Treatment of cervical incompetence by cerclage and other methods has yet to be standardized, as its diagnosis is not uniformly accepted. Its diagnosis, particularly in the African setting, is mostly based on past obstetric history of pregnancy losses, while in developed centres; ultrasound diagnosis is increasingly being used. The mainstay of treatment in developing countries is cervical cercla...

BACKGROUND Cervical incompetence is one of the main contributors to repeated pregnancy loss, accounting for approximately 25% of the cases. Typically it results in progressive cervical dilatation, leading to a painless second- or early-third-trimester abortion. OBJECTIVES The main objective of the study was to explore the benefit from cervical cerclage in pregnant women with anatomical cervic...

Theoretical arguments and empirical evidence are advanced to bolster the claim that direct political participation via referenda and initiatives constitutes an advanced form of democracy with beneficial effects on Transition Countries. Direct democracy raises trust and honesty and improves social outcomes. Per capita incomes and subjective well-being are raised. Standard arguments against direc...

BACKGROUND Several techniques of emergency vaginal cerclage have been proposed in case of unexpected and abrupt cervical incompetence (CI), in order to prolong the pregnancy as much as possible and to reduce the adverse maternal-fetal outcomes. The aim of our study was to evaluate the effectiveness of emergency cervical cerclage, performed with the combined modified Shirodkar-McDonald technique...

The case presentation of a transvaginal cervical cerclage performed at a 7 cm dilation in a patient in the 22nd week of pregnancy, followed by a prolongation of the pregnancy until the gestational age of 38 weeks, was reported in the context of many similar cases managed by the authors of the article during a program of screening and prevention of preterm birth. The particularity of the case wa...

Background: To compare pregnancy outcomes in women at risk for cervical incompetence after elective versus ultrasound indicated cerclage. Methods: In a prospective randomized trial, singleton pregnancies with at least one previous spontaneous midtrimester loss or early preterm delivery (between 15 and 32 weeks’ gestation) who met clinical criteria for the diagnosis of cervical incompe­ tence we...

In addition to the limited published experience with transabdominal cervical cerclage (TCC) we report the use of this procedure in 14 women with a diagnosis of cervical incompetence, and a cervical deformity or defect precluding the usual transvaginal approach. In 13 pregnant patients and in one nonpregnant woman a band was placed transabdominally around the cervix at the level of the isthmus. ...

Cervical incompetence in the mare is widely recognized as a major cause of pregnancy failure. Failure to attain adequate closure during pregnancy is a key predisposing factor to ascending placentitis. In humans, cervical insufficiency is of major concern and can result in preterm birth and lateterm abortions, similar to observations in mares. Emerging clinical and laboratory-based evidence sugg...

In response to concerns about the validity of empirical findings in psychology, some scientists use replication studies as a way to validate good science and to identify poor science. Such efforts are resource intensive and are sometimes controversial (with accusations of researcher incompetence) when a replication fails to show a previous result. An alternative approach is to examine the stati...

OBJECTIVE To validate the diagnosis of second trimester miscarriages/deliveries (16+0 weeks to 27+6 weeks of gestation) recorded as miscarriages in the Danish National Patient Registry or spontaneous deliveries in the Danish Medical Birth Registry, and asses the validity of risk factors, pregnancy complications, and cerclage by review of medical records. MATERIALS AND METHODS In a cohort of 2...