On the Possibility of Designing an Advanced Sensor with Particle Sizing Using Dynamic Light Scattering Time Series Spectral Entropy and Artificial Neural Network

LBUS‐IRG‐2019‐05 LBUS‐IRG‐2020‐06Dynamic Light Scattering is a well-established technique used in particle sizing. An alternative procedure for Dynamic Light Scattering time series processing based on spectral entropy computation and Artificial Neural Networks is described. An error analysis of the proposed method was carried out and the results on both the simulated and on the experimental DLS time series are presented in detail. The results reveal the possibility of designing an advanced sensor capable of detecting particles with a size bigger than a threshold using this alternative for processing the DLS time series.publishersversionpublishe

Prenatal Diagnosis of Bovine Aortic Arch Anatomic Variant

Fetal aortic arch development is an early and complex process that depends on many genetic and environmental factors. The final aortic arch varies greatly; it may take the form of a normal arch, anatomic variant (AAAV) with a common origin to that of the innominate artery and left common carotid artery (formerly known as “bovine aortic arch” (with an incidence of up to 27%)) or one of multiple pathological conditions. The present study aimed to establish the feasibility and impact of prenatal anatomic arch variants’ diagnosis. A retrospective study of 271 fetal second- and third-trimester anomaly scans was performed in our tertiary center. Examinations that evaluated the sagittal aortic arch were included and the branching pattern was assessed. Additionally, a literature data search based on the terms “common origin of innominate artery and left common carotid artery”, “bovine arch”, “bovine aortic” and “aortic arch anomalies” was performed. Results that referred to prenatal AAAV were retained and the papers evaluated. In our study, the AAA incidence was 1.93%, with 4 out of 5 cases being arch type B. All cases had minor associated conditions but a good postnatal outcome. An anatomic aortic variant with a common IA and LCCa prenatal diagnosis was found in a small number of studies; most of the cases described in pediatric and adult series were related to cardiac surgery for stenting, aneurysm or thoracic-associated diseases. The incidence of AAAV varied from 6 to 27% depending on the population studied (highest incidence in African individuals). The variant was highly associated with aortic dissection, pulmonary and cerebral embolism and increased risks of incidents during surgery. Diagnosing AAAV during a routine anatomic scan is feasible and diagnoses can be made when anomaly scans are performed. Awareness of the condition is important for postnatal surgery when other cardiac anomalies are found; this can prevent accidents with simple changes to the patient’s lifestyle, and, in the case of surgery, means we can adopt the correct surgical approach

Persistent Left Superior Vena Cava Significance in Prenatal Diagnosis : Case Series

The persistent left superior vena cava (PLSVC) is a congenital heart anomaly reported in 0.3–0.5% of the general population and can be associated with congenital heart diseases in up to 8% of cases. Prenatal identification of PLSVC is important to prompt an extended cardiac and extracardiac fetal examination. We retrospectively reevaluated anomaly scans performed in our unit in a 2-year interval according to the national guidelines to evaluate the incidence of PLSVC and its association with prenatal morbidity. In our population, the incidence of PLSVC was 0.31%, and we found a low association with cardiac and extracardiac anomalies. The standard sections (three-vessel and trachea view, four-chamber view and outflow tract’s view) are insufficient to exclude cardiac anomalies whenever PLSVC is found. In our case series, only one newborn required postnatal surgery for total pulmonary vein anomaly, and at 2 years of life all babies had a normal evolution. Prenatal diagnosis of PLSVC can raise counseling issues; therefore, awareness of its good outcome when isolated and need for an extended examination to rule out other anomalies is very important

The Accuracy of Cytology, Colposcopy and Pathology in Evaluating Precancerous Cervical Lesions

Cervical cancer (CC) is the third most common cancer in the world, and Romania has the highest incidence of cervical cancer in Europe. The aim of this study was to evaluate the correlation between cytology, colposcopy, and pathology for the early detection of premalignant cervical lesions in a group of Romanian patients. Methods: This observational type 2 cohort study included 128 women from our unit, “Bucur” Maternity, who were referred for cervical cancer screening. Age, clinical diagnosis, cytology results, colposcopy impression, and biopsy results were considered. Colposcopy was performed by two experienced examiners. The pathological examination was performed by an experienced pathologist. Results: The cytology found high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions in 60.9% of patients, low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions in 28.1%, atypical squamous cells for which a high-grade lesion could not be excluded in 9.4%, and atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance, known as repeated LSIL, in 1.6%. The first evaluator identified low-grade lesions in 56.3%, high-grade lesions in 40.6%, and invasion in 3.1% of patients. The second evaluator identified low-grade lesions in 59.4%, high-grade lesions in 32.0%, and invasion in 8.6% of patients. The pathological exam identified low-grade lesions in 64.1%, high-grade lesions in 25%, and carcinoma in 14% of patients. The colposcopic accuracy was greater than the cytologic accuracy. Conclusions: Colposcopy remains an essential tool for the identification of cervical premalignant cancer cells. Standardization of the protocol provided an insignificant interobserver variability and can serve as support for further postgraduate teaching

Can SARS-CoV-2 Induce Uterine Vascular Anomalies and Poor Contractile Response?—A Case Report

We are reporting a case of a 36 year-old Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) positive hypertensive primigravida with postpartum uterine atony that required emergency subtotal hysterectomy at Saint John Hospital Bucur Maternity Bucharest. The maternity was designated as the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Maternity for Bucharest and Ilfov County since March 2020. The patient was mildly symptomatic for SARS-CoV-2, infection confirmed with reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The caesarean section was performed and a live male fetus was born, 2630 g and Apgar Score of 9 (the male fetus was negative for SARSCoV-2). Postpartum hysterectomy with adnexal preservation was performed because of uterine atony. The postoperative evolution was favorable. The patient was discharged with her baby 10 days after birth. Given the limited resources, the placenta, the umbilical cord and the uterus were not tested for SARS-CoV-2. The pathology exam revealed that on the maternal side there were specific uterine atony lesions as well as endometrial and miometrial ischaemia. The placenta had nonspecific findings: chronic ischemic lesions with small villi, fibrin deposits in the materno-fetal interface. The peculiarity of the case is that we report the morphological findings of the placenta and uterus resulted from intrapartum uterine atonia in a patient with gestational arterial hypertension, premature birth and COVID-19. Further studies are required to characterize the pattern of such intricate conditions

High Fasting Insulin Levels and Insulin Resistance May Be Linked to Idiopathic Recurrent Pregnancy Loss: A Case-Control Study

Objective. Patients with more than two spontaneous pregnancy losses are diagnosed with recurrent pregnancy loss. The aim of this study was to evaluate the IR (insulin resistance) in patients with idiopathic recurrent pregnancy loss. Material and Method. A single center, case control study was performed on one hundred eighteen women divided into case group (with at least two pregnancy losses, earlier than 20 weeks of gestation, and negative for the recurrent pregnancy loss testing) and control group (with at least one live birth, no pregnancy loss). FG (fasting glucose) and FI (fasting insulin) were determined for all patients. IR was evaluated by HOMA-IR index. Results. There were not significant differences between the mean age and BMI in cases and controls ( > 0.05). Fasting glucose was significantly higher in the control group (85.6 versus 79.8 < 0.01), but fasting insulin (15.24 versus 12.83, < 0.001) and HOMA-IR (2.98 versus 2.69, < 0.05) were significantly higher in the case group. Conclusion. In women with idiopathic recurrent pregnancy loss FI and IR are higher than those in women without spontaneous abortion

Reversible Martensitic Phase Transition in Yttrium-Stabilized ZrO2 Nanopowders by Adsorption of Water

Funding: This work was supported by H2020/MSCA/RISE/SSHARE number 871284 project and the RO-JINR Grant No. 367/2021 item 27 and RO-JINR Projects № 366/2021 items 57, 61, 83, 85. Publisher Copyright: © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.The present study was aimed at revealing the influence of the mechanical stress induced by water molecule adsorption on the composition of crystalline phases in the ZrO2 + 3 mol% Y2O3-nanoparticles. Three basic methods were used to determine the phase transition: Neutron diffraction, Raman microspectroscopic scanning, and X-ray diffraction. The fact of reversible phase-structural β → α transformation and the simultaneous presence of two polymorphic structural modifications (β is the phase of the tetragonal syngony and α of monoclinic syngony in nanosized particles (9 nm)) under normal physical conditions was established by these methods. An assumption was made regarding the connection of the physical mechanism of transformation of the extremely nonequilibrium surface of nanoparticles with electronic exchange of the material of the near-surface layer of nanoparticles with the adsorption layer through donor-acceptor interaction. The principal possibility of creating direct-acting hydroelectric converters based on nanoscale YSZ (Yttria-Stabilized Zirconia) systems due to the reversible character of the considered effect was shown.publishersversionpublishe

A Study of Milk Particles Size Variation with pH Change using Dynamic Light Scattering

A very simple experimental setup for a Dynamic Light Scattering measurement was used to measure the average size of the milk proteins in aqueous suspensions at 20 °C. The PH of the suspensions was adjusted using Calcium lactate, in its most common form of pentahydrate C6H10CaO6•5H2O. The mean size variation of the suspended particles in time has been monitored and reveals a fast increase over a time interval of less than ten of seconds.</jats:p