29 research outputs found
New first trimester crown-rump length's equations optimized by structured data collection from a French general population
--- Objectives --- Prior to foetal karyotyping, the likelihood of Down's
syndrome is often determined combining maternal age, serum free beta-HCG,
PAPP-A levels and embryonic measurements of crown-rump length and nuchal
translucency for gestational ages between 11 and 13 weeks. It appeared
important to get a precise knowledge of these scan parameters' normal values
during the first trimester. This paper focused on crown-rump length. ---
METHODS --- 402 pregnancies from in-vitro fertilization allowing a precise
estimation of foetal ages (FA) were used to determine the best model that
describes crown-rump length (CRL) as a function of FA. Scan measures by a
single operator from 3846 spontaneous pregnancies representative of the general
population from Northern France were used to build a mathematical model linking
FA and CRL in a context as close as possible to normal scan screening used in
Down's syndrome likelihood determination. We modeled both CRL as a function of
FA and FA as a function of CRL. For this, we used a clear methodology and
performed regressions with heteroskedastic corrections and robust regressions.
The results were compared by cross-validation to retain the equations with the
best predictive power. We also studied the errors between observed and
predicted values. --- Results --- Data from 513 spontaneous pregnancies allowed
to model CRL as a function of age of foetal age. The best model was a
polynomial of degree 2. Datation with our equation that models spontaneous
pregnancies from a general population was in quite agreement with objective
datations obtained from 402 IVF pregnancies and thus support the validity of
our model. The most precise measure of CRL was when the SD was minimal
(1.83mm), for a CRL of 23.6 mm where our model predicted a 49.4 days of foetal
age. Our study allowed to model the SD from 30 to 90 days of foetal age and
offers the opportunity of using Zscores in the future to detect growth
abnormalities. --- Conclusion --- With powerful statistical tools we report a
good modeling of the first trimester embryonic growth in the general population
allowing a better knowledge of the date of fertilization useful in the
ultrasound screening of Down's syndrome. The optimal period to measure CRL and
predict foetal age was 49.4 days (9 weeks of gestational age). Our results open
the way to the detection of foetal growth abnormalities using CRL Zscores
throughout the first trimester
Visualization of postoperative anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction bone tunnels: Reliability of standard radiographs, CT scans, and 3D virtual reality images
Background and purpose: Non-anatomic bone tunnel placement is the most common cause of a failed ACL reconstruction. Accurate and reproducible methods to visualize and document bone tunnel placement are therefore important. We evaluated the reliability of standard radiographs, CT scans, and a 3-dimensional (3D) virtual reality (VR) approach in visualizing and measuring ACL reconstruction bone tunnel placement. Methods: 50 consecutive patients who underwent single-bundle ACL reconstructions were evaluated postoperatively by standard radiographs, CT scans, and 3D VR images. Tibial and femoral tunnel positions were measured by 2 observers using the traditional methods of Amis, Aglietti, Hoser, Stubli, and the method of Benereau for the VR approach. Results: The tunnel was visualized in 50-82% of the standard radiographs and in 100% of the CT scans and 3D VR images. Using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), the inter- and intraobserver agreement was between 0.39 and 0.83 for the standard femoral and tibial radiographs. CT scans showed an ICC range of 0.49-0.76 for the inter- and intraobserver agreement. The agreement in 3D VR was almost perfect, with an ICC of 0.83 for the femur and 0.95 for the tibia. Interpretation: CT scans and 3D VR images are more reliable in assessing postoperative bone tunnel placement following ACL reconstruction than standard radiographs. Copyright
Influence of 'Trichobilharzia regenti' (Digenea: Schistosomatidae) on the defence activity of 'Radix lagotis' (Lymnaeidae) haemocytes
Radix lagotis is an intermediate snail host of the nasal bird schistosome Trichobilharzia regenti. Changes in defence responses in infected snails that might be related to host-parasite compatibility are not known. This study therefore aimed to characterize R. lagotis haemocyte defence mechanisms and determine the extent to which they are modulated by T. regenti. Histological observations of R. lagotis infected with T. regenti revealed that early phases of infection were accompanied by haemocyte accumulation around the developing larvae 2–36 h post exposure (p.e.) to the parasite. At later time points, 44–92 h p.e., no haemocytes were observed around T. regenti. Additionally, microtubular aggregates likely corresponding to phagocytosed ciliary plates of T. regenti miracidia were observed within haemocytes by use of transmission electron microscopy. When the infection was in the patent phase, haemocyte phagocytic activity and hydrogen peroxide production were significantly reduced in infected R. lagotis when compared to uninfected counterparts, whereas haemocyte abundance increased in infected snails. At a molecular level, protein kinase C (PKC) and extracellular-signal regulated kinase (ERK) were found to play an important role in regulating these defence reactions in R. lagotis. Moreover, haemocytes from snails with patent infection displayed lower PKC and ERK activity in cell adhesion assays when compared to those from uninfected snails, which may therefore be related to the reduced defence activities of these cells. These data provide the first integrated insight into the immunobiology of R. lagotis and demonstrate modulation of haemocyte-mediated responses in patent T. regenti infected snails. Given that immunomodulation occurs during patency, interference of snail-host defence by T. regenti might be important for the sustained production and/or release of infective cercariae
Embryonic staging using a 3D virtual reality system
BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to demonstrate that Carnegie Stages could be assigned to embryos visualized with a 3D virtual reality system. METHODS: We analysed 48 3D ultrasound scans of 19 IVF/ICSI pregnancies at 7-10 weeks' gestation. These datasets were visualized as 3D 'holograms' in the BARCO I-Space virtual reality system. Embryos were staged according to external morphological features (i.e. mainly limb development). After staging, the crown rump length (CRL) was measured. Stage and CRL were compared with gestational age based on the date of oocyte retrieval and with the classical data on embryology from the Carnegie Collection. RESULTS: Embryonic staging was relatively easy because the I-Space allows depth perception, which helps in the estimation of size and position. The presumed stages corresponded well with the measured CRL. However, in 28 out of 48 cases, the stages seemed to have been reached earlier than previously described for the Carnegie Collection. CONCLUSIONS: The I-Space, tentatively named Virtual Embryoscopy, is a promising non-invasive tool for early pregnancy evaluation. Combining embryonic growth with embryonic development opens a new area to study the relationship between embryonic growth, development and morphology, as well as second and third trimester pregnancy complications