Previous studies have reported on propagation of individual spikes in isolated segments of the pregnant uterus, but there is no information on patterns of spike propagation in the intact organ. There is also no information on propagation of myometrial burst. The aim of this study was to record, at high resolution, patterns of propagation of electrical activities in the pregnant uterus. Sixteen timed-pregnant guinea pigs were euthanized at term, and their uteruses isolated. Fetuses were removed and replaced by an equal amount of Tyrode. A 240-electrode array was positioned at various locations along the organ, all signals were recorded simultaneously, and the electrical propagations were reconstructed. In the intact pregnant uterus at term, spikes propagated with high velocity in longitudinal (6.8 Ϯ 2.4 cm/s) and slower velocity in circular direction (2.8 Ϯ 1.0 cm/s; P Ͻ 0.01). Direction of propagation and frequency of activity were highly variable but showed similar patterns at the ovary or cervical end and along the anterior, posterior, and antimesometrial borders. Along mesometrium, spike propagation was sparse and fractionated. Migration of burst (0.6 Ϯ 0.4 cm/s) was significantly much slower than that of individual spikes (P Ͻ 0.001). Initial burst activity was located at variable locations along the ovarial end of the antimesometrial border, while the latest excitation occurred at the cervical end (1.2 Ϯ 0.9 min). In conclusion, high resolution electrical mapping of the intact pregnant uterus reveals fundamental properties in spatial and temporal patterns of spike and burst propagation that determine the contraction of the organ. spikes; myometrial burst migration ELECTRICAL ACTIVITY in the pregnant myometrium is characterized by phasic bursts of action potentials (spikes), which could be based on cyclic changes in transmembrane potential (24). Cyclic changes in potential resemble in some respects slow waves in the intestines and presumably propagate through the myometrium, similar to the propagation of the intestinal slow waves. In both cases, the depolarization induced by the (slow) waves initiate the opening of L-calcium channels leading to the occurrence of spikes. In the intestines, it is possible to record both slow waves and spikes with extracellular electrodes, and this made it possible to reconstruct the pattern of propagation of both signals and to study the complex interaction between these two electrical waveforms (22).In the myometrium, the basic electrical wave is too slow or its magnitude too small to be recorded extracellularly (9). The spikes, however, are visible in extracellular recordings and this led to several studies on their behavior. Miller et al. (25) analyzed spike propagation in pregnant uterine segments that were 3 ϫ 1 cm in size and showed that velocity in the longitudinal direction was much faster than in the circumferential direction. Lammers et al. (20) found similar results in equally small segments (8 ϫ 2 cm). Most of these studies were performed on isolated segments of...

The superficial approach to learning was mostly preferred among first and second year medical students, and the least preferred among students in the final clinical years. These results may be useful in creating future teaching, learning and assessment strategies aiming to enhance a deep learning approach among medical students. Future studies are needed to investigate the reason for the preferred superficial approach among medical students in their early years of study.

Background:The success in performing organ transplantations and prevention of rejection has resulted not only in a substantial increase in life expectancy, but also improvement in the patients' quality of life. Thus, women who underwent organ transplantation are now reaching puberty and the age of reproduction. This has presented new challenges regarding the teratogenicity and the long-term effect of immunosuppressive medications used by these patients. Previous studies have shown that pregnancies after renal transplantation are associated with an increased risk for both the mother and the fetus. There is, however, very little information available on neonatal and long-term pediatric follow-up of babies born to mothers who have undergone renal transplantation and have been exposed to immunosuppressive medications, compared to controls. We report the experience of our center, the largest in Canada, regarding the prenatal and long-term postnatal outcome of pregnancies after renal transplantation.

Shepard (BPD, AC) provides a simple and accurate logarithm for the prediction of fetal weight at term in the studied multiethnic population.