Court protocol in Nara Japan: an annotated translation of the <i>Giseiryō</i> and the <i>Ebukuryō</i>

This article furnishes the analysis and the philological translation for the first time into English of two laws contained in Book 7 of the Yōrōryō (Yōrō Administrative Code, 718), i.e. the Giseiryō 儀制令 (Law on Ceremonies and Regulations) and the Ebukuryō 衣服令 (Law on Robes and Garments). These two laws are pivotal in regulating the court etiquette, not only regarding the behavior but also the appearance of the political elites, as etiquette and attires define the hierarchy and the interpersonal relations between aristocracy, officialdom, and personnel down to the servants. On the one hand, the two laws highlight some basic differences between the Japanese rulers and their Chinese counterparts; on the other hand, the emphasis on ceremonies, regulations, and attires molded the subsequent Heian court society, as can be easily inferred from the significant production of texts emphasizing rituals and etiquette, such as manuals on protocol and precedents and journals written by court officials

Ovarian sensitivity index is strongly related to circulating AMH and may be used to predict ovarian response to exogenous gonadotropins in IVF

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Serum anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) is currently considered the best marker of ovarian reserve and of ovarian responsiveness to gonadotropins in in-vitro fertilization (IVF). AMH assay, however, is not available in all IVF Units and is quite expensive, a reason that limits its use in developing countries. The aim of this study is to assess whether the "ovarian sensitivity index" precisely reflects AMH so that this index may be used as a surrogate for AMH in prediction of ovarian response during an IVF cycle.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>AMH serum levels were measured in 61 patients undergoing IVF with a "long" stimulation protocol including the GnRH agonist buserelin and recombinant follicle-stimulating hormone (rFSH). Patients were divided into four subgroups according to the percentile of serum AMH and their ovarian stimulation was prospectively followed. Ovarian sensitivity index (OSI) was calculated dividing the total administered FSH dose by the number of retrieved oocytes.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>AMH and OSI show a highly significant negative correlation (r = -0.67; <it>p </it>= 0.0001) that is stronger than the one between AMH and the total number of retrieved oocytes and than the one between AMH and the total FSH dose.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>OSI reflects quite satisfactory the AMH level and may be proposed as a surrogate of AMH assay in predicting ovarian responsiveness to FSH in IVF. Being very easy to calculate and costless, its use could be proposed where AMH measurement is not available or in developing countries where limiting costs is of primary importance.</p

Effects of oncological treatments on semen quality in patients with testicular neoplasia or lymphoproliferative disorders.

Pretherapy sperm cryopreservation in young men is currently included in good clinical practice guidelines for cancer patients. The aim of this paper is to outline the effects of different oncological treatments on semen quality in patients with testicular neoplasia or lymphoproliferative disorders, based on an 8-year experience of the Cryopreservation Centre of a large public hospital. Two hundred and sixty-one patients with testicular neoplasia and 219 patients with lymphoproliferative disorders who underwent chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy and pretherapy semen cryopreservation were evaluated. Sperm and hormonal parameters (follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), testosterone, inhibin B levels) were assessed prior to and 6, 12, 18, 24 and 36 months after the end of cancer treatment. At the time of sperm collection, baseline FSH level and sperm concentration were impaired to a greater extent in patients with malignant testicular neoplasias than in patients with lymphoproliferative disorders. Toxic effects on spermatogenesis were still evident at 6 and 12 months after the end of cancer therapies, while an improvement of seminal parameters was observed after 18 months. In conclusion, an overall increase in sperm concentration was recorded about 18 months after the end of cancer treatments in the majority of patients, even if it was not possible to predict the evolution of each single case ‘a priori'. For this reason, pretherapy semen cryopreservation should be considered in all young cancer patients