Effect of intrauterine granulocyte-colony stimulating factor administration on in vitro fertilization outcome in women with moderate-to-severe endometriosis: An RCT

Background: Nearly 25-50% of infertile women have endometriosis. There are reports of disorders in the expression of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) receptors in women with endometriosis. Objective: To examine the effect of intrauterine administration of G-CSF in in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles on the fertility rate of infertile women with moderate-to-severe endometriosis. Materials and Methods: This clinical trial was conducted on 66 infertile women with moderate-to-severe endometriosis, undergoing IVF and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). The participants were allocated into two groups via simple randomization: the G-CSF (n = 27) and control (n = 39) groups. In the G-CSF intervention group, on the oocyte pick-up day, immediately after an ovarian puncture, 300 μg of G-CSF was injected through a transcervical catheter under abdominal ultrasound guide to visualize flushing into the uterine cavity. Women in the control group received no intervention. The two groups were evaluated for clinical pregnancy. Results: No significant difference was noted in the demographic characteristics of the two groups. The rate of clinical pregnancy was 28.2% in the control group and 25.9% in the G-CSF group, indicating no significant difference (p = 0.83). Conclusion: The results showed that the intrauterine injection of G-CSF had no effects on pregnancy in women with stage-3/4 endometriosis undergoing IVF. Key words: G-CSF, In vitro fertilization, Endometriosis, Pregnancy

Identifying and Investigating Types of Consumer Relationships with Brand Communities on Instagram

Objective: The present study aimed to identify and to investigate different types of favorable and unfavorable relationships between consumers and brand communities on Instagram. Methods: In this research a multi-case study approach has been adopted in which the cases were 8 participants who followed some brands from restaurant and clothing industries on Instagram. Results: The findings revealed 15 different types of relationships between consumers and brand communities on Instagram, among which, 9 items including self, love, best friend, casual friend, fling, colleague, emergent, acquaintance, and animosity, were previously introduced in the extant literature. 6 of which (including two-tier, fan, respectable acquaintance, stranger, potential and declining) were the contributions of this research. These 15 types of relationships were ranked and classified based on their favorability for brands. Conclusion: This research showed that consumers build a variety of relationships with brand communities on Instagram some of which are very positive and some are negative

The Association between Cerebroplacental Ratio (CPR) And Neonatal Outcome In Small Gestational Fetus

Background: Restriction of fetal growth is one of the major problems in gynecology and obstetrics for which no effective treatment has been proven so far. The disorder is associated with significant morbidity and perinatal mortality.Methods: In this study, 104 pregnant women with SGA fetuses (3-10%) between preterm (>28 weeks) to full term were evaluated. The patients were divided into two groups: group A, the group with normal CPR as the reference group, and group B with abnormal CPR (ratio <1ref with normal UMA PI and Normal caldopler that were IUGR). Their demographic data including maternal age, gestational age, BMI of the pregnant mother, birth weight, fetal sex, and number of deliveries were examined.Results: After collecting data and analyzing them, the results showed that the mean neonatal weight was 1432.81 (±560.81) in the abnormal CPR group, and 1845.42 (± 473.32) in the normal group. In addition, the mean Apgar scores of 5 and 1 minutes were significantly different between the groups, being lower in the abnormal CPR group (p-value <0.05). The results also revealed, Apgar scores of one and five minutes were significantly correlated with CPR and gestational age (p-value <0.05).Conclusion: Finally, according to the data obtained from this study, it has been shown that CPR can be helpful as a predictive index of neonatal outcomes in patients with SGA

The effect of laparoscopic ovarian drilling on pregnancy outcomes in polycystic ovary syndrome women with more than 2 in-vitro fertilization cycle failures: A pilot RCT

Abstract Background: The effect of laparoscopic ovarian drilling (LOD) before in vitro fertilization/ intracytoplasmic sperm injection (IVF/ICSI) cycles on pregnancy outcomes is an unclear and challenging subject. Objective: To evaluate the impact of LOD before IVF/ICSI cycles on controlled ovarian stimulation and pregnancy outcomes in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) women with a history of more than 2 IVF failures. Materials and Methods: In this randomized clinical trial, women with PCOS diagnosis who referred to Arash Women's hospital, Tehran, Iran for IVF/ICSI cycle from August 2015-January 2018 were evaluated. Eligible participants were allocated into 2 groups randomly (n = 17/each group). The participants in the LOD group (intervention) were treated with laparoscopic couture, and after one month, they underwent IVF/ICSI cycles using the gonadotropin-releasing hormone antagonist protocol. The control group had no intervention. The oocyte and embryo qualities, ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome rate, the rates of chemical and clinical pregnancy and early miscarriage, live birth, and pregnancy complications, were compared between groups. Results: Finally, 34 participants were evaluated. The controlled ovarian stimulation outcomes were similar between groups. The ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome rate in the LOD group was significantly lower than in the control group (p = 0.04). One case of spontaneous pregnancy was reported in the LOD group. No significant difference was observed between groups in clinical pregnancy, miscarriage, and live birth rates. The rates of pregnancy complications (gestational diabetes mellitus, preeclampsia, and preterm birth) were similar between groups. Conclusion: Performing LOD before IVF/ICSI cycles did not improve the pregnancy outcomes in PCOS women, a clinical trial with a larger sample size is needed to prove these results

Effect of Intrauterine Granulocyte-colony Stimulating Factor Administration on in Vitro Fertilization Outcome in Women with Moderate-to-severe Endometriosis: an RCT

Background: Nearly 25-50% of infertile women have endometriosis. There are reports of disorders in the expression of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) receptors in women with endometriosis. Objective: To examine the effect of intrauterine administration of G-CSF in in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles on the fertility rate of infertile women with moderate-to-severe endometriosis. Materials and Methods: This clinical trial was conducted on 66 infertile women with moderate-to-severe endometriosis, undergoing IVF and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). The participants were allocated into two groups via simple randomization: the G-CSF (n = 27) and control (n = 39) groups. In the G-CSF intervention group, on the oocyte pick-up day, immediately after an ovarian puncture, 300 μg of G-CSF was injected through a transcervical catheter under abdominal ultrasound guide to visualize flushing into the uterine cavity. Women in the control group received no intervention. The two groups were evaluated for clinical pregnancy. Results: No significant difference was noted in the demographic characteristics of the two groups. The rate of clinical pregnancy was 28.2% in the control group and 25.9% in the G-CSF group, indicating no significant difference (p = 0.83). Conclusion: The results showed that the intrauterine injection of G-CSF had no effects on pregnancy in women with stage-3/4 endometriosis undergoing IVF. Key words: G-CSF, In vitro fertilization, Endometriosis, Pregnancy