National Survey of Fertility Barriers: Methodology Report for Wave 1

This methodology report provides information on the first wave of the National Survey of Fertility Barriers (NSFB). This nationally representative telephone survey of women age 25-45 was funded by grant R01-HD044144 from the National Institute of Child Health and Development (NICHD) entitled “Infertility: Pathways and Psychological Outcomes.” Professor Lynn K. White was the Principal Investigator for the first two years of the project. Following her retirement, Professor David R. Johnson assumed this role. The survey was conducted between 2004 and 2007 and includes completed interviews with 4,712 women age 25 to 45 and 936 of their partners. The data were collected by the Survey Research Center at The Pennsylvania State University and the Bureau of Sociological Research at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The Bureau of Sociological Research is currently in the field re-interviewing the respondents three years after their initial interview. The field work on the second wave is not expected to be completed until the end of 2009. The documentation in this report is directed towards researchers who are interested in conducting analyses of the public release version of these data. The data are being released and are archived with the Population Research Institute at Penn State University. Inquiries about the NSFB should be directed to the study Principal Investigator Professor David R. Johnson at Penn State University ([email protected]) or to Professor Julia McQuillan, a project investigator at the University of Nebraska ([email protected]). Contents Research Procedures Study Design and Sample Selection The Survey Interview Schedules Obtaining Interviews and Response Rate Analysis Representativeness and Calculation of Sample Weights Management of the Study Appendices: A. Proposal B. Letters Sent to Respondents C. Survey Interview Schedules and Frequencies D. Planned Missing Design Information E. Response Rate Formulas and Calculations F. Interviewer Guides G. Responses to Open-ended Questions H. Constructed Variables Glossary and Sample Syntax I. List of Variables in the Data File J. Comparisons with Select External Measures K. Imputation of Planned Missing Dat

Clinical usefulness of biplane transesophageal echocardiography

The clinical usefulness of biplane color Doppler transesophageal echocardiography is illustrated by the results obtained in 300 successive examinations. The additional contribution of the newer longitudinal plane was judged significant or major in 64% of the cases. The method was useful mainly for intraoperative examinations, assessment of native valvular disease, prosthetic valve evaluation, search for tumors, and assessment of endocarditis, congenital heart disease, and aortic disease. In contrast, the longitudinal plane option was not contributory in 68% of the cases of thromboembolism. Typically, the technique aided in the evaluation of mitral valve insufficiency and the detection of paraprosthetic leaks. Lesions located at the level of the ascending aorta, the left and right ventricular outflow tracts, and the interatrial septum were also visualized best. The limitations of the method were negligible and the duration of the examination was not significantly increased in comparison to the monoplane method. When available, biplane transesophageal echocardiography seems to be preferred in most clinical settings.Journal ArticleSCOPUS: ar.jFLWNAinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Microfluidic Technique for the Simultaneous Quantification of Emulsion Instabilities and Lipid Digestion Kinetics

Quantifying the impact of environmental physicochemical changes on the microstructure of lipid delivery systems is challenging. Therefore, we have developed a methodology to quantify the coalescence of oil-in-water emulsion droplets during lipid digestion in situ on a single droplet level. This technique involves a custom-made glass microfluidic platform, in which oil droplets can be trapped as single droplets, or several droplets per trap. The physicochemical environment can be controlled, and droplet digestion, as well as coalescence, can be visualized. We show that the exchange of the physicochemical conditions in the entire reaction chamber can be reached in under 30 s. Microparticle image velocimetry allowed mapping of the flow profile and demonstrated the tuneability of the shear profile in the device. The extraction of quantitative information regarding the physical characteristics of the droplets during digestion was performed using an automated image analysis throughout the digestion process. Therefore, we were able to show that oil-in-water emulsions stabilized by proteins coalesced under human gastric conditions. This coalescence delayed the overall lipid digestion kinetics. The droplets that coalesced during digestion were hydrolyzed 1.4 times slower than individually trapped droplets. Thus, the microstructural evolution of lipid delivery systems is a crucial factor in lipid digestion kinetics. This novel technique allows the simultaneous quantification of the impact that the physicochemical environment has on both the lipid droplet microstructure and the lipid release patterns

Lung transplantation for acute exacerbation of interstitial lung disease

Background Acute exacerbations of interstitial lung diseases (AE-ILD) have a high mortality rate with no effective medical therapies. Lung transplantation is a potentially life-saving option for patients with AE-ILD, but its role is not well established. The aim of this study is to determine if this therapy during AE-ILD significantly affects post-transplant outcomes in comparison to those transplanted with stable disease. Methods We conducted a retrospective study of consecutive patients with AE-ILD admitted to our institution from 2015 to 2018. The comparison group included patients with stable ILD listed for lung transplant during the same period. The primary end-points were in-hospital mortality for patients admitted with AE-ILD and 1-year survival for the transplanted patients. Results Of 53 patients admitted for AE-ILD, 28 were treated with medical therapy alone and 25 underwent transplantation. All patients with AE-ILD who underwent transplantation survived to hospital discharge, whereas only 43% of the AE-ILD medically treated did. During the same period, 67 patients with stable ILD underwent transplantation. Survival at 1 year for the transplanted patients was not different for the AE-ILD group versus stable ILD group (96% vs 92.5%). The rates of primary graft dysfunction, post-transplant hospital length-of-stay and acute cellular rejection were similar between the groups. Conclusion Patients with ILD transplanted during AE-ILD had no meaningful difference in overall survival, rate of primary graft dysfunction or acute rejection compared with those transplanted with stable disease. Our results suggest that lung transplantation can be considered as a therapeutic option for selected patients with AE-ILD

Polythiophenes with Thiophene Side Chain Extensions: Convergent Syntheses and Investigation of Mesoscopic Order

A versatile convergent synthesis route to side chain π-extended, highly regioregular polythiophenes is presented. The implementation of β-conjugated alkyl thiophene branches in linear polythiophenes is used as synthetical tool for energy level engineering, with branched alkyl chains being introduced for solubility reasons. While the length of the branched alkyl side chains does not influence the functional properties, the aggregation behavior in solution does vary from highly aggregated to fully dissolved at room temperature. Temperature-dependent UV–vis spectroscopy highlights the differences in the aggregation behavior in solution and thin films. The aggregation behavior in solid state is further studied using DSC, temperature-dependent Raman spectroscopy and temperature-dependent XRD. Finally, controlled crystallization conditions via solvent vapor annealing are applied to allow the formation of spherulite-like structures which reveal a face-on orientation of the polymer backbone with respect to the substrate