Assessment of a simplified insertion technique for intrauterine devices.

Objective: To explore a simplified technique for intrauterine device (IUD) insertion.

Methods: The present prospective longitudinal study enrolled patients aged at least 18years presenting at the gynecology clinic of Stanford University for IUD insertion between June 1, 2013 and June 30, 2014. No pelvic examination or uterine sounding was performed prior to IUD insertion.

Microdose gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist in the absence of exogenous gonadotropins is not sufficient to induce multiple follicle development.

Because the effectiveness of the "microdose flare" stimulation protocol often is attributed to the dramatic endogenous gonadotropin release induced by the GnRH agonist, the aim of this study was to determine whether use of microdose GnRH agonist alone could induce multiple ovarian follicle development in normal responders. Based on these data, the duration of gonadotropin rise is approximately 24 to 48 hours and is too brief to sustain continued multiple follicle growth.

Immune signatures of murine and human cancers reveal unique mechanisms of tumor escape and new targets for cancer immunotherapy.

Purpose: Despite lymphocyte infiltration of tumors and the activation of tumor-draining lymph nodes, malignant tumors are able to "escape" from both innate and adaptive immune responses. For immunotherapy to be successful, it must reverse these escape mechanisms, which necessitates explicit and tumor-specific elucidation of tumor escape strategies.

Research Design: To identify relevant escape mechanisms in murine tumors and in two corresponding human cancers, real-time reverse transcription-PCR was used to measure a panel of genes associated with T-cell activation and inhibition pathways.