Oocyte activation for women following intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).

Background: Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), a type of assisted reproductive technology (ART), is offered as a treatment option for male factor infertility. Over the years, the indications for ICSI have been expanded, despite uncertainty about its benefits and harms compared to the conventional method of achieving fertilisation. Artificial oocyte activation (AOA), which can be performed by chemical, electrical or mechanical intervention, has been employed during ART ICSI treatment where there has been a history of low fertilization rate or total fertilization failure, and it has been reported to improve reproductive outcomes.

Brief Report: Methylation-Based ctDNA Serial Monitoring Correlates With Immunotherapy Response in NSCLC.

Purpose: Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) can reflect the genetic and epigenetic composition of malignancies and can serve as a noninvasive biomarker for cancer diagnostics and monitoring. This study aimed to evaluate the utility of a methylation-based ctDNA assay as a predictive tool in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) anti-PD1 based immunotherapy monitoring.

Methods: We evaluated a cohort of 20 patients with NSCLC treated with anti-PD1 based immunotherapy that had both baseline and follow-up blood draws as well as outcome data available.

Mortality association with extremity trauma and transferring patients for higher level of care.

Introduction: Rising healthcare costs and reduced Medicaid reimbursements pose lasting challenges for trauma centers. Various studies have highlighted the adverse effect of these cost-related circumstances on trauma center survival and the need for local hospitals to transfer patients to tertiary and quaternary care centers. Our study seeks to assess the relationship between patient transfer status to a higher-level health center and its association with mortality.