Thinning and drilling laser-assisted hatching in thawed embryo transfer : A randomized controlled trial

Objective: In frozen and thawed embryos, the zona pellucida (ZP) can be damaged due to hardening. Laser-assisted hatching (LAH) of embryos can increase the pregnancy rate. This study compared thinning and drilling of the ZP before frozen embryo transfer (FET). Methods: Patients were randomly allocated into two groups for LAH using thinning or drilling on day 2 after thawing. Twenty-five percent of the ZP circumference and 50% of the ZP thickness was removed in the thinning group, and a hole 40 μm in diameter was made in the drilling group. Results: A total of 171 in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection FET cycles, including 85 cycles with drilling LAH and 86 cycles with thinning LAH, were carried out. The thinning group had a similar β-human chorionic gonadotropin-positive rate (38.4% vs. 29.4%), implantation rate (16.5% vs. 14.4%), clinical pregnancy rate (36.0% vs. 25.9%), miscarriage rate (5.8% vs. 2.4%), ongoing pregnancy rate (30.2% vs. 23.5%), and multiple pregnancy rate (7.0% vs. 10.6%) to the drilling LAH group. There were no significant differences in pregnancy outcomes between subgroups defined based on age (older or younger than 35 years) or ZP thickness (greater or less than 17 μm) according to the LAH method. Conclusion: The present study demonstrated that partial ZP thinning or drilling resulted in similar outcomes in implantation and pregnancy rates using thawed embryos, irrespective of women's age or ZP thickness. © 2018. The Korean Society for Reproductive Medicine.Peer reviewe

Cost-effectiveness of replacing versus discarding the nail in children with nail bed injury

Every year in the UK, around 10 000 children need to have operations to mend injuries to the bed of their fingernails. Currently, most children have their fingernail placed back on the injured nail bed after the operation. The NINJA trial found that children were slightly less likely to have an infection if the nail was thrown away rather than being put back, but the difference between groups was small and could have be due to chance. This study looked at whether replacing the nail is cost-effective compared with throwing it away. Using data from the NINJA trial, we compared costs, healthcare use, and quality of life and assessed the cost-effectiveness of replacing the nail. It was found that throwing the nail away after surgery would save the National Health Service (NHS) £75 (€85) per operation compared with placing the nail back on the nail bed. Changing clinical practice could save the NHS in England £720 000 (€819 000) per year

U.V. photoemission from sulphur saturated (100) and (110) nickel surfaces

Directional U.V. photoemission spectra obtained on clean and sulphur saturated (100) and (110) nickel surfaces are presented for excitation energies lying in the range 10.2 to 21.2 eV. The results are shown to be complementary to the I.N.S. observations of Becker and Hagstrum and give an experimental support to the induced surface states predicted by Kasowski.Les spectres de photoémission U.V. directionnelle obtenus sur les faces (100) et (110) du nickel, pures et saturées de soufre adsorbé, sont présentées. La gamme d'énergies d'excitation utilisée s'étend de 10,2 à 21,2 eV. Il est montré que les résultats obtenus sont complémentaires de ceux observés par Becker et Hagstrum par la technique I.N.S. et qu'ils sont en bon accord avec les prévisions théoriques de Kasowski

Electronic structures of clean and sulphur saturated Pt (100) surfaces

Angle-resolved uv photoemission experiments have been performed on clean and S saturated Pt (100) surface, in the photon energy range 10.2-40.8 eV. Empirical energy bands along the ΓX direction of the Brillouin zone are in good agreement with the calculated scheme for Pt given recently by McDonald et al. Adsorption spectra show two extra electronic structures, similar to those generally observed with chalcogen chemisorption on transition metals.Les mesures de photoémission uv angulaire ont été effectuées sur une surface de Pt (100) propre puis saturée de S adsorbé, avec des énergies d'excitation comprises entre 10,2 et 40,8 eV. Pour la surface propre, les résultats expérimentaux sont en bon accord avec la structure de bande du Pt calculée récemment par McDonald et al. L'adsorption de S introduit deux structures électroniques supplémentaires assez similaires à celles généralement observées dans la chimisorption des chalcogènes sur métaux de transition

ELECTRON SPECTROSCOPY STUDY OF Mo/Si(111) INTERFACES

L'évolution des caractéristiques électroniques de l'interface formée pendant l'évaporation séquentielle de fractions de monocouches de Mo sur une surface de Si(ll1) propre a été suivie par spectroscopie de photoélectrons X (XPS) et d'électrons Auger sous rayons X (XAES). L'énergie de liaison du Mo 3d5/2 subit un déplacement négatif de 0,4 eV dans la région de la sousmonocouche et augmente ensuite rapidement pour atteindre la valeur du massif vers les 6 monocouches, tandis que le Si 2p demeure à la même position et que l'énergie cinétique de la raie Si KLL n'accuse qu'une légère augmentation. Les transitions Auger Si LVV indiquent une perturbation des états 3p en présence du métal. Des couches stables et homogènes de MoSi2 se forment quand des dépôts de ~ 15 monocouches sont recuits aux températures T > 500°C. Par rapport au cas mieux étudié du Ni/Si, les transferts de charge dans les atomes métalliques sont plus faibles et de sens opposé, et l'interface serait beaucoup plus abrupte.XPS and X-ray excited AES (XAES) have been used to follow the evolution of the electronic structure of the interface formed when submonolayer amounts of Mo atoms are evaporated onto clean Si(111) surface. The Mo 3d5/2 level undergoes a chemical shift of - 0.4 eV, towards lower binding energy, for surface coverage θ ≤ 1 monolayer (ML) and resumes its bulk value for θ ≤ 6 ML, while the Si 2p peak remains at the same position and the Si KLL feature increases weakly in kinetic energy. Si LVV Auger transitions indicate perturbations of the Si 3p states by the presence of Mo atoms. Annealings of thin deposits (~ 15 ML) at T > 500°C lead to the formation of stable and homogeneous MoSi2 layers. In comparison with the more investigated case of Ni/Si interfaces, the main differences are a weaker chemical shift of the Mo corelevels, an opposite charge transfer in the metal atoms and indication of a much more abrupt interface

Chemisorption of indium on (111) silicon by a mass spectrometric technique

Kinetics of chemisorption of Indium on (111) Silicon was measured, in ultra-high vacuum, by a mass-spectrometric technique, where the desorption signal was monitored. A coverage independent chemisorption energy of 57 K.Cal/mole was obtained upto 7 × 1014 atom/cm2. A localized resonating covalent bond between the metal and the substrate provides a reasonably simple explanation of the observed chemisorption energy.La cinétique de la chimisorption de l'Indium sur du Silicium (111) a été mesurée, sous ultra-vide, par une technique de spectrométrie de masse, dans laquelle le signal de désorption a été mesuré. Une énergie de chimisorption indépendante de couverture de 57 K . cal/mole a été obtenue jusqu'à 7 × 10 14 atome/cm2. Une liaison de résonance covalente et localisée entre le métal et le substrat fournit une explication simple et raisonnable de l'énergie de chimisorption observée

Angular resolved U.V. photoemission from (100) nickel surface

Initial results obtained on a (100) paramagnetic nickel surface by angular-resolved U.V. photoemission are presented. The spectra measured for different electron emission angles are discussed in terms of the calculated band structures and are compared with similar results previously obtained on polycrystalline samples.On présente des résultats préliminaires de l'étude de la face (100) du nickel paramagnétique par photoémission en U.V. lointain. Les spectres obtenus sur la surface pure par un système de mesure angulairement résolu sont discutés en fonction de la structure de bande calculée et des résultats parallèles obtenus sur le nickel polycristallin