Does diastasis recti abdominis weaken pelvic floor function? A cross-sectional study.

INTRODUCTION AND HYPOTHESIS: The aim of this study was to compare pelvic floor muscle strength (PFMS) and the prevalence of urinary incontinence (UI) and pelvic organ prolapse(POP) in women with and without diastasis recti abdominis (DRA) at 6-8 weeks postpartum. METHODS: Three hundred and ten women underwent routine examinations, including POP quantification (POP-Q), PFMS measurement, DRA evaluation, and UI determination. Chi-squared tests and independent sample t test were used to compare the differences between women with DRA and without DRA. RESULTS: Women with DRA presented significantly lower prepregnancy body mass index (BMI), predelivery BMI, and postpartum BMI; greater gestational age; and higher birth weights than women without DRA(p < 0.05). Moreover, DRA incidence was significantly higher in those who underwent cesarean section (CS) than in those who underwent vaginal delivery (VD)(p = 0.045). Although the PFMS of the DRA group was weaker and the prevalence of UI and POP was slightly higher than those of the no DRA group, the results were not statistically significant. The PFMS of the CS group was stronger than that of the VD group. Urinary incontinence and prolapse incidence were higher in the VD group than in the CS group. Women who underwent CS had a shorter genital hiatus (Gh) and smaller Ba and Bp values than those in the VD group. Women without DRA had an increased chance of Bp ≥ -2 and Gh ≥ 3(p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Women with DRA were not more likely to have weakened PFMS and increased UI or POP at 6-8 weeks postpartum.

Improvement of indoor air quality in pet shop using gaseous chlorine dioxide.

Many studies have shown that pet shops have a high concentration of bioaerosols. Thus, effective disinfection protocols are essential to protect the pet shop staff and visitors to the store. The present study examines the effectiveness of gaseous chlorine dioxide (ClO2) fogging in minimizing the residual bacteria and fungi levels in a typical pet shop in Taiwan consisting of a commodity area, a lodging area, and a grooming area. This investigation uses three disinfection modes (DMs) according to different disinfection periods, namely once every hour (1DM), once every 2 h (2DM), and once every 3 h (3DM). The bacteria and fungi concentrations are measured before and after disinfection treatment, and the effectiveness of each disinfection mode is evaluated using standard statistical techniques. To assess the effect of the environmental factors on the disinfection efficiency, measurements are taken of temperature, relative humidity, airflow velocity, the carbon dioxide concentration, the PM1, PM2.5, PM7, PM10, and TSP level at each sampling locations. The results reveal that the effectiveness of the three disinfection modes depends on both the environmental parameters and the use of the three areas (e.g., commodity, lodging, or grooming). Hence, the choice of disinfection method should be adjusted accordingly. For all three disinfection modes, a faster air velocity is beneficial in spreading the disinfectant throughout the indoor space and improving the disinfection performance. Overall, the results presented in this study confirm that gaseous chlorine dioxide disinfection improves the air quality in the pet shop interior, and thus beneficial in safeguarding the health of the pet shop staff and visitors.

[Effects of biofeedback and pelvic electric stimulation in treatment of stress urinary incontinence].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate procedures and benefits of using bio-feedback and pelvic electric stimulation in treatment of stress urinary incontinence. METHODS: Forty-six patients with stress urinary incontinence were included randomly into the study and treated with Stimogyn BIO 2001 treatment equipment. Treatment procedures and benefits were observed. RESULTS: Among 46 patients, 43 cases achieved improvement with an effective rate of 93%. Nineteen patients in premenopause received 4-30 times treatments with an average of 9.8. Effectiveness time was 1-10 with an average time of 3.6. Twenty-seven patients in postmenopausal period received same treatments with an average of 10. Effectiveness time was 1-10 with an average time of 4.2. Average treating time was 40 minutes. Forty patients had follow-up information, but 6 patients were lost to follow-up. Nine patients were cured, including 3 patients with stress incontinence after hysterectomy. Four patients chose surgical treatment after successful conservative treatment. Three patients recurred. Patients who experienced recurrence were cured or improved after receiving conservative therapy again. Body mass index (BMI) and severity of stress incontinence might have different influences on treating times, but had no influence on the outcomes of treatment (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Biofeedback and pelvic electric stimulation could be used to treat stress incontinence. Menopause status, BMI and severity of stress incontinence can not obvious affect the outcomes of biofeedback and pelvic electric stimulation.