Firm bladder neck support enables effective pressure transmission. Timely activation of the levator ani seems to be an important feature.

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BackgroundThe purpose of this study was to asses the attitude of undergraduate midwifery students towards teaching other women in methods of breast self-examination (BSE).Participants and methods.The study was performed at the beginning and at the end of students’ study at the Faculty of Health Sciences in Ljubljana, Slovenia. It was carried out during the academic year 2002/2003 and involved 28 first and 25 third year undergraduate midwifery students. The data were gathered from questionnaires and processed with the use of descriptive and inferential statistics.ResultsAll study participants were of the opinion that teaching other women in methods of BSE is of great importance for an early detection of breast cancer (BC) and that this task ought to be one of their duties. There were no significant differences between the two groups when the readiness to upgrade their own knowledge of BSE or when the optimism regarding the progress in breast cancer detection and therapy in the future were concerned.ConclusionsThe readiness of midwifery students to pass the knowledge of BSE to other women could help to increase their breast health awareness and thus improve their willingness and ability to detect early changes, associated with BC.

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The aim of this prospective study was to evaluate the influence of the higher intra-abdominal position of the bladder neck and the stability of its supporting structures after colposuspension, on pressure transmission to the urethra at the level of the bladder neck. Twenty-eight patients were included in the study. The pressure transmission ratio (PTR) was calculated at the level of the bladder neck, whereas the position and mobility of the bladder neck during coughing were evaluated with perineal ultrasound examination. The measurements were performed before and 3 months after colposuspension. After colposuspension we found a significant elevation of the PTR (P=0.001), a significantly higher intra-abdominal position (P=0.001) and decreased mobility (P=0.001) of the bladder neck during coughing. Also, a negative correlation between the elevation of PTR and decreased mobility of the bladder neck during coughing (r = -0.5049; P = 0.006) and a weak correlation between the elevation of PTR and a higher intra-abdominal position of the bladder neck during coughing were found (r = 0.3828; P=0.044). Reinforced tension resistance of the bladder neck supporting structures seems to be more important than intra-abdominal position of the bladder neck in achieving effective pressure transmission after colposuspension.