BACKGROUND Intrauterine infection may play a role in preterm delivery due to spontaneous preterm labor (PTL) and preterm prolonged rupture of membranes (PPROM). Because bacteria previously associated with preterm delivery are often difficult to culture, a molecular biology approach was used to identify bacterial DNA in placenta and fetal membranes. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS We used broad...

Background & aim: Low levels of maternal haemoglobin and haematocrit in the first, second, and third trimesters are considered as possible risk factors regarding low birth weight (LBW) and preterm labour (PTL). The present study aimed to evaluate the relationship between maternal haemoglobin (Hb) and haematocrit (HCT) levels with LBW and PTL. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on...

BACKGROUND The clinical differential diagnosis of classic 21-hydroxylase deficiency (C21OHD) and cytochrome P450 oxidoreductase deficiency (PORD) is sometimes difficult, because both deficiencies can have similar phenotypes and high blood concentrations of 17α-hydroxyprogesterone (17OHP). The objective of this study was to identify biochemical markers for the differential diagnosis of C21OHD, P...

Methyl-CpG binding domain 2 (MBD2) leads to the silencing of methylated genes in cancer cells and was implicated in the activation of prometastatic genes in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The present study aimed to investigate the expression status of MBD2 in HCC and the correlation with surgical outcomes. The correlation between clinical prognostic factors and MBD2 were also evaluated. MBD2 e...

Pertussis toxin of Bordetella pertussis is secreted by a type IV secretion system comprised of the products of the nine ptl (pertussis toxin liberation) genes. These proteins are believed to form a complex spanning both the inner and outer membranes and passing through the peptidoglycan layer. Peptidoglycan acts as a barrier for transport through the periplasm of large folded molecules. Assembl...

OBJECTIVE To determine whether the predictive accuracy of sonographic cervical length (CL) for preterm delivery (PTD) in women with threatened preterm labor (PTL) is related to gestational age (GA) at presentation. STUDY DESIGN A retrospective cohort study of all women with singleton pregnancies who presented with PTL at less than 34 + 0 weeks and underwent sonographic measurement of CL in a ...

Primary lymphoma is an uncommon malignancy of the thyroid, comprising of 0.6 to 5 per cent of thyroid cancers in most series. Primary thyroid lymphomas (PTL) occur most commonly in elderly women and are commonly of B- cell origin. These frequently present in clinical stage IE and IIE. We report here ten cases of PTL diagnosed over a period of about 7 years in our institute. Out of these ten cas...

We designed and fabricated a 4 4 switch in which all interconnections were implemented using passive transmission lines (PTLs). The switch consisted of four identical 2 2 switches connected using PTLs. The 2 2 switch was designed using gate-to-gate passive interconnections. Using the on-chip testing method, we demonstrated 40-GHz operation of the 4 4 switch. To verify the effectiveness of passi...

Incidence of thyroidal masses is very high with predominance in females. Most of these masses are benign. Malignancy can be of thyroid or non-thyroid origin. Surgery is treatment of choice in the former but not in latter. Primary thyroid lymphoma (PTL) is a rare cause of thyroid malignancy of non-thyroid origin which is highly treatable without surgery but early diagnosis is important requisite...

PROBLEM To determine whether amniotic fluid (AF) CXCL10 concentration is associated with histologic chronic chorioamnionitis in patients with preterm labor (PTL) and preterm prelabor rupture of the membranes (PROM). METHOD OF STUDY This study included 168 women who had an episode of PTL or preterm PROM. AF interleukin (IL)-6 and CXCL10 concentrations were determined by immunoassay. RESULTS ...