Sexuality after hysterectomy at University of Jordan Hospital: a teaching hospital experience.

PURPOSE: This research concentrates on evaluating the sexual activity of the patients after having hysterectomy for benign disorders. SETTING: This analysis took place at the University of Jordan hospital. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The retrospective record was reviewed for over 2 years (from January 2008 to January 2010). The sample of study included a total number of 124 patients with benign disorders who underwent hysterectomy. The sexual life parameters indicate that 93 patients (75 %) felt general improvement in their performance, while 14 patients (11.3 %) complained of having suffered bad performance, 6 patients (4.8 %) noticed no changes, and 11 patients (8.9 %) did not provide any comment. As for the partner's sexual function (as relayed by the patients themselves), 69 patients (55.6 %) felt improvements in their performance and 23 (18.5 %) commented that their partners had bad performance, while 18 patients (14.5 %) noticed no changes and 14 (11.3 %) did not provide any comment. Patients were interviewed by the operating physician each of whom was subjected to an average of half an hour verbal interview after obtaining the prior written consent of the patient. Questionnaire forms were used to record the answers given by each patient. The interview data recorded in the questionnaires were analyzed. CONCLUSION: The result of these analyses significantly indicated that sexual function is a major cause of women's concern for scheduled hysterectomy. That is because they were influenced by both physiological and psychological factors. Even though the analysis results implied that there was a sizeable minority who evidently suffered a considerably worse outcome, it was recognized that hysterectomy leads to improvement in sexual function and health for the majority of women. Therefore, it is important to spread awareness among women and let them know that most probably they will neither lose their sexual desire after hysterectomy, nor they will lose their feminine shape or style.

Plasma drop and thin-film revealed distinguished molecular structure in pre-eclampsia: An investigation using synchrotron Fourier-transform infrared microspectroscopy.

Pre-eclampsia (PE) is a serious pregnancy-related disorder and the leading cause of maternal and fetal mortality and morbidity worldwide. The etiology of PE is poorly understood and a definitive diagnosis is still lacking. Herein, we used synchrotron-FTIR microspectroscopy as a new analytical tool to investigate the molecular changes in the structure and intensity of lipids (spectral range 3050-2800 cm-1) and protein-carbonyl (spectral range 1855-1485 cm-1) components of the plasma and link them to the pathogenesis of the disease. In the lipid region, an increase in the CH2 and CH3 peaks intensity was noticed in PE group compared to normotensive pregnancy reflecting abnormalities in the lipid profile and a high level of LDL. Increased CH2/CH3 ratio and red shifts were observed in the lipid region in PE highlighting structural variations of lipids and transformation of conformation of lipid tails. In the protein-carbonyl region, a decrease in the amide I and II absorption signals in the plasma of PE compared to normotensive controls was evident, and a red shift was noticed in the amide I region reflecting conformational changes and rearrangement in the α-helix secondary structure of the protein. Moreover, malondialdehyde level and lipid carbonyl peak at 1743 cm-1 were higher and more intense in PE due to the oxidative stress condition in PE. Spectral analysis of plasma drop from PE revealed that lipid and protein components tend to concentrate more in the central region of the drop, and that the most intense wavenumber values for the lipid and amide I region in the plasma drop were very comparable to their analogous in plasma film. Taken together, the current work provides evidence of the promising role of synchrotron-FTIR microspectroscopy in providing a better understanding of the pathophysiology of PE.

Investigating the molecular structure of placenta and plasma in pre-eclampsia by infrared microspectroscopy.

Pre-eclampsia (PE) is a serious hypertensive disorder with unclear etiology and lack of reliable diagnostic tests. In this study, IR microspectroscopy was applied to identify molecular changes associated with the pathogenesis of PE in placental tissues and plasma samples from pre-eclamptic women and normotensive matched controls. The obtained spectra were analyzed by multivariate analysis in the spectral ranges of 3050-2800 cm-1 and 1855-1485 cm-1 corresponding to lipid and protein-carbonyl components, respectively. In the lipid region, an increase in CH2/CH3 ratio was noticed and higher level of unsaturation index in placenta was evident. New lipid species emerged as a consequence of oxidative stress. The more intense peak at 1740 cm-1 in PE reflected higher level of LDL and VLDL. In the protein region, a decrease in the α-helix structure associated with gain in ß-sheet and ß-turn structures was detected. Our results revealed significant conformational changes in the protein secondary structure in PE illustrated by peak shifts and intensity alterations, particularly in amide I component. Variations in lipid order, membrane integrity, fatty acid saturation and plasma lipid profile were also detected in PE. The ROC curve generated from plasma samples yielded AUC values of 98.4% and 99.9% for lipid and protein-carbonyl regions, respectively. The current study shed light on the promising role of IR microspectroscopy as a new analytical tool that can aid in providing better diagnosis and understanding of the pathophysiology of PE.

Bupivacaine with meperidine versus bupivacaine with fentanyl for continuous epidural labor analgesia.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the efficacy of bupivacaine-meperidine and bupivacaine-fentanyl mixtures when continuously infused epidurally to relief the labor pain. METHODS: We performed this prospective double-blinded study at Jordan University Hospital, Amman, Jordan between October 2005 and April 2006. Sixty-seven American Society of Anesthesia physical status I parturients were randomly divided into 2 groups, Group M (n=34) received a continuous infusion of 1 mg/ml of bupivacaine mixed with 1 mg/ml meperidine, and Group F (n=33) received a continuous infusion of 1 mg/ml bupivacaine mixed with 2 micrometer/ml fentanyl. Efficacy of analgesia, degree of motor block, hemodynamic variability, incidence of nausea and vomiting, pruritus, sedation, and the neonatal outcome were all compared between the 2 groups. A p value <0.05 was considered to be significant. RESULTS: Highly effective analgesia was achieved in both groups with a similar incidence of motor block, sedation, pruritus, and neonatal outcome. The only significant difference was in the incidence of nausea and vomiting. Group M had 8 parturients with nausea, compared with only 2 parturients in Group F (p=0.003). CONCLUSION: Bupivacaine-meperidine in a continuous epidural infusion is as efficient as bupivacaine-fentanyl for pain relief during labor, but associated with a higher incidence of nausea and vomiting.