Impact of the number of previous embryo implantation failures on IVF/ICSI-ET pregnancy outcomes in patients younger than 40 years: a retrospective cohort study

ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to examine the influence of repeated embryo implantation failures on pregnancy outcomes among patients under 40 years of age undergoing in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection embryo transfer (IVF/ICSI-ET).Materials and methodsA retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 13,172 patients who underwent 16,975 IVF/ICSI-ET treatment cycles at Henan Reproductive Hospital between January 1, 2015, and December 31, 2018. Patients were categorized into four groups based on the number of previous embryo implantation failure cycles: Group A=no implantation failure, Group B= 1 implantation failure, Group C=2 implantation failures, Group D=≥3 implantation failures. Baseline characteristics and pregnancy outcomes were compared among the four groups. The impact of the number of previous embryo implantation failures on pregnancy outcomes among IVF/ICSI-ET patients was investigated using univariate and multiple regression analyses.ResultsUnivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that factors such as the number of previous embryo implantation failures, female age, basal follicle count, endometrial thickness, total number of oocytes retrieved, type of cycle, number of high-quality embryos transferred, and stage of embryo development significantly affected implantation rate, clinical pregnancy rate, early spontaneous abortion rate, and live birth rate (all P < 0.05). The duration of infertility and anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) levels were also found to influence implantation rate, clinical pregnancy rate, and live birth rate (all P < 0.05). Upon conducting multivariate logistic regression analysis and adjusting for confounding factors such as age, AMH levels, basal follicle count, endometrial thickness, total number of oocytes obtained, cycle type, number of high-quality embryos transferred, ovarian stimulation protocol, and stage of embryo development, it was revealed that, compared to Group A, Groups B, C, and D exhibited significantly lower implantation and live birth rates, as well as a significantly higher risk of early spontaneous abortion (all P < 0.05).ConclusionsThe number of previous embryo implantation failures is an independent factor affecting implantation rate, clinical pregnancy rate, spontaneous abortion rate and live birth rate of patients underwent IVF/ICSI-ET. With the increase of the number of previous embryo implantation failures, the implantation rate, clinical pregnancy rate and live birth rate of patients underwent IVF/ICSI-ET decreased significantly, and the rate of early spontaneous abortion gradually increased

Encroachment order and spatial patterns of broad-leaf tree species in the naturalization of a Cunninghamia lanceolata plantation

Authors of the article state that the aim of this study was to understand the encroachment order, spatial patterns, interspecific associations, and species diversity of a Cunninghamia lanceolata plantation and to provide context for how to improve the spatial structure of C. lanceolata plantations. Their results show that the encroachment of broad-leaf trees into the C. lanceolata plantation followed a clear successional sequence of tree community assembly: intolerant tree species encroachment first, such as Alniphyllum fortunei and Liquidambar formosana, encroached; neutral tree species then encroachment, such as Daphniphyllum oldhamii and Schima superba, and shade-tolerant tree species encroachment last, such as Castanopsis eyrei and Castanopsis tibetana

A Remaining Discharge Energy Prediction Method for Lithium-Ion Battery Pack Considering SOC and Parameter Inconsistency

The remaining discharge energy prediction of the battery pack is an important function of a battery management system. One of the key factors contributing to the inaccuracy of battery pack remaining discharge energy prediction is the inconsistency of the state and model parameters. For a batch of lithium-ion batteries with nickel cobalt aluminum oxide cathode material, after analyzing the characteristics of battery model parameter inconsistency, a “specific and difference” model considering state of charge and R0 inconsistency is established. The dual time-scale dual extended Kalman filter algorithm is proposed to estimate the state of charge and R0 of each cell in the battery pack, and the remaining discharge energy prediction algorithm of the battery pack is established. The effectiveness of the state estimation and remaining discharge energy prediction algorithm is verified. The results show that the state of charge estimation error of each cell is less than 1%, and the remaining discharge energy prediction error of the battery pack is less than 1% over the entire discharge cycle. The main reason which causes the difference between the “specific and difference” and “mean and difference” models is the nonlinearity of the battery’s state of charge - open circuit voltage curve. When the nonlinearity is serious, the “specific and difference” model has higher precision

Preparation and Test of Fe/Cr/Al-Ni/Cr Composite Film Micro-heater

Abstract: MEMS gas sensor is one of the development directions of the sensor, and it must work at a certain temperature, so micro heater is an important part of MEMS gas sensor. In this paper, aiming at the high cost and complex process of Pt film heater, we developed the research of Fe/Cr/Al and Ni/Cr cheap metals replacing Pt metal. With Fe/Cr/Al and Ni/Cr metal as the targets respectively, Fe/Cr/Al and Fe/Cr/Al-Ni/Cr composite thin film was prepared by DC sputtering on the wafer substrate and was made into micro-heater by wet etching after heat treatment. Finally, the film was characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), and the performance of micro heater was test. The characterization indicated that the thickness of film was between 500 nm and 800 nm, the grain size of Fe/Cr/Al was about 40 nm. The test results showed that the change of resistance was small in the range of 0-200 o C, so the film suited to be made into micro heater. The relationship between power of micro heater and temperature of chip was linear. The ambient temperature had certain influence on the temperature of chip. In certain DC voltage conditions, when the temperature of chip was 200 o C, power consumption of 75 Ω Fe/Cr/Al-Ni/Cr composite film was less than 700 mW, and the heating rate was more than 0.5 o C/s. It can satisfy the requirement of MEMS micro gas sensor, which has research value for the substitution of Pt thin film micro heater. Copyright © 2013 IFSA

LDK378 improves micro- and macro-circulation via alleviating STING-mediated inflammatory injury in a Sepsis rat model induced by Cecal ligation and puncture

Abstract Background Sepsis is a systemic inflammatory response syndrome caused by severe infections. LDK378, a second-generation ALK inhibitor, exhibits a potential anti-inflammatory function against sepsis. Micro- and macro-circulatory dysfunctions are pivotal elements of the pathogenesis of severe sepsis and septic shock. We hypothesized that LDK378 can improve micro- and macro-circulation of septic rats, therefore improving the outcome of survival via blocking the ALK-STING pathway to attenuate inflammatory injuries. Methods A septic rat model was established by the cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) method. A total of 60 rats were randomized into three groups: a sham group, CLP group, and CLP + LDK378 group (n = 20 in each group). Five rats were randomly selected from each group for the mechanism study; the remaining 15 rats in each group were involved in a survival curve examination. A sidestream dark field video microscope was used to record sublingual microcirculation and mean arterial pressure (MAP) and levels of inflammatory cytokine secretion were examined at 6 h, 30 h, and 54 h after CLP surgery. Expressions of TANK binding kinase 1 (TBK1) and its downstream targets were determined, and histological alterations to the heart, lungs, and kidneys were examined at 54 h after CLP surgery. Results We found the group that received LDK378 treatment showed increased MAP levels compared to the CLP group at 30 h and 54 h. Meanwhile, LDK378 ameliorated the perfused small vessel density and microvascular flow index, decreased the expression of TNF-a and IL-6, and upregulated the expression of IL-10 in comparison with the CLP group. LDK378 injections also downregulated the expression of TBK1 and its downstream targets. Furthermore, LDK378 treatment significantly reduced sepsis-induced organ injuries, therefore improving survival rates. Conclusions These findings demonstrate that LDK378 treatment can improve microcirculation and reduce organ injuries in CLP-induced septic rats via the regulation of inflammatory cytokine secretion and the downstream signaling components of the ALK-STING pathway