Live birth and cumulative live birth rates in expected poor ovarian responders defined by the Bologna criteria following IVF/ICSI treatment

Objective: To determine the live birth and cumulative live birth rates of expected poor ovarian responders according to the Bologna criteria and to compare their outcomes with those of expected normal responders Design: Retrospective analysis Setting: University infertility clinic Patients: A total of 1,152 subfertile women undergoing their first in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycle Interventions: Women were classified into 4 groups according to the Bologna criteria for comparison Main Outcome Measure(s): Live birth and cumulative live birth rates Results: Women with expected poor response (POR) had the lowest live birth rate than the other 3 groups (23.8%, p = 0.031). Cumulative live birth rates were significantly lower in those with expected POR than those with expected normal ovarian response (NOR) (35.8% vs 62.8%, p3 oocytes, p = 0.006) whereas the live birth rates in fresh cycle did not differ (17.8% vs 30.9%, p = 0.108). Conclusion: Women who were expected POR according to the Bologna criteria had lower live birth and cumulative live birth than expected NOR but they still can achieve reasonable treatment outcomes and IVF treatment should not be precluded. © 2015 Chai et al.published_or_final_versio

Carbon monoxide and stroke: A time series study of ambient air pollution and emergency hospitalizations

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Air pollution and mortality: Effect modification by personal characteristics and specific cause of death in a case-only study

Short-term effects of air pollution on mortality have been well documented in the literature worldwide. Less is known about which subpopulations are more vulnerable to air pollution. We conducted a case-only study in Hong Kong to examine the potential effect modification by personal characteristics and specific causes of death. Individual information of 402,184 deaths of non-external causes and daily mean concentrations of air pollution were collected from 2001 to 2011. For a 10 μg/m3 increase of pollution concentration, people aged ≥∇65 years (compared with younger ages) had a 0.9–1.8% additional increase in mortality related to PM, NO2, and SO2. People dying from cardiorespiratory diseases (compared with other non-external causes) had a 1.6–2.3% additional increase in PM and NO2 related mortality. Other subgroups that were particularly susceptible were females and those economically inactive. Lower socioeconomic status and causes of cardiorespiratory diseases would increase the likelihood of death associated with air pollution.postprin

Ambient carbon monoxide and the risk of hospitalization due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Data from recent experimental and clinical studies have indicated that lower concentrations of inhaled carbon monoxide might have beneficial antiinflammatory effects. Inhaled carbon monoxide has the potential to be a therapeutic agent for chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD). However, population-based epidemiologic studies of environmentally relevant carbon monoxide exposure have generated mixed findings. We conducted a time-series study in Hong Kong to estimate the association of short-term exposure to ambient carbon monoxide with emergency hospitalizations for COPD. We collected daily emergency hospital admission data and air pollution data from January 2001 to December 2007. We used log-linear Poisson models to estimate the associations between daily hospital admissions for COPD and the average daily concentrations of carbon monoxide while controlling for the traffic-related copollutants nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter less than 2.5 μm. Results showed that ambient carbon monoxide was negatively associated with the risk of hospitalizations for COPD. After adjustment for levels nitrogen dioxide or particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter less than 2.5 μm, the negative associations of carbon monoxide with COPD hospitalizations became stronger. The risk estimates were similar for female and male subjects. In conclusion, short-term exposure to ambient carbon monoxide was associated with a decreased risk of hospitalization for COPD, which suggests that carbon monoxide exposure provides some acute protection of against exacerbation of COPD.postprin

Influenza vaccination and hospitalisation in Elderly Health Centres.

1. A cohort of Elderly Health Centres was examined to determine whether influenza vaccination decreased hospitalisation and mortality. 2. In the influenza season, influenza vaccination reduced all-cause mortality by half and cardiorespiratory hospitalisation by a quarter. The extent to which influenza vaccination protects older people from serious morbidity and mortality needs to be confirmed in appropriately designed studies, so that scarce health care resources can be used effectivelypublished_or_final_versio

Fruits intake and cardiovascular function in normotensive young adults: A 4 - Week Study

This study assessed the effect of increase fruits intake on cardiovascular health as specified by blood pressure and pulse rate. It is a 4 week study involving 70 apparently healthy normotensive students, between the ages of 20–30 years. They were recruited from the Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma and grouped into 7 (A - G). While group A received no fruit for the period of the study, B – G received as follows; guava, carrot, orange, apple, banana and a combination of all five fruits respectively. Blood pressure and pulse rate were determined before and after the study to assess the level of cardiovascular health. The results showed that blood pressure and pulse rate remained normal throughout the study. However, blood pressure and pulse rate fell non- significantly (p >0.05) in the treatment groups than those of the controls and as well as the values before treatment. Comparatively, carrot had the most percentage impact on systolic pressure (6.0%) while Apple had the most impact on diastolic pressure (8.81%) and pulse rate (8.49%). Thus, fruits intervention in normotensive  subjects is recommendable and may even be more beneficial for hypertensive individuals considering its clinical  advantage.Key words: Phyto-chemical, Fruits, Hypertension, Blood pressure, Pulse rat

Proinflammatory genotype is associated with the frailty phenotype in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing

Background: Frailty is a state of increased vulnerability to poor resolution of homeostasis after a stressor event, which increases the risk of adverse outcomes including falls, disability and death. The underlying pathophysiological pathways of frailty are not known but the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis and heightened chronic systemic inflammation appear to be major contributors. Methods: We used the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing dataset of 3160 individuals over the age of 50 and assessed their frailty status according to the Fried-criteria. We selected single nucleotide polymorphisms in genes involved in the steroid hormone or inflammatory pathways and performed linear association analysis using age and sex as covariates. To support the biological plausibility of any genetic associations, we selected biomarker levels for further analyses to act as potential endophenotypes of our chosen genetic loci. Results: The strongest association with frailty was observed in the Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF) (rs1800629, P = 0.001198, β = 0.0894) and the Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase, Receptor type, J (PTPRJ) (rs1566729, P = 0.001372, β = 0.09397) genes. Rs1800629 was significantly associated with decreased levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) (P = 0.00949) and cholesterol levels (P = 0.00315), whereas rs1566729 was associated with increased levels of HDL (P = 0.01943). After correcting for multiple testing none of the associations remained significant. Conclusions: We provide potential evidence for the involvement of a multifunctional proinflammatory cytokine gene (TNF) in the frailty phenotype. The implication of this gene is further supported by association with the endophenotype biomarker results

A review on the use of cell therapy in the treatment of tendon disease and injuries

Tendon disease and injuries carry significant morbidity worldwide in both athletic and non-athletic populations. It is estimated that tendon injuries account for 30%−50% of all musculoskeletal injuries globally. Current treatments have been inadequate in providing an accelerated process of repair resulting in high relapse rates. Modern concepts in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine have led to increasing interest in the application of cell therapy for the treatment of tendon disease. This review will explore the use of cell therapy, by bringing together up-to-date evidence from in vivo human and animal studies, and discuss the issues surrounding the safety and efficacy of its use in the treatment of tendon disease

Sequential introduction of single room isolation and hand hygiene campaign in the control of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in intensive care unit

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>After renovation of the adult intensive care unit (ICU) with installation of ten single rooms, an enhanced infection control program was conducted to control the spread of methicillin-resistant <it>Staphylococcus aureus </it>(MRSA) in our hospital.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Since the ICU renovation, all patients colonized or infected with MRSA were nursed in single rooms with contact precautions. The incidence of MRSA infection in the ICU was monitored during 3 different phases: the baseline period (phase 1); after ICU renovation (phase 2) and after implementation of a hand hygiene campaign with alcohol-based hand rub (phase 3). Patients infected with extended spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing <it>Escherichia coli </it>and <it>Klebsiella species </it>were chosen as controls because they were managed in open cubicles with standard precautions.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Without a major change in bed occupancy rate, nursing workforce, or the protocol of environmental cleansing throughout the study period, a stepwise reduction in ICU onset nonbacteraemic MRSA infection was observed: from 3.54 (phase 1) to 2.26 (phase 2, p = 0.042) and 1.02 (phase 3, p = 0.006) per 1000-patient-days. ICU onset bacteraemic MRSA infection was significantly reduced from 1.94 (phase 1) to 0.9 (phase 2, p = 0.005) and 0.28 (phase 3, p = 0.021) per 1000-patient-days. Infection due to ESBL-producing organisms did not show a corresponding reduction. The usage density of broad-spectrum antibiotics and fluoroquinolones increased from phase 1 to 3. However a significant trend improvement of ICU onset MRSA infection by segmented regression analysis can only be demonstrated when comparison was made before and after the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) epidemic. This suggests that the deaths of fellow healthcare workers from an occupational acquired infection had an overwhelming effect on their compliance with infection control measures.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Provision of single room isolation facilities and promotion of hand hygiene practice are important. However compliance with infection control measures relies largely on a personal commitment, which may increase when personal safety is threatened.</p