The evaluation of regret status in women following tubal ligation in Turkey.

BACKGROUND: Tubal ligation (TL) is increasingly common worldwide. Women may regret after undergoing this permanent form of contraception. This study aimed to investigate the regret rate and the causes of regret in women following TL in Turkey. Materials and Meth- ods: This questionnaire-based study included 253 women interviewed via telephone at least one year after TL. The women were grouped as regretful (n3 1), satisfied (n=170), and undecided (n=52) according to their answers to two questions. The ones who were undecided were excluded from the study. The comparison between the answers of regretful and satisfied women were performed using the Student t- test and the Chi Square test. RESULTS: The rate of regret after TL was 12-15%. The factors increasing the regret rate were TL before the age of 30, absence of spouse's support, and the thought of inability to have children in future. The percentage of patients stating that they accepted the TL procedure without comprehending its permanent nature or experienced health problems after TL was higher among less-educated women and these were the factors increasing regret rates. CONCLUSIONS: TL should be performed in women older than 30 years, after an adequate amount of information suited to the educational level of the patient and with full support of the patient's spouse.

Effect of Ramadan fasting on metabolic markers, dietary intake and abdominal fat distribution in pregnancy.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of Ramadan intermittent fasting on metabolic markers, dietary intake, anthropometric measurements, and abdominal visceral fat thickness (VFT) in pregnancy. METHODS: Seventy-eight healthy pregnant subjects who had fasted for at least 15 days during the month of Ramadan in 2012 and 2013 and 78 controls were included in this study. Metabolic markers, dietary intake, anthropometric measurements, and ultrasonographic VFT were calculated for each subject before and after Ramadan fasting. RESULTS: When before and after Ramadan values in the fasting group were compared, we found that daily protein intake was increased (p <0.001), but fat and carbohydrate intake remained unchanged. A significant reduction was observed in liquid consumption while the frequency of asymptomatic bacteriuria was increased. High-density lipoprotein significantly increased, and glycated hemoglobin, insulin, and homeostasis model index significantly decreased (p =0.005, p =0.01, p <0.001, and p =0.03, respectively). A significant increase in ferritin was found (p =0.02). No change was observed in subcutaneous fat thickness, while VFT significantly decreased (p =0.08, p =0.005). However, in the control group, only ferritin level increased. CONCLUSION: A combined change in the number and timing of meals and the portioning of the entire daily intake into only two meals per day may have beneficial metabolic effects and reduction in VFT during pregnancy. Hippokratia 2015; 19 (4): 298-303.

Seed longevity and germination characteristics of six fen plant species.

Fens are among the most threatened habitats in Europe as their area has decreased considerably in the last centuries. For successful management and restoration conservationists need detailed knowledge about seed bank formation and seed longevity of plants, as these features are closely related to successional and vegetation dynamical processes. I analysed seed longevity and the germination characteristics of six fen plant species by seed burial experiments. Based on seed weight, seed bank was expected for long-term persistent for the light-seeded Schoenus nigricans, Carex appropinquata, C. pseudocyperus, C. davalliana and Peucedanum palustre and also that for the medium-seeded Cicuta virosa. It was proved that, the latter two species have short-term persistent seed banks, while Carex pseudocyperus has a transient seed bank, therefore these species may only have a limited role in restoration from seed banks. It was found that Schoenus nigricans, Carex appropinquata and C. davalliana have persistent seed banks, because some of their four-year-old seeds have emerged. Fresh seeds had low germination rate in all studied species and majority of seeds emerged after winter, except for Carex pseudocyperus. After the germination peak in spring, the majority of the ungerminated seeds of Schoenus nigricans, Peucedanum palustre, Carex appropinquata, C. davalliana and Cicuta virosa entered a secondary dormancy phase that was broken in autumn. I found the seasonal emergence of the latter three species highly similar.

Determination of amlodipine in human plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection.

A sensitive and specific HPLC method has been developed for the assay of amlodipine in human plasma. The assay involves derivatization with 4-chloro-7-nitrobenzofurazan (NBD-Cl), solid-phase extraction on a silica column and isocratic reversed-phase chromatography with fluorescence detection. Nortriptyline hydrochloride was used as an internal standard. The assay was linear over the concentration range of 0.25-18.00 ng/ml. Both of the within-day and day-to-day reproducibility and accuracy were less than 11.80% and 12.00%, respectively. The plasma profile following a single administration of 10 mg amlodipine to a healthy volunteer was presented.

[Abortions in Hajdu-Bihar County]. / Terhessegmegszakitasok Hajdu-Bihar megyeben.

PIP: The author examines the frequency of abortion in Hajdu-Binar County, Hungary. From 1981 to 1989, the number of abortions increased for all age groups of females, but large differences are noted among age groups. Surgical abortions increased the most among those 19 years and younger. This is attributed in part to early sexual experience but also to the lack of sex education and of information on contraception. The author strongly associates recent increases with uncertain socioeconomic conditions, weakening marital relations, and low levels of sexual and health knowledge.^ieng