Prospective evaluation of two stimulation protocols for low responders who were undergoing in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer.

Objective: To compare two stimulation protocols designed for low responders undergoing IVF.

Design: Randomized, prospective study.

Setting: University hospital IVF unit.

Prospective evaluation of blastocyst stage transfer vs. zygote intrafallopian tube transfer in patients with repeated implantation failure.

Objective: To compare extended culture with blastocyst stage transfer and zygote intrafallopian transfer (ZIFT) in the management of IVF patients with repeated implantation failure.

Design: Prospective, nonrandomized study.

Setting: An IVF unit at a university hospital.

Sonographic evaluation of the puerperal uterus: correlation with manual examination.

Objectives: To document uterine involution after vaginal delivery and cesarean section by abdominal sonography and to compare the efficacy of manual examination and ultrasonography.

Study Design: Postpartum manual and sonographic assessment of uterine involution was performed in 120 patients following vaginal and cesarean delivery with an attempt to build a database of changes in uterine dimensions. The patients' reports on the intensity of uterine contractions and vaginal bleeding were compared to the results of sonographic imaging.

Sonographic diagnosis of pelvic adhesions in patients after ovum pickup.

Objective: To evaluate the use of transvaginal sonography for the detection of pelvic adhesions by using clear free fluid in the pouch of Douglas found after ovum pickup.

Methods: A prospective clinical study was performed in an infertility unit of an academic research facility. Sonography was performed in 50 women with infertility 3 days after ovum pickup, and the visceral peritoneum of the uterus, the ovaries, and the fallopian tubes was scanned for possible pelvic adhesions.

Severe unilateral hydrothorax as the only manifestation of the ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome.

Background: Unilateral hydrothorax is rarely the sole manifestation of the ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) and is suggestive of the severity of the disease.

Case: A 35-year-old woman presented with mild dyspnea 2 weeks after ovarian stimulation with hMG and hCG and IVF-ET. Chest X-ray revealed a large pleural effusion on the right side.

Doppler parameters of uterine and ovarian stromal blood flow in women with polycystic ovary syndrome and normally ovulating women undergoing controlled ovarian stimulation.

Objective: To test the hypothesis that the increased ovarian sensitivity to gonadotropins observed in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) may be due to changes in ovarian stromal blood flow in these patients.

Design: Uterine and ovarian stromal arterial blood flow (with transvaginal color Doppler ultrasound) were measured in ten women with PCOS and 12 normo-ovulatory women (control group), undergoing gonadotropin stimulation before in vitro fertilization.

Methods: A careful ovarian stimulation strategy was adopted for the study group in order to avoid ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome and achieve an ovarian response which was comparable to that of the control group.

Interleukin 1beta in serum of women with preterm uterine contractions.

Preterm delivery is a major obstetric and public health problem, accounting for 50-70% of all perinatal deaths. An enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA) test was used to determine serum interleukin 1b (IL-1b) levels in 32 women with preterm contractions compared with 26 women in term labour and 11 normal preterm pregnant women. Women with preterm contractions (with or without treatment) had significantly lower mean serum levels of IL-1b (23.

Clinical evaluation of a new model of a transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation device for the management of primary dysmenorrhea.

Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) has been proven effective in pain relief of primary dysmenorrhea (PD). We evaluated the efficacy of a new TENS device (Freelady, Life Care, Tiberias, Israel), designed to correct disadvantages of older models used in previous studies, in 102 nulliparous women with PD, who were treated with various types of pain relief medications. Marked pain relief was reported by 58 patients (56.

Augmentation of low ovarian response to superovulation before in vitro fertilization following priming with contraceptive pills.

Poor ovarian response to superovulation treatment is observed in a certain group of patients, the so-called 'low responders'. Despite the evolution of sophisticated controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH) regimens prior to the in vitro fertilization (IVF), the ideal stimulation protocol for the low responder has yet to be formulated. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of oral contraceptive pills (OCP), administered before the initiation of superovulation, on ovarian response and IVF treatment results in patients with previous 'low response' to exogenous gonadotropin stimulation.

The effect of surgical castration on lipid metabolism in premenopausal and postmenopausal women.

Objective: To investigate the effect of endogenous estrogen on lipid and lipoprotein metabolism in premenopausal and postmenopausal women.

Design: Prospective randomized study.

Setting: Department of Obstetrics-Gynecology, Beilinson Medical Center and Tel-Aviv University Medical School, Israel.

Insulin resistance in paraplegics--effect of one bout of acute exercise.

Insulin action was assessed in spinal cord injured (SCI) male individuals (n = 5) and compared to controls (C) (n = 5). Mean (+/-SD) age and body weight were 27.0 +/- 5.

The initial flare-up induced by gonadotropin releasing hormone agonist may serve as a predictor of ovarian response in the current IVF-ET treatment cycle in normogonadotropic women aged 40-48 years.

Objective: Our purpose was to assess the potential role of the baseline hormone profile in combination with the initial pattern of response to gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) analogue in predicting ovarian function and hence reproductive outcome in normogonadotropic patients aged 40 years or older undergoing IVF treatment.

Patients And Methods: A retrospective analysis of 394 controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH) cycles that reached the stage of oocyte retrieval was conducted. The study included 163 normogonadotropic (serum FSH < or = 15 IUIL) patients aged between 40 and 48 years who had regular menstrual cycles.

Once-daily fluocinonide-bifonazole combination for the treatment of vulvar itching and vulvovaginal candidiasis. Preliminary study.

Vulvovaginitis presents a therapeutic challenge. Treatment of vulvovaginal candidiasis with topical imidazole preparations is well accepted. In our work we tested a new cream combining antifungal Bifonazole with a corticosteroid agent (Fluocinonide).

Crush injury in pregnancy: an unusual experience in obstetrics.

Background: Crush injury is the result of prolonged pressure to the limbs when individuals are trapped under the debris of earthquakes, bombings, and other disasters. Muscle integrity is compromised, and the local and systemic manifestations, including rhabdomyolysis, hyperkalemia, renal failure, and disseminated intravascular coagulation may be fatal.

Case: A 32-year-old woman, gravida 2, para 1, was trapped under fallen masonry at 6 weeks' gestation for approximately 6 hours.

Non-traumatic rupture of kidney in pregnancy--case report and review.

During pregnancy, dilatation of the urinary collecting system is very common. Acute hydronephrosis is one of the most common causes of severe flank pain in pregnancy. Severe complications of hydronephrosis of pregnancy, such as pain, renal failure or a ruptured collecting system, occur very occasionally.

Routine revision of uterine scar after prior cesarean section.

Up until the early seventies fear of uterine rupture led to the widespread practice of 'once a section, always a section'. Nowadays, there is a consistent trend toward vaginal birth after a prior cesarean delivery, making early detection of uterine scar dehiscence at delivery important. However, the need for routine transcervical revision of the uterine scar following vaginal delivery is controversial in the medical literature.

Long-term psychological and physiological effects of heat stroke.

Heat stroke leads only rarely to permanent neurological deficits and the convalescence is almost complete. There are, however, some sporadic descriptions of disturbances that lasted for up to 4 months. Little has been mentioned in the literature on residual changes in personality and late neurological side effects.