RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: To describe the current practice indications, methodology, and outcomes from a real-world experience of intravaginal culture (IVC) using INVOCELL. DESIGN: A descriptive study outlining real-world experience with INVOCELL that addresses patient selection, ovarian stimulation, embryology laboratory practices, and outcomes. SETTING: Five fertility centers in Missouri, Texas, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. PATIENTS: Four hundred sixty-three patients undergoing 526 cycles. INTERVENTION: IVC using INVOCELL. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Cumulative pregnancy rate and live births. Secondary outcomes of interest included percent good quality embryos. RESULTS: IVC with INVOCELL was primarily used in women <38 years with anti-Mullerian hormone level >0.8 ng/mL. The mean numbers of retrieved oocytes ranged from 9.2 to 16. Mean numbers of oocytes and sperm-injected oocytes loaded per INVOCELL ranged from a mean of 6.4-9.5 with a reported maximum of 34 oocytes loaded into the device. Most (95%) of the embryos were transferred on day 5. The mean blastocyst recovery per oocyte loaded into the device ranged from 19% to 34%; mean cumulative live birth plus ongoing pregnancy rates ranged from 29% to 53% per cycle start and 40% to 61% per transfer. CONCLUSIONS: This study of IVC using INVOCELL as an alternative model for infertility treatment confirms its utility as a viable alternative to standard incubator-based in vitro fertilization. The technology is compatible within the current framework of practice patterns and, when appropriately used, results in acceptable blastocyst recovery and live birth rates. Further use of INVOCELL in other clinical situations is warranted.
RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: To determine the cost of achieving a live birth after first transfer using highly purified human menotropin (HP-hMG) or recombinant follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) for controlled ovarian stimulation in predicted high-responder patients in the Menopur in Gonadotropin-releasing hormone Antagonist Single Embryo Transfer-High Responder (MEGASET-HR) trial. DESIGN: Cost minimization analysis of trial results. SETTING: Thirty-one fertility centers. PATIENTS: Six hundred and nineteen women with serum antimüllerian hormone ≥5 ng/mL. INTERVENTIONS: Controlled ovarian stimulation with HP-hMG or recombinant FSH in a gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) antagonist assisted reproduction cycle where fresh transfer of a single blastocyst was performed unless ovarian response was excessive whereupon all embryos were cryopreserved and patients could undergo subsequent frozen blastocyst transfer within 6 months of randomization. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Mean cost of achieving live birth after first transfer (fresh or frozen). RESULTS: First-transfer efficacy, defined as live birth after first fresh or frozen transfer, was 54.5% for HP-hMG and 48.0% for recombinant FSH (difference 6.5%). Average cost to achieve a live birth after first transfer (fresh or frozen) was lower with HP-hMG compared with recombinant FSH. For fresh transfers, the cost was lower with HP-hMG compared with recombinant FSH. The average cost to achieve a live birth after first frozen transfer was also lower in patients treated with HP-hMG compared with recombinant FSH. CONCLUSIONS: Treatment of predicted high-responders with HP-hMG was associated with lower cost to achieve a live birth after first transfer compared with recombinant FSH. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT02554279.
RESUMO
Voltammetry has been used as a method to measure the concentration of monoaminergic neurotransmitters in-vivo. The standard electrode used with voltammetry has been carbon fiber microelectrodes. Despite the advantages of using carbon as a sensing element, carbon fiber microelectrodes have only one site to record the extracellular concentration of neurotransmitters. Studies have shown that the concentration of neurotransmitters, such as dopamine, varies across small regions of the brain (less than Imm). To study the varying concentration of dopamine, the recording sites of a ceramic-based multi-site electrode was coated with carbon and deployed in the somatosensory cortex of a rat. Known concentrations of dopamine were pressure injected and the diffusion curve, which is the change in concentration over time, was recorded. From the falling phase of the diffusion curve, the initial rate of clearance was measured. The initial rates of clearance from the different recording sites in the somatosensory cortex were compared to a model that used the standard diffusion equation with uptake. The results show that the in-vivo data does not follow the prediction of the model providing an interesting insight to the uptake of monoamines across the different layers of the somatosensory cortex.