Treatment of Acute Pain in Adults With Sickle Cell Disease in an Infusion Center Versus the Emergency Department : A Multicenter Prospective Cohort Study.

Background: Patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) have vaso-occlusive crises (VOCs). Infusion centers (ICs) are alternatives to emergency department (ED) care and may improve patient outcomes.

Objective: To assess whether care in ICs or EDs leads to better outcomes for the treatment of uncomplicated VOCs.

Healthcare costs associated with breast cancer in Germany: a claims data analysis.

Purpose: This study estimates the healthcare costs associated with breast cancer (BC) for different treatment phases (initial, intermediate, terminal) in Germany from the payer's perspective.

Methods: The analysis uses claims data from the AOK Bayern covering 2011-2014 for continuously insured BC patients identified through inpatient and outpatient diagnoses. We calculate the healthcare costs attributable to BC using a control group design comparing the target population to a 1:2 matched control group adjusted for age, gender, and comorbidities.

Performance of the AsperGenius® PCR assay for detecting azole resistant Aspergillus fumigatus in BAL fluids from allogeneic HSCT recipients: A prospective cohort study from Essen, West Germany.

In this study a commercially available multiplex real-time PCR (AsperGenius®) was evaluated for its efficacy in detecting Aspergillus fumigatus and azole resistance markers in comparison with conventional culture methods and galactomannan (GM) testing from BAL fluids in allogeneic HSCT recipients. Between January 2015 and May 2017 100 allogeneic HSCT recipients with pulmonary infiltrates and suspicion of invasive fungal infection were recruited to the study from a tertiary care center in Germany. BAL fluid was routinely assessed using the following diagnostic tests: AsperGenius® PCR assay, GM testing (cut-off: 1.

The Association of Appendectomy, Adhesions, Tubal Pathology, and Female Infertility.

Background And Objectives: The aim of the study was to investigate a potential association between previous childhood appendectomy, tube pathology, and female infertility.

Methods: We reviewed patients seeking care at the fertility clinic of our university medical center between 2006 and 2016. The history of previous appendectomy was extracted from hospital documentation and by telephone follow-up.

Fertility After Ovarian Cystectomy: How Does Surgery Affect IVF/ICSI Outcomes?

For patients considering undergoing assisted reproductive techniques (ART), many concerns arise when persistent ovarian cysts are found. This large study aimed to determine how ovarian cyst removal affects success rates of IVF/ICSI therapies. 550 patients who underwent an IVF/ICSI treatment between 2002 and 2011 with a persistent ovarian cyst ≤ 5 cm before treatment were analyzed retrospectively.

Fertility in males after childhood, adolescent, and adult inguinal operations.

Background/purpose: Inguinal hernia repair and orchidopexy are among the most common operations in boys. The impact on future fertility has not been conclusively defined. This study evaluates sperm quality after previous inguinal surgery.

Increased acute care utilization in a prospective cohort of adults with sickle cell disease.

The ESCAPED (Examining Sickle Cell Acute Pain in the Emergency vs Day Hospital) trial is an ongoing prospective study comparing outcomes of people with sickle cell disease (SCD) seeking care for acute pain management in either an emergency department or specialty infusion clinic. The objective of this paper is to describe the baseline characteristics and health care utilization of patients in the trial. This is a multicenter study across 4 US cities that enrolled all adults with SCD living within 60 miles (96.

Prevalence and characterization of azole-resistant Aspergillus fumigatus in patients with cystic fibrosis: a prospective multicentre study in Germany.

Objectives: Aspergillus fumigatus is the most prevalent filamentous fungus in the respiratory tract of patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). The aim of this prospective multicentre study was to investigate the prevalence of azole-resistant A. fumigatus (ARAF) in respiratory secretions from CF patients across Germany and to characterize ARAF isolates by phenotypic and molecular methods.

Who is the gate keeper for treatment in a fertility clinic in Germany? -baseline results of a prospective cohort study (PinK study).

Background: It is estimated that 5-15% of all couples in industrialised nations are infertile. A perceived unfulfilled desire for a child or self-identification as infertile can lead to psychological strain and social isolation. About 53.

The influence of AMH on IVF success.

Purpose: Anti-Müllerian hormone has a regulative function in the activation of folliculogenesis and an influence on atresia rate. It is considered a marker for the ovarian reserve. We know that a relationship exists between AMH levels and oocyte retrieval numbers, antral follicle count, pregnancy rates and birth rates.

Epigenetic heterogeneity of developmentally important genes in human sperm: implications for assisted reproduction outcome.

The molecular basis of male infertility is poorly understood, the majority of cases remaining unsolved. The association of aberrant sperm DNA methylation patterns and compromised semen parameters suggests that disturbances in male germline epigenetic reprogramming contribute to this problem. So far there are only few data on the epigenetic heterogeneity of sperm within a given sample and how to select the best sperm for successful infertility treatment.

A first-in-human study of PDC31 (prostaglandin F2α receptor inhibitor) in primary dysmenorrhea.

Study Question: What is the safe and pharmacodynamically active dose range for PDC31 (prostaglandin F2α receptor inhibitor) in patients with primary dysmenorrhea (PD)?

Summary Answer: The 1 mg/kg/h dose of PDC31 appears to be safe and potentially effective in reducing intrauterine pressure (IUP) and pain associated with excessive uterine contractility when given as a 3-h infusion in patients with PD.

What Is Known Already: PDC31 has previously been shown to reduce the duration and strength of PGF2α-induced contractions in human uterine myometrial strip models and to delay delivery in animal models of preterm labor.

Study Design, Size, Duration: This was a prospective, multi-center, dose-escalating first-in-human Phase I study conducted from March 2011 to June 2012.

Success Rate of Inseminations Dependent on Maternal Age? An Analysis of 4246 Insemination Cycles.

Intrauterine insemination (IUI) has latterly become less important in reproductive medicine. The aim of this retrospective analysis was to identify and evaluate the success rates of repeated insemination cycles in women of different ages. All women who underwent intrauterine insemination in the Wiesbaden Fertility Clinic between 1998 and 2010 were included in the analysis.

The effect of ovarian stimulation on the outcome of intrauterine insemination.

Purpose: Although intrauterine insemination is one of the oldest techniques in reproductive medicine, its significance is still controversially discussed. Many factors have been reported as influencing pregnancy rates after IUI. The aim of this retrospective analysis is to evaluate the success rate of repeated inseminations depending on the type of ovarian stimulation.

Cancer and fertility preservation: fertility preservation in breast cancer patients.

Aggressive chemotherapy has improved the life expectancy for reproductive-age women with breast cancer, but it often causes infertility or premature ovarian failure due to destruction of the ovarian reserve. Many questions concerning fertility preservation in breast cancer patients remain unanswered--for example, whether fertility preservation methods interfere with chemotherapy, and whether subsequent pregnancy has negative effects on the prognosis. Fertility preservation is a critical factor in decision-making for younger breast cancer patients, however, and clinicians should address this.

Xenotransplantation of human ovarian tissue pieces in gonadotropin-stimulated SCID mice: the effect of ovariectomy.

The number of follicles were compared in different developmental stages after the cryopreservation of human ovarian tissue by open freezing system followed by xenotransplantation into severe combined immunodeficient (SCID)-mice under stimulation, with and without ovariectomy. Ovarian tissue, cryopreserved for fertility preservation was partly examined by LIVE/DEAD viability staining or was transplanted in the neck muscle of 32 SCID-mice. The development of follicles, estradiol production, vaginal cytology and uterus weight was assessed after 15 weeks under gonadotropin stimulation, with or without ovariectomy.

Reproduction beyond cancer: a message of hope for young women.

Objective: Aggressive chemotherapy and radiotherapy or radical oncological surgery in young women with cancer has greatly enhanced these patients' life expectancy, but these treatments often cause infertility or premature ovarian failure due to a massive destruction of the ovarian reserve. The objective of this review is to discuss the effect of the various cancer treatments on fertility and present the various fertility sparing operations and fertility preservation strategies.

Method: An extensive survey of the most up-to-date literature was performed.

The effect of cancer treatment on female fertility and strategies for preserving fertility.

Aggressive chemotherapy and radiotherapy in young patients with cancer has greatly enhanced the life expectancy of these patients, but these treatments often cause infertility because of the massive destruction of the ovarian reserve resulting in premature ovarian failure (POF). This review focuses on the effect of cancer treatments on fertility and on the various surgical and assisted-reproduction innovations that are available to provide the patient with the option of future pregnancies. As the emerging discipline of fertility preservation is steadily attracting increasing interest, developments in the near future promise to be very exciting.

Gonadal damage and options for fertility preservation in female and male cancer survivors.

It is estimated that in 2010, 1 in every 250 adults will be a childhood cancer survivor. Today, oncological surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy achieve relatively high rates of remission and long-term survival, yet are often detrimental to fertility. Quality of life is increasingly important to long-term survivors of cancer, and one of the major quality-of-life issues is the ability to produce and raise normal children.

[Severe virilization in a postmenopausal woman: a case report].

Severe postmenopausal virilization is a rare event in clinical practice. To evaluate ovarian or adrenal hyperandrogenism endocrine tests and imaging are useful diagnostic tools. We report a case of a postmenopausal woman with hirsutism and androgenetic alopecia.

[Perinatal outcome of premature infants weighing less than 1500 g].

Background: Prematurity is a main issue in modern obstetrical care. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the perinatal outcome of premature infants weighing less than 1500 g according to the mode of delivery.

Patients And Methods: 122 patients with infants weighing less than 1500 g were enrolled in this retrospective study (26 to 32 weeks of gestation).

Serum inhibin A, inhibin B, pro-alphaC, and activin A levels in women with idiopathic premature ovarian failure.

Serum inhibin A, inhibin B, pro-alphaC, and activin A levels in 30 women with idiopathic premature ovarian failure (POF), 30 postmenopausal women, and 30 age-matched fertile women were determined. Women with POF showed low levels of inhibin A and inhibin B, but not of activin A, whereas the levels of pro-alphaC were significantly higher than in postmenopausal women. Thus, the circulating level of pro-alphaC could be a marker for assessing residual ovarian function in women with POF.

The physician-patient relationship before cancer treatment: a prospective longitudinal study.

Objectives: To evaluate quality of life before surgery for genital cancer to determine risk factors that might influence the physician-patient relationship.

Methods: From 1993 until 2003, 129 women with cervical cancer entered this prospective study. Patients were contacted 1 to 5 days before surgery by a psychologist or psychotherapeutically trained physician on the surgical ward.

[Inhibins and Activin A in hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy and HELLP-Syndrome].

Objective: Are serum concentrations of the ovarian glycoproteins inhibin A, inhibin B, pro-alpha-C and activin A different in normotensive, chronical hypertensive or pregancies complicated by preeclampsia or HELLP-syndrome? What are the clinical consequences?

Methods: Serum concentrations of inhibin A, inhibin B, pro-alpha-C, and activin A of 99 women (37 normotensive patients, 23 patients with chronical hypertension, 25 women with preeclampsia and 14 patients with HELLP-syndrome) at different stages of pregnancy were determined by high specific ELISAS.

Results: During pregnancy serum levels of all parameters increased continually and fell rapidly within parturition. Activin A and inhibin B levels showed significant higher serum concentrations in patients with preeclampsia and - even more pronounced - in patients with HELLP-syndrome.