Establishment of a Swine Benign Biliary Stricture Model of Endobiliary Thermal Injury With a Diathermic Sheath.

Background: A reliable large animal model of benign biliary stricture (BBS) is essential to study endoscopic management of BBS. The aim of this study was to establish a swine BBS model of endobiliary electrothermal injury with a diathermic sheath and screen out the optimal energy dose.

Materials And Methods: Twelve swine were equally randomized into a low (20 W), a medium (30 W), and a high (40 W)-dose group.

Modulatory effects of vitamin D on peripheral cellular immunity in patients with recurrent miscarriage.

Problem: We aimed to investigate the modulatory effects of vitamin D on peripheral blood cellular immune response in patients with recurrent miscarriage (RM).

Method Of Study: The effect of vitamin D on the number of peripheral blood cells, T helper 1 (Th1) cytokines, and NK cytotoxicity was measured in 99 women with RM.

Results: The percentage of CD19 B cells and NK cytotoxicity at an effector-to-target cell (E:T) ratio of 50:1, 25:1, and 12.

Laser-assisted hatching improves clinical outcomes of vitrified-warmed blastocysts developed from low-grade cleavage-stage embryos: a prospective randomized study.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of quarter zona-pellucida (ZP) opening by laser-assisted hatching (QLAH) on the clinical outcomes following transfer of vitrified-warmed blastocysts developed from low-grade cleavage-stage embryos in patients with all high-grade and fair-grade cleavage-stage embryos transferred without achieving pregnancy. Patients were randomized into two groups: QLAH (n=101) and control (n=102). The implantation and clinical pregnancy rates were significantly higher in the QLAH group compared with the control group (P=0.