Acupuncture for the treatment of diminished ovary reserve

Objective

To share 20 cases of women with diminished ovary reserve (DOR) and low Anti-Müllerian Hormone (AMH), who had unsuccessful in-vitro fertilization (IVF) trials and to whom the author has successfully treated.

脱氢表雄酮(DHEA)预治疗在体外受精-胚胎移植周期中的应用

目的:探讨脱氢表雄酮(DHEA)预治疗在卵巢储备低下妇女的体外受精/卵胞质内单精子注射-胚胎移植(IVF/ICSI-ET)周期治疗中的作用。方法:对173例卵巢储备功能低下进行IVF/ICSI-ET的患者进行随机对照研究。DHEA预治疗组(n=81)患者口服DHEA,连用3个月,对照组为未服用DHEA预治疗者(n=92)。观察患者的一般情况、超促排卵情况及胚胎发育和妊娠结局。结果:患者一般情况、hCG注射日子宫内膜厚度及E2水平、Gn使用量和Gn使用天数组间均无统计学差异(P>0.05)。DHEA组IVF受精率、优质胚胎率及临床妊娠率均高于对照组(P<0.05)。但在胚胎种植率、早期流产率、周期取消率组间差异无统计学意义(P>0.05)。结论:DHEA预治疗可以改善卵巢储备功能低下妇女的IVF结局。     

卵巢早衰患者外周血CD4~+CD25~+Treg细胞的变化及意义

目的:探讨CD4+CD25+调节性T细胞(即CD4+CD25+Treg细胞)在卵巢早衰发病机制中的作用。方法:流式细胞仪定量检测卵巢早衰(premature ovarian failure,POF)患者、卵巢储备功能下降(diminished ovarian reserve,DOR)患者及健康对照组外周血CD4+T、CD8+T细胞及CD4+CD25+Treg细胞数量,应用3H-thymidine掺入法测定POF患者及对照组外周血CD4+CD25+Treg细胞对效应性T细胞的增殖抑制功能。结果:与对照组相比,POF患者及DOR患者CD4+CD25+Treg细胞比例降低(P<0.01)、POF患者CD4+T/CD8+T细胞比值增高(P<0.05),DOR患者CD4+T/CD8+T细胞比值无明显变化(P>0.05);POF患者免疫抑制功能无明显降低(P>0.05)。结论:CD4+CD25+Treg细胞比例降低与T细胞亚群失衡可能是POF的发病机制。     

IVF-ET中不同年龄卵巢储备功能减退女性应用生长激素的效果分析

目的:探讨生长激素(GH)联合拮抗剂方案对不同年龄卵巢储备功能减退(DOR)患者体外受精-胚胎移植(IVF-ET)结局的影响。方法:行IVF-ET治疗的卵巢储备功能减退的不孕患者131人,其中年龄≥35岁62人,年龄35岁69人,均采用拮抗剂方案,以添加GH为GH组,不添加GH者为对照组,观察不同年龄组内添加GH后的卵巢反应性和妊娠结局。结果:年龄≥35岁的DOR患者GH组与对照组相比,Gn的使用剂量明显减少,hCG日雌二醇(E2)水平、获卵数均增高(P均0.05);年龄35岁的DOR患者,GH组与对照组间各项临床及实验室指标比较均无统计学差异(P0.05)。结论:GH联合拮抗剂方案可以改善年龄≥35岁DOR患者IVF-ET过程中卵巢的反应性;而对年龄35岁DOR患者的卵巢反应及IVF-ET结局均无明显改善。     

Endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration for non-small cell lung cancer staging: A systematic review and metaanalysis

BACKGROUND: Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided fine-needle aspiration (FNA) is a minimally invasive alternative technique for mediastinal staging of non-small cell lung cancer. A metaanalysis was performed to estimate the diagnostic accuracy of EUS-FNA for staging mediastinal lymph nodes (N2/N3 disease) in patients with lung cancer. METHODS: Relevant studies were identified using Medline (1966 to November 2005), CINAHL, and citation indexing. Included studies used histology or adequate clinical follow-up (> 6 months) as the "gold standard," and provided sufficient data for calculating sensitivity and specificity. Summary receiver operating characteristic curves metaanalysis was performed to estimate the pooled sensitivity and specificity. RESULTS: In 18 eligible studies, EUS-FNA identified 83% of patients (95% confidence interval [CI], 78 to 87%) with positive mediastinal lymph nodes (pooled sensitivity) and 97% of patients (95% CI, 96 to 98%) with negative mediastinal lymph nodes (pooled specificity). In eight studies that were limited to patients who had abnormal mediastinal lymph nodes seen on CT scans, the sensitivity was 90% (95% CI, 84 to 94%) and the specificity was 97% (95% CI, 95 to 98%). In patients without abnormal mediastinal lymph nodes seen on CT scans (four studies), the pooled sensitivity was 58% (95% CI, 39 to 75%). Minor complications were reported in 10 cases (0.8%). There were no major complications. CONCLUSIONS: EUS-FNA is a safe modality for the invasive staging of lung cancer that is highly sensitive when used to confirm metastasis to mediastinal lymph nodes seen on CT scans. In addition, among lung cancer patients with normal mediastinal adenopathy seen on CT scans, despite lower sensitivity, it has the potential to prevent unnecessary surgery in a large proportion of cases missed by CT scanning.     

Limited value of alarm features in the diagnosis of upper gastrointestinal malignancy: systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Alarm features such as dysphagia, weight loss, or anemia raise concern of an upper gastrointestinal malignancy in patients with dyspepsia. The aim of this study was to determine the diagnostic accuracy of alarm features in predicting malignancy by performing a metaanalysis based on the published literature. METHODS: English-language studies were identified by searching MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Controlled Trials Register, and CINAHL. Cohort studies that measured alarm features and compared them with the endoscopic findings were included. Studies were screened for inclusion by 2 authors who independently extracted the data. Sensitivity, specificity, and likelihood ratios were calculated by comparing the alarm feature with the endoscopic diagnosis. The summary receiver operating characteristic curve method was used to summarize test characteristics across studies. Individual alarm features were also assessed when the study report permitted. RESULTS: Eighty-three of 2600 studies met the initial screening criteria; 15 met inclusion criteria after detailed review. These 15 studies evaluated a total of 57,363 patients, of whom 458 (.8%) had cancer. The sensitivity of alarm symptoms varied from 0% to 83% with considerable heterogeneity between studies. The specificity also varied significantly from 40% to 98%. A clinical diagnosis made by a physician was very specific (range, 97%-98%) but not very sensitive (range, 11%-53%). CONCLUSIONS: Alarm features have limited predictive value for an underlying malignancy. Their use in dyspepsia management strategies needs further refinement and study.     

Long-term toxicity studies in dogs support the safety of the special extract ERr 731 from the roots of Rheum rhaponticum.

The special extract ERr 731 from the roots of rhapontic rhubarb has been regularly prescribed for women with menopausal symptoms since 1993. As its constituents belong to the class of natural hydroxystilbenes, concerns have been raised about possible health risks similar to those known for the estrogenic diethylstilbestrol. To demonstrate the safety of the medical use of ERr 731, the extract was tested in long-term toxicity studies in dogs. In two independent studies, male and female beagle dogs were treated with 100, 300 and 1000 mg ERr 731/kg body weight (bw)/day and observed for 4 and 13 weeks followed by recovery periods. A histopathological examination of a full set of organs of all animals was examined. In both studies, all animals survived the scheduled treatment and recovery periods. The administration of ERr 731 resulted in increased incidences of feces with white particles due to an incomplete absorption of the extract. In the 13-week study, a slight decrease in glucose levels was recorded in both sexes at 1000 mg/kg bw/day. All other clinical changes were marginal and not related to ERr 731. Importantly, there was no increase in weight of organs of the genital tract due to ERr 731 intake. Based on these results, the no-observed-adverse-effect-level is 1000 mg/kg bw/day. No pathological findings where detected following ERr 731 treatment demonstrating that the toxicological risk for women taking ERr 731 regularly is extremely low.     

EUS: a meta-analysis of test performance in suspected choledocholithiasis

BACKGROUND: EUS has been proposed as a less invasive means of diagnosing choledocholithiasis and may eliminate the need for ERCP and its associated risks. The literature pertaining to EUS for the diagnosis of choledocholithiasis reports widely varying sensitivities and specificities. OBJECTIVE: To more precisely estimate the diagnostic accuracy of EUS in suspected choledocholithiasis. DESIGN: MEDLINE and EMBASE databases were used to identify prospective cohort studies in which the results of EUS were compared with the results of an acceptable criterion standard, including ERCP, intraoperative cholangiography, or surgical exploration. Two independent reviewers extracted standardized data and assessed trial quality. A random effects model was used to estimate the sensitivity, specificity, likelihood, and diagnostic odds ratio (DOR), and a summary receiver operating characteristic curve was constructed. All predefined potential sources of heterogeneity were explored by subgroup analysis and meta-regression. PATIENTS: A total of 2673 patients with suspected choledocholithiasis were reported in 27 studies that satisfied the inclusion criteria. RESULTS: EUS had a high overall pooled sensitivity of 0.94 (95% CI, 0.93-0.96), a specificity of 0.95 (95% CI, 0.94-0.96), and an area under the curve of 0.98. Three variables appeared to yield a higher DOR: a higher disease prevalence, an adequate time interval between index test and criterion standards, and the presence of verification bias. LIMITATIONS: Misclassification of patients by imperfect criterion standards could potentially underestimate the performance of an EUS. CONCLUSIONS: An EUS is a noninvasive test, with excellent overall sensitivity and specificity for diagnosing choledocholithiasis. An EUS should, therefore, be used to select patients for a therapeutic ERCP to minimize the risk of complications associated with unnecessary diagnostic ERCP.