Estimating the chance of success in IVF treatment using a ranking algorithm

In medicine, estimating the chance of success for treatment is important in deciding whether to begin the treatment or not. This paper focuses on the domain of in vitro fertilization (IVF), where estimating the outcome of a treatment is very crucial in the decision to proceed with treatment for both the clinicians and the infertile couples. IVF treatment is a stressful and costly process. It is very stressful for couples who want to have a baby. If an initial evaluation indicates a low pregnancy rate, decision of the couple may change not to start the IVF treatment. The aim of this study is twofold, firstly, to develop a technique that can be used to estimate the chance of success for a couple who wants to have a baby and secondly, to determine the attributes and their particular values affecting the outcome in IVF treatment. We propose a new technique, called success estimation using a ranking algorithm (SERA), for estimating the success of a treatment using a ranking-based algorithm. The particular ranking algorithm used here is RIMARC. The performance of the new algorithm is compared with two well-known algorithms that assign class probabilities to query instances. The algorithms used in the comparison are Naïve Bayes Classifier and Random Forest. The comparison is done in terms of area under the ROC curve, accuracy and execution time, using tenfold stratified cross-validation. The results indicate that the proposed SERA algorithm has a potential to be used successfully to estimate the probability of success in medical treatment. © 2015, The Author(s)

Non-functional paraganglioma of the urinary bladder: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Paragangliomas that originate from the urinary bladder are extremely rare. In most series, bladder paragangliomas often cause micturitional attacks. Treatment modalities include transurethral resection and cystectomy (partial or total). Prognosis of bladder paraganglioma is similar to that of adrenal pheochromocytoma.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>A 55-year-old Chinese woman presenting with the sole complaint of lower abdominal pain for one month was admitted to our hospital. Ultrasound and computed tomography revealed a mass on the dome of the bladder measuring 4.0 × 3.0 cm. The tumor was completed removed by laparoscopic partial cystectomy. Histological examination of the tumor indicated paraganglioma of the urinary bladder. The clinical features, diagnosis, management and pathological findings of paraganglioma of the urinary bladder are discussed.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Bladder paraganglioma should be considered as a differential diagnosis to neoplasm in the urinary bladder, although there is no characteristic symptom. Laparoscopic partial cystectomy may be the first choice in treating paraganglioma of the urinary bladder, offering several advantages such as less invasion, rapid recovery and early discharge from the hospital.</p

Polycystic ovary syndrome

The document attached has been archived with permission from the editor of the Medical Journal of Australia. An external link to the publisher’s copy is included.Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) affects 5-20% of women of reproductive age worldwide. The condition is characterized by hyperandrogenism, ovulatory dysfunction and polycystic ovarian morphology (PCOM) - with excessive androgen production by the ovaries being a key feature of PCOS. Metabolic dysfunction characterized by insulin resistance and compensatory hyperinsulinaemia is evident in the vast majority of affected individuals. PCOS increases the risk for type 2 diabetes mellitus, gestational diabetes and other pregnancy-related complications, venous thromboembolism, cerebrovascular and cardiovascular events and endometrial cancer. PCOS is a diagnosis of exclusion, based primarily on the presence of hyperandrogenism, ovulatory dysfunction and PCOM. Treatment should be tailored to the complaints and needs of the patient and involves targeting metabolic abnormalities through lifestyle changes, medication and potentially surgery for the prevention and management of excess weight, androgen suppression and/or blockade, endometrial protection, reproductive therapy and the detection and treatment of psychological features. This Primer summarizes the current state of knowledge regarding the epidemiology, mechanisms and pathophysiology, diagnosis, screening and prevention, management and future investigational directions of the disorder.Robert J Norman, Ruijin Wu and Marcin T Stankiewic

Evaluation of quality of life in fertile Turkish women with severe endometriosis

Kiykac Altinbas, Sadiman/0000-0003-2773-9641WOS: 000346300100013PubMed: 24960476We assessed the impact of pain, dysmenorrhoea and dyspareunia on the quality of life among Turkish fertile women with severe endometriosis. A total of 33 patients with histopathologically diagnosed severe endometriosis (Stage IV, revised criteria of the American Fertility Society (rAFS score) were enrolled into the study. Patients reported chronic pelvic pain using a visual analogue scale (VAS) and severity of dysmenorrhoea, dyspareunia and pelvic tenderness using the verbal rating scale (VRS). Quality of life (physical, psychological, social, environmental domains) was evaluated using the World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF). There were no correlations between quality of life and VRS and VAS scores of chronic pelvic pain in patients with dyspareunia (p > 0.05). VRS in patients with dysmenorrhoea negatively correlated with physical, social and environmental dimensions of quality of life (r = -0.382, r = -0.221, r = -0.373 and p = 0.028, p = 0.013, p = 0.033, respectively). Although the severity of dysmenorrhoea seems to be related with lower quality of life, chronic pelvic pain and dyspareunia due to endometriosis may not have any deleterious effects on the quality of life

Routine histopathologic analysis of product of conception following first-trimester spontaneous miscarriages

Aim: To evaluate the histopathologic findings relating to tissue samples collected at surgical uterine evacuation in first-trimester spontaneous miscarriages