Aim: To determine whether minimal stimulation with clomiphene and gonadotropin provides outcomes and direct costs comparable with those of a conventional GnRHa-gonadotropin stimulation protocol for infertile patients undergoing in vitro fertilization.
Methods: A non-randomized clinical trial was conducted from 1 July 1996 to 31 March 2003 at the Infertility and Assisted Reproductive Unit, Ramathibodi Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Mahidol University, Thailand. A total of 192 patients were recruited of whom 96 cases underwent ovarian stimulated cycles with minimal stimulation protocol, and 96 controls underwent ovarian stimulated cycles with GnRHa-gonadotropin protocol, with cases and controls matched for age and infertility cause.
Results: The median patient age was 35 years. Endometriosis was the most frequent infertility cause (28.1%). The conventional GnRHa-gonadotropin protocol could give more oocyte numbers than the minimal stimulation protocol (7.3 +/- 4.9 vs 4.5 +/- 3.3 oocytes). The fertilization rate and cleavage rate were similar (73.4 +/- 31.9 and 84.9 +/- 32.6 in minimal stimulation protocol, 69.3 +/- 29.6 and 88.4 +/- 28.0 in GnRHa-gonadotropin protocol, respectively). The pregnancy rate per oocyte retrieval cycle in the GnRHa-gonadotropin protocol was similar to the minimal stimulation protocol. (13.1%vs 13.0%, P = 1.000). However, the cost per pregnancy of minimal stimulation protocol was less than that of GnRHa-gonadotropin protocol. (6021.95 US dollars for minimal stimulation protocol per pregnancy, 10,785.65 US dollars for GnRHa-gonadotropin protocol per pregnancy, P < 0.000).
Conclusion: Minimal stimulation was less effective than conventional GnRHa-gonadotropin on the ovarian stimulation. However, the total costs of minimal stimulation were cheaper than the conventional GnRHa-gonadotropin protocol. The decreased costs of minimal stimulation justifies further evaluation of its role in the treatment of infertility in selected cases.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
---|---|
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1447-0756.2005.00320.x | DOI Listing |
J Neural Eng
January 2025
School of Biomedical Engineering, Southern Medical University, 1023 Shatai Road, Baiyun District, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510515, CHINA.
Objective: Entrainment has been considered as a potential mechanism underlying the facilitatory effect of rhythmic neural stimulation on neurorehabilitation. The inconsistent effects of brain stimulation on neurorehabilitation found in the literature may be caused by the variability in neural entrainment. To dissect the underlying mechanisms and optimize brain stimulation for improved effectiveness, it is critical to reliably assess the occurrence and the strength of neural entrainment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Neural Eng
January 2025
Huazhong University of Science and Technology Wuhan National High Magnetic Field Center, No.1037, Luoyu Road, Wuhan, Hubei, 430074, CHINA.
Objective: Pulse parameter controllable transcranial magnetic stimulation (cTMS) devices with fully-controlled semiconductor switches are increasingly being developed, but the primary waveform they generate is often accompanied by ringing, which is due to the resonance between the stimulation coil inductance and the snubber capacitors paired with the switches at the end of the pulse. This study provides a ringing suppression design method to effectively suppress it and reduce its impact on stimulation efficacy.
Methods: A three-pronged design method is developed to suppress the ringing at its source.
Unlabelled: Electric fields used in clinical trials with transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) are small, with magnitudes that have yet to demonstrate measurable effects in preclinical animal models. We hypothesized that weak stimulation will nevertheless produce sizable effects, provided that it is applied concurrently with behavioral training, and repeated over multiple sessions. We tested this here in a rodent model of dexterous motor-skill learning.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBioact Mater
April 2025
School of Life Sciences and Health Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, PR China.
Peptide vaccines based on tumor antigens face the challenges of rapid clearance of peptides, low immunogenicity, and immune suppressive tumor microenvironment. However, the traditional solution mainly uses exogenous substances as adjuvants or carriers to enhance innate immune responses, but excessive inflammation can damage adaptive immunity. In the current study, we propose a straightforward novel nanovaccine strategy by employing homologous human ferritin light chain for minimized innate immunity and dendritic cell (DC) targeting, the cationic KALA peptide for enhanced cellular uptake, and suppressor of cytokine signaling 1 (SOCS1) siRNA for modulating DC activity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCureus
December 2024
Reproductive Medicine, Torch Clinic, Tokyo, JPN.
Aim: This study compared the cost-effectiveness of two recombinant follicle-stimulating hormones (rFSH) formulations, Follitropin Delta and Follitropin Alfa, in controlled ovarian stimulation using cumulative live birth rates as an efficacy indicator.
Methodology: This retrospective study was conducted across five clinics in Japan from April 2022 to December 2023, involving 446 first assisted reproductive technology (ART) cycles (200 with Follitropin Delta and 246 with Follitropin Alfa) were treated with rFSH monotherapy using either Follitropin Delta or Follitropin Alfa. We compared clinical outcomes such as cumulative pregnancy and live birth rates and analyzed cost-effectiveness using the cumulative live birth rates as the efficacy indicator and the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER).
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!