Illness is more prevalent than injury in trail runners participating in a mountainous ultra trail race.

Objectives: Trail running is a popular off-road sport involving running in natural environments over various terrains, often in remote locations. This study aims to investigate the epidemiology and risk factors of injuries and illnesses, i.e.

Prevalence of abnormal semen analysis and levels of adherence with fertility preservation in men undergoing therapy for newly diagnosed cancer: A retrospective study in 2906 patients.

Background: Sperm cryopreservation (freezing) should be offered to all men with cancer due to risk of infertility. However, many men with cancer already have impaired spermatogenesis prior to sperm cryopreservation. Furthermore, physical ill-health may hinder attendance of freeze visits.

Comparison of the overnight metyrapone and glucagon stimulation tests in the assessment of secondary hypoadrenalism.

Objective: The insulin tolerance test (ITT) is contraindicated in a proportion of patients with suspected ACTH deficiency. The aim of this study was to investigate the diagnostic accuracy of the glucagon stress test (GST) compared with the overnight metyrapone test (OMT) in patients with contraindications to ITT.

Design: This was a prospective comparison of the GST to the OMT in patients with suspected ACTH deficiency and contraindications to the ITT.

Maternal C-reactive protein levels in patients undergoing frozen embryo replacement cycles: a prospective study.

This prospective study shows that the early pregnancy inflammatory response following frozen embryo replacement (FER) cycles may be absent or suppressed, in contrast to that following IVF. To our knowledge, this is the first study to evaluate the maternal inflammatory response following FER cycles, but larger studies are still required to explore this novel finding, and investigate whether this may explain the lower ongoing pregnancy rates generally achieved following FER cycles.

Day 14 maternal serum progesterone levels predict pregnancy outcome in IVF/ICSI treatment cycles: a prospective study.

Background: Serum progesterone has been advocated as a tool in the diagnosis of early pregnancy failure. We conducted this prospective study in order to investigate the potential value of early (14 days after oocyte recovery) serum progesterone measurement, in women undergoing IVF/ICSI and receiving rectal progesterone supplements, in relation to pregnancy outcome.

Methods: 442 women consecutively treated by IVF or ICSI had serum progesterone and bhCG levels prospectively measured 14 days after oocyte retrieval (day 0).

Impaired insulin-dependent glucose metabolism in granulosa-lutein cells from anovulatory women with polycystic ovaries.

Background: Insulin resistance and hyperinsulinaemia are well-recognized characteristics of anovulatory women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) but, paradoxically, steroidogenesis by PCOS granulosa cells remains responsive to insulin. The hypothesis to be tested in this study is that insulin resistance in the ovary is confined to the metabolic effects of insulin (i.e.

Maternal C-reactive protein levels are raised at 4 weeks gestation.

Background: The aim of this study was to determine whether there is evidence of a systemic maternal inflammatory response in very early pregnancy.

Methods: Successive women receiving treatment by IVF or ICSI had serum C-reactive protein (CRP) levels measured on the day of their pregnancy blood test at 4 weeks gestation (14 days post-egg collection). Women with positive betaHCG levels had ongoing pregnancies confirmed by serial transvaginal ultrasound scans up to 8 weeks gestation.