Intravaginal misoprostol alone versus intravaginal misoprostol and extraamniotic Foley catheter for second trimester pregnancy termination: an observational study

Background: No systematic empirical research exists addressing the question of optimal pregnancy termination method in second trimester pregnancies. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy and safety of intravaginal misoprostol and extraamniotic Foley catheter combination for second trimester pregnancy termination. Methods: A single center, observational study was conducted in a total of 91 pregnancies. Women who met the termination of pregnancy criteria due to feto-maternal indications between 13 to 26 gestational weeks were included into the study. Study participants received intravaginal misoprostol in combination with Foley catheter (n=46) or intravaginal misoprostol alone (n=45). Results: The efficacy of intravaginal misoprostol and Foley catheter insertion combination was comparable to that of intravaginal misoprostol alone in terms of time to abortion/birth [median (95% Confidential Interval [95% CI]): 14.33 (11.33-17.25) hours and 12.08 (9.50-15.33) hours, respectively. Hazard Ratio: 0.73, 95% CI: 0.47 to 1.12, p= 0.14 (log-rank)]. The only serious maternal event was uterine rupture observed in one woman in Foley combination group. Conclusion: The combination of intravaginal misoprostol and extraamniotic Foley catheter for second trimester pregnancy termination does not provide additional efficacy

Comparison of intravaginal progesterone gel and intramuscular 17-α-hydroxyprogesterone caproate in luteal phase support

The main objective of this study was to compare the pregnancy rates of intramuscular (IM) 17-α-hydroxyprogesterone caproate (17-HPC) and intravaginal (IV) progesterone gel administration in in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer (IVF-ET) cycles. The IM 17-HPC and IV progesterone groups included 632 (66.4%) and 320 (33.6%) women undergoing the first cycles of IVF-ET treatment, respectively. Multivariate analyses annotated for all potential confounders showed that the use of IV progesterone retained a predictive value for the total β-human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) positivity and clinical pregnancy rates [adjusted odds ratio (OR), 1.97; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.28–3.03; P=0.002; and OR, 1.66; 95% CI, 1.07–2.60; P=0.03, respectively]. However, biochemical and on-going pregnancy rates did not differ significantly between the groups (OR, 1.85; 95% CI, 1.00–3.41; P=0.05; and OR, 1.43, 95% CI, 0.89–2.30; P=0.14, respectively). Luteal phase support (LPS) with IV progesterone gel in comparison with IM 17-HPC appears to be associated with higher clinical pregnancy rates in IVF-ET cycles. However, this benefit is clinically irrelevant in terms of on-going pregnancy outcomes

The effects of marble wastes on soil properties and hazelnut yield

WOS: 000341348600015Wastes generated in the dimension stone industry have become an environmental concern in Turkey which is one of the leading dimension stone (mostly marble and travertine) producers in the world. Use of such wastes rich in CaCO3 for the remediation of acidic and calcium deficient soils might be an environmentally sound way to reduce the amount of wastes to be disposed. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of marble quarry and cutting wastes on the soil properties and Tombul hazelnut cultivar under the field conditions. Field tests were conducted for one year in Giresun, Turkey. The results showed that marble wastes had a significant effect on the neutralization of the soil as well as on the hazelnut yield. The soil pH was increased from 4.71 to 5.88 upon marble waste application at rates equal to agricultural lime requirement. Hazelnut yield increased from 1120.3 kg ha(-1) on the field with no marble waste treatment to 1605.5 kg ha(-1) with marble wastes. This study indicates that marble quarry and cutting wastes could be used in the hazelnut fields for the neutralization of acidic soil to increase the yield. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Ataturk University BAP projectAtaturk University [2012/187]The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support by Ataturk University BAP project (2012/187) through grant number 2012/187