Low-dose and ultra-low-dose estradiol and dydrogesterone in postmenopause: an analysis by body mass index.

Objective: Oral, low-dose and ultra-low-dose continuous combined 17β-estradiol (E) plus dydrogesterone (D) reduce vasomotor symptoms (VMS) in postmenopausal women.

Methods: Two phase 3, double-blind studies were included. In the European study, postmenopausal women were randomized 2:1:2 to receive E0.

Ultra-low dose estradiol and dydrogesterone for the treatment of menopausal symptoms in a pooled, multi-ethnic population.

Objectives: Evidence suggests ethnicity-specific differences in postmenopausal symptoms, highlighting the need for therapies that are efficacious across different ethnicities. We evaluated the efficacy of an ultra-low dose combination of 0.5 mg estradiol and 0.

Salivary cortisol measurements in brachycephalic dog breeds as part of a standardized stress test.

Introduction: Brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome (BOAS) is a common condition in brachycephalic dogs, with Pugs (PG) and French Bulldogs (FB) appearing to be particularly typically affected. Objective and easy-to-perform tests are necessary to detect the disease at an early stage and to exclude dogs affected by BOAS from breeding.

Methods: The present study investigated the extent to which vital signs and salivary cortisol concentrations can be used to distinguish between healthy and BOAS-affected dogs in a standardized fitness test.

Ultra-low-dose estradiol and dydrogesterone for treatment of vasomotor symptoms in Europe and China.

Objective: Among postmenopausal women, oral, ultra-low-dose continuous combined estradiol (E0.5 mg) plus dydrogesterone (D2.5 mg) reduces vasomotor symptoms (VMS).

Treatment of Chinese Patients with Hypertriglyceridemia with a Pharmaceutical-Grade Preparation of Highly Purified Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Ethyl Esters: Main Results of a Randomized, Double-Blind, Controlled Trial.

Introduction: The lipid-modifying potential of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in Chinese patients is under-researched. We conducted a multicenter, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, parallel-group study of twice-daily treatment with OMACOR (OM3EE), a prescription-only formulation of highly purified ethyl esters of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in Chinese adult patients (≥18 years) who had elevated baseline fasting serum triglycerides (TG).

Methods: Patients were stratified according to the severity of their hypertriglyceridemia (severe HTG, with baseline TG ≥500 and <1000 mg/dL or moderate HTG, with baseline TG >200 and <500 mg/dL) or use of statins.

Ultra-low-dose estradiol and dydrogesterone: a phase III study for vasomotor symptoms in China.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of ultra-low-dose estradiol plus dydrogesterone for vasomotor symptoms in postmenopausal women in China (trial registration CTR20160689).

Methods: A total of 332 patients were randomized to continuous combined estradiol 0.5 mg + dydrogesterone 2.

Dydrogesterone as an oral alternative to vaginal progesterone for IVF luteal phase support: A systematic review and individual participant data meta-analysis.

The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the evidence on the efficacy and safety of oral dydrogesterone versus micronized vaginal progesterone (MVP) for luteal phase support. Embase and MEDLINE were searched for studies that evaluated the effect of luteal phase support with daily administration of oral dydrogesterone (20 to 40 mg) versus MVP capsules (600 to 800 mg) or gel (90 mg) on pregnancy or live birth rates in women undergoing fresh-cycle IVF (protocol registered at PROSPERO [CRD42018105949]). Individual participant data (IPD) were extracted for the primary analysis where available and aggregate data were extracted for the secondary analysis.

A Phase III randomized controlled trial of oral dydrogesterone versus intravaginal progesterone gel for luteal phase support in fertilization (Lotus II): results from the Chinese mainland subpopulation.

Lotus II, a randomized, open-label, multicenter, international study compared the efficacy and safety of oral dydrogesterone versus micronized vaginal progesterone (MVP) gel for luteal support in IVF. A prespecified subgroup analysis was performed on 239 Chinese mainland subjects from the overall study population ( = 1034), who were randomized to oral dydrogesterone 30 mg or 8% MVP gel 90 mg daily from the day of oocyte retrieval until 12 weeks of gestation. The aim was to demonstrate non-inferiority of oral dydrogesterone to MVP gel, assessed by the presence of a fetal heartbeat at 12 weeks of gestation.

Oral dydrogesterone versus intravaginal micronized progesterone gel for luteal phase support in IVF: a randomized clinical trial.

Study Question: Is oral dydrogesterone 30 mg daily non-inferior to 8% micronized vaginal progesterone (MVP) gel 90 mg daily for luteal phase support in IVF?

Summary Answer: Oral dydrogesterone demonstrated non-inferiority to MVP gel for the presence of fetal heartbeats at 12 weeks of gestation (non-inferiority margin 10%).

What Is Known Already: The standard of care for luteal phase support in IVF is the use of MVP; however, it is associated with vaginal irritation, discharge and poor patient compliance. Oral dydrogesterone may replace MVP as the standard of care if it is found to be efficacious with an acceptable safety profile.

A Phase III randomized controlled trial comparing the efficacy, safety and tolerability of oral dydrogesterone versus micronized vaginal progesterone for luteal support in in vitro fertilization.

Study Question: Is oral dydrogesterone 30 mg daily (10 mg three times daily [TID]) non-inferior to micronized vaginal progesterone (MVP) 600 mg daily (200 mg TID) for luteal support in in vitro fertilization (IVF), assessed by the presence of fetal heartbeats determined by transvaginal ultrasound at 12 weeks of gestation?

Summary Answer: Non-inferiority of oral dydrogesterone versus MVP was demonstrated at 12 weeks of gestation, with a difference in pregnancy rate and an associated confidence interval (CI) that were both within the non-inferiority margin.

What Is Known Already: MVP is routinely used in most clinics for luteal support in IVF, but it is associated with side effects, such as vaginal irritation and discharge, as well as poor patient acceptance. Dydrogesterone may be an alternative treatment due to its patient-friendly oral administration.

Dydrogesterone metabolism in human liver by aldo-keto reductases and cytochrome P450 enzymes.

1. The metabolism of dydrogesterone was investigated in human liver cytosol (HLC) and human liver microsomes (HLM). Enzymes involved in dydrogesterone metabolism were identified and their relative contributions were estimated.

PCR testing for diagnosis of Ichthyophonus hoferi: reply to LaPatra & Kocan (2013).

LaPatra & Kocan (2013) critiqued our paper Hamazaki et al. (2013; Dis Aquat Org 105:21-25) for data not supporting the conclusions of 'PCR testing is as accurate as culture…', but they neither pointed out what part of our data did not support our conclusion, nor did they provide any contrary scientific evidence supporting their argument that PCR testing is less accurate than culture. In the absence of any contradictory data, we stand by our data and our conclusion: PCR test is as suitable as culture as a diagnostic and field surveillance tool.

Impact of Ichthyophonus infection on spawning success of Yukon River Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha.

We examined the impacts of Ichthyophonus infection on spawning success of Yukon River Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha at spawning grounds of the Chena and Salcha Rivers, Alaska, USA. During the period 2005 to 2006, 1281 salmon carcasses (628 male, 652 female) were collected throughout the spawning season and from the entire spawning reaches of the Chena and Salcha Rivers. For each fish, infection status was determined by culture method and visual inspection of lesions of heart tissue as uninfected (culture negative), infected without lesions (culture positive with no visible lesions), and infected with lesions (culture positive with visible lesions), and spawning status was determined by visually inspecting the percentage of gametes remaining as full-spawned (<10%), partial-spawned (10-50%), and unspawned (>50%).

PCR testing can be as accurate as culture for diagnosis of Ichthyophonus hoferi in Yukon River Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha .

We evaluated the comparability of culture and PCR tests for detecting Ichthyophonus in Yukon River Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha from field samples collected at 3 locations (Emmonak, Chena, and Salcha, Alaska, USA) in 2004, 2005, and 2006. Assuming diagnosis by culture as the 'true' infection status, we calculated the sensitivity (correctly identifying fish positive for Ichthyophonus), specificity (correctly identifying fish negative for Ichthyophonus), and accuracy (correctly identifying both positive and negative fish) of PCR. Regardless of sampling locations and years, sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy exceeded 90%.

Protein adsorption during LDL-apheresis: proteomic analysis.

Background: The aim of our study was to investigate the clearance of functional proteins by different low-density lipoprotein-apheresis (LDL-A) methods with the help of proteomic analyses.

Methods: Proteins were eluated from the different LDL-A columns and investigated with 2D electrophoresis combined with mass spectrometry methods. In parallel, we quantified the plasma protein loss from patients treated with double-filtration plasmapheresis (DFPP; n = 9), direct adsorption of lipoproteins (DALI; n = 5) or heparin-induced extracorporeal LDL precipitation (HELP; n = 7) with routine laboratory methods and western blots.

A parametric analysis of ordinal quality-of-life data can lead to erroneous results.

Objective: Measurements from health-related quality-of-life (HRQoL) studies, although usually of an ordered categorical nature, are typically treated as continuous variables, allowing the calculation of mean values and the administration of parametric statistics, such as t-tests. We investigated whether parametric, compared to nonparametric, analyses of ordered categorical data may lead to different conclusions.

Study Design And Setting: HRQoL data were obtained from patients with a diagnosis of asthma (n=192) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD; n=88) at two time points.

Common infectious agents in multiple sclerosis: a case-control study in children.

Environmental factors, in particular infections, have been linked with the risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS). The association of Epstein-Barr virus infection with childhood onset of MS has been recently recognized. As other infections characteristically experienced during childhood have not yet been studied in larger cohorts of paediatric MS, we conducted a study on 152 German children with MS (age at onset <16 years) and matched controls in the hope of gaining evidence for their possible aetiological role in MS.

High seroprevalence of Epstein-Barr virus in children with multiple sclerosis.

We studied seroprevalence and concentrations of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) antibodies in 147 pediatric patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and paired controls. The children with MS showed a near-complete seropositivity for EBV antibody against virus capsid antigen (98.6% vs 72.

Influence of bleaching agents and desensitizing varnishes on the water content of dentin.

This in vitro study investigated the possible dehydration of dentin caused by bleaching agents. Furthermore, it tested whether protective dentin varnishes can maintain the physiological moisture of dentin during bleaching treatment. Fifty-five standardized dentin cylinders were prepared from freshly extracted bovine incisors under constant water irrigation.

Assessment of molecular events in squamous and non-squamous cell lung carcinoma.

Although considerable knowledge exists on the tumor biology of lung cancer, there is still a need to assess molecular events for the clinical management of the disease. We studied the pattern of chromosomal imbalances in 45 non-small cell lung carcinomas (NSCLC) by comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) and correlated the results with clinicopathological features including immunohistochemical (IHC) expression of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). Twenty-one tumors were squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) and 24 non-squamous cell lung carcinomas (NSCC) comprising 9 adenocarcinomas (ADC), 9 large cell carcinomas (LCC), 4 sarcomatoid carcinomas and 2 adenosquamous carcinomas.

Bioimpedance analysis and intradialytic hypotension in intermittent hemodialysis.

Background: Intradialytic hypotension (IDH) is one of the most severe complications during hemodialysis. Its appearance is caused in part by rapid fluid removal with concomitant failure in blood pressure regulation but also by other dialytic-dependent and independent factors.

Patients And Methods: We investigated total (TBW), extracellular (ECW) and intracellular water (ICW) in chronic intermittent hemodialysis dialysis hypotension-prone (CRF-HP, n = 11) and nonhypotension-prone (CRF-NHP, n = 10) patients with end-stage renal disease before, every 30 minutes during, as well as after dialysis and within onset of intradialytic hypotension by multifrequent bioimpedance analysis (BIA).

Long-term follow-up after transoral laser microsurgery and adjuvant radiotherapy for advanced recurrent squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of adjuvant radiotherapy after transoral laser microsurgery for advanced recurrent head-and-neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).

Patients And Methods: Between 1988 and 2000, 37 patients with advanced local recurrences (23 local and 14 locoregional recurrences) of HNSCC without distant metastases were treated in curative intent with organ-preserving transoral laser microsurgery and adjuvant radiotherapy (before 1994 split-course radiotherapy with carboplatinum, after 1994 conventional radiotherapy). Initial therapy of the primary (8.