Natural pain relief measures: effect on labor outcome

A variety of pain relieving measures in labor are available, both pharmacological and non-pharmacological methods. The goal is to use a method to reduce or modify labor pains without causing ill effects to the mother or baby. All forms of pain medications cross the placental barrier affecting the baby, so natural measures for pain relief are appropriate methods to be easily used by nurses, midwives at hospital or at home births. This study included 200 parturients divided equally into 4 groups. The first group received back massage only; the second group received heat compresses and the third group received both massage and heat compresses. The fourth group was a control group applying conventional pharmacological pain relief measures. Severe pain was experienced significantly more among women in the control group [88%] than the intervention groups [16%, 18% and 12% respectively, p < 0.001]. The fetal heart rates and the maternal vital signs were not affected in the study groups. This study emphasized the natural non-pharmacological inexpensive methods as effective measures for pain relief during labor

P53 tumor suppressor gene evaluation in ovarian cancer by DGGE based mutation scanning

Ovarian cancer remains the leading cause of death from gynecologic malignancy in western countries. This cancer results from a succession of genetic alterations involving oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes, which have a critical role in normal cell growth regulations. Forty-nine patients were studied for p53 mutations detection using combination of PCR amplification and DGGE which allows comprehensive mutation scanning for exons [5-8], mutation were confirmed by DNA gene sequencing. From 49 cases 5 cases showed mutation [10.2%] 3 mutations were detected in exon 6, one in exon 8, one in exon 5 [3] and all were point mutations. Of total mutations detected four were serous adenocarcinoma [4/24] [16.7%] and one was undifferentiated carcinoma. Detection of gene mutations by DGGE has proved to be a very accurate strategy

Gasless laparoscopy: one year experience at Ain Shams University

To evaluate one year experience of the gasless laparoscopy technique using the whole abdominal wall-lifting method. Prospective observation study over one year. The Ain Shams University Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital. In a one year period fifteen cases underwent gas-less laparoscopic procedure for different indications: Nine cases for diagnostic infertility purposes and six cases for operative laparoscopy. The operative laparoscopy cases included 2 cases for adhesiolysis, 2 cases for laparoscopic assisted vaginal hysterectomy [LAVH], one case for missed intrauterine contraceptive device [IUCD] retrieval and one for ovarian cystectomy during pregnancy. All operations were performed successfully with gasless technique except 2 cases. One of them had laparoconversion to pneumoperitoneum. The other one had her LAVH completed through a laparotomy. There were no recorded surgical complications in the remaining 13 cases who were completed by gasless technique. There were uneventful postoperative recovery periods. The preliminary experience of gasless laparoscopy in the first year of introduction of abdominal wall lifting procedures in our institute seems to be encouraging. Continued modifications and training are mandatory to delineate the full range of benefit of this technique