Intrafollicular soluble receptor for advanced glycation end products (sRAGE) and embryo quality in assisted reproduction.

The developmental potential of human embryos has important implications in assisted reproduction and depends, among other factors, on oocyte competency. The receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) is a member of the superfamily of immunoglobulin cell-surface molecules that are constitutively expressed during embryonic development. RAGE is down-regulated in homeostasis in adult life.

Patient selection criteria for blastocyst transfers in extended embryo culture programs.

Purpose: To identify the correlation between different cycles, patient factors and blastocyst characteristics.

Methods: The study included 420 patients undergoing ICSI cycles and 2781 graded blastocysts, which took into account the blastocyst quality. The correlations between the blastocyst parameters and the patient and cycle characteristics were assessed.

The predictive value of high-magnification sperm morphology examination on ICSI outcomes in the presence of oocyte dysmorphisms.

Purpose: To evaluate the relationship between oocyte dysmorphisms and IMSI outcomes

Methods: Data of IMSI cycles performed in 332 patients were included in this study. Patients were included only if presented more than four and less than 30 oocytes upon oocyte retrieval. Patients who underwent IMSI were matched, concerning female age and sperm parameters, with patients who underwent ICSI in the same period (n = 332).

Quantitative determination of the band gap of WS2 with ambipolar ionic liquid-gated transistors.

We realized ambipolar field-effect transistors by coupling exfoliated thin flakes of tungsten disulfide (WS(2)) with an ionic liquid dielectric. The devices show ideal electrical characteristics, including very steep subthreshold slopes for both electrons and holes and extremely low OFF-state currents. Thanks to these ideal characteristics, we determine with high precision the size of the band gap of WS(2) directly from the gate-voltage dependence of the source-drain current.

Combining piracetam and lithium salts: ionic co-crystals and co-drugs?

Mechanochemical reaction of solid piracetam with the inorganic salts LiCl and LiBr yields ionic co-crystals which are also co-drugs, characterized by markedly different thermal properties with respect to pure components, also depending on the method for preparation and/or conditions of measurements; single crystal and powder X-ray diffraction at variable temperatures, DSC, TGA, hot stage microscopy (HSM) and intrinsic dissolution rate have been used to fully characterize the solid products.

Relevance of assisted hatching in an oocyte donation programme using egg cryobanking: a prospective randomised study.

Objective: The objective of this prospective randomised study was to evaluate if there is an improvement in clinical outcomes when assisted hatching (AH) is performed in embryos derived from vitrified/warmed oocytes in an ovum donation programme using egg cryobanking.

Study Design: Sixty oocyte recipients in a donation programme using egg cryobanking were randomly allocated to the assisted hatched (AH, n=30) or control group (n=30). The pregnancy and implantation rates were compared between the groups.

Contributing factors for the incidence of aneuploidy in older patients undergoing intracytoplasmic sperm injection cycles.

Purpose: To evaluate different factors that might affect the incidence of embryo aneuploidy in intracytoplasmic sperm injection cycles (ICSI).

Methods: One hundred and ninety ICSI cycles in conjunction with preimplantation genetic screening (PGS) were included. The influence of the following variables on the aneuploidy incidence was evaluated: (i) maternal and (ii) paternal ages, (iii) dose of FSH administered, (iv) dose of FSH per number of retrieved matured oocytes (FSH/MII), (v) serum 17β-oestradiol levels on the ovulation trigger day, (vi) aspirated follicles and (vii) retrieved oocytes.

Body mass index is negatively correlated with the response to controlled ovarian stimulation but does not influence oocyte morphology in ICSI cycles.

Objective: To investigate whether or not body mass index (BMI) is associated with oocyte dysmorphisms.

Study Design: This retrospective study enrolled 1105 patients undergoing intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). The correlation between BMI and the response to controlled ovarian stimulation (COS) and ICSI outcomes was analysed.

Dipyrone attenuates acute sickness response to lipopolysaccharide in mice.

Sickness behavior appears to be the expression of a central motivational state that reorganizes the organism's priorities to cope with infectious pathogens. To evaluate the effect of dipyrone in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced sickness behavior, mice were subjected to the forced swim test (FST), tail suspension test (TST), dark-light box test, open field test, sucrose preference intake test and food intake test. LPS administration increased the immobility time in the TST, increased the time spent floating in the FST, and depressed locomotor activity in the open field test.

Dengue in patients with central nervous system manifestations, Brazil.

We investigated the prevalence of dengue in patients with suspected viral meningitis/meningoencephalitis in a dengue-endemic area. Cerebrospinal fluid analysis showed positive results and a 6.74× greater likelihood of identifying positive fluid in patients who died.

A chromosome 19 locus positively influences the number of retrieved oocytes during stimulated cycles in Brazilian women.

Purpose: To evaluate if several genetic loci that are associated with variation in normal menopause age and early menopause can account for a poor response to controlled ovarian stimulation.

Methods: A total of 71 patients age ≤35 years old who were undergoing intracytoplasmic sperm injection were genotyped for four genetic variants that are associated with normal variation in menopausal age and early menopause. The patients were divided into two groups based upon treatment response: a poor responder group (PR group, n = 21) and a normal responder group (NR group, n = 50).

Gender incidence of intracytoplasmic morphologically selected sperm injection-derived embryos: a prospective randomized study.

The aim of this prospective randomized study was to determine if the use of intracytoplasmic morphologically selected sperm injection (IMSI) is associated with gender incidence. Couples who underwent IVF-preimplantation genetic screening (PGS) cycles, as a result of advanced maternal age, were randomly allocated into two groups: intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI; n=80) or intracytoplasmic morphologically selected sperm injection (IMSI; n=80). The incidences of genders were compared between ICSI- and IMSI-derived embryos.

Psychometric properties of the Brazilian version of the Obsessive Beliefs Questionnaire (OBQ-44).

The present study was designed to assess the psychometric properties of the Brazilian version of the Obsessive Beliefs Questionnaire (OBQ-44) in 104 patients with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) at the Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre. The secondary objective was to ascertain whether a decline in OBQ-44 scores occurs after cognitive-behavioral group therapy (CBGT). Factor analysis identified three dysfunctional belief domains from the original scale.

Seasonal variability in the fertilization rate of women undergoing assisted reproduction treatments.

The objective of this study was to evaluate whether seasonality affects human-assisted reproduction treatment outcomes. For this, 1932 patients undergoing intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) were assigned to a season group according to the day of oocyte retrieval: winter (n = 435), spring (n = 444), summer (n = 469) or autumn (n = 584). Analysis of variance was used to compare the ICSI outcomes.

Genomewide association study using a high-density single nucleotide polymorphism array and case-control design identifies a novel essential hypertension susceptibility locus in the promoter region of endothelial NO synthase.

Essential hypertension is a multifactorial disorder and is the main risk factor for renal and cardiovascular complications. The research on the genetics of hypertension has been frustrated by the small predictive value of the discovered genetic variants. The HYPERGENES Project investigated associations between genetic variants and essential hypertension pursuing a 2-stage study by recruiting cases and controls from extensively characterized cohorts recruited over many years in different European regions.

Importance of (99)mTc-sestaMIBI thyroid scan in a case of amiodarone-induced thyrotoxicosis.

Amiodarone (AM)-induced thyrotoxicosis (AIT) is a condition with uncertainties from the diagnostic and therapeutic standpoints. A 54-year old male was referred to the hospital due to thyrotoxicosis. He had history of atrial fibrillation medicated with AM.

Oocyte morphology does not affect post-warming survival rate in an egg-cryobanking donation program.

Purpose: To evaluate whether oocyte dysmorphisms affect oocyte survival rates in an egg-cryobanking donation program.

Methods: This study included 54 patients undergoing intracytoplasmic sperm injection. A total of 415 metaphase II oocytes were vitrified using the Cryotop method.

Food intake and social habits in male patients and its relationship to intracytoplasmic sperm injection outcomes.

Objective: To investigate the influence of the male partner's lifestyle, including eating and social habits, on semen quality and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) success.

Design: Observational study.

Setting: Private fertility clinic.

Polymorph and isomer conversion of complexes based on CuI and PPh3 easily observed via luminescence.

Reactions between copper(I) iodide and triphenylphosphine have been explored in solution and in the solid state and six luminescent coordination complexes have been obtained and characterized by X-ray diffraction and UV-vis spectroscopy and photophysics. Solid-state reactions of CuI with PPh(3) in different conditions (kneading, vapour digestion) and stoichiometries resulted in the formation of high ratio ligand:metal compounds while tetrameric structures could be obtained only by solution reactions. Crystal structures were determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction while purity of the bulk product was checked by powder diffraction (XRPD).

Mechanochemistry: opportunities for new and cleaner synthesis.

The aim of this critical review is to provide a broad but digestible overview of mechanochemical synthesis, i.e. reactions conducted by grinding solid reactants together with no or minimal solvent.

Compositional variability in conventional and glyphosate-tolerant soybean (Glycine max L.) varieties grown in different regions in Brazil.

The compositions of a diverse range of commercially available conventional and genetically modified (GM; glyphosate-tolerant) soybean varieties from maturity groups 8 and 5, respectively, grown in the northern and southern soybean regions of Brazil during the 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 growing seasons were compared. Compositional analyses included measurement of essential macro- and micronutrients, antinutrients, and selected secondary metabolites in harvested seed as well as measurement of proximates in both forage and harvested seed. Statistical comparisons utilized a mixed analysis of variance model to evaluate the relative contributions of growing season, soybean growing region, production site, phenotype (GM or conventional), and variety.

Symptom dimensional approach and BDNF in unmedicated obsessive-compulsive patients: an exploratory study.

Unlabelled: IntroductionThe dimensional approach of the obsessive-compulsive symptoms may help to find more homogeneous groups of patients. The brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) may help to identify neurobiological differences between obsessive-compulsive symptom dimensions.

Methods: We compared serum BDNF (pg/μg) levels of 25 unmedicated patients meeting Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition criteria for obsessivecompulsive disorder (OCD) and 25 controls, using the Dimensional Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale, the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale and the Beck's Anxiety and Depression Inventories.

Relationship between oocyte abnormal morphology and intracytoplasmic sperm injection outcomes: a meta-analysis.

The aim of this study was to perform a meta-analysis of the potential effects of oocyte morphological abnormalities on ICSI outcomes. Relevant original papers reporting on the relation between oocyte morphology and ICSI outcomes were identified by searching MEDLINE, EMBASE and the Cochrane Library. The main outcome measures were fertilisation rate and embryo quality.