Non invasive assessment of human oocytes and embryos in assisted reproduction: Review on present practices and future trends

Oocyte and embryo grading is one of the most important steps in assisted reproductive technology to identify the best among cultured embryos for transfer or vitrification. The most commonly used non-invasive method is morphological assessment of gametes and embryos using a microscope. This method despite being simple and cost-effective has interobserver and intraobserver variability and subjectivity and has little to offer about the physiological state of embryos. This review sourced research articles and reviews pertaining to other non-invasive assessment methodologies from Medline and PubMed to collate latest technologies in vogue and identify novel methodologies of the future. The review assesses the current understanding in oocyte and embryo grading and touches upon novel non-invasive techniques and potential biomarkers to identify the best embryo. The latest available literature on time-lapse imaging, hierarchical algorithms, omics (consisting of proteomics and secretomes), miRNAs, mitochondrial RNAs and artificial intelligence has been accessed to summarize the enormous information available, to identify gaps in current interpretations, to identify emerging technologies and to provide direction for future research. This review will greatly benefit anyone practicing assisted reproduction and clinical embryology.     

Motor dysfunction in mild cognitive impairment as tested by kinematic analysis and transcranial magnetic stimulation

ObjectivePrevious studies have demonstrated voluntary movement alterations as well as motor cortex excitability and plasticity changes in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). To investigate the pathophysiology of movement abnormalities in MCI, we tested possible relationships between movement abnormalities and primary motor cortex alterations in patients.MethodsFourteen amnestic MCI (aMCI) patients and 16 healthy controls were studied. Cognitive assessment was performed using clinical scales. Finger tapping was recorded by a motion analysis system. Transcranial magnetic stimulation was used to test the input/output curve of motor evoked potentials, intracortical inhibition, and short-latency afferent inhibition. Primary motor cortex plasticity was probed by theta burst stimulation. We investigated correlations between movement abnormalities, clinical scores, and cortical neurophysiological parameters.ResultsMCI patients showed less rhythmic movement but no other movement abnormalities. Cortical excitability measures were normal in patients, whereas plasticity was reduced. Movement rhythm abnormalities correlated with frontal dysfunction scores.ConclusionOur study in MCI patients demonstrated abnormal voluntary movement and plasticity changes, with no correlation between the two. Altered rhythm correlated with frontal dysfunction.SignificanceOur results contribute to the understanding of pathophysiological mechanisms of motor impairment in MCI.     

Anatomic vs. reverse shoulder arthroplasty for glenohumeral osteoarthritis with intact rotator cuff: a retrospective comparison of patient-reported outcomes using the systems outcomes database with up to 5-year follow-up

BackgroundThe growing enthusiasm for the use of reverse shoulder arthroplasty (RSA) in the treatment of primary glenohumeral osteoarthritis (GHOA) with an intact rotator cuff is based on data derived from single-center studies with limited generalizability and follow-up. This study compared patient-reported outcomes (PROs) between RSA and total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA) for the treatment of primary GHOA with up to 5-year follow-up and examined temporal trends in the treatment of GHOA between 2012 and 2021.MethodsA retrospective review was performed on patients with primary GHOA undergoing primary arthroplasty surgery from the Surgical Outcomes System global registry between 2012 and 2021. PROs including the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) score, Single Assessment Numeric Evaluation (SANE) score, and visual analog scale (VAS) for pain were compared between RSA and TSA at 1, 2, and 5 years postoperatively.ResultsA total of 4451 patients were included, with 2693 (60.5%) undergoing TSA and 1758 (39.5%) undergoing RSA. Both RSA and TSA provided clinically excellent outcomes at 1 year postoperatively (ASES: 80.8 ± 17.9 vs. 85.9 ± 15.2, respectively; SANE: 74.8 ± 24.7 vs. 79.5 ± 22.9; VAS pain: 1.3 ± 2.0 vs. 1.1 ± 1.7; all P < .05) that were maintained at 2 years (ASES: 81.3 ± 19.3 vs. 87.3 ± 14.9; SANE: 74.8 ± 26.2 vs. 79.7 ± 24.7; VAS pain: 1.3 ± 2.1 vs. 1.0 ± 1.6; all P < .05) and 5 years (ASES: 81.7 ± 16.5 vs. 86.9 ± 15.3; SANE: 71.6 ± 28.5 vs. 78.2 ± 25.9; VAS pain: 1.0 ± 1.7 vs. 1.0 ± 1.7; all P < .05), with statistical significance favoring TSA. After controlling for age and sex, there was an adjusted difference of 4.5 units in the ASES score favoring TSA (P = .005) at 5 years postoperatively but no differences in adjusted SANE (P = .745) and VAS pain (P = .332) scores. The use of RSA for GHOA grew considerably over time, from representing only 17% of all replacements performed for GHOA in 2012 to nearly half (47%) in 2021 (P < .001).ConclusionRSA as a treatment for GHOA with an intact rotator cuff seems to yield PROs that are largely clinically equivalent to TSA extending to 5 years postoperatively. The observed statistical significance favoring TSA appears to be of marginal clinical benefit based on established minimal clinically important differences and may be a result of the large sample size. Further research using more granular clinical data and examining differences in range of motion and complications is warranted as it may change the value analysis.     

亲密伴侣暴力评估工具的研究进展

亲密伴侣暴力（IPV）是指亲密伴侣之间发生的威胁或虐待行为，其具体形式包括身体、精神或性伤害。现有研究表明，IPV可给受害者带来一系列身体和心理上的损伤，严重影响受害者的生活质量。准确评估IPV是制定针对性预防措施的前提和基础。然而，国内对IPV的研究尚处于起步阶段，针对IPV的评估工具缺乏。本文将国外常用的8种IPV评估工具分为研究工具和筛查工具，对各工具的主要内容、应用情况及特点进行综述，并对这8种评估工具的优缺点进行比较，旨在为我国IPV相关研究提供借鉴，为准确评估和识别IPV受害者提供依据。     

基于COSMIN指南对癌症患者支持性照护需求量表的系统评价

背景国内外用于评估癌症患者支持性照护需求的量表较多，但有关此类量表质量的标准化评价研究及不同量表间的横向比较研究较为缺乏，也少有研究者对此类量表的测量特性进行系统的整合与评价。目的评价中文版癌症患者支持性照护需求量表的测量学性能及研究的方法学质量。方法2021年4月检索中国知网、万方数据知识服务平台、维普中文科技期刊全文数据库、中国生物医学文献数据库、PubMed、EmBase、Web of Science、CINAHL Complete数据库，获取有关中文版癌症患者支持性照护需求量表测量学性能评价的研究，检索时限均为建库至2021年3月30日。由两位研究者独立筛选文献、提取资料后，采用健康测量工具遴选标准（COSMIN）系统综述指南，在对量表的测量特性及研究的方法学质量进行评价的基础上，综合评定中文版癌症患者支持性照护需求评估量表各测量特性的证据等级，并形成对于量表的最终推荐意见。采用描述分析法对评价结果进行汇总、分析。结果共纳入15项研究，涉及8个中文版癌症患者支持性照护需求评估量表〔癌症患者支持性照护需求简明问卷中文版（SCNS-SF34）、中文版支持性照护需求筛查工具（SCNS-ST9-C）、癌症患者综合需求评估量表（CNAT）、癌症需求简明问卷（CNQ-SF）、中文版癌症患者未满足需求量表（CaSUN-C）、癌症患者未满足需求简明量表（SF-SUNS）、晚期癌症患者需求评估问卷（ACNQ-41）、晚期癌症患者需求评估表简表（ACNQ-29）〕。就量表的测量特性质量而言，除ACNQ-29的内容效度为"未提及"外，其余7个量表的内容效度均为"不确定"；除CaSUN-C、SF-SUNS的结构效度为"充分"外，其余6个量表的结构效度均为"不确定"；SCNS-SF34、CNQ-SF、CaSUN-C、SF-SUNS的内部一致性为"充分"，ACNQ-41的内部一致性为"不充分"，其余3个量表的内部一致性为"不确定"；CNAT、CNQ-SF、ACNQ-29的假设检验为"未提及"，CaSUN-C、SF-SUNS、ACNQ-41的假设检验为"不确定"，SCNS-SF34、SCNS-ST9-C的假设检验为"充分"；除ACNQ-41的稳定性为"不充分"，SCNS-ST9-C、ACNQ-29的稳定性为"未提及"外，其余5个量表的稳定性均为"充分"；仅SCNS-SF34的跨文化效度为"充分"，其余7个量表的跨文化效度均为"未提及"。8个量表的推荐等级均为B级。结论SCNS-SF34的测量特性得到了最为全面的评价，其具有较好的信效度，且临床应用可行性高，可暂时被推荐使用，但上述结论仍有待更多高质量证据加以支撑。     

Impact of Premorbid Malnutrition and Dysphagia on Ischemic Stroke Outcome in Elderly Patients: A Community-Based Study

Objective: The present study was performed to assess nutritional status and its relationship with clinical outcomes in elderly stroke patients.

Method: In this cross-sectional study, 253 stroke patients were studied. Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) was used to assign patients to three groups: malnourished, at risk of malnutrition, and well nourished. Northwestern Dysphagia Patient Check Sheet was administered to all patients. Anthropometric measures, including body mass index (BMI), calf circumferences (CC), mid-arm circumferences (MAC), and triceps skinfold thickness were brought out. In addition, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), modified Rankin Scale (mRS), and biochemical tests were performed.

Results: Of 253 patients, 34.4% were malnourished, 42.3% were at risk of malnutrition, and 23.3% were well nourished. The malnourished patients had significantly lower BMI, CC, and MAC (p?<?0.05). The levels of albumin and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein were significantly different among the groups (p?<?0.001). The admission and 3-month follow-up mRS scores, as well as dysphagia, were significantly higher in the malnourished patients and those at risk of malnutrition (p?<?0.001). In addition, mRS scores at admission and 3-month follow-up scores, as well as the length of hospital stay (LOS), were significantly correlated with MNA score, dysphagia, BMI, CC, MAC, albumin, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (p?<?0.05). Significant unadjusted associations were observed among MNA scores, BMI, CC, MAC, dysphagia scores, NIHSS scores, length of hospital stay (LOS), albumin, hs-C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) with a poor outcome. With a multivariate logistic regression analysis, NIHSS scores and MNA scores remained significantly associated with the poor outcome in patients with ischemic stroke.

Conclusions: The findings of the present study underline the importance of nutritional status in elderly stroke patients.     

Use of different combination diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis vaccines does not increase risk of 30-day infant mortality. A population-based linkage cohort study using administrative data from the Australian Childhood Immunisation Register and the National Death Index.

Objective

To determine whether differences in combination DTaP vaccine types at 2, 4 and 6?months of age were associated with mortality (all-cause or non-specific), within 30?days of vaccination.