Ultrasonic evaluation of uterine spiral artery characteristics in patients with gestational hypertension and their correlation with the placental hypoxia injury

Objective: To investigate the ultrasonic evaluation of uterine spiral artery characteristics in patients with gestational hypertension and their correlation with the placental hypoxia injury. Methods: A total of 128 puerperae with gestational hypertension who gave birth in this hospital between December 2014 and February 2017 were collected as gestational hypertension group, and 100 healthy puerperae who gave birth in this hospital during the same period were collected as normal control group. The differences in uterine spiral artery parameter levels as well as the contents of angiogenesis indexes, oxidative stress indexes and inflammatory mediators in the placental grinding fluid were compared between the two groups 1 week before delivery. Pearson test was used to evaluate the correlation between uterine spiral artery characteristics and placental hypoxia injury in patients with gestational hypertension. Results: Uterine spiral artery RI, PI and S/D levels in gestational hypertension group were higher than those in normal control group;angiogenesis indexes HIF-1α, VEGF and sFlt-1 contents in placental grinding fluid of gestational hypertension group were higher than those of normal control group;anti-oxidation indexes CTA and SOD contents were lower than those of control group whereas LHP content was higher than that of normal control group;inflammatory mediators IL-6, TNF-α, NF-κB and HSP70 contents were higher than those of normal control group. Pearson test showed that the uterine spiral artery RI, PI and S/D levels in puerperae with gestational hypertension were positively correlated with the degree of angiogenesis, oxidative stress and inflammatory response in the placenta. Conclusion: There are abnormal changes of uterine spiral artery flow parameters in puerperae with gestational hypertension, and the abnormality can objectively reflect the degree of placental hypoxia injury.

Ultrasonic quantitative evaluation of pelvic floor characteristics in patients with stress urinary incontinence and the correlation with extracellular matrix remodeling and apoptosis

Objective: To study the ultrasonic quantitative evaluation of pelvic floor characteristics in patients with stress urinary incontinence and the correlation with extracellular matrix remodeling and apoptosis. Methods: Patients with stress urinary incontinence who received surgical treatment in Xuzhou Central Hospital between February 2015 and April 2017 were selected as the SUI group of the research, female healthy volunteers who received physical examination during the same period were selected as the control group A of the research, and patients who received total hysterectomy for benign disease during the same period were selected as the control group B of the research. The ultrasound parameters of pelvic floor characteristics of SUI group and control group A were determined before surgery, and the contents of collagen metabolism indexes, extracellular matrix metabolism indexes and apoptosis genes of SUI group and control group B were determined after surgery. Results:Pelvic floor ultrasound parameters BND, R-RVA, V-RVA and UR levels of SUI group were higher than those of control group A;Col-I and Col-II contents as well as Fibulin-5, LOX and LOXL1 mRNA expression in pelvic floor tissue of SUI group were significantly lower than those of control group B and negatively correlated with pelvic ultrasound parameter BND while ICTP content as well as Calpain1, Calpain2, Caspase-3, LC3-II and Beclin-1 mRNA expression was significantly higher than those of control group B and positively correlated with pelvic floor ultrasound parameter BND. Conclusion: The patients with stress urinary incontinence have the ultrasonic characteristics of weak pelvic support and enhanced urethral activity, and the abnormal collagen metabolism and excessive apoptosis are closely related to the changes of pelvic floor.