Births of normal daughters after MicroSort sperm separation and intrauterine insemination, in-vitro fertilization, or intracytoplasmic sperm injection

The world's first deliveries of normal babies after use of flow cytometric separated human sperm cells (MicroSort) for preconception gender selection are reported. Offspring were of the desired female gender in 92.9% of the pregnancies. Most of these pregnancies and births were achieved after simple intrauterine insemination.      

A 3 year retrospective review of intrauterine insemination, using cryopreserved donor spermatozoa and cycle monitoring by urinary or serum luteinizing hormone measurements

Insemination with donor spermatozoa is an integral part of infertility treatment. For the last 3 years in our unit, intrauterine insemination with donor spermatozoa (IUID) has been used in preference to vaginal insemination. In this retrospective study, patients were offered an initial course of five single intrauterine inseminations with cryopreserved donor spermatozoa and treatment was then reviewed. A total of 389 patients received 1465 inseminations. In all, 1119 cycles were monitored using luteinizing hormone serum analyses and 346 cycles using the urine home test kits. The clinical pregnancy rate per insemination for the cycles monitored by the serum assay was 18.0% (202/1119) compared with the urine cycles (13.7%, 46/346) (P <05). The pregnancy loss rate was not significantly different (14.4%, 29/202 and 21.7%, 10/46) (serum and urine cycles respectively). The viable clinical pregnancy rate was significantly higher (P <03) for the serum cycles than for the cycles using the urinary monitoring (15.5%, 173/1119 and 10.4%, 36/346 respectively). The cycles monitored by serum assay had a significantly higher cumulative viable clinical pregnancy rate (P <0001) of 70.2% after nine inseminations compared with the urine monitored cycles of 54.8%. The majority of patients opted for the serum cycles, with a minority self-selecting the urine cycles mainly for travelling convenience. The explanation for the significant differences between the viable clinical pregnancy rates per insemination and the cumulative viable clinical pregnancy rates may be due to the sensitivity of the urine home test kit or the patients' interpretation of the result.      

Molecular cloning and nucleotide sequence of a pestivirus genome, noncytopathic bovine viral diarrhea virus strain SD-1.

Genomic RNA of noncytopathic (NCP) bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) strain SD-1 was extracted directly from serum obtained from a persistently infected animal. cDNA was synthesized and amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) before cloning. The complete genomic nucleotide sequence was determined by sequencing at least two different clones from independent PCR reactions. The 5' and 3' end sequences of the SD-1 genome was determined from 5'-3' ligation clones. The complete genome sequence was comprised of 12,308 nucleotides containing one large open reading frame which encodes an amino acid sequence of 3898 residues with a calculated molecular weight of 438 kDa. In contrast to cytopathic (CP) BVDV strain NADL, which contains a cellular RNA insert of 270 nucleotides and CP BVDV strain Osloss, which has an inserted ubiquitin RNA sequence of 228 nucleotides, the NCP strain SD-1 had no insertion along the genome. Sequence comparison with other pestiviruses revealed that the overall nucleotide sequence homologies of SD-1 are 88.6% with NADL, 78.3% with Osloss, 67.1% with HoCV Alfort, and 67.2% with HoCV Brescia. The overall deduced amino acid sequence homologies of SD-1 are 92.7% with NADL, 86.2% with Osloss, 72.5% with HoCV Alfort, and 71.2% with HoCV Brescia. The most conserved nucleotide and amino acid sequences are located in the 5' untranslated region (5'UTR) and nonstructural protein p80 region, respectively. The viral glycoproteins, particularly gp53, and nonstructural proteins p54 and p58 have the lowest homology comparing both nucleotide and amino acid sequences between SD-1 and other pestiviruses. Extensive analyses of amino acid sequences for the viral structural proteins and nonstructural protein p54 regions from five pestiviruses led to the identification of four conserved domains (designated as C1, C2, C3, C4) and three highly variable domains (designated as V1, V2, V3) within this region. The C1, C2, and C3 domains are located in the capsid protein p14, glycoprotein gp48, and gp25, respectively. The C4 domain is located in the junction between gp53 and p54. Interestingly, out of three variable domains, two (V1, V2) are located in the same glycoprotein gp53. The third variable domain is located in the nonstructural protein p54.     

Increase in radiosensitivity of lung micrometastases by hyperbaric oxygen

Four-day-old artificial pulmonary micrometastases of two murine fibrosarcomas, designated FSA and NFSA, showed increased sensitivity to ionizing radiation by a factor of 1·13 when animals were exposed to hyperbaric oxygen breathing before and during irradiation, implying the presence of hypoxia in the micrometastases. At the time of irradiation the diameter of FSA and NFSA metastases was smaller than 200 and 100m, respectively, which, on the basis of oxygen diffusion, could not be responsible for hypoxia. It is assumed that hypoxia of micrometastases is passive, reflecting the radiobiological hypoxia of lung tissue that could exist under normal breathing conditions.     

Nonlinear relationship between alpha 1-adrenergic receptor occupancy and norepinephrine-stimulated calcium flux in cultured vascular smooth muscle cells

To determine the relationship between vascular alpha 1-adrenergic receptor occupancy and receptor-coupled calcium flux, we have studied [3H]prazosin binding and l-norepinephrine-induced 45Ca efflux in cultured vascular smooth muscle cells isolated from the rabbit aorta. In a crude cellular homogenate, [3H]prazosin bound to a single high affinity site (Kd = 0.096 nM; Bmax = 105 +/- 15 fmol/mg of protein), whereas l-norepinephrine (NE) binding was best described by a two-site model with 43 +/- 8% of sites of high affinity (KH = 92 +/- 3 nM) and 57 +/- 7% of sites of low affinity (KL = 7460 +/- 4330 nM). NE-stimulated 45Ca efflux was concentration-dependent (EC50 = 108 nM) and potently inhibited by prazosin (IC50 = 0.15 nM), but not yohimbine (no inhibition at 10 microM). For the total receptor pool identified by [3H]prazosin binding, the relationship between receptor occupancy by NE and NE-stimulated 45Ca efflux was markedly nonlinear, such that 50% of maximum NE-stimulated efflux occurred with occupancy of only approximately 7% of receptors. Likewise, following irreversible inactivation of 69 +/- 5% of receptors by phenoxybenzamine, maximal NE-stimulated 45Ca efflux was decreased by only 8 +/- 2%. These two experimental approaches provide direct evidence for the presence in cultured rabbit aortic smooth muscle cells of a sizable pool of alpha 1-adrenergic receptors in excess of those needed for maximum NE-stimulated 45Ca efflux. This evidence of "spare" receptors, together with the finding of two affinity states of agonist binding, raises the possibility of functional heterogeneity of alpha 1-adrenergic receptors in this system.     

Striated intramural gallbladder lucencies on US studies: predictors of acute cholecystitis

Ultrasound scans of 51 consecutive patients with gallbladder wall thickening were reviewed, and specific sonographic features were correlated with surgical and clinical follow-up. Two patterns of thickening were identified as specific indicators of the presence or absence of acute cholecystitis. "Striated" wall thickening, consisting of several alternating, irregular, discontinuous, lucent and echogenic bands, was seen in eight of 13 patients (62%) with acute cholecystitis. This pattern was not encountered in any of the patients who did not have acute cholecystitis. Conversely, "three-layer" thickening, consisting of a single circumferential lucent zone between two relatively uniform echogenic layers, was seen in only one of 13 patients (8%) with acute cholecystitis but in 11 of 38 patients (29%) with other diagnoses. Other abnormalities, including the presence of intramural echogenic foci and wall irregularities, were more frequently seen in patients with acute cholecystitis but were not as helpful. Use of these features may suggest or help exclude a diagnosis of acute cholecystitis in those patients in whom the cause of gallbladder wall thickening is otherwise not apparent.     

Who Will Benefit? Using Radiomics to Predict Response to Oxaliplatin-Based Chemotherapy in Patients with Colorectal Liver Metastases

Annals of Surgical Oncology -