Circulating LH/hCG receptor (LHCGR) may identify pre-treatment IVF patients at risk of OHSS and poor implantation

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Successful pregnancy via <it>in vitro </it>fertilization (IVF) depends on the recovery of an adequate number of healthy oocytes and on blastocyst implantation following uterine transfer. Two hormones, LH and hCG, utilize a common LH/hCG receptor (LHCGR), variations in which have profound implications in human reproduction. Soluble LHCGR (sLHCGR) is released from experimental cell lines and placental explants and it can be detected in the follicular fluid and serum.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>To evaluate the impact of circulating soluble LHCGR (sLHCGR) in fertility treatment, we measured sLHCGR and LH-sLHCGR complex in serum from women seeking IVF using specifically developed quantitative enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). Following an IVF cycle of treatment, patients were grouped according to oocyte yield into low (lower than or equal to 7 oocytes), intermediate (8-14 oocytes) and high (greater than or equal to 15 oocytes) responders and pregnancy outcome noted.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Pre-treatment sLHCGR identified many women at risk of ovarian hyperstimulation. Low levels of sLHCGR were associated with pregnancy in both high and low responders but sLHCGR did not significantly affect the treatment outcome of intermediate responders. Low responders who failed to become pregnant had high levels of circulating sLHCGR bound to LH (LH-sLHCGR).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Pre-treatment measurement of sLHCGR could be used to tailor individual fertility treatment programs and improve outcomes by avoiding ovarian hyperstimulation and poor embryo implantation.</p

Emprical Validity of Asset pricing models in Iran's Stock Market: Application of Optimal Significance Level and Equal Probability Test

One of the most usage of evaluating Empirical Validity of Asset-pricing Models is GRS test. In this paper we implement the GRS test for CAPM and Fama-French 3-factor asset pricing models with explicit consideration of statistical power, by employing the optimal significance level and equal-probability test. In this regard we use the 25 size-B/M portfolios analysed by Fama and French to facilitate the empirical comparison among the alternative models. The result show GRS test rejects all two asset pricing models at the conventional significance level.. At the optimal significance, we find that the GRS test cannot reject the null hypothesis of portfolio efficiency most of the time for CAPM and Fama-French 3-factor models

Analysis of the Nature of Compulsory Possession of Real Estates Located on Public Projects

Executive organs sometimes are inevitable to take possession of real estates belonging to natural and legal persons in the implementation of their public projects. This transmission of real estate is sometimes by consent and sometimes compulsory. Determine of the nature of the compulsory possession has a considerable impact both in the works and the results of this practice and both sides' rights. Legal writers have three suggestions in this regard: Some of them considered the nature of it to be juridical facts. Others also regard it as juristic acts. They are two groups themselves: some of them have chosen the nature of the contract for the compulsory possession and others as unilateral acts. In the present study at first, the views have been explained and violated and finally the nature of unilateral acts has been chosen and strengthened

Investigating an iron-doped fullerene cage for adsorption of niacin (vitamin B3): DFT analyses of bimolecular complex formations

By the importance of developing further applications of nanostructures in biologically related systems, a representative model of iron (Fe)-doped fullerene cage (Cage) was investigated in this work for adsorbing the niacin (Nic) vitamin B3 component. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations were performed and the results indicated three possible configurations of Cage-Nic bimolecular complexes. In this regards, the interaction details and strengths were analyzed by means of the features of quantum theory of atoms in molecules (QTAIM) and binding energies. The results approved a reasonable strength of formations of Cage-Nic bimolecular complexes besides showing the localization of frontier molecular orbitals at the Cage side for conducting a targeted delivery process. Moreover, the illustrated diagrams of density of states (DOS) indicated various values of energy gaps; 6.103, 5.779, and 6.319 eV, for the complexes showing the benefits of employed Cage for sensor function of the adsorbed Nic component