Comparison of IVF/ICSI outcome in patients with polycystic ovarian syndrome or tubal factor infertility

Background: One of the recognized treatment options for patients with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is in vitro fertilization (IVF) or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). Fears are however sometimes raised concerning the likely outcome of treatment in such patients compared with their counterparts with tubal factor infertility.Objective: To compare the IVF/ICSI performance in women with PCOS and those with tubal factor infertility.Materials and Methods: A retrospective analysis. Case notes of 30 patients, 35 years and below, with PCOS and who underwent 33 IVF/ICSI cycles and those of 42 age-controlled patients with tubal factor infertility and who had 43 cycles between December 2004 and April 2008 were retrieved. Data including duration of down-regulation, dose of human Menopausal Gonadotropin (hMG), number of cancelled treatments, endometrial thickness, number of oocytes retrieved and fertilization rate, in addition to the number of embryos transferred with resultant pregnancy outcome were compared between the two groups. The main outcome measures were response to gonadotropin stimulation, fertilization rate and clinical pregnancy rate.Results: There was no significant difference between the PCOS group and the tubal factor infertility group in the hMG dose (2.7 vs. 3.4 vials, respectively), endometrial thickness (10.5 vs. 10.1 mm, respectively) and embryos transferred (3.1 vs. 2.9, respectively). The fertilization rate was significantly higher in the tubal factor infertility group, which was 81.48% as against 63.24% for the PCOS group (P < 0.0001). While more cases of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) occurred in the PCOS group (P = 0.049), overall clinical pregnancy rate per embryo transfer was similar (45.45% vs. 42.85%; P = 1), with similar miscarriage rates.Conclusion: IVF/ICSI performance in patients with PCOS is probably similar to their counterparts with tubal factor infertility with, however, a reduced fertilization rate and higher incidence of OHSS.Key words: IVF, polycystic ovarian syndrome, pregnancy, tuba

Relationship between household characteristics and food security among households with school going children 6-14 years in Turkana County, Kenya

Good nutrition is very essential for proper growth and development of school going children. Malnutrition among school-going children affects their physical and cognitive development leading to low-class attendance hence poor school performance. Despite the economic growth observed in developing countries in recent years, undernutrition is still predominant. This study aims to determine the household food and nutrition security among households with school going children 6-14 years in Turkana County. A cross-sectional study design was adopted where 386 children were sampled for study. Turkana West Sub- County was purposively selected and the wards, locations sub-locations and villages were randomly selected. Systematic random sampling was used to sample households with school going children 6-14 years. A structured questionnaire survey was conducted on parents/guardians. Statistical analysis was performed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences Software (SPSS) Version 25. Data was analyzed using descriptive and multivariate statistics at 95% confidence interval. About 60% (n=228) of the households were headed by males with 62.2% aged between 20-30years. The large proportion of the respondents (58.8%) had attained primary education level only. Charcoal and firewood selling (25.6%) was the main occupation of the household heads, 13.2 % provided agricultural labor and only 2.1% had a formal employment. The rest did not have any source of income. The average dietary diversity score of the individuals was 5 to7 food groups while the highest dietary diversity score was 8-10 food groups. The school going children (6-14 years) had a medium dietary score with 45.9% while 22.3% had a low dietary diversity score. The study indicated that there was a significant relationship between dietary diversity and the nutrition security of the school going children 6-14 years. Findings of this study are useful in informing the County government of Turkana in the planning and implementation of relevant food and nutrition security programs in the Turkana West community. The study recommends adequate nutrition support to be incorporated in the school feeding program in the locality.&nbsp

Study on Awareness of Preconception Care and Reproductive Health Behaviors in Pre-honeymooners

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was 1) to examine levels of awareness on preconception care and pregnancy, and reproductive health promoting behavior among pre-honeymooners; and 2) to explore the relationship between awareness levels of preconception care and pregnancy, and reproductive health promoting behavior. METHODS: This study was a correlation design with a total of 134 participants (67 couples of pre-honeymooners). Data were collected with questionnaire. RESULTS: Mean score of self-perception of awareness of preconception care and pregnancy was 2.82 out of 4. Content awareness level was 6.83 out of 13, and reproductive health promoting behavior score was 3.02 out of 4, indicating low to mid-level. Women reported higher scores in all variables than those in men. Self-perception awareness and content awareness of care and pregnancy had a weak positive correlation (r=.18, p=.038). Reproductive health promoting behavior was positively related to self-perception awareness of care and pregnancy (r=.33, p<.001) and content awareness of care and pregnancy (r=.23, p=.008). CONCLUSION: Based on this results, a variety of nursing intervention strategies may need to promote reproductive health behavior such as raising awareness of the preconception care and pregnancy

The effect of endometrial thickness on In vitro Fertilization (IVF)-Embryo Transfer/Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) Outcome

The value of measuring the endometrial thickness and studying the endometrial receptivity in the context of assisted conception remains a contentious issue. A prospective analysis was carried out todetermine the effect of endometrial thickness on IVF - embryo transfer / ICSI outcome in dedicated Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) units in Abuja and Rivers State, Nigeria. Two hundred and fifty one patients who met the inclusion criteria were analysed. They were grouped on the basis of endometrial thickness into 3 groups; 14 mm. The main outcome measure was clinical pregnancy. There were significantly more pregnancies in the 7 – 14 mm endometrial thickness group compared to the 14mm groups, p=0.004 and

The Effect of Endometrial Thickness on In vitro Fertilization (IVF)-Embryo Transfer/Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) Outcome

The value of measuring the endometrial thickness and studying the endometrial receptivity in the context of assisted conception remains a contentious issue. A prospective analysis was carried out todetermine the effect of endometrial thickness on IVF - embryo transfer / ICSI outcome in dedicated Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) units in Abuja and Rivers State, Nigeria. Two hundred and fifty one patients who met the inclusion criteria were analysed. They were grouped on the basis of endometrial thickness into 3 groups; 14 mm. The main outcome measure was clinical pregnancy. There were significantly more pregnancies in the 7 – 14 mm endometrial thickness group compared to the 14mm groups, p=0.004 and

Direct electronic measurement of the spin Hall effect

The generation, manipulation and detection of spin-polarized electrons in nanostructures define the main challenges of spin-based electronics[1]. Amongst the different approaches for spin generation and manipulation, spin-orbit coupling, which couples the spin of an electron to its momentum, is attracting considerable interest. In a spin-orbit-coupled system, a nonzero spin-current is predicted in a direction perpendicular to the applied electric field, giving rise to a "spin Hall effect"[2-4]. Consistent with this effect, electrically-induced spin polarization was recently detected by optical techniques at the edges of a semiconductor channel[5] and in two-dimensional electron gases in semiconductor heterostructures[6,7]. Here we report electrical measurements of the spin-Hall effect in a diffusive metallic conductor, using a ferromagnetic electrode in combination with a tunnel barrier to inject a spin-polarized current. In our devices, we observe an induced voltage that results exclusively from the conversion of the injected spin current into charge imbalance through the spin Hall effect. Such a voltage is proportional to the component of the injected spins that is perpendicular to the plane defined by the spin current direction and the voltage probes. These experiments reveal opportunities for efficient spin detection without the need for magnetic materials, which could lead to useful spintronics devices that integrate information processing and data storage.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures. Accepted for publication in Nature (pending format approval

A Structural Equation Modeling on Reproductive Health Promoting Behavior of Unmarried Women: Based on the Theory of Planned Behavior

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to construct and test a structural equation modeling on the reproductive health behavior of single women with sexual experiences. This study employed Ajzen's Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). METHODS: The data were collected after receipt of consent from 250 single women with sexual experiences, and analyzed using SPSS 18.0 and AMOS 18.0. RESULTS: Model fit indices for the hypothetical model were suitable for the recommended level: x²=362.407, RMR=0.065, RMSEA=0.070, GFI=0.867. TLI=0.927, CFI=0.938, IFI=0.939, and x²/dF=2.237. Intention showed direct effect with the biggest effect being on reproductive health behavior. Attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavioral control were found to have a direct effect on intention. Among them, perceived behavioral control revealed the largest influence. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that the TPB is a suitable model in explaining the reproductive health behavior of single women with sexual experience. Strategic plans for educational and intervention programs should be aimed to encourage single women to engage in reproductive health behavior

Ising-like antiferromagnetism on the octahedral sublattice of a cobalt-containing garnet and the potential for quantum criticality

In this contribution, we report that CaY2Co2Ge3O12 exhibits an unusual anisotropic and chainlike antiferromagnetic arrangement of spins despite crystallizing in the highly symmetric garnet structure. Using low-temperature powder neutron diffraction and symmetry analysis, we identify a magnetic structure consisting of chainlike motifs oriented along the body diagonals of the cubic unit cell with moments pointing parallel to the chain direction due to the strong Ising character of the Co ions. Antiferromagnetic order sets in below 6 K and exhibits both temperature- and field-induced magnetic transitions at high fields. Combining the results, we present a magnetic phase diagram that suggests CaY2Co2Ge3O12 undergoes a quantum phase transition at low temperatures and moderate fields

Charge-spin correlation in van der Waals antiferromagenet NiPS3

Strong charge-spin coupling is found in a layered transition-metal trichalcogenide NiPS3, a van derWaals antiferromagnet, from our study of the electronic structure using several experimental and theoretical tools: spectroscopic ellipsometry, x-ray absorption and photoemission spectroscopy, and density-functional calculations. NiPS3 displays an anomalous shift in the optical spectral weight at the magnetic ordering temperature, reflecting a strong coupling between the electronic and magnetic structures. X-ray absorption, photoemission and optical spectra support a self-doped ground state in NiPS3. Our work demonstrates that layered transition-metal trichalcogenide magnets are a useful candidate for the study of correlated-electron physics in two-dimensional magnetic material.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figur