We present a preliminary investigation of macroscopic polarimetric imaging of uterine cervix. Orthogonal state contrast (OSC) images of healthy and anomalous cervices have been taken in vivo at 550 nm. Four ex vivo cervix samples have been studied in full Muller polarimetry, at 550 nm and 700 nm, and characterized in detail by standard pathology. One sample was totally healthy, another one carried CIN lesions at very early stage (CIN1) in its visible exocervical region, while for the other two samples more advanced (CIN3) lesions were present, together with visible glandular epithelium (ectropion). Significant birefringence has been observed in the healthy regions of all six samples, both in vivo and ex vivo. Standard treatments of the Mueller images of the ex vivo samples allowed to quantify both retardation and depolarization. Retardation reached 60° in healthy regions, and disappeared in the anomalous regions of the other three ex vivo samples. The depolarization power was largest in healthy regions, and lower in CINs and ectropion. Possible origins of the observed effects are briefly discussed.

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We present a first evaluation of polarimetric imaging in the degree of polarization (DOP) mode for cervical cancer detection. The preliminary results obtained with exvivo biopsies justified the development of a DOP imaging system adapted to commercial colposcope, for invivo studies. A clinical trial of this device is underway in order to compare this imaging modality with classical colposcopy for the visualisation of cervical precancerous or cancerous lesions. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

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Objective Obesity has significant implications for the health of pregnant women. However, few studies have quantified its association with maternal mortality or examined the relevant underlying causes and the role of care, although this remains the most severe maternal outcome. Our objectives were to quantify the risk of maternal death by prepregnancy body mass index and to determine whether obesity affected the quality of care of the women who died. Desing This is a national population-based case–control study in France. Cases were 364 maternal deaths from the 2007–2012 National Confidential Enquiry. Controls were 14,681 parturients from the nationally representative 2010 perinatal survey. We studied the association between categories of prepregnancy BMI and maternal death by multivariable logistic regression, estimating adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals, overall and by specific causes of death. Individual case reviews assessed the quality of care provided to the women who died, by obesity status. Results Compared with women with normal BMI, underweight women (<18.5 kg/m2) had an adjusted OR of death of 0.75 (95% CI, 0.42–1.33), overweight women (25–29.9 kg/m2) 1.65 (95% CI, 1.24–2.19), women with class 1 obesity (30–34.9 kg/m2) 2.22 (95% CI, 1.55–3.19) and those with class 2–3 obesity (≥35 kg/m2) 3.40 (95% CI, 2.17–5.33). Analysis by cause showed significant excess risk of maternal death due to cardiovascular diseases, venous thromboembolism, hypertensive complications and stroke in women with obesity. Suboptimal care was as frequent among women with (35/62, 57%) as without obesity (136/244, 56%), but this inadequate management was directly related to obesity among 14/35 (40%) obese women with suboptimal care. Several opportunities for improvement were identified. Conclusions The risk of maternal death increases with BMI; it multiplied by 1.6 in overweight women and more than tripled in pregnant women with severe obesity. Training clinicians in the specificities of care for pregnant women with obesity could improve their outcomes.