Towards a personalized approach to aromatase inhibitor therapy: a digital microfluidic platform for rapid analysis of estradiol in core-needle-biopsies.

Despite advances in breast cancer prevention and treatment, variability in patient-response has revealed the need for a more "personalized" approach to medicine, in which treatments are tailored to each patient's biology. Motivated by this idea, we introduce a technique that allows for quantification of small-molecule analytes directly from core needle biopsy (CNB) tissue samples on a miniaturized platform. The new technique, powered by digital microfluidics, integrates tissue-liquid extraction and magnetic bead-based competitive immunoassay for quantification of estradiol in milligram-sized CNB samples.

Elective single embryo transfer: Is frozen better than fresh?

Objective: Single embryo transfer (SET) has been recommended to avoid multiple births following assisted reproductive technology (ART) procedures. Many studies have shown that frozen embryo transfer may yield better pregnancy rates than fresh embryo transfer. This study looked into pregnancy rates following fresh versus frozen single embryo transfer procedures in age-matched patients.

A microfluidic technique for quantification of steroids in core needle biopsies.

Core needle biopsy (CNB) sampling is known to be inexpensive and minimally invasive relative to traditional tissue resectioning. But CNBs are often not used in analytical settings because of the tiny amount of sample and analyte. To address this challenge, we introduce an analytical method capable of multiplexed steroid quantification in CNB samples-those studied here ranged in mass from 2 to 8 mg.

Non-synchronized endometrium and its correction in non-ovulatory cryopreserved embryo transfer cycles.

The aim of this case series study was to investigate the effect of adjusting the length of progesterone exposure on clinical pregnancy rates in cryopreserved embryo transfer cycles of patients with out-of-phase classic endometrial dating. Eighty infertile women with previous implantation failure and good-quality embryos underwent endometrial biopsy before cryopreserved embryo transfer and were included in this study. The main outcome measures were clinical pregnancy rate and histologic endometrial dating.

Addition of low dose hCG to rFSh benefits older women during ovarian stimulation for IVF.

Background: To compare the outcome of IVF cycles in women receiving controlled ovarian stimulation with recFSH or recFSH plus low dose hCG.

Methods: A retrospective case control study, performed at a private practice affiliated with an academic institute. Patients were infertile women who were treated with IVF/ICSI and controlled ovarian stimulation in a long GnRH agonist protocol using either low dose hCG in addition to recFSH [N = 88] or recFSH alone [N = 99].