the first trimester gestational sac. Matched samples of peripheral venous blood, blood from the placental bed (...