Triptych of Earthly Vanity and Divine Salvation, Hans Membing, c.1485, Oil on oak panel, Strasbourg, Musée des Beaux-Arts de Strasbourg.
Via Darko is Dorko, Juggle.com, and Allartpainting.com.
This is absolutely the last weekend to view the much heralded (and not just by me) Museum of Everything Exhibition #3 in London. And, in a bittersweet farewell to this amazing exhibition, the folks at The Museum of Everything have put together a thoroughly action-packed final weekend featuring a variety of exciting programming.
Full details for the weekend's activities follow; and please, I implore you, if you live near London and have not yet seen this exhibitions, do yourself a favor and go! You won't be sorry. I promise.
>> VALENTINE’S WEEKEND <<
As far as we’re concerned, Valentine’s Weekend starts at 10:30am on Friday 11th February 2011; so fire up your hot-tub, cover yourself in love-gel and prepare yourself for what may well be the greatest weekend in the history of weekends.
For your delectation we shall have muzac - all day, every day - our favourite artistes performing in nooks and crannies right across the museum, be it accordion solos, tubas, one man bands, human jukeboxes, Punches, Judies, or perhaps just a lonely snare drum announcing the reveille.And if you pop down at 4:00pm on Sunday 13th February 2011 you might be treated to a private viewing of that rarely seen gem - Pop Goes the Easel - directed by that randy rambunctious ruddy red rolicker, Ken Russell, as part of The Midgets & Giants Film Festival.
Who knows, the movie may even be introduced by Sir Peter Blake himself ...
For it is Sir Peter Blake who we have to thank for this astonishing show, for his brilliant eye, his enduring aesthetic, his wit, his love and his support. They say you never forget your first love and he is most certainly ours.
"The Museum of Everything was the highlight of my London trip, I can’t believe you’ll close! "Cindy Sherman, January 2011
Cindy’s right, this really is your very last chance to see the astonishing tapestries of Ted Willcox, the animal empire of Walter Potter, the magical funfair of Joby and Anna Carter and the miniature fairgrounds of Arthur Windley.
Come Monday monring, it’s adieu dear friends - perhaps for a few weeks, perhaps forever – because our plans are up in the air, we can’t commit, although we do have our roving eyes on Russia, the Americas, the Middle Yeast, even London’s glittering West End. The world is our Oyster Card ...
Until next time, we remain yours in Everything:
The Museum of Everything
right behind the library on the corner of Sharpleshall
Street & Regents Park Road in Primrose Hill London NW1
http://www.musevery.com
For more on the Museum of Everything #3, see this recent post.
Images are all drawn from postcards available at the Museum of Everything gift shop. A lovely (if slightly expensive) book is available also. Click here for more.
Tonight at Observatory! I advise coming early, as this one is sure to sell out; Hope to see you there!
A: Head on B: Body: The Real Life Dr. Frankenstein
A screening and lecture with film-maker Jim Fields and Mike Lewi
Date: TONIGHT, Thursday February 10
Time: 8:00 PM
Admission: $5
Presented by Morbid AnatomyIn an eventful and successful career spanning 40 years, Dr. Robert White–pioneering neurosurgeon and Professor at Cleveland’s Case Western Reserve University–did many things. He participated in Nobel Prize-nominated work, published more than 700 scholarly articles, examined Vladimir Lenin’s preserved brain in Cold War Russia, founded Pope John Paul II’s Committee on Bioethics, went to mass daily, and raised 10 children. He also engaged in a series of horrifying and highly controversial experiments reminiscent of a B-Movie mad scientist, experiments which pushed the limits of medical ethics, infuriated the animal rights community, and questioned notions of identity, consciousness, and corporeality as well as mankind’s biblically-condoned dominion over the animal kingdom.
Tonight, join film-maker Jim Fields–best known for his 2003 documentary “End of the Century” about the legendary punk band The Ramones–and Mike Lewi for a screening of Fields’ short documentary about the life and work of this real-life Dr. Frankenstein whose chilling “full body transplants” truly seem the stuff of a B-Movie terror. Fields will introduce the film–which features a series of interviews with Dr. White discussing his controversial experiments–with an illustrated lecture contextualizing the doctor’s work within the history of “mad scientists” past and present, fictional and actual; scientists whose hubris drove them to go rogue by tampering with things perhaps best left alone.
Jim Fields made a few documentaries, one of which, “End of the Century: the Story of the Ramones” is particularly long. He’s currently a video journalist at Time Magazine and Time.com.
Mike Lewi is a filmmaker, event producer, and disc jockey.
You can find out more about this event on the Observatory website by clicking here and can can access the event on Facebook here. You can get directions to Observatory--which is next door to the Morbid Anatomy Library (more on that here)--by clicking here. You can find out more about Observatory here, join our mailing list by clicking here, and join us on Facebook by clicking here.
Image: Drawing by Dr. Harvey Cushing, early 20th Century, found on the Yale Medical Library website.
A very exciting looking call for art works just crossed my desk; full details below:
Curious Matter is announcing its new Call For Entries, "Naming The Animals." If you believe that this will be of interest to your artist members, please make it available to them. Thank you for your cooperation.
Curious MatterWe're absolutely delighted to announce this special collaboration between CURIOUS MATTER and PROTEUS GOWANUS. Details are below and attached as a pdf file. Cheers!
CALL FOR ENTRIES
Naming The Animals
Entries Due: March 4, 2011
Exhibition dates: April 3 - May 15, 2011*
Naming The Animals is a collaboration between Curious Matter in Jersey City, NJ and Proteus Gowanus in Brooklyn, NY. The exhibition will be presented in two parts concurrently at Curious Matter and Proteus Gowanus. The curators will select the location for the artwork. The exhibition is a complement to the yearlong multi-disciplinary inquiry hosted by Proteus Gowanus on the theme of Paradise. A catalogue will accompany the exhibition.
Theme: In our collective effort to understand the world we're driven to catalogue and name everything around us. From Adam’s task to name the animals in paradise, to cave painting to modern ecology and zoology, we’re compelled to describe and render the creatures that share our planet. Medieval bestiaries, and the work of Ernst Haeckel and John James Audubon are vivid examples, as are the installations of Mark Dion and the ecological works of Alexis Rockman. These various efforts are not necessarily purely aesthetic or scientific; naming and cataloguing can also include the assignment of moral or metaphorical associations–implicit is the desire to declare and understand ourselves.
We invite contemporary artists to submit work that draws inspiration from the natural world and the human drive to understand and catalogue the world around us. We're taking a broad approach to the theme and are particularly interested in work that looks beyond a literal interpretation.
Media/dimensions: All media will be considered. Artworks should not exceed 24"(framed) in any direction for wall hung work. Small sculptural work and bookarts particularly welcome, larger sculptures will be considered individually. Video artists must provide their own equipment.
Eligibility: All artists working in any media.
Submissions: (Please include all information. Late, incomplete, or weblink submissions will not be considered or responded to.)
1. Up to 5 images. Postal submissions should include 35mm slides or letter-sized color printouts. Do not send original artwork. Digital file submissions will only be accepted via email and must be in JPEG or PDF format, resolution set to 72 dpi, no larger than 800 X 800 pixels and no larger than 2MB. Please number images to correspond to Image List.
2. Image list. Numbered to correspond with your image submissions. Include image #, your name, title, date of work, medium, size and price. You may include a brief description for each image, however this isn’t required.
3. One page résumé. Please include a three line bio, your
contact information and an email address.
4. Artist’s statement. No longer than 300 words.Fees: NO FEE TO ENTER, accepted artists pay a nominal materials fee of $35.
Deadline: Entries must be received no later than March 4, 2011.
Return of Submission Materials: Include a SASE if you want your materials to be returned. Make sure there is sufficient postage. Materials without postage will not be returned.
Notification: Accepted artists will be notified via email by March 7, 2011. NOTE: Accepted artists must confirm their participation by March 8 and provide a print-quality digital image for the catalogue by March 11.
Drop Off: Drop off of accepted artwork will be March 26 and 27, noon to 2pm at Curious Matter. Mailed artwork must arrive by March 25 and include return shipping label/postage/etc.
Pick Up: Artists are responsible for picking up artwork on May 21 noon to 2pm. Return of mailed artwork with return postage will begin on May 16, 2011.
Email Submissions To: CuriousMatter@comcast.net
By Post: Curious Matter, 272 Fifth Street, Jersey City, NJ 07302* works selected for exhibition at Proteus Gowanus will remain on display until mid-July as part of the Paradise exhibition.
CURIOUS MATTER is an exhibition venue for contemporary visual art located in downtown Jersey City, NJ. Curious Matter exhibitions and publications evidence the pursuit to understand and articulate our individual and collective experience of the world, real or imagined. We examine fantastic notions, confounding ideas and audacious thoughts. Curious Matter strives to foster dialogue among artists at all career stages with a calendar of regular exhibitions. Our commitment extends to our audience as we endeavor to open a door to appreciating contemporary art in an atmosphere that encourages engagement and curiosity. The gallery is open Sundays noon to 3pm and by appointment during exhibitions. Curious Matter is a non-profit organization, and a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit service organization.
PROTEUS GOWANUS is a gallery and reading room located on the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn, NY. A collaborative project, the gallery develops exhibits of art, artifacts and books and hosts events that revolve around a yearlong theme linking the arts to other disciplines and to the community. Proteus Gowanus incorporates the rich and diverse cultural resources of several non-profit organizations into its exhibits and programming. This year’s theme is PARADISE, an exploration of the light and dark sides of spiritual ascent and sensual escape, in which we invite artists and workers in other disciplines to respond to the siren song of that which is easy to imagine but difficult to attain.
CURIOUS MATTER
272 Fifth Street, Jersey City, NJ 07302,
[T] 201-659-5771 [E] curiousmatter@comcast.net
curiousmatter.blogspot.com
follow us on facebook!
There is no fee to enter, and submissions are due on March 4th; Click here for more information. To find out more about Proteus Gowanus gallery, click here; to fine out more about Curious Matter, click here.
Image: Illustration by artist/naturalist/monist Ernst Haeckel, 19th Century, via zannestars.com.
A range of lignocellulosic feedstocks (including agricultural, softwood and hardwood substrates) were pretreated with either sulfur dioxide-catalyzed steam or an ethanol organosolv procedure to try to establish a reliable assessment of the factors governing the minimum protein loading that could be used to achieve efficient hydrolysis. A statistical design approach was first used to define what might constitute the minimum protein loading (cellulases and beta-glucosidase) that could be used to achieve efficient saccharification (defined as at least 70% glucan conversion) of the pretreated substrates after 72 hours of hydrolysis. The likely substrate factors that limit cellulose availability/accessibility were assessed, and then compared with the optimized minimum amounts of protein used to obtain effective hydrolysis. The optimized minimum protein loadings to achieve efficient hydrolysis of seven pretreated substrates ranged between 18 and 63 mg protein per gram of glucan. Within the similarly pretreated group of lignocellulosic feedstocks, the agricultural residues (corn stover and corn fiber) required significantly lower protein loadings to achieve efficient hydrolysis than did the pretreated woody biomass (poplar, douglas fir and lodgepole pine). Regardless of the substantial differences in the source, structure and chemical composition of the feedstocks, and the difference in the pretreatment technology used, the protein loading required to achieve efficient hydrolysis of lignocellulosic substrates was strongly dependent on the accessibility of the cellulosic component of each of the substrates. We found that cellulose-rich substrates with highly accessible cellulose, as assessed by the Simons' stain method, required a lower protein loading per gram of glucan to obtain efficient hydrolysis compared with substrates containing less accessible cellulose. These results suggest that the rate-limiting step during hydrolysis is not the catalytic cleavage of the cellulose chains per se, but rather the limited accessibility of the enzymes to the cellulose chains due to the physical structure of the cellulosic substrate.
A recently-released report by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) has found that the water supplies of many major cities are contaminated with hexavalent chromium, an industrial chemical toxin that does not get filtered out by most consumer water filtration devices. Thirty-one of the 35 water supplies tested contained hexavalent chromium, and 25 of them contained levels higher than a California-proposed maximum upper threshold for safety.
Topping the list of contaminated water supplies was Norman, Okla., with 12.9 parts per billion (ppb) of hexavalent chromium, followed by Honolulu, Hawaii, at 2.0 ppb and Riverside, Calif., at 1.69 ppb. Other highly-tainted cities include Madison, Wisc., San Jose, Calif., Tallahassee, Fla., and Albuquerque, N.M.
According to the National Toxicology Program, hexavalent chromium, also known as chromium-6, is linked to causing gastrointestinal tumors and other forms of cancer. International governing bodies have stated that it is toxic when inhaled. And the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has declared hexavalant chromium "likely to be carcinogenic to humans." Read more...
Cardiofy Heart Care Supplement
GENEVIEVE CARBERY
Tue, Nov 02, 2010
A new study found alcohol was the most dangerous of 20 legal and illegal drugs when the two criteria of harm to the user and harm to others were combined ALCOHOL IS more dangerous than crack cocaine and heroin when damage to users themselves and to wider society are combined, a study has found. The research, published yesterday in theLanc et medical journal, rated alcohol almost three times as harmful as cocaine or tobacco and some eight times as harmful as ecstasy. Alcohol was found to be the most harmful of 20 legal and illegal drugs examined when the two criteria of harm to the user and harm to others were combined. The study was conducted by a group of scientists including Britain’s Independent Scientific Committee on Drugs and an expert adviser to the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction. Read more...
Cardiofy Heart Care Supplement
BACKGROUND
Recurrent implantation failure (RIF) following embryo transfer (ET) is a major continuing problem in IVF. Women with haemostatic defects may be at increased risk of miscarriage and preclinical pregnancy loss. The fibrinolytic system is considered, at present, the key to new thrombotic pathogenic mechanisms. Patients with unexplained recurrent miscarriage have an impairment of fibrinolysis, as demonstrated by prolonged clot lysis time (CLT) in association with increased plasma levels of thrombin-activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor (TAFI). In this study, we investigated fibrinolytic potential in patients with RIF.
METHODS
Three groups of patients were studied: 30 women with RIF (RIF group), 60 patients undergoing a first successful IVF–ET cycle (IVF group) and 60 healthy fertile women (FER group). Plasma CLT was measured using a global fibrinolysis assay. TAFI antigen plasma levels and polymorphisms in the TAFI gene (+505A/G and +1542C/G) were analysed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and allele-specific PCR, respectively.
RESULTS
CLT was significantly longer (P< 0.0001 and P< 0.0009, respectively) and TAFI antigen levels were significantly higher (both P< 0.0001) in the RIF versus the IVF and FER groups. A direct relationship between CLT and TAFI antigen levels (r = 0.40; P = 0.001) was detected in the whole study population. There were no differences in distribution of TAFI polymorphisms between groups.
CONCLUSIONS
Patients with RIF have reduced plasma fibrinolytic potential, as shown by a prolonged CLT, and this may be explained, at least in part, by increased TAFI antigen levels.
BACKGROUND
The maternal–fetal interface has a unique immunological response towards the implanting placenta. It is generally accepted that a T-helper type-2 (Th-2) cytokine prevailing environment is important in pregnancy. The proportion of Th-2 cells in the peripheral blood and decidua is significantly higher in pregnant women in the first trimester than in non-pregnant women. Glycodelin-A (GdA) is a major endocrine-regulated decidual glycoprotein thought to be related to fetomaternal defence. Yet the relationship between its immunoregulatory activities and the shift towards Th-2 cytokine profile during pregnancy is unclear.
METHODS
GdA was immunoaffinity purified from human amniotic fluid. T-helper, T-helper type-1 (Th-1) and Th-2 cells were isolated from the peripheral blood. The viability of these cells was studied by XTT assay. Immunophenotyping of CD4/CD294, cell death and GdA-binding were determined by flow cytometry. The mRNA expression, surface expression and secretion of Fas/Fas ligand (FasL) were determined by quantitative polymerase chain reaction, flow cytometry and ELISA, respectively. The activities of caspase-3, -8 and -9 were measured. The phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK), p38 and, c-Jun N-terminal kinase was determined by western blotting.
RESULTS
Although GdA bound to both Th-1 and Th-2 cells, it had differential actions on the two cell-types. GdA induced cell death of the Th-1 cells but not the Th-2 cells. The cell death was mediated through activation of caspase -3, -8 and -9 activities. GdA up-regulated the expression of Fas and inhibited ERK activation in the Th-1 cells, which might enhance the vulnerability of the cells to cell death caused by a trophoblast-derived FasL.
CONCLUSIONS
The data suggest that GdA could be an endometrial factor that contributes to the Th-2/Th-1 shift during pregnancy.
BACKGROUND
In order to optimize blastocyst cryopreservation, vitrification was introduced as the routine procedure instead of slow freezing. The outcome of a closed blastocyst vitrification system was evaluated in relation to the blastocyst score before cryopreservation in single embryo transfers (SETs).
METHODS
Supernumerary blastocysts of IVF/ICSI patients with a fresh Day 5 transfer were vitrified using CBS-VIT High Security (HS) straws. In 759 warming cycles, morphological survival and transfer rates were assessed in relation to the blastocyst score and the day of vitrification. Pregnancy rates were assessed in 530 SET and 156 double embryo transfer (DET) cycles. Implantation rates per embryo transferred in SET cycles were analysed according to blastocyst quality and day of cryopreservation.
RESULTS
Immediate morphological survival was 77.8% (921/1185) and the transfer rate per warmed blastocyst was 70.7% (838/1185). Survival rates were higher for Day 5 early blastocysts (86.7%) compared with full (78.7%) or expanded blastocysts (72.7%). A reduced survival rate of 70.1% was found for Day 6 blastocysts compared with Day 5 blastocysts (80.6%, P < 0.001). The overall clinical/ongoing pregnancy rate after SET was 16.4/14.2% and 24.4/20.5% after DET with an ongoing multiple pregnancy rate of 21.8% (7/32) after DET. Significantly lower implantation rates were found for Day 5 early blastocysts (10.6%) compared with advanced blastocysts (17.5%, P< 0.05). Similar implantation potentials for Day 5 and 6 blastocysts (14.3 versus 13.7%) were found.
CONCLUSIONS
Successful cryopreservation of blastocysts from the early cavitating up to expanded blastocyst stages is possible using a closed HS device. The choice between single or double frozen blastocyst transfer should depend on blastocyst expansion after vitrification.
BACKGROUND
Conflicting results have been reported regarding the use of polarized microscopy as a predictive tool for human oocyte quality.
METHODS
Oocytes from 121 ICSI cycles were analysed with polarized microscopy. Both qualitative (spindle presence) and quantitative (retardance) data were correlated to the key assisted reproduction technology outcome parameters. Second, polarized microscopy was applied on in vitro matured (IVM) oocytes from germinal vesicle oocytes that matured after 24 or 48 h and from metaphase I oocytes matured after 3 or 24 h. These data were correlated with confocal analysis of spindle-chromosome complex.
RESULTS
Spindles were detected in 82% of in vivo matured oocytes and in 64% adjacent to the first polar body (PB). Fertilization rate was higher in oocytes with a visible spindle (P = 0.0002). In patients aged over 35 years, the percentage of a visible spindle and mean spindle retardance was lower than in younger patients (P < 0.03). A higher number of spindles were located adjacent to the first PB in IVM matured oocytes (94%) versus in vivo matured oocytes (P < 0.0001). Confocal imaging revealed that spindle absent IVM metaphase II (MII) oocytes had a higher degree of aberrant spindle and chromosomal configurations versus IVM MII oocytes with a visible spindle (P = 0.002).
CONCLUSIONS
Oocytes with absent spindles were associated with lower fertilization rates and advanced female age. Other important outcome parameters (embryo quality, pregnancy rates) were not correlated to spindle nor zona inner layer analysis. Interestingly, confocal imaging showed that polarized microscopy might be used as a qualitative predictive tool of human oocyte quality but no correlation could be demonstrated with quantitative polarized microscopy.
Unusual and consistent defects in infertility patients merit attention as these may indicate an underlying genetic abnormality, in turn necessitating tailored management strategies. We describe a case of repeated early pregnancy loss from in vivo conceptions, followed by cancelled embryo transfers after one IVF and one ICSI/PGD cycle. Following the unexpected presence of cleaved embryos at the fertilization check in the first IVF attempt, oocytes and embryos were subsequently analyzed in an ICSI/PGD case. Part of the oocyte cohort was fixed at retrieval for a cellular evaluation of microtubules, microfilaments and chromatin. The remaining oocytes were injected with sperm, and resultant embryos were biopsied for genetic analysis by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) microarray for 23 chromosome pairs, as well as with PCR for sex chromosomes. The presence of interphase microtubule networks and pronuclear structures indicated that oocytes were spontaneously activated by the time of retrieval. FISH revealed aneuploidy in all seven blastomeres analyzed, with all but two lacking Y chromosomes. Microarray SNP analysis showed an exclusively maternal origin of all blastomeres analyzed, which was further confirmed by PCR. From our multi-faceted analyses, we conclude that spontaneous activation, or parthenogenesis, was probably the pathology underlying our patient's recurrent inability to maintain a normal pregnancy. Such analyses may prove beneficial not only in diagnosing case-specific aberrations for other patients with similar or related failures, but also for furthering our general understanding of oocyte activation.
BACKGROUND
Uterus transplantation (UTx) research aims towards the introduction of UTx as a treatment for uterine factor infertility. The rat model is the principal rodent model used and this study aims to assess the potential for pregnancy and to assess effects on pregnancy outcome.
METHODS
Female Lewis rats underwent hysterectomy and received syngeneic uterine transplants (with one horn removed) by end-to-side anastomosis between the common iliac vessels of the recipient and the graft. The graft was placed in an orthotopic position with anastomosis to the upper part of the native uterine horn and vagina to allow for pregnancy by mating. Controls had only one uterine horn removed. Mating and pregnancy frequencies, successful deliveries and pup weight trajectory were compared.
RESULTS
Pregnancy was achieved in rats after UTx with the pregnancy rate, number of pups and growth trajectory of pups being similar to controls. However, numbers of resorbed pregnancies and arrested parturitions were more common in the UTx group.
CONCLUSIONS
A model for orthotopic UTx was developed and pregnancies with live offspring were for the first time demonstrated in the rat model of UTx. The model will be useful in future studies of fertility after UTx.
BACKGROUND
Myolysis is one of the procedures that is claimed to provide significant improvement in myoma status without hysterectomy. Myolysis procedures have been generally performed via laparoscopy, and there are limited data on transvaginal radiofrequency (RF) myolysis. This study investigated the feasibility, efficacy and safety of transvaginal ultrasound-guided RF myolysis.
METHODS
Transvaginal ultrasound-guided RF myolysis was performed on 69 premenopausal women with symptomatic uterine myomas as an outpatient procedure. Outcomes were assessed 1, 3, 6 and 12 months after RF myolysis. Myoma volumes were measured by ulrasonography. Menorrhagia was evaluated by the number of soaked normal-sized sanitary products used per menstrual period and overall symptoms were evaluated using the symptom severity subscale of the uterine fibroids symptom questionnaire.
RESULTS
Mean (± SD) age of patients was 39.8 ± 6.5 years. Mean baseline volume of the dominant myomas was 304.6 ± 229.1 cm3 and its volume at 3 months following RF myolysis decreased compared with the previous examination (P = 0.002). An improvement of menorrhagia occurred 1, 3, 6 and 12 months after operation (all P < 0.001 versus baseline). Overall symptoms at 1, 3, 6 and 12 months after RF myolysis also improved (all P < 0.001 versus baseline). No major complications were observed or reported. After 12 months, three patients had successfully conceived and delivered and there were no complications during labor or delivery.
CONCLUSIONS
Transvaginal ultrasound-guided RF myolysis might be a safe, effective and minimally invasive outpatient procedure for uterine myoma in terms of size reduction, symptom improvement and safety.
BACKGROUND
Torsion of the ovary is a rare but serious cause of gynecologic surgical emergency. Specific laboratory markers that support the preoperative diagnosis of ovarian torsion are not currently available in the clinical routine. The aim of this study was to investigate the diagnostic value of plasma D-dimer level as an early indicator of ovarian torsion in an experimental rat ovarian torsion model.
METHODS
Sixteen female adult Sprague–Dawley rats were used for this controlled experimental study. Eight rats in the sham operation group (Group I) underwent a surgical procedure similar to Group II but the ovary was not occluded. In Group II (eight rats), a torsion model was created by using atraumatic vascular clips just above and below the right ovary for a 2-h period of ischemia. Right ovaries were surgically removed at the end of the procedure in each group. Blood was sampled before and after operation to assess plasma D-dimer levels. The main outcome measure was ovarian histopathologic findings scores and plasma D-dimer levels.
RESULTS
There was no significant difference in pre-operative plasma D-dimer levels (0.5963 ± 0.2047 mg/l in Group I, 0.6344 ± 0.1348 mg/l in Group II, P = 0.815, Mann–Whitney U-test). However, mean plasma D-dimer value for Group II was significantly higher than that in the control group (1.2267 ± 0.3099 versus 0.6213 ± 0.2346 mg/l, respectively, Mann–Whitney U-test, P < 0.001), following 2 h of ovarian torsion. Ovarian tissue damage scores were also statistically significantly different among groups.
CONCLUSIONS
If the observations made in a rat model are extended to humans, plasma D-dimer measurement may be a valuable parameter in the early diagnosis of ovarian torsion.
BACKGROUND
IVF treatments carry a high risk of twin pregnancy which confers a higher risk to the mother and child than singletons. Increased use of elective single embryo transfer (eSET) can reduce this twin rate. We aimed to utilize a previously published data set and statistical model based on routinely collected clinical data to predict the outcomes of policies that increase the proportion of eSET.
METHODS
The models allow simultaneous prediction of outcomes from double embryo transfer (DET) and SET. These models were used to predict outcomes for different scenarios using SET in both the initial (fresh) transfer and over a complete cycle (transfer of all embryos created, with cryopreservation). A total of 16 096 cycles (12 487 fresh and 3609 frozen) from 9040 couples treated between 2000 and 2005 were included in the final analyses.
RESULTS
For any transfer, SET has about a one-third lower live birth rate relative to DET: this can be partially mitigated by appropriate patient and treatment cycle selection, with several realistic policies performing similarly. However, if we consider complete cycles with embryo cryopreservation, it is possible for repeat SET to produce more live births per egg retrieval than repeat DET.
CONCLUSIONS
All patients receiving SET would have a higher chance of successful treatment in that cycle if they received DET. The selection of appropriate patients for SET can partially ameliorate the overall loss. For complete cycles, repeat SET could produce more live births per egg retrieval than repeat DET. All treatments involving SET will increase the number of treatments required to achieve a successful outcome and this extra treatment burden will be a significant barrier to the implementation of such treatments.
BACKGROUND
Controlled ovarian hyperstimulation with intrauterine insemination (COH/IUI) is an established tool in medically assisted conception for many infertility factors. However, the proper timing of IUI after hCG trigger and the frequency of IUI are still debated. We aimed to examine the association between the cycle pregnancy rate (CPR) and: (i) single IUI timed at 36 ± 2 h post-hCG (pre- or post-ovulation) (ii) the number of IUI (single or double) for pre-ovulatory cases both aims in male, anovulatory and unexplained infertility.
METHODS
The study included a total 1146 first-stimulated cycles in infertile couples due to male factor, anovulation or unexplained infertility. Cycles were stimulated by clomiphine citrate (CC) or sequential CC–hMG or hMG and monitored by transvaginal ultrasound. When the leading follicle reached ≥18 mm mean diameter, 10000 IU hCG was given to trigger ovulation and IUI was timed for 36 ± 2 h later. Semen was processed and ovulation was checked at the time of IUI. Post-ovulatory cases received single IUI, while pre-ovulatory cases were sequentially randomized to receive either single or double IUI. The end-point of the cycle was CPR.
RESULTS
Overall CPR in the whole cohort was 10.1%. When ovulation was present before IUI, CPR was 11.7% compared with 6.7% when ovulation was absent [OR (95% CI): 1.85 (1.12–3.06), P = 0.015]. When this OR was computed according to infertility etiology, it was 1.26 (0.52–2.95) (P =0.82) for male factor infertility and 2.24 (1.23–4.08) (P = 0.007) for non-male factor infertility. Comparing the CPR for double versus single IUI in pre-ovulatory cases, the OR for all cycles was 1.9 (0.76–4.7) (P = 0.22), but according to etiology, it was 4.667 (0.9–24.13) (P = 0.06) in male factor and 1.2 (0.43–3.33) (P = 0.779) for non-male factors.
CONCLUSIONS
Single IUI timed post-ovulation gives a better CPR when compared with single pre-ovulation IUI for non-male infertility, whereas for male factors, pre-ovulation, double IUI gives a better CPR when compared with single IUI.
BACKGROUND
High-quality healthcare should be effective, safe and patient-centred. How important patient-centredness is in relation to effectiveness of fertility care has never been investigated. This study aimed to determine and compare the importance of patient-centredness, relative to pregnancy rates, to patients and physicians.
METHODS
A discrete choice experiment (DCE) was designed. Participants had to choose between hypothetical fertility clinics differing in following attributes: travel time; pregnancy rate (effectiveness); physicians' attitude; information on treatment; and continuity of physicians (the latter three represent patient-centredness). A total of 1378 patients and 268 physicians from eight Dutch and Belgian fertility clinics received the DCE-questionnaire. The attributes' relative importance was analysed using multinomial logistic regression. Additionally, patients' actual choice behaviour was investigated.
RESULTS
In total, 925 patients and 227 physicians participated. Pregnancy rates were relatively more important to physicians. Patients assigned more value to patient-centredness (P< 0.001) and were willing to trade-off a higher pregnancy rate for patient-centredness than physicians recommended them to do (P< 0.05). For example, patients considered pregnancy rates 1.5 times as important as an interested physician's attitude, whereas physicians considered this 2.4 times as important (P< 0.001). The willingness to trade-off pregnancy rate for this attitude was 9.8% for patients and 6.3% for physicians (P< 0.001). A lack of patient-centredness was the most cited non-medical reason for changing fertility clinics.
CONCLUSIONS
Patients and physicians put considerable value on pregnancy rates. However, physicians significantly undervalue the importance of patient-centredness to patients. Clinics aiming to optimize the quality of their services should be aware of the substantial importance their patients assign to patient-centredness.
BACKGROUND
Advanced glycation end-products (AGE) are pivotal in aging and diabetes. Aging and polycystic ovary syndrome, a diabetes-associated disease, often cause infertility. We examined how AGE accumulation affects assisted reproductive technology (ART) outcomes.
METHODS
In this retrospective analysis, toxic AGE (TAGE), pentosidine (Pent) and carboxymethyl lysine (CML) in blood and follicular fluid (FF) were measured in 157 ART-patients. We analyzed associations of AGE with ART outcomes and pre-ART clinical factors.
RESULTS
TAGE, Pent and CML in FF and TAGE in serum, showed significant negative correlations with estradiol and numbers of follicles larger than 12 mm in diameter, retrieved oocytes, fertilized oocytes and embryos. AGE, Pent in FF and TAGE in serum showed significant negative correlations with ongoing pregnancy. Areas under receiver-operating characteristic curves for AGE (0.709), Pent in FF (0.686) and TAGE in serum (0.667) were significantly larger than for the reference (0.5). Women with serum TAGE above 7.24 U/ml showed decreased oocyte numbers and ongoing pregnancy rates, even with younger age or lower Day-3 FSH. Serum TAGE correlated positively with leptin (R = 0.51), BMI, low-density lipoprotein, triglyceride, glucose, homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance and insulin.
CONCLUSIONS
Serum TAGE and FF Pent accumulations correlated highly with poor follicular and embryonic development and with a lower likelihood of ongoing pregnancy. Serum TAGE predicts poor ART outcomes independent of age and Day-3 FSH.
BACKGROUND
Subfertility is a common but hidden source of anxiety, depressive symptoms and hopelessness. Counselling reduces this emotional burden and may even enhance the likelihood of pregnancy. Art therapy may be a useful intervention, because it facilitates the expression of feelings, both visually and verbally, and may ease emotional distress.
METHODS
Weekly 2-h art therapy group courses were held for a total of 21 subfertile women. The impact of subfertile women's support systems and barriers to coping were all explored. The effectiveness of art therapy was assessed using Beck Hopelessness, Depression and Anxiety Inventories, administered before and after participation, as well as a qualitative exit questionnaire.
RESULTS
The mean age of participants was 35.7 (SD 2.1) years and duration of infertility was 64 (12.0) months. Mean Beck Hopelessness Scale fell from 6.1 (3.8) to 3.5 (3.1, P = 0.01) after therapy. Beck Depression Inventory-II Score fell from 19.8 (11.0) to 12.5 (10.2, P = 0.01) and Beck Anxiety Inventory Score changed from 12.4 (8.4) to 8.4 (5.2, P = 0.3). Based on the exit questionnaire, women felt the course was insightful, powerful and enjoyable.
CONCLUSIONS
Art therapy is an inexpensive, non-pharmacological intervention, which was associated with decreased levels of hopelessness and depressed mood in subfertile women. It also provides insight into the meaning and emotional implications of subfertility for patients and caregivers. This pilot study highlights the need for further research in this field.
