Left atrial structure and function: association with blood pressure variability in pregnant women.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between left atrial (LA) abnormalities and ambulatory blood pressure variability (BPV) in pregnant women and their relationship with hypertension-related clinical outcomes in pregnancy. METHODS: This single-center, prospective study included 119 pregnant women. All participants underwent 24-h ambulatory blood pressure (BP) monitoring and echocardiographic examination before 20 weeks of gestation. BPV was evaluated using 24-h ambulatory BP monitoring. SD of the mean of SBP (SBP-SD) and DBP variability was calculated as 24-h, daytime and nighttime SBP and DBP. The patients were classified into two groups based on median 24-h SBP-SD (11.3 mmHg). LA features of the patients were compared according to the high and low BPV groups. RESULTS: One hundred and nineteen pregnant women (mean age, 28.6 ± 5.2 years) were included in the study. The mean office SBP and DBP were 108.7 ± 15.4 mmHg and 68.2 ± 10.2 mmHg, respectively. In pregnant women with high BPV, even though BP is normal, reservoir and conduit LA functions have decreased and LA stiffness has increased. Gestational hypertension and composite outcomes were more common in pregnant women with high BPV. Among the LA parameters, the most associated with composite outcome was conduit LA function. CONCLUSION: In pregnancy, higher BPV is associated with worse LA function. The LA conduit strain offers potential value in predicting hypertension-related clinical outcomes in pregnancy.

Attitudes Toward Violence Against Women and the Factors That Affect Them in Kutahya, Turkey.

This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted to determine the attitudes of women and men living in Kutahya, Turkey towards violence against women, and the factors that affect them. The data were collected using an Information Form for Women, an Information Form for Men, and the Attitude towards Violence Scale. The study was completed with 2959 participants; 1481 women and 1478 men. In the study, 41.3% of the women and 22.6% of the men reported being subject to violence. The mean score of the attitude towards violence scale was 41.57±11.83 for women and 49.38±11.52 for men (p <0.001). The mean scores on the attitude towards violence scale were found to be statistically significantly related to gender, education status, occupation, income status, co-educational status, co-occupation, marital age, family type, and subjection to violence (p <0.05). Socio-demographic and socio-cultural factors were found to influence the attitudes of women and men towards violence against women. The attitudes towards violence against women were found to be more positive in women. The rate of accepting violence as natural (acceptable) phenomena was found to be higher among men. That is, the attitudes of men towards violence against women are closer to the traditional approach, away from the modern approach.

The effects of breathing techniques training on the duration of labor and anxiety levels of pregnant women.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effects of breathing techniques training on anxiety levels of pregnant women and the duration of labor. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study utilizes a randomized controlled trial design. The pregnant women were divided into control (n = 35) or experimental group (n = 35) randomly. The experimental group received breathing techniques training in the latent phase and these techniques were applied in the following phases accordingly. The anxiety levels of pregnant women were evaluated three times in total. The duration of labor was considered as the duration of the first stage of labor and the duration of the second stage of labor. RESULTS: There were significant differences between the two groups regarding the mean State Anxiety Inventory (SAI) and the mean duration of labor. CONCLUSIONS: This study concludes that breathing techniques are an effective method in the reduction of anxiety and influence the duration of delivery during labor.