Effects of the COVID-19 Infection on Women's Menstrual Cycle: A Retrospective Study at Latifa Hospital, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Background The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all of us in one way or another. The menstrual cycle is a reflection of the female reproductive system, and it is influenced by various factors including stress and infections. Although there is little information available about how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected women's reproductive health, it has had a significant impact on women. Objective The main objective of our study is to identify if there are any menstrual disturbances following COVID-19 infection in women. Study design Our study is a retrospective study wherein 700 women recovering from COVID-19 infection were asked about any new menstrual disturbances after the infection. We collected the data using questionnaires and analyzed the data using Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS, version 26) (IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Armonk, NY). Results Our study showed no dysmenorrhea in 90% of the participants, 81% reported no change in menstrual flow rate, a vast majority (93%) denied experiencing amenorrhea, only 4% reported a new onset of intermenstrual bleeding, and 1% reported postmenopausal bleeding. Conclusion There was no significant change in the participants' menstrual cycle following COVID-19 infection.

A profile of cases of gestational trophoblastic neoplasia at a large tertiary centre in dubai

Objectives. To study (1) the prevalence of different types of gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (GTN) in the local and nonlocal population of women at Al Wasl Hospital, a tertiary level referral centre for northern Emirates, (2) the safety of cervical preparation before uterine evacuation, (3) the role of repeat uterine evacuation in curing these cases, and (4) the percentage of cases ultimately requiring chemotherapy. Material and Methods. Retrospective analysis of case records of 35 women with diagnosis of gestational trophoblastic neoplasia were managed in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Al Wasl Hospital, over a 2-year period between January 2007 to December 2008. Results. 35 cases of gestational trophoblastic neoplasia were seen in a 2-year period (January 2007 to December 2008) at Al Wasl Hospital, with 7000 deliveries per year, prevalence being 1 in 400 live births. 60% cases were local Arabs. Histopathology revealed complete mole in 13 cases, partial mole in 17 cases, hydropic degeneration of villi in 4 cases, and no identifiable tissue in 1 case. No cases of choriocarcinoma or placental site trophoblastic tumour were seen during the study period. 34% cases received cervical preparation with prostaglandins prior to surgical curettage. Complications were minor. 62% were cured by primary suction curettage, 12% after second (repeat) uterine evacuation, and 25% needed single drug chemotherapy. 8% cases defaulted after primary evacuation and were lost to followup. Conclusions. Prevalence of GTN in the local Arab population is similar to other Asian populations. The majority of cases are cured by simple suction uterine curettage. Cervical preparation with prostaglandins should be done in selected cases to avoid perforation during evacuation. Second (repeat) uterine evacuation can be curative in some cases with strict selection criteria and avoid the need for chemotherapy. Regional registry of cases is needed to estimate the true incidence of this disease.

Stress and elastic-constant analysis by X-ray diffraction in thin films

Residual stresses influence most physical properties of thin films and are closely related to their microstructure. Among the most widely used methods, X-ray diffraction is the only one allowing the determination of both the mechanical and microstructural state of each diffracting phase. Diffracting planes are used as a strain gauge to measure elastic strains in one or several directions of the diffraction vector. Important information on the thin-film microstructure may also be extracted from the width of the diffraction peaks: in particular, the deconvolution of these peaks allows values of coherently diffracting domain size and microdistortions to be obtained. The genesis of residual stresses in thin films results from multiple mechanisms. Stresses may be divided into three major types: epitaxic stresses, thermal stresses and intrinsic stresses. Diffraction methods require the knowledge of the thin-film elastic constants, which may differ from the bulk-material values as a result of the particular microstructure. Combining an X-ray diffractometer with a tensile tester, it is possible to determine X-ray elastic constants of each diffracting phase in a thin-film/substrate system, in particular the Poisson ratio and the Young modulus. It is important to notice that numerous difficulties relative to the application of diffraction methods may arise in the case of thin films.