Live birth after transfer of a single euploid vitrified-warmed blastocyst according to standard timing vs. timing as recommended by endometrial receptivity analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether endometrial receptivity analysis (ERA) improves live births in patients with and without a history of unsuccessful frozen embryo transfers (FETs). DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Large reproductive center. PATIENT(S): Patients with and without ERA before euploid single FET were included in the analysis. INTERVENTION(S): Subjects in the exposed group underwent ERA and ERA-timed FETs. Subjects in the unexposed group followed a standard protocol FET without ERA. Outcomes were compared between nonreceptive and receptive subjects undergoing an ERA-timed FET and between ERA-timed vs. standard protocol FETs. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): The primary outcome was a live birth; secondary outcomes were biochemical and clinical pregnancy rates. RESULT(S): A total of 307 ERA-timed FETs and 2,284 standard protocol FETs were analyzed. One hundred twenty-five patients (40.7%) were ERA receptive, and 182 (59.3%) were ERA nonreceptive. After adjusting for the number of the previously failed FETs, there was no difference in the proportion of receptive and nonreceptive ERA results. There were no statistically significant differences in live births in patients with ERA-receptive vs. ERA-nonreceptive results (48.8% and 41.7%, respectively; adjusted odds ratio 1.17; 95% CI, 0.97-1.40). There were no statistically significant differences in live births in patients with or without ERA testing results before FET (44.6% and 51.3%, respectively; adjusted odds ratio 0.87; 95% CI, 0.73-1.04). CONCLUSION(S): Patients with an increasing number of previous failed euploid FET cycles are not at an increased risk of a displaced window of implantation. Patients categorized as receptive vs. nonreceptive and those without ERA testing results have comparable FET success rates.

Drug dose and animal welfare: important considerations in the treatment of wildlife.

A recent publication in Parasitology Research by (Old et al. Parasitol Res 120:1077-1090, 2021) raises the topical and often controversial issue of the treatment of wildlife by personnel with little or no formal scientific training (e.g. wildlife carers). In a valuable contribution to the subject, Old and colleagues document a wide range of topical (pour-on) application doses and frequencies of moxidectin (Cydectin®) administered in situ to bare-nosed wombats (Vombatus ursinus) by members of the wildlife carer/treater community in southeast Australia to treat sarcoptic mange disease. This treatment occurred under minor use permits issued by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Management Authority (APVMA). These permits do not require veterinary supervision, although carers are registered and are expected to comply with the guidelines of this permit.The prevalence and severity of sarcoptic mange in wildlife is influenced by a variety of factors including mite biology, environmental conditions, population density, animal behaviour and immune susceptibility (Browne et al. Bioscience, 2021). In bare-nosed wombats, combinations of these elements play a substantial role in making the treatment of an already difficult disease more complex. (Moroni et al. Parasit Vectors 13:471, 2020) comment that any pharmacological treatment of free-ranging wildlife must consider these factors when assessing their feasibility and implications, especially in the context of emerging drug resistance and potential long-term ecological impacts. As individuals with significant interest in sarcoptic mange and representing a range of professional research and veterinary expertise, we see value in providing expert commentary on this issue.

The management of deep-seated, lowgrade lipomatous lesions.

Deep-seated, low-grade lipomatous lesions detected on imaging often cause uncertainty for diagnosis and treatment. Confidently distinguishing lipomas from well-differentiated liposarcomas is often not possible on imaging. The approach to management of such lesions varies widely between institutions. Applying an evidenced-based approach set around published literature that clearly highlights how criteria such as lesion size, location, age and imaging features can be used to predict the risk of well-differentiated liposarcomas and subsequent de-differentiation would seem sensible. Our aim is to review the literature and produce a unified, evidence-based guideline that will be a useful tool for managing these lesions.

Imaging in Foot and Ankle Arthritis.

The foot and ankle are commonly involved in a range of arthritides that affect the joints, bones, and soft tissues. Accurate plain film interpretation can often aid the diagnosis and monitor disease progression and treatment response. Ultrasound and MRI afford superior depiction of the soft tissues, and advances over recent years have centered on early detection of synovitis, enabling earlier diagnosis and treatment. Advantages and disadvantages of the imaging techniques of radiography, multidetector computed tomography, ultrasound, and MRI are discussed, as is optimization of these modalities for the assessment of the anatomically complex joints of the foot and ankle. Diagnostic features enabling differentiation between rheumatoid arthritis, seronegative spondyloarthropathies, osteoarthritis, gout, crystal deposition disease, pigmented villonodular synovitis, Charcot arthropathy, septic arthritis, synovial osteochondromatosis, hemophilia, and reflex sympathetic dystrophy are also reviewed.

The effect of 2'-fluorine substitutions on DNA i-motif conformation and stability.

(1)H and (19)F NMR, and UV thermal melting studies have established that the stability of d(TCCCCC) is enhanced by the inclusion of a single 2'-fluorine-modified deoxycytidine residue; the results support the notion of the importance of sugar-sugar contacts in stabilising i-motifs in general and reveal that solvation is the cause of the instability of RNA equivalents.