Assisted reproductive technologies in Africa: The African Network and Registry for ART, 2020.

Research Question: What were the utilization, effectiveness and safety of assisted reproductive technology (ART) in Africa during 2020?

Design: Cross-sectional, cycle-based and retrospective summary data were collected from voluntarily participating ART centres.

Results: During 2020, 37,063 ART procedures were reported by 67 centres in 15 countries. Autologous fresh transfers were predominant at 65.

Common Beverage Consumption and Benign Gynecological Conditions.

The purpose of this article is to review the effects of four commonly consumed beverage types-sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), caffeinated beverages, green tea, and alcohol-on five common benign gynecological conditions: uterine fibroids, endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), anovulatory infertility, and primary dysmenorrhea (PD). Here we outline a plethora of research, highlighting studies that demonstrate possible associations between beverage intake and increased risk of certain gynecological conditions-such as SSBs and dysmenorrhea-as well as studies that demonstrate a possible protective effect of beverage against risk of gynecological condition-such as green tea and uterine fibroids. This review aims to help inform the diet choices of those with the aforementioned conditions and give those with uteruses autonomy over their lifestyle decisions.

Assisted reproductive technologies in Africa: The African Network and Registry for ART, 2018 and 2019.

Research Question: What were the utilization, practices and outcomes of assisted reproductive technology (ART) in Africa in 2018 and 2019?

Design: Cycle-based data (CBD) and retrospective summary data were collected cross-sectionally from voluntarily participating ART centres.

Results: During 2018, 43,958 ART procedures were reported by 67 centres in 16 countries, increasing to 45,185 procedures reported by 70 centres in 18 countries in 2019. Autologous fresh procedures predominated at 70%, whereas autologous frozen embryo transfers (FET) increased from 21.

The novel incorporation of aromatase inhibitor in hormonal replacement therapy cycles: a randomized controlled trial.

Research Question: Does the incorporation of the aromatase inhibitor, letrozole, in hormone replacement therapy (HRT) improve the pregnancy outcome in vitrified-warmed blastocyst transfer cycles?

Design: A randomized controlled trial; HRT was used in all cycles. Exogenous oestradiol, 6 mg daily started on day 2 or day 3 of the cycle. Tri-laminar endometrium 9 mm or thicker was the targeted cut-off.

VALUE OF CEREBROSPINAL FLUID TUMOR NECROSIS FACTOR-ALPHA (TN-ALPHA) FOR RAPID DIAGNOSIS OF BACTERIAL MENINGITIS.

Meningitis is common in tropical areas and also in Egypt and has a world-wide distribution. This study evaluated the potential role of CSF TNF alpha in diagnosis and differenfial diagnosis of acute meningitis (bacterial versus asepic meningitis). This case-control study was conducted between Ain Shams University Tropical Medicine Department and Embaba Fever Hospital.

COGNUTUVE AND NEUROLOGICAL COMPLICATIONS OF BACTERIAL MENINGITIS IN ADULT PATIENTS: A HOSPITAL BASED STUDY.

Bacterial meningitis is associated with disabling sequelae in a significant proportion of patients. It is associated with high mortality, risk of neuropsychological sequelae and risk of cognitive impairment the purpose of this study is to assess cognitive and neurological complications in adult patients with bacterial meningitis. A total of 45 patients with bacterial meningitis and 16 patients with tuberculous meningitis were enrolled.

Protecting Ovaries During Chemotherapy Through Gonad Suppression: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Objective: To estimate whether gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) analog administration during chemotherapy can protect against development of ovarian toxicity.

Data Sources: MEDLINE (1966 to present), EMBASE (1980 to present), Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), World Health Organization International Clinical Trials Registry Platform, and ClinicalTrials.gov were searched through March 2015 using the phrases: "gonadotropin-releasing hormone," "chemotherapy," and "premature ovarian failure.

Endometrial scratching for women with previous IVF failure undergoing IVF treatment.

The purpose of this study was to find out whether endometrial scratching could improve live birth rate in women with previous IVF failure undergoing fresh IVF cycle. In a randomized controlled trial, 387 women with previous IVF failure were divided into two groups. Group A (193 women) was subjected to endometrial biopsy procedure twice.

Gonadatrophin suppression to prevent chemotherapy-induced ovarian damage: a randomized controlled trial.

Objective: To estimate the effectiveness of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) analogues cotreatment in preventing chemotherapy-induced amenorrhea in young breast cancer patients undergoing cyclophosphamide-based chemotherapy.

Methods: One hundred hormone-insensitive breast cancer participants (aged 18-40 years) were recruited from two university-affiliated oncology centers in Egypt. Opting for type of cotreatment was based on available timeframe until start of chemotherapy.

Serum leptin level and its association with fatigue in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection.

Background And Study Aim: Fatigue is one of the most common presenting symptoms of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Its pathogenesis has been poorly investigated. Serum leptin levels are increased in cirrhosis and are suggested to have a role in the mediation of fatigue.

Day 5 expanded blastocysts transferred on same day have comparable outcome to those left for more extended culture and transferred on day 6.

Objective: To study the outcome of blastocysts showing expansion on day 5 and transferred on day 5 or 6, in comparison with those unexpanded and transferred on day 6.

Study Design: Prospective cohort of 221 women prepared for BET classified into three groups according to timing of blastocyst expansion and day of embryo transfer. Group I; with expanded blastocysts on day 5 having day 5 transfer, group II; with expanded blastocysts on day 5 having day 6 transfer and group III ; with delayed expansion undergoing day 6 BET.

Blastocyst-stage versus cleavage-stage embryo transfer in women with high oestradiol concentrations: randomized controlled trial.

This prospective, randomized, controlled trial tested the hypothesis that delaying embryo transfer to the blastocyst stage can increase the probability of clinical pregnancy and live birth in women with high oestradiol concentrations on the day of human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG) undergoing intracytoplasmic sperm injection using the long protocol. A total of 200 women with oestradiol >3000 pg/ml on the HCG day with four or more good-quality, day-3 embryos were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to undergo day-3 or day-5 embryo transfer. Clinical pregnancy rates (CPR; 41% versus 59%; relative risk 0.

Progesterone level and progesterone/estradiol ratio on the day of hCG administration: detrimental cutoff levels and new treatment strategy.

Objective: To identify if there are certain cutoff levels for P and or the P/E(2) ratio on the day of hCG that would be defined as detrimental for occurrence of pregnancy in women with normal ovarian reserve undergoing cleavage-stage embryo transfer (ET). Secondarily, to determine if these same cutoffs might have the same potential negative effect in women undergoing blastocyst ET.

Design: Prospective cohort study including two randomized cohorts.

N-acetyl cysteine: could it be an effective adjuvant therapy in ICSI cycles? A preliminary study.

This randomized controlled trial tested the hypothesis that addition of N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) can increase the probability of pregnancy in intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) cycles using the long agonist protocol. Women undergoing ICSI cycles due to male factor were randomly assigned to receive either long protocol (group A, 38 women) or long protocol plus NAC (group B, 38 women). Clinical pregnancy was the primary outcome.

Does luteal estradiol supplementation have a role in long agonist cycles?

Objective: To test the hypothesis that the addition of 6 mg estradiol (E2) valerate either orally or vaginally to progesterone (P) for luteal support, can increase the probability of pregnancy in intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) cycles using the long agonist protocol.

Design: Prospective open-labeled randomized controlled trial.

Setting: Private and university fertility centers.

Anti-Müllerian hormone: correlation of early follicular, ovulatory and midluteal levels with ovarian response and cycle outcome in intracytoplasmic sperm injection patients.

Objective: To measure serum anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) during different phases of the menstrual cycle and to correlate the measurements with ovarian response and clinical-pregnancy rates in intracytoplasmic sperm injection cycles.

Design: Prospective cohort study.

Setting: University IVF unit.