Publications by authors named "Mol F"

Purpose: To compare corneal endothelial loss in manual small incision cataract surgery (MSICS) following three different techniques of nucleus delivery (Viscoexpression, Irrigating Vectis, Phacosandwich).

Setting: Mahatma Gandhi Medical College and Research Institute, Puducherry, India.

Design: Prospective, single blinded, randomized controlled trial.

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Study Question: Does hysterosalpingo-foam sonography (HyFoSy) prior to hysterosalpingography (HSG) or HSG prior to HyFoSy affect visible tubal patency when compared HSG or HyFoSy alone?

Summary Answer: Undergoing either HyFoSy or HSG prior to tubal patency testing by the alternative method does not demonstrate a significant difference in visible tubal patency when compared to HyFoSy or HSG alone.

What Is Known Already: HyFoSy and HSG are two commonly used visual tubal patency tests with a high and comparable diagnostic accuracy for evaluating tubal patency. These tests may also improve fertility, although the underlying mechanism is still not fully understood.

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Peroxisomes are dynamic organelles with important metabolic functions. Yeast Pex3 is a multifunctional membrane protein aiding in peroxisomal biogenesis, inheritance, and degradation (pexophagy), by interacting with process-specific factors. Using multicolor (live-cell) stimulated emission depletion (STED) nanoscopy, we studied the localization of Pex3 and its binding partners in Unlike confocal microscopy, STED allows resolving the membrane of tiny peroxisomes, enabling accurate measurements of the size of all Pex3-labeled peroxisomes.

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Study Question: What are the costs and effects of tubal patency testing by hysterosalpingo-foam sonography (HyFoSy) compared to hysterosalpingography (HSG) in infertile women during the fertility work-up?

Summary Answer: During the fertility work-up, clinical management based on the test results of HyFoSy leads to slightly lower, though not statistically significant, live birth rates, at lower costs, compared to management based on HSG results.

What Is Known Already: Traditionally, tubal patency testing during the fertility work-up is performed by HSG. The FOAM trial, formally a non-inferiority study, showed that management decisions based on the results of HyFoSy resulted in a comparable live birth rate at 12 months compared to HSG (46% versus 47%; difference -1.

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  • This study looked at why some good-quality embryos fail to implant after IVF, by examining the endometrial tissue (the lining of the uterus) of women who had unsuccessful cycles.
  • Scientists collected samples from 107 women and used special techniques to analyze the genes in the endometrium to see if they could predict whether the embryos would successfully implant or not.
  • They found that understanding the gene activity in the uterus could help make better decisions for treating infertility in the future.
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  • The study investigates the potential of using DNA methylation patterns in peripheral blood to predict response to adalimumab (ADA) treatment in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, as current biomarkers are lacking.
  • Researchers analyzed DNA methylation in 92 RA patients before starting ADA and classified them as responders or non-responders after 6 months based on disease activity scores.
  • A machine learning model successfully distinguished responders from non-responders with an accuracy of 76% using a set of 27 specific DNA markers associated with immune function in RA.
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Abstract: Sex steroids are converted to bioactive metabolites and vice versa by endometrial steroid-metabolising enzymes. Studies indicate that alterations in this metabolism might affect endometrial receptivity. This pilot study determined whether the endometrial formation and inactivation of 17β-oestradiol differed between the supposedly embryo-receptive endometrium and non-receptive endometrium of women undergoing IVF/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).

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  • Turner syndrome (TS) leads to premature ovarian insufficiency, but oocyte vitrification is a viable method for preserving fertility.
  • A study analyzed data from 33 women with TS who underwent vitrification between 2010 and 2021, finding a median of 20 vitrified oocytes per woman and a 4% complication rate.
  • Successful pregnancies occurred in 10 women post-vitrification, but none have yet returned to use their stored oocytes, indicating the need for more research on the utilization of vitrified oocytes in TS patients.
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  • A study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of home-based monitoring versus hospital-controlled monitoring for frozen-thawed embryo transfer (FET) timing in women undergoing assisted reproductive techniques.
  • The trial involved 1,464 women, randomly assigned to either home-based or hospital-controlled monitoring, and aimed to determine if home monitoring could achieve similar pregnancy rates without needing hospital visits.
  • Results showed nearly identical ongoing pregnancy rates in both groups (20.8% for home-based and 20.9% for hospital-controlled), confirming that home monitoring is a viable alternative without compromising fertility outcomes.
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Individuals with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) have an altered gut microbiota composition. Moreover, hepatic DNA methylation may be altered in the state of NAFLD. Using a fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) intervention, we aimed to investigate whether a change in gut microbiota composition relates to altered liver DNA methylation in NAFLD.

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Various studies have shown that medical professionals are prone to follow the incorrect suggestions offered by algorithms, especially when they have limited inputs to interrogate and interpret such suggestions and when they have an attitude of relying on them. We examine the effect of correct and incorrect algorithmic suggestions on the diagnosis performance of radiologists when (1) they have no, partial, and extensive informational inputs for explaining the suggestions (study 1) and (2) they are primed to hold a positive, negative, ambivalent, or neutral attitude towards AI (study 2). Our analysis of 2760 decisions made by 92 radiologists conducting 15 mammography examinations shows that radiologists' diagnoses follow both incorrect and correct suggestions, despite variations in the explainability inputs and attitudinal priming interventions.

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Background: The number of frozen embryo transfers (FET) has increased dramatically over the past decade. Based on current evidence, there is no difference in pregnancy rates when natural cycle FET (NC-FET) is compared to artificial cycle FET (AC-FET) in subfertile women. However, NC-FET seems to be associated with lower risk of adverse obstetric and neonatal outcomes compared with AC-FET cycles.

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  • The study investigates how steroid concentrations in endometrial tissue and serum relate to gene expression of steroid-metabolizing enzymes to assess endometrial receptivity in IVF patients.
  • It involves a case-control design with 40 IVF patients, comparing 20 women who achieved clinical pregnancy to 20 who did not, while controlling for various factors like fertility type and age.
  • Results show no overall differences in steroid levels between pregnant and nonpregnant groups, but pregnant women with primary infertility had lower estrone levels and a distinct estrone:androstenedione ratio compared to their nonpregnant counterparts.
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  • ESCRT-III proteins create composite polymers that help in the deformation and separation of membrane tubes during various cellular processes across different life forms.* -
  • Research using advanced imaging and modeling on a simple bacterium shows how specific ESCRT-III proteins organize into a structured division ring that efficiently splits cells.* -
  • The findings support the idea that the gradual changes in these ESCRT-III polymers act as a common method for remodeling membranes in cells.*
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The endometrial microbiota composition may be associated with implantation success. However, a 'core' composition has not yet been defined. This exploratory study analysed the endometrial microbiota by 16S rRNA sequencing (V1-V2 region) of 141 infertile women whose first IVF/ICSI cycle failed and compared the microbiota profiles of women with and without a live birth within 12 months of follow-up, and by infertility cause and type.

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Objective: To address methodological deficiencies in published randomized controlled trials and systematic reviews, this study has developed a core outcome set to guide future research in ectopic pregnancy (EP).

Design: To identify potential outcomes, we performed a comprehensive literature review and interviews with individuals with lived experience in EP. Potential core outcomes were then entered into a 3-round Delphi survey.

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There have been concerns on the potential overuse of in vitro fertilization (IVF) in view of the lack of evidence on effectiveness in certain populations, potential short and long-term safety risks, and economic considerations. On the other hand, the use of alternatives to IVF seems to be underappreciated in clinical practice as well as research. In this review, we summarized the up-to-date evidence on the effectiveness, safety as well as cost-effectiveness of different alternatives to IVF, including expectant management, intrauterine insemination, tubal flushing, in vitro maturation as well as intravaginal culture.

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Objectives: Approximately 10% of patients who undergo inguinal hernia repair or Pfannenstiel incision develop chronic (> three months) postsurgical inguinal pain (PSIP). If medication or peripheral nerve blocks fail, a neurectomy is the treatment of choice. However, some patients do not respond to this treatment.

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Study Question: For couples with unexplained subfertility and a poor prognosis for natural conception, is 6 months expectant management (EM) inferior to IUI with ovarian stimulation (IUI-OS), in terms of live births?

Summary Answer: In couples with unexplained subfertility and a poor prognosis for natural conception, 6 months of EM is inferior compared to IUI-OS in terms of live births.

What Is Known Already: Couples with unexplained subfertility and a poor prognosis are often treated with IUI-OS. In couples with unexplained subfertility and a relatively good prognosis for natural conception (>30% in 12 months), IUI-OS does not increase the live birth rate as compared to 6 months of EM.

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The use of wildflower species as biogas feedstock carries the risk that their seeds survive anaerobic digestion (AD) and cause weed problems if spread with the digestate. Risk factors for seed survival in AD include low temperature, short exposure and hardseededness (HS). However, it is not possible to predict how AD will affect seed viability of previously unstudied species.

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Introduction: Existing randomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing a freeze-all embryo transfer strategy and a fresh embryo transfer strategy have shown conflicting results. A freeze-all or a fresh transfer policy may be preferable for some couples undergoing in-vitro fertilisation (IVF), but it is unclear which couples would benefit most from each policy, how and under which protocols. Therefore, we plan a systematic review and individual participant data meta-analysis of RCTs comparing a freeze-all and a fresh transfer policy.

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Study Question: What are the facilitators and barriers concerning the implementation of home-based monitoring for natural cycle frozen embryo transfer (NC-FET) from the perspectives of patients and healthcare providers in the Netherlands?

Summary Answer: The most important facilitator was optimal pregnancy chance for both the patients and healthcare providers, and the most important barriers were the risk of missing an ovulation for the patients and laboratory capacity for the healthcare providers.

What Is Known Already: The share of FET cycles in IVF treatments is increasing and, therefore, it is important to optimize protocols for FET. Monitoring of ovulation, which is used in NC-FET, can be hospital-based (ultrasounds and ovulation triggering) or home-based (LH urine tests).

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Study Question: The objective of this trial is to compare the effectiveness and costs of true natural cycle (true NC-) frozen embryo transfer (FET) using urinary LH tests to modified NC-FET using repeated ultrasound monitoring and ovulation trigger to time FET in the NC. Secondary outcomes are the cancellation rates of FET (ovulation before hCG or no dominant follicle, no ovulation by LH urine test, poor embryo survival), pregnancy outcomes (miscarriage rate, clinical pregnancy rates, multiple ongoing pregnancy rates, live birth rates, costs) and neonatal outcomes (including gestational age, birthweight and sex, congenital abnormalities or diseases of babies born).

What Is Known Already: FET is at the heart of modern IVF.

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Study Question: Does hysterosalpingo-foam sonography (HyFoSy) lead to similar pregnancy outcomes, compared with hysterosalpingography (HSG), as first-choice tubal patency test in infertile couples?

Summary Answer: HyFoSy and HSG produce similar findings in a majority of patients and clinical management based on the results of either HyFoSy or HSG, leads to comparable pregnancy outcomes. HyFoSy is experienced as significantly less painful.

What Is Known Already: Traditionally, tubal patency testing during fertility work-up is performed by HSG.

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