Clinical outcomes of two different endometrial preparation methods for cryopreserved-thawed embryo transfer in patients with a normal menstrual cycle

Aim:  To compare the clinical outcomes of cryopreserved-thawed embryo transfer among patients with a normal menstrual cycle who had natural or hormone-replacement cycles.
Methods:  From January 2004 to June 2006, cryopreserved embryos following conventional in vitro fertilization (IVF) or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) were thawed and transferred in a total of 720 natural cycles and 136 hormone-replacement cycles.
Results:  Cryopreserved-thawed embryo transfer in patients who had a natural or hormone-replacement cycle resulted in clinical pregnancy in 43.1% and 40.4%, respectively; a rate of miscarriage of 14.5% and 23.6%, respectively; and a rate of ongoing pregnancy and delivery of 36.5% and 30.9%, respectively. None of these differences were statistically significant.
Conclusions:   Patients with a normal menstrual cycle who have natural or hormone-replacement cycles can be expected to have comparable clinical outcomes with cryopreserved-thawed embryo transfer. (Reprod Med Biol 2007; 6 : 53–57)     

Intra-articular injection of interleukin-4 decreases nitric oxide production by chondrocytes and ameliorates subsequent destruction of cartilage in instability-induced osteoarthritis in rat knee joints

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the in vitro and in vivo effects of interleukin (IL)-4 on mechanical stress-induced nitric oxide (NO) expression by chondrocytes, and destruction of cartilage and NO production in an instability-induced osteoarthritis (OA) model in rat knee joints, respectively. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cyclic tensile stress (CTS; 0.5Hz and 7% elongation) was applied to cultured normal rat chondrocytes with or without pre-incubation with recombinant rat IL-4 (rrIL-4). Inducible NO synthase (iNOS) mRNA expression and NO production were examined with real-time polymerase chain reaction and the Griess reaction, respectively. OA was induced in rat knee joints by transection of the anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments and resection of the medial meniscus. rrIL-4 (10, 50, and 100 ng/joint/day) was injected intra-articularly, and knee joint samples were collected 2, 4, and 6 weeks after surgery. Cartilage destruction was evaluated by the modified Mankin score and Osteoarthritis Research Society International scoring system on paraffin-embedded sections stained with safranin O. Cleavage of aggrecan and NO production were examined by immunohistochemistry for aggrecan neoepitope (NITEGE) and of nitrotyrosine (NT), respectively. RESULTS: rrIL-4 down-regulated CTS-induced iNOS mRNA expression and NO production by chondrocytes. The intra-articular injection of rrIL-4 gave rise to a limited, but significant amelioration of cartilage destruction, prevention of loss of aggrecan, and decrease in the number of NT-positive chondrocytes, an effect that was not dose-dependent. CONCLUSION: The present study suggests that IL-4 may exert chondroprotective properties against mechanical stress-induced cartilage destruction, at least in part, by inhibiting NO production by chondrocytes.     

Ability of diffusion-weighted imaging for the differential diagnosis between chronic expanding hematomas and malignant soft tissue tumors

Purpose

To evaluate the potential of diffusion‐weighted imaging (DWI) in distinguishing chronic expanding hematomas (CEHs) from malignant soft tissue tumors.

Materials and Methods

We performed conventional MRI and DWI of six CEHs and 31 malignant soft tissue tumors from 37 patients seen between May 2000 and November 2006. DWI was obtained with a single‐shot echo‐planar imaging (EPI) sequence using a 1.5T MR imager. The mean apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) value was also calculated. We evaluated MRI findings of CEHs and compared ADC value of CEHs with malignant soft tissue tumors.

Results

On conventional MRI, two of six CEHs were difficult to differentiate from malignant soft tissue tumors based on imaging findings. The mean ADC value of CEHs and malignant soft tissue tumors was 1.55 ± 0.121 × 10^?3 mm²/sec and 0.92 ± 0.139 × 10^?3 mm²/sec (mean ± SD), respectively. The mean ADC value of CEHs was significantly higher than that of malignant soft tissue tumors (P < 0.01). There was no overlap in the minimum ADC values among CEHs and malignant soft tissue tumors.

Conclusion

DWI is useful for differentiating between CEHs and malignant soft tissue tumors. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2008;28:1195–1200. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.