The effects of age, mature oocyte number, and cycle number on cumulative live birth rates after planned oocyte cryopreservation.

PURPOSE: To examine the effects of age, mature oocyte number, and cycle number on cumulative live birth rates after planned oocyte cryopreservation (OC), with the goal of developing a patient counselling tool. METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort study of all patients with ≥ 1 autologous oocyte thaw at our university-affiliated fertility center before 12/31/2023. Patients were included if they (1) had a live birth or ongoing pregnancy > 12 weeks from OC, or (2) used all oocytes and euploid/untested embryos from OC. Primary outcome was cumulative live birth / ongoing pregnancy rate (CLBR). RESULTS: 527 patients with 1 OC cycle, 149 patients with 2 OC cycles, and 55 patients with ≥ 3 OC cycles were included. Overall CLBR was 43%. CLBR was > 70% among patients who thawed ≥ 20 mature oocytes that were cryopreserved at age < 38 years. Multiple logistic regression showed that age at first OC and total number of mature oocytes thawed independently predicted CLBR, but number of OC cycles did not. CONCLUSION: Patients must be counselled that younger age at OC and more mature oocytes improve CLBR. However, additional OC cycles do not independently improve CLBR. Our results can help patients decide whether to pursue additional OC cycles to obtain more oocytes.

Differences in breast cancer outcomes amongst Black US-born and Caribbean-born immigrants.

BACKGROUND: There are few studies that directly investigate disparities in outcome within the African diaspora in the US. We investigated the association between nativity of Black women diagnosed with breast cancer (Caribbean or USA place of birth) and ethnicity, age at diagnosis, treatment, tumor characteristics and outcome. METHODS: The data were obtained from the University of Miami Health System, and Jackson Health System. Individual-level data from 1132 cases was used to estimate hazard rations (HRs) of women born in the Caribbean (Caribbean Blacks, CB) or in the USA (US Black, USB) using Cox proportional hazards regression analysis for overall survival. RESULTS: The cohort contains data from 624 (54.9%) USB women and 507 (45%) CB women diagnosed with breast cancer between 2006 and 2017. Compared to CB patients, USB patients had more Estrogen Receptor negative (31.4% vs. 39.1%, P = 0.018) and triple negative breast cancers (19.6% vs. 27.9%, P = 0.003). CB women presented at more advanced stages III/IV (44.2% vs. 35.2%; P = 0.016). CB patients showed a better overall survival (hazard ratio, HR = 0.75; 95% CI 0.59-0.96; P = 0.024). Overall Black Hispanic patients had a better overall survival (HR = 0.51; 95% CI 0.28-0.93; P = 0.028) compared to non-Hispanic Black patients. CONCLUSION: In conclusion the study found that CB immigrants diagnosed with breast cancer have an improved overall survival when compared with USB patients. This finding suggests that within the African diaspora in the USA, additional factors beyond race contribute to worse outcomes in African Americans.

Laparoscopic removal of bilateral uterine remnants for symptomatic unilateral leiomyomas in a patient with Müllerian agenesis.

OBJECTIVE: To our knowledge, we present the first video demonstration of the laparoscopic removal of bilateral uterine remnants for symptomatic unilateral leiomyomas in a patient with Müllerian agenesis. DESIGN: A video case report. SETTING: An academic medical center. PATIENT: A 44-year-old woman, gravida 0, with a history of Müllerian agenesis with presumed single uterine remnant who presented with worsening lower abdominal fullness and discomfort in the setting of known leiomyomas. Magnetic resonance imaging of the pelvis revealed a single rudimentary uterine remnant with 3 dominant leiomyomas, with the largest measuring 5.8 × 5.3 × 5.2 cm. After extensive counseling, she opted for definitive surgical management. She provided written consent for video recording and publication of this surgical case. INTERVENTION(S): Laparoscopic removal of bilateral uterine remnants, bilateral salpingectomy, and cystoscopy. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Laparoscopic removal of bilateral uterine remnants with multiple unilateral leiomyomas, leading to resolution of lower abdominal bulk symptoms. RESULT(S): Diagnostic laparoscopy revealed a right 12-cm pelvic mass consisting of a uterine remnant with 3 dominant leiomyomas, left 2-cm rudimentary uterine remnant, bilateral atrophic fallopian tubes, bilateral normal ovaries, and absent cervix and upper vagina. Procedure was uncomplicated with an estimated blood loss of 25 mL. Patient was discharged on the same day of surgery after meeting required milestones. Pathologic examination of the specimens was consistent with intraoperative findings. CONCLUSION(S): Müllerian agenesis is a rare congenital anomaly of the female reproductive tract in which uterine remnants may be found. Leiomyoma formation in uterine remnants is rare but possible. Magnetic resonance imaging is the most sensitive imaging modality for uterine remnants but not always accurate. When leiomyomas become symptomatic, surgery is the only definitive management option with laparoscopy as the standard of care when possible. Minor changes to the minimally invasive approach may be necessary to accommodate for anatomical differences.

Questioning Racial and Gender Bias in AI-based Recommendations: Do Espoused National Cultural Values Matter?

One realm of AI, recommender systems have attracted significant research attention due to concerns about its devastating effects to society's most vulnerable and marginalised communities. Both media press and academic literature provide compelling evidence that AI-based recommendations help to perpetuate and exacerbate racial and gender biases. Yet, there is limited knowledge about the extent to which individuals might question AI-based recommendations when perceived as biased. To address this gap in knowledge, we investigate the effects of espoused national cultural values on AI questionability, by examining how individuals might question AI-based recommendations due to perceived racial or gender bias. Data collected from 387 survey respondents in the United States indicate that individuals with espoused national cultural values associated to collectivism, masculinity and uncertainty avoidance are more likely to question biased AI-based recommendations. This study advances understanding of how cultural values affect AI questionability due to perceived bias and it contributes to current academic discourse about the need to hold AI accountable.

Fifteen years of autologous oocyte thaw outcomes from a large university-based fertility center.

OBJECTIVE: To review the outcomes of patients who underwent autologous oocyte thaw after planned oocyte cryopreservation. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Large urban university-affiliated fertility center. PATIENT(S): All patients who underwent ≥1 autologous oocyte thaw before December 31, 2020. INTERVENTION(S): None. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): The primary outcome was the final live birth rate (FLBR) per patient, and only patients who had a live birth (LB) or consumed all remaining inventory (cryopreserved oocytes and resultant euploid/untested/no result embryos) were included. The secondary outcomes were laboratory outcomes and LB rates per transfer. RESULT(S): A total of 543 patients underwent 800 oocyte cryopreservations, 605 thaws, and 436 transfers. The median age at the first cryopreservation was 38.3 years. The median time between the first cryopreservation and thaw was 4.2 years. The median numbers of oocytes and metaphase II oocytes (M2s) thawed per patient were 14 and 12, respectively. Overall survival of all thawed oocytes was 79%. Of all patients, 61% underwent ≥1 transfer. Among euploid (n = 262) and nonbiopsied (n = 158) transfers, the LB rates per transfer were 55% and 31%, respectively. The FLBR per patient was 39%. Age at cryopreservation and the number of M2s thawed were predictive of LB; the FLBR per patient was >50% for patients aged <38 years at cryopreservation or who thawed ≥20 M2s. A total of 173 patients (32%) have remaining inventory. CONCLUSION(S): Autologous oocyte thaw resulted in a 39% FLBR per patient, which is comparable with age-matched in vitro fertilization outcomes. Studies with larger cohorts are necessary.

Risky decision-making strategies mediate the relationship between amygdala activity and real-world financial savings among individuals from lower income households: A pilot study.

Lower financial savings among individuals experiencing adverse social determinants of health (SDoH) increases vulnerabilities during times of crisis. SDoH including low socioeconomic status (low-SES) influence cognitive abilities as well as health and life outcomes that may perpetuate poverty and disparities. Despite evidence suggesting a role for financial growth in minimizing SDoH-related disparities and vulnerabilities, neurobiological mechanisms linked with financial behavior remain to be elucidated. As such, we examined the relationships between brain activity during decision-making (DM), laboratory-based task performance, and money savings behavior. Participants (N = 24, 14 females) from low-SES households (income<$20,000/year) underwent fMRI scanning while performing the Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART), a DM paradigm probing risky- and strategic-DM processes. Participants also completed self-report instruments characterizing relevant personality characteristics and then engaged in a community outreach financial program where amount of money saved was tracked over a 6-month period. Regarding BART-related brain activity, we observed expected activity in regions implicated in reward and emotional processing including the amygdala. Regarding brain-behavior relationships, we found that laboratory-based BART performance mediated the impact of amygdala activity on real-world behavior. That is, elevated amygdala activity was linked with BART strategic-DM which, in turn, was linked with more money saved after 6 months. In exploratory analyses, this mediation was moderated by emotion-related personality characteristics such that, only individuals reporting lower alexithymia demonstrated a relationship between amygdala activity and savings. These outcomes suggest that DM-related amygdala activity and/or emotion-related personality characteristics may provide utility as an endophenotypic marker of individual's financial savings behavior.

Acute toxicity and bioaccumulation of pesticide Diazinon in red tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus x Mossambicus albina).

Young red tilapias were exposed for 96 h to each one of 6 concentrations of the pesticide Diazinon in order to determine the pesticide's acute toxicity level. After the ascertaining the lethal concentration (LC50) at 96 h, a level 10 times lower was selected for the bioaccumulation study of the pesticide in male and female specimens exposed for 9 days. The elimination process was carried out for 10 days beginning right after the conclusion of the accumulation process. Analytical procedures were developed and used for the studies of acute toxicity and bioaccumulation of Diazinon in red tilapia. A lethal concentration [LC50 (96 h)] of 3.85 mg/L was found, and steady-state accumulation, at a concentration of 28.45 mg/kg, was reached at 7.72 days. In the elimination process a concentration of 0.29 mg/kg was found in tilapia tissue by the sixth day after the fish were moved to clean water, and it continued to decrease quickly toward nondetectable levels.