The minimal inhibitory concentration for sulbactam was not associated with the outcome of infections caused by carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter sp. treated with ampicillin/sulbactam

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to evaluate whether the outcomes of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter infections treated with ampicillin/sulbactam were associated with the in vitro susceptibility profiles. METHODS: Twenty-two infections were treated with ampicillin/sulbactam. The median treatment duration was 14 days (range: 3-19 days), and the median daily dose was 9 g (range: 1.5-12 g). The median time between Acinetobacter isolation and treatment was 4 days (range: 0-11 days). RESULTS: The sulbactam minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) ranged from 2.0 to 32.0 mg/L, and the MIC was not associated with patient outcome, as 4 of 5 (80%) patients with a resistant infection (MIC≥16), 5 of 10 (50%) patients with intermediate isolates (MIC of 8) and only 1 of 7 (14%) patients with susceptible isolates (MIC ≤4) survived hospitalization. CONCLUSION: These findings highlight the need to improve the correlation between in vitro susceptibility tests and clinical outcome

Exotic Dance and Other Stories of Transformations– An Ethnographic Study in Swedish Strip Clubs

The main question of this thesis is how in the social world of stripping the dominant order of symbolic values is renegotiated and exotic dancers undertake processes of transformation. The aim of the study is to look deeper inside those changes, and show how they are contextual to the reality in which they take place. The research has been conducted through participant observations and interviews with ten strippers in two strip clubs of a Swedish city from November 2014 to May 2015. Dancers subjectivize themselves through a personal redefinition of dominant narratives. How do they relate to the public display of female erotica and what consequences do they face for breaking the accepted standards of respectability? Their projection of femininity is one based in the embodied imaginary of an ‘exaggerated’ working class femininity, and this sheds light on the performative nature of gender, and how it is marked by class. Furthermore, narratives about nakedness are also renegotiated: in performance the stripped body is naturalized and re-sexualized. Finally, strippers personally redefine bodily intimacy and accessibility. The transformative potential of striptease is put into practice in the lived experiences of strippers, and, at the same time, it remains a ‘potential’ because it does not manage to reach beyond the segregated, ‘abnormal’ space of the club, into the performers’ and audience’s wider social worlds. I suggest that a feminist alliance between sex workers and sex workers’ theorists is needed in order to overcome the stigma that surrounds striptease and to eventually liberate its subversive potential

State of the art and emerging drug therapies for female infertility

At present, infertility is a key-issue. When applicable, in vitro fertilization (IVF) has become the standard approach to treat this condition but a thorough investigation and, whenever possible, the individual diagnosis of the underlying causes of infertility are required. For many female causes, indeed, efficient medical therapies are available to achieve a fast solution of the problem. This review is based on the relevant literature indexed in PubMed and SCOPUS and is focused on the most recent clinical literature on the treatment of women (and couples) affected from infertility. The reduction in IVF treatment burden and risks are now considered pivotal to set 'patient-friendly' therapies and represent crucial issues for both patients and physicians. To this end, the researchers are now focusing their attention on old drugs with new indications and new compounds with more appropriate functions, to improve the compliance of the women and reduce the burden of infertility, a condition that is becoming an important issue in the modern world, also for the Public Health System

Endometriosis shows no impact on the euploid blastocyst rate per cohort of inseminated metaphase-II oocytes: A case-control study

Objective: To evaluate the true impact of endometriosis on oocytes' competence defined as blastulation, euploidy and implantation rates. Design: Retrospective multicenter case-control study involving infertile couples undergoing ICSI with qPCR and trophectoderm biopsy-based PGT-A. Patients affected from endometriosis (n = 210) were diagnosed through transvaginal sonography or surgical history with histological confirmation. Each case was matched to two controls (n = 420) according to IVF clinic, maternal age at retrieval (38.6 ± 2.7 yr), number of previous failed IVF treatments (0.5 ± 0.8) and number of metaphase-II oocytes retrieved (6.1 ± 3.7 per patient). The primary outcome was the mean euploid blastocyst rate per cohort of inseminated metaphase-II oocytes. Other embryological, clinical, obstetric and neonatal outcomes were also evaluated. Results: The mean euploid blastocyst rate per cohort of inseminated metaphase-II oocytes was identical in the two groups (18 %±22 %) independently of maternal age. No difference was shown for all embryological outcomes investigated. The live birth rates per vitrified-warmed single euploid blastocyst transfer were also similar (67/158, 42 % in patients affected from endometriosis versus 132/327, 40 % in matched-controls). No difference was reported in the gestational and neonatal outcomes. The cumulative live birth delivery rates among completed cycles were also identical (61/201, 30 % versus 117/391, 30 % in endometriosis and matched-control groups, respectively) independently of maternal age. Conclusions: Endometriosis might not impair oocyte developmental and reproductive competence, although its potential impact on the number of metaphase-II oocytes retrieved cannot be ignored. This information is critical for clinicians during counseling to outline an effective strategy to treat infertile patients affected from this condition. Future prospective studies are needed to evaluate the impact of endometriosis stage on euploidy rates