The continuing influence of William Smellie (1697-1763) in Japan during the early Meiji Period (1868-1880s).

From the second half of the 18th century, Japanese obstetricians incorporated William Smellie's Anatomical Tables in their publications. The translation and explanation of an obstetrical print from 1880 indicates that Smellie's influence continued during the early Meiji period, a transition period characterized by a combination of western knowledge and traditional medical thoughts from the Edo period (1603-1868).

European 18th-century obstetrical pioneers in Japan: a new light in the empire of the sun.

From the second half of the 18th century, Japanese physicians incorporated concepts of European medicine in their publications. Dutch physicians had a pivotal role in this process, facilitated by their trade relations in Deshima, near Nagasaki. This paper focuses on the influence of later Dutch editions (probably the 1765 edition) of Hendrik van Deventer's pioneer work Nieuw Ligt (a New Light) on Japanese obstetrics, especially on Katakura Kakuryo's publication in 1799 of Sanka Hatsumo (Enlightenment of Obstetrics).

Disclosure of an unknown portrait of the Hungarian conjoined twin sisters Helen and Judith (1701-23).

Recently an anonymous and unknown portrait of two renowned conjoined twins, the Hungarian sisters Helen & Judith (1701-23), was discovered. The portrait shows striking similarities with the representation of the twins in a popular work on cultural anthropology and medicine printed in Augsburg, Germany, in 1805.

Systemic interleukin-10 concentrations do not alter between the first and second trimester in normal pregnancy.

BACKGROUND: Interleukin 10 (IL-10) is involved in normal fecundity and systemic IL-10 changes during gestation might reflect an immunologic shift at the maternal-fetal interface. METHODS: Serum IL-10 levels were measured in the first and second trimester of uncomplicated pregnancy in 32 women. The low interassay coefficient of variation of the low adjustor of the IL-10 assay (5.2%) enabled us to detect IL-10 concentrations between 0.50 pg/ml and 4.0 pg/ml. RESULTS: There was no statistically significant difference between serum IL-10 levels in the first trimester (median 1.10; range 0.53-4.60 pg/ml) and second trimester (median 1.05; range 0.64-3.30 pg/ml). CONCLUSION: IL-10 is not systemically activated to a detectable degree between the first and second trimester of normal pregnancy.

A new device for bone anchor fixation in laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy: the Franciscan laparoscopic bone anchor inserter.

BACKGROUND: A laparoscopic modification of the sacrocolpopexy procedure with mesh and bone anchor fixation with the Franciscan laparoscopic bone anchor inserter was developed. METHODS: We developed a laparoscopic bone anchor inserter for the placement of a titanium bone anchor in sacral segment 3 as fixation for the mesh in laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy procedures performed in women with posthysterectomy vault prolapse. RESULTS: Surgery successfully corrected vaginal vault prolapse. Laparoscopic bone anchor insertion with this new and simple device took 2 minutes and provided a firm anchor for mesh fixation. MRI demonstrated an anatomically preferable vaginal axis toward the hollow of the sacrum. CONCLUSION: Application of the newly developed Franciscan laparoscopic bone anchor inserter in laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy is an easy and safe procedure that provides firm fixation and excellent anatomical results.

Midtrimester screening for microalbuminuria in healthy pregnant women.

To ascertain the effectiveness and feasibility of testing for microalbuminuria and the albumin/creatinine ratio as an early indication of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, we measured albumin and creatinine excretion in 95 healthy pregnant women between 16 and 20 weeks of pregnancy. Nine women developed hypertensive complications; one of them became pre-eclamptic. There were no statistically significant differences in urine albumin and creatinine concentrations nor in the albumin/creatinine ratio between those women who developed pregnancy-induced hypertension and those who did not. Microalbuminuria testing had a specificity of 0.95 (95% CI: 0.88 - 0.99) and a sensitivity of 0.11 (95% CI: 0.03 - 0.48). The albumin/creatinine ratio had a specificity of 0.98 (95% CI: 0.92 - 1.0) and a sensitivity of 0.22 (95% CI: 0.03 - 0.6). The albumin/creatinine ratio was significantly lower in women who delivered prematurely. We conclude that mid-trimester testing for microalbuminuria and the measurement of the urinary albumin/creatinine ratio are not effective tools for the early recognition of pregnancy-induced hypertension in healthy pregnant women.