Equation of State and Thermometry of the 2D SU(N) Fermi-Hubbard Model.

We characterize the equation of state (EoS) of the SU(N>2) Fermi-Hubbard Model (FHM) in a two-dimensional single-layer square optical lattice. We probe the density and the site occupation probabilities as functions of interaction strength and temperature for N=3, 4, and 6. Our measurements are used as a benchmark for state-of-the-art numerical methods including determinantal quantum Monte Carlo and numerical linked cluster expansion. By probing the density fluctuations, we compare temperatures determined in a model-independent way by fitting measurements to numerically calculated EoS results, making this a particularly interesting new step in the exploration and characterization of the SU(N) FHM.

Final COMPASS Results on the Transverse-Spin-Dependent Azimuthal Asymmetries in the Pion-Induced Drell-Yan Process.

The COMPASS Collaboration performed measurements of the Drell-Yan process in 2015 and 2018 using a 190 GeV/c π^{-} beam impinging on a transversely polarized ammonia target. Combining the data of both years, we present final results on the amplitudes of five azimuthal modulations, which correspond to transverse-spin-dependent azimuthal asymmetries (TSAs) in the dimuon production cross section. Three of them probe the nucleon leading-twist Sivers, transversity, and pretzelosity transverse-momentum dependent (TMD) parton distribution functions (PDFs). The other two are induced by subleading effects. These TSAs provide unique new inputs for the study of the nucleon TMD PDFs and their universality properties. In particular, the Sivers TSA observed in this measurement is consistent with the fundamental QCD prediction of a sign change of naive time-reversal-odd TMD PDFs when comparing the Drell-Yan process with deep inelastic scattering. Also, within the context of model predictions, the observed transversity TSA is consistent with the expectation of a sign change for the Boer-Mulders function.

Does serous tubal intraepithelial carcinoma (STIC) metastasize? The clonal relationship between STIC and subsequent high-grade serous carcinoma in BRCA1/2 mutation carriers several years after risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy.

OBJECTIVE: The majority of high-grade serous carcinomas (HGSC) of the ovary, fallopian tube, and peritoneum arise from the precursor lesion called serous tubal intraepithelial carcinoma (STIC). It has been postulated that cells from STICs exfoliate into the peritoneal cavity and give rise to peritoneal HGSC several years later. While co-existent STICs and HGSCs have been reported to share similarities in their mutational profiles, clonal relationship between temporally distant STICs and HGSCs have been infrequently studied and the natural history of STICs remains poorly understood. METHODS: We performed focused searches in two national databases from the Netherlands and identified a series of BRCA1/2 germline pathogenic variant (GPV) carriers (n = 7) who had STIC, and no detectable invasive carcinoma, at the time of their risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy (RRSO), and later developed peritoneal HGSC. The clonal relationship between these STICs and HGSCs was investigated by comparing their genetic mutational profile by performing next-generation targeted sequencing. RESULTS: Identical pathogenic mutations and loss of heterozygosity of TP53 were identified in the STICs and HGSCs of five of the seven patients (71%), confirming the clonal relationship of the lesions. Median interval for developing HGSC after RRSO was 59 months (range: 24-118 months). CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that cells from STIC can shed into the peritoneal cavity and give rise to HGSC after long lag periods in BRCA1/2 GPV carriers, and argues in favor of the hypothesis that STIC lesions may metastasize.

Triangle Singularity as the Origin of the a_{1}(1420).

The COMPASS Collaboration experiment recently discovered a new isovector resonancelike signal with axial-vector quantum numbers, the a_{1}(1420), decaying to f_{0}(980)π. With a mass too close to and a width smaller than the axial-vector ground state a_{1}(1260), it was immediately interpreted as a new light exotic meson, similar to the X, Y, Z states in the hidden-charm sector. We show that a resonancelike signal fully matching the experimental data is produced by the decay of the a_{1}(1260) resonance into K^{*}(→Kπ)K[over ¯] and subsequent rescattering through a triangle singularity into the coupled f_{0}(980)π channel. The amplitude for this process is calculated using a new approach based on dispersion relations. The triangle-singularity model is fitted to the partial-wave data of the COMPASS experiment. Despite having fewer parameters, this fit shows a slightly better quality than the one using a resonance hypothesis and thus eliminates the need for an additional resonance in order to describe the data. We thereby demonstrate for the first time in the light-meson sector that a resonancelike structure in the experimental data can be described by rescattering through a triangle singularity, providing evidence for a genuine three-body effect.

BOX engineering to mitigate negative differential resistance in MFIS negative capacitance FDSOI FET: an analog perspective.

Till date, the existing understanding of negative differential resistance (NDR) is obtained from metal-ferro-metal-insulator-semiconductor (MFMIS) FET, and it has been utilized for both MFMIS and metal-ferro-insulator-semiconductor (MFIS) based NCFETs. However, in MFIS architecture, the ferroelectric capacitance (CFE) is not a lumped capacitance. Therefore, for MFIS negative capacitance (NC) devices, the physical explanation which governs the NDR mechanism needs to be addressed. In this work, for the first time, we present the first principle explanation of the NDR effect in MFIS NC FDSOI. We found that the output current variation with the drain to source voltage (VDS), (i.e.gds) primarily depends upon two parameters: (a)VDSdependent inversion charge gradient (∂n/∂VDS); (b)VDSsensitive electron velocity (∂v/∂VDS), and the combined effect of these two dependencies results in NDR. Further, to mitigate the NDR effect, we proposed the BOX engineered NC FDSOI FET, in which the buried oxide (BOX) layer is subdivided into the ferroelectric (FE) layer and the SiO2layer. In doing so, the inversion charge in the channel is enhanced by the BOX engineered FE layer, which in turn mitigates the NDR and a nearly zerogdswith a minimal positive slope has been obtained. Through well-calibrated TCAD simulations, by utilizing the obtained positivegds, we also designed aVDSindependent constant current mirror which is an essential part of analog circuits. Furthermore, we discussed the impact of the FE parameter (remanent polarization and coercive field) variation on the device performances. We have also compared the acquired results with existing literature on NC-based devices, which justifies that our proposed structure exhibits complete diminution of NDR, thus enabling its use in analog circuit design.

Unraveling the Origin of Differentiable 'Turn-On' Fluorescence Sensing of Zn2+ and Cd2+ Ions with Squaramides.

A squaramide ring conjugated with Schiff-bases decorated with hydroxy and methoxy functional groups differentially senses zinc and cadmium ions, which turn on the fluorescence. The feebly emitting free ligands light up in the presence of zinc and cadmium acetates, with the acetate ion playing a pivotal role as a conjugate anion. The selective and differentiable emission responses for zinc and cadmium ions make these ligands efficient multi-analyte sensing agents. Furthermore, these ligands could be used to differentially sense zinc and cadmium ions even in aqueous environments. The NMR investigations reveal marginal differences in the binding of zinc and cadmium ions to the ligands, whereas density functional theory calculations suggest the different extent of ligand-to-metal charge transfer (LMCT) contributes to the differential behavior. Finally, comparison of the excited-state dynamics of free ligand and the metal complexes reveal the appearance of longer lifetime (about 500-700 ps) component with complexation, due to rigidified molecular skeleton, thereby impeding the non-radiative processes.

Retrospective study of a 16 year cohort of BRCA1 and BRCA2 carriers presenting for RRSO: Prevalence of invasive and in-situ carcinoma, with follow-up.

OBJECTIVES: Carriers of BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations are at increased risk of high grade serous carcinoma and are therefore offered risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy (RRSO) by 40-45 years. Most of these carcinomas are believed to arise in the fallopian tube from serous tubal intraepithelial carcinoma (STIC). We conducted a retrospective study on the prevalence of high grade serous carcinoma and STIC in BRCA1/2 carriers presenting for RRSO, and their follow-up. METHODS: Consecutive BRCA1/2 carriers presenting for an RRSO at Erasmus MC (2000-2016) were studied. SEE-FIM pathology protocol was followed from 2010 onwards. For the cases with carcinoma and/or STIC, the histology was reviewed and immunohistochemistry (p53 & MIB-1) was performed. Next Generation Targeted Sequencing (NGTS) for TP53 mutation was used to establish clonality in 2 cases. RESULTS: Of the 527 included patients, 68% were BRCA1, 31.6% were BRCA2, and 0.4% carried both mutations. The prevalence of high grade serous carcinoma was 2.3% (12/527); 59% of these were of tubal origin. High grade serous carcinoma was more common in patients operated on after the recommended age (p = 0.03). Isolated STIC was present in 0.8% (4/527). Two BRCA1 carriers with isolated STIC at RRSO developed peritoneal serous carcinoma >7 years later. Identical TP53 mutations in the peritoneal serous carcinoma and the preceding STIC established their clonal origin. CONCLUSIONS: High grade serous carcinoma is more common in BRCA1/2 carriers presenting for RRSO after the recommended age, and is more often of tubal origin. Longer follow up of patients with STIC at RRSO should be considered.

First Measurement of Transverse-Spin-Dependent Azimuthal Asymmetries in the Drell-Yan Process.

The first measurement of transverse-spin-dependent azimuthal asymmetries in the pion-induced Drell-Yan (DY) process is reported. We use the CERN SPS 190 GeV/c π^{-} beam and a transversely polarized ammonia target. Three azimuthal asymmetries giving access to different transverse-momentum-dependent (TMD) parton distribution functions (PDFs) are extracted using dimuon events with invariant mass between 4.3 GeV/c^{2} and 8.5 GeV/c^{2}. Within the experimental uncertainties, the observed sign of the Sivers asymmetry is found to be consistent with the fundamental prediction of quantum chromodynamics (QCD) that the Sivers TMD PDFs extracted from DY have a sign opposite to the one extracted from semi-inclusive deep-inelastic scattering (SIDIS) data. We present two other asymmetries originating from the pion Boer-Mulders TMD PDFs convoluted with either the nucleon transversity or pretzelosity TMD PDFs. A recent COMPASS SIDIS measurement was obtained at a hard scale comparable to that of these DY results. This opens the way for possible tests of fundamental QCD universality predictions.

Measurement of the charged-pion polarizability.

The COMPASS collaboration at CERN has investigated pion Compton scattering, π(-)γ→π(-)γ, at center-of-mass energy below 3.5 pion masses. The process is embedded in the reaction π(-)Ni→π(-)γNi, which is initiated by 190 GeV pions impinging on a nickel target. The exchange of quasireal photons is selected by isolating the sharp Coulomb peak observed at smallest momentum transfers, Q(2)<0.0015 (GeV/c)(2). From a sample of 63,000 events, the pion electric polarizability is determined to be α(π)=(2.0±0.6(stat)±0.7(syst))×10(-4) fm(3) under the assumption α(π)=-ß(π), which relates the electric and magnetic dipole polarizabilities. It is the most precise measurement of this fundamental low-energy parameter of strong interaction that has been addressed since long by various methods with conflicting outcomes. While this result is in tension with previous dedicated measurements, it is found in agreement with the expectation from chiral perturbation theory. An additional measurement replacing pions by muons, for which the cross-section behavior is unambiguously known, was performed for an independent estimate of the systematic uncertainty.

Observation of a New Narrow Axial-Vector Meson a1(1420).

The COMPASS Collaboration at CERN has measured diffractive dissociation of 190 GeV/c pions into the π(-)π(-)π(+) final state using a stationary hydrogen target. A partial-wave analysis (PWA) was performed in bins of 3π mass and four-momentum transfer using the isobar model and the so far largest PWA model consisting of 88 waves. A narrow peak is observed in the f0(980)π channel with spin, parity and C-parity quantum numbers J(PC)=1(++). We present a resonance-model study of a subset of the spin-density matrix selecting 3π states with J(PC)=2(++) and 4(++) decaying into ρ(770)π and with J(PC)=1(++) decaying into f0(980)π. We identify a new a1 meson with mass (1414(-13)(+15)) MeV/c2 and width (153(-23)(+8)) MeV/c2. Within the final states investigated in our analysis, we observe the new a1(1420) decaying only into f0(980)π, suggesting its exotic nature.

Molecular cloning, sequencing and tissue-level expression of complement C3 of Labeo rohita (Hamilton, 1822).

Complement component C3 plays a central role in all known complement activation pathways. In the present study, we cloned, sequenced and analyzed the full-length cDNA sequence of Labeo rohita complement C3 (LRC3). The expression pattern of complement C3 mRNA in different tissues of healthy rohu and after challenge with Aeromonas hydrophila were evaluated using real-time PCR. The LRC3 cDNA sequence of rohu comprised of 5081 bp encoding a predicted protein of 1645 amino acids. The deduced amino acid sequence had the characteristic domain architecture. About eight domains specific to complement C3 are present in the sequence starting from signal peptide to netrin C345C (NTR) domain. The post-translational processing signal sequence (RKRR), the C3-convertase cleavage site sequence (LAR) and the canonical thiol-ester motif (GCGEQ) were found to be conserved in the LRC3. Real-time PCR analysis revealed the highest expression of C3 in liver and extra-hepatic expression of C3 was also observed in all the tissues studied. A. hydrophila challenge resulted in significant up-regulated expression of C3 transcripts in both liver and kidney at 6, 12, 24, 48 and 72 h post-infection.

Acclimation of brackish water pearl spot (Etroplus suratensis) to various salinities: relative changes in abundance of branchial Na(+)/K (+)-ATPase and Na (+)/K (+)/2Cl (-) co-transporter in relation to osmoregulatory parameters.

The present study was conducted to elucidate the osmoregulatory ability of the fish pearl spot (Etroplus suratensis) to know the scope of this species for aquaculture under various salinities. Juvenile pearl spot were divided into three groups and acclimated to freshwater (FW), brackish water (BW) or seawater (SW) for 15 days. The fish exhibited effective salinity tolerance under osmotic challenges. Although the plasma osmolality and Na(+), K(+) and Cl(-) levels increased with the increasing salinities, the parameters remained within the physiological range. The muscle water contents were constant among FW-, BW- and SW-acclimated fish. Two Na+/K+-ATPase α-isoforms (NKA α) were expressed in gills during acclimation in FW, BW and SW. Abundance of one isoform was up-regulated in response to seawater acclimation, suggesting its role in ion secretion similar to NKA α1b, while expression of another isoform was simultaneously up-regulated in response to both FW and SW acclimation, suggesting the presence of isoforms switching phenomenon during acclimation to different salinities. Nevertheless, NKA enzyme activities in the gills of the SW and FW individuals were higher (p < 0.05) than in BW counterparts. Immunohistochemistry revealed that Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase immunoreactive (NKA-IR) cells were mainly distributed in the interlamellar region of the gill filaments in FW groups and in the apical portion of the filaments in BW and SW groups. The number of NKA-IR cells in the gills of the FW-acclimated fish was almost similar to that of SW individuals, which exceeded that of the BW individuals. The NKA-IR cells of BW and SW were bigger in size than their FW counterparts. Besides, the relative abundance of branchial Na(+)/K(+)/2Cl(-) co-transporter showed stronger evidence in favor of involvement of this protein in hypo-osmoregulation, requiring ion secretion by the chloride cells. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study reporting the wide salinity tolerance of E. suratensis involving differential activation of ion transporters and thereby suggesting its potential as candidate for fish farming under different external salinities.

A clinical audit of the management of acute asthmatic attacks in adults and children presenting to an emergency department.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the guidelines in the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) acute asthma management protocol with actual practice in the Accident and Emergency Department. METHODS: A prospective docket audit was done of all consecutive medical records of patients, presenting with a diagnosed acute asthmatic attack between June 1 and September 30, 2010, to the emergency department of the UHWI. A convenient sample was used. The audit tool used was created from the UHWI protocol for the emergency management of asthma in adults and children, as well as the British Adult Asthma Audit Tool. The audit tool assessed three main sections: initial assessment, initial management, and discharge considerations. Data were coded and entered in Microsoft Excel 2007 and statistical analyses conducted using Stata version 10. Management patterns were compared to the actual protocol and then discussed. RESULTS: A total of 15 864 patients were seen during the study period. Of these, a total of 293 patients were seen for a presentation of acute asthma. More females (57.3%) than males were seen, with the mean age of 33.53 years. Only 31% of patients were given a severity assessment of mild, moderate, or severe. Peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) was attempted and recorded in 62%, but only 18.1% of patients had both pre and post PEFR done. Only 4.4% of patients were administered nebulizations within the suggested time frame. Positively, 94.2% of patients were given a prescription for inhaled corticosteroids and bronchodilators to continue post-discharge. CONCLUSIONS: Acute asthma management still remains an area of medical practice that continues to have long-standing difficulties. Failure to assess and document the severity of asthma attacks along with the under-utilization of PEFR was noted.

Therapeutic factor VIII does not trigger TLR1.2 and TLR2.6 signalling in vitro.

The administration of therapeutic factor VIII (FVIII) to patients with haemophilia A induces the development of inhibitory anti-FVIII IgG in a substantial number of patients. For an antigen-specific immune response to develop, antigen-presenting cells (APCs) need to mature and procure appropriate co-stimulatory signals to T cells at the time of presentation of the endocytosed antigen. The nature of the danger signals that induce APC maturation, thus initiating the anti-FVIII immune response, are yet ill-characterized. Contradictory reports on a direct effect of therapeutic FVIII on APC maturation have been released. Here, we investigated whether FVIII directly triggers Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) signalling. The capacity of human recombinant FVIII to promote the maturation of a mouse bone marrow macrophage cell line (BMA) was investigated by flow cytometry. In parallel, the triggering of TLR1.2 or TLR2.6-expressing HEK293 cells by FVIII was analysed following transfection of the cells with a reporter construct for NFκB activity. In contrast, to zymosan, a known TLR2 agonist, human recombinant FVIII did not induce the maturation of mouse BMA macrophages, as analysed by the levels of expression of CD80, CD86, CD40 and I-Ab at the cell surface. Furthermore, incubation of FVIII with cells expressing TLR2 paired with TLR1 or TLR6, failed to activate NFκB, whereas NKκB activity was triggered in the presence of zymosan. Our results confirm that FVIII alone is insufficient to trigger the maturation of APCs that is required to initiate an immune response.

Serum uric acid: an early indicator of oxidative stress in beta thalassemia population.

Iron induced alteration in the redox balance is a major complication in the beta thalassemia major patients receiving regular blood transfusion. Variable degrees of association between uric acid level with the free iron and its storage form ferritin in thalassemic patients are suggested to play a significant role in this alteration by an unclear mechanism. In the present study, we made an effort to analyze the association of serum uric acid with oxidative stress and to evaluate the predictive value of serum iron, serum ferritin and serum uric acid level on oxidative stress induced lipid peroxidation in beta thalassemic patients. For this we assayed these parameters in 61 patients of ß thalassemia major and 51 age and sex matched controls of a rural area of West Bengal. Serum TBARS, serum Uric acid, serum Ferritin and serum Iron levels were significantly higher in the patient group (p<0.001 for all of them). Significant correlations existed between serum levels of TBARS, Uric acid, Ferritin and Iron levels in the patient group whereas only serum TBARS levels showed significant correlation with serum iron level in the control group. Regression analysis revealed that uric acid levels have a better predictive value (ß=0.3, p=0.001) than serum ferritin value (ß=0.013, p=0.871) for indicating TBARS production.

Complete Heparin Reversal by Protamine during Off-Pump Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery (OPCAB): A Necessity or Myth?

In our country majority of the coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG) are done off-pump and was reported having excellent clinical outcome along with cost efficiency by various investigators. Heparin is commonly used as most effective anticoagulant, and protamine sulfate is now generally used to reverse the anticoagulant action of heparin. While under dosing of protamine may result in incomplete heparin reversal and prolonged anticoagulation, protamine overdosing is associated with impaired clot formation exerted by the intrinsic anti-coagulation properties of protamine itself, moreover protamine administration is associated with mild to severe cardiovascular and pulmonary complications. Apart from traditional full neutralization of heparin now-a-days, half dose protamine was also introduced showing good outcome regarding lower activated clotting time (ACT), overall, less surgical bleeding with less transfusion. This comparative study was designed to detect differences between traditional and decreased protamine dosing in Off-Pump Coronary Artery Bypass (OPCAB) surgery. Four hundred (400) patients who underwent Off-Pump Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery (OPCAB) surgery at our institution over a period of 12 months were analyzed and were divided into two groups. Group A- received 0.5mg of protamine per 100 unit of heparin; Group B-received 1.0mg of protamine per 100 unit of heparin. ACT, blood loss, hemoglobin and platelet count units of blood and blood product transfusion requirements, clinical outcome and hospital stay were assessed in each patient. This study showed that 0.5mg of protamine per 100 unit of heparin was always able to reverse the anticoagulant effect of heparin with no significant difference in hemodynamic parameters, amount of blood loss and requirements of blood transfusion in between the groups. A standard protamine dosing formula (protamine-heparin at ratio of 1:1) adequate for on-pump cardiac surgical procedures significantly overestimates protamine requirements for OPCAB. Patients treated with decreased protamine do not appear to have adverse outcomes in terms of post-operative bleeding.

True coincidence summing correction for a BEGe detector in close geometry measurements.

The true coincidence summing correction factor for a Broad Energy Germanium detector has been calculated at far and close geometry set-up using radioactive γ-ray sources. The correction factors were calculated using both experimental and analytical methods. Geant4 simulation was done to calculate the full-energy peak and total efficiencies of the detector. Standard, as well as fabricated mono-energetic γ-ray sources, were used for the γ-ray efficiency measurements. The simulated efficiencies of mono-energetic γ-ray sources were matched to the experimental γ-ray efficiencies by optimizing the detector parameters. The same parameters were used to obtain the full-energy peak and total efficiencies for γ-rays of current interest. Analytical and experimental correction factors were found to agree well with each other. The coincidence summing effect is found to be significant for source-to-detector distances less than 5 cm.

First measurement of chiral dynamics in π- γ → π- π- π+.

The COMPASS Collaboration at CERN has investigated the π- γ → π- π- π+ reaction at center-of-momentum energy below five pion masses, sqrt[s]<5m(π), embedded in the Primakoff reaction of 190 GeV pions impinging on a lead target. Exchange of quasireal photons is selected by isolating the sharp Coulomb peak observed at smallest momentum transfers, t'<0.001 GeV2/c2. Using partial-wave analysis techniques, the scattering intensity of Coulomb production described in terms of chiral dynamics and its dependence on the 3π-invariant mass m(3π)=sqrt[s] were extracted. The absolute cross section was determined in seven bins of sqrt[s] with an overall precision of 20%. At leading order, the result is found to be in good agreement with the prediction of chiral perturbation theory over the whole energy range investigated.

Does follistatin gene have any direct role in the manifestation of polycystic ovary syndrome in Indian women?

BACKGROUND: Out of a panel of 37 candidate genes tested for linkage with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), the strongest evidence of linkage was reported in the follistatin (FST) gene region. Subsequently, a couple of studies outside India investigated the FST gene for the presence of any mutations and its association with PCOS and the results were found to be largely inconsistent probably due to differences in the ethnic backgrounds and small sample sizes. AIMS: To screen the FST gene for mutations and to establish their association pattern with PCOS among a large cohort of South Indian women. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: Case-control study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: PCOS cases were recruited according to the 2003 Rotterdam diagnostic criteria. All the exons of the FST gene were amplified and analyzed in all the cases and controls for the presence of mutations using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and direct DNA sequencing. RESULTS: A total of 549 women consisting of 250 PCOS cases and 299 controls were recruited for the study. No mutations were found in any of the exons of the FST gene in our Indian sample which is consistent with an earlier finding among the Asian women from Singapore. Although three of the four cohorts of Caucasian background studied earlier reported variants, none of them could establish a strong association with PCOS. CONCLUSIONS: The occurrence of the exonic variants of FST gene seems to be dependent on the ethnic background of the subjects under study and its role in the PCOS pathophysiology cannot be established with hitherto available evidence.

Occurrence and determinants of postpartum maternal morbidities and disabilities among women in Matlab, Bangladesh.

The burden of maternal ill-health includes not only the levels of maternal mortality and complications during pregnancy and around the time of delivery but also extends to the standard postpartum period of 42 days with consequences of obstetric complications and poor management at delivery. There is a dearth of reliable data on these postpartum maternal morbidities and disabilities in developing countries, and more research is warranted to investigate these and further strengthen the existing safe motherhood programmes to respond to these conditions. This study aims at identifying the consequences of pregnancy and delivery in the postpartum period, their association with acute obstetric complications, the sociodemographic characteristics of women, mode and place of delivery, nutritional status of the mother, and outcomes of birth. From among women who delivered between 2007 and 2008 in the icddr,b service area in Matlab, we prospectively recruited all women identified with complicated births (n=295); a perinatal mortality (n=182); and caesarean-section delivery without any maternal indication (n=147). A random sample of 538 women with uncomplicated births, who delivered at home or in a facility, was taken as the control. All subjects were clinically examined at 6-9 weeks for postpartum morbidities and disabilities. Postpartum women who had suffered obstetric complications during birth and delivered in a hospital were more likely to suffer from hypertension [adjusted odds ratio (AOR)=3.44; 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.14-10.36], haemorrhoids (AOR=1.73; 95% CI=1.11-3.09), and moderate to severe anaemia (AOR=7.11; 95% CI=2.03-4.88) than women with uncomplicated normal deliveries. Yet, women who had complicated births were less likely to have perineal tears (AOR=0.05; 95% CI=0.02-0.14) and genital prolapse (AOR=0.22; 95% CI=0.06-0.76) than those with uncomplicated normal deliveries. Genital infections were more common amongst women experiencing a perinatal death than those with uncomplicated normal births (AOR=1.92; 95% CI=1.18-3.14). Perineal tears were significantly higher (AOR=3.53; 95% CI=2.32-5.37) among those who had delivery at home than those giving birth in a hospital. Any woman may suffer a postpartum morbidity or disability. The increased likelihood of having hypertension, haemorrhoids, or anaemia among women with obstetric complications at birth needs specific intervention. A higher quality of maternal healthcare services generally might alleviate the suffering from perineal tears and prolapse amongst those with a normal uncomplicated delivery.