Monitoring of stimulated cycles in assisted reproduction (IVF and ICSI)

Acknowledgements: We are grateful to Marian Showell for her help in updating the search strategy and carrying out the literature search; to Anne Lethaby for translating the Spanish paper and extracting data; and in particular to Helen Nagels and Jane Marjoribanks for their editorial assistance, help with GRADEpro, general co-ordination and assisting with teleconferences among authors. We also thank Helen Nagels for her help in translating the French paper and extracting the data. The review authors had no specific funding for this reviewPeer reviewedPublisher PD

eBPS: A Strategic Framework for Successful Blueprint of E-Business Development

Today’s rapidly evolving e-Business environment demands a higher level of collaboration and integration within the enterprise and throughout the extended trading network. Many software vendors have proposed e-solution for e-Marketplace that optimize business processes and link trading partners via the web. However, understanding how to integrate e-Marketplaces with back-end business processes to capture the advantages of supplier relationship management, supply chain integration, pricing and revenue optimization and customer management relationship is not sufficient. Over the past few years, leading companies are aiming for a leadership position with regard to electronic Business (e-Business) in their own industries. They are targeting for the position of being the e-Sponsor rather than being the e-Partner in their portal. In virtual market with global trading via cyberspace, giant enterprises are encountering many obstacles in even starting to convert their traditional business model to an e-Business model. It is therefore important to address the Business to Business (B2B) e-Commerce successful factors initially and how they pose challenges for multinational organisations. This paper focuses on the planning issues in managing an e-Business initiative and proposes an eBPS (e-Business Partners System) model for strategic planning of e-Business project in a multinational company. This model provides a framework to for organizing a design plan of a customer-effective B2B e-Store

T2B Model-Experiencing the Successful Conversion of Traditional Enterprise to e-Business

Successful selling over the Internet involves organizing the entire value chain around the Internet and determines where they can exploit technology to add value. Such conversion in small and medium size enterprises (SMEs) is still at its enfant stage; knowing on the large enterprises’ experiences, this enlarges the non-empirical qualitative learning and possibilities for empirically testable theories to come up with a well-structured framework for such conversion. Based on theories from technological innovation literature, this paper presents an integrated model for T2E (Traditional to Electronic) business conversion for SME. Our novel T2E model makes use of a 3-layers hybrid approach: which unifies the technique of IDEF [Integrated Computer-Aided Manufacturing (ICAM) DEFfinition] to assist in business process design; the concept of Business Process Reengineering (BPR) for business structure re-organization; and Innovation Diffusion (ID) theory for progressive introduction of new e-business functions. Our model is intended to minimize the impact of operational and cultural changes on SMEs while taken the critical successful factors of e-business projects in consideration. The feasibility of our conceptual framework is testified by a case study SME - Valentino World Fashion (VW), Inc

Pain relief for women undergoing oocyte retrieval for assisted reproduction

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Plain Tobacco Packaging: A Systematic Review

(From the Executive Summary): This systematic review outlines findings from 37 studies that provide evidence of the impacts of plain tobacco packaging. The review was conducted following the publication of the March 2011 White Paper Healthy Lives: Healthy People which set out a renewed Tobacco Control Plan for England. One of the key actions identified in the plan was to consult on possible options to reduce the promotional impact of tobacco packaging, including plain packaging. This systematic review was commissioned to provide a comprehensive overview of evidence on the impact of plain packaging in order to inform a public consultation on the issue

The Role of Vitamin D in the Pathogenesis of Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis

Several theories have been proposed to explain the etiology of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) until present. However, limited data are available regarding the impact of vitamin D insufficiency or deficiency on scoliosis. Previous studies have shown that vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency are prevalent in adolescents, including AIS patients. A series of studies conducted in Hong Kong have shown that as many as 30% of these patients have osteopenia. The 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 level has been found to positively correlate with bone mineral density (BMD) in healthy adolescents and negatively with Cobb angle in AIS patients; therefore, vitamin D deficiency is believed to play a role in AIS pathogenesis. This study attempts to review the relevant literature on AIS etiology to examine the association of vitamin D and various current theories. Our review suggested that vitamin D deficiency is associated with several current etiological theories of AIS. We postulate that vitamin D deficiency and/or insufficiency affects AIS development by its effect on the regulation of fibrosis, postural control, and BMD. Subclinical deficiency of vitamin K2, a fat-soluble vitamin, is also prevalent in adolescents; therefore, it is possible that the high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency is related to decreased fat intake. Further studies are required to elucidate the possible role of vitamin D in the pathogenesis and clinical management of AIS

Digital interventions in alcohol and drug prevention, treatment and recovery: Systematic maps of international research and interventions available in England

Executive Summary Background Digital interventions in alcohol and drug prevention, treatment and recovery have the potential to overcome barriers faced by non-digital interventions. However, we lack a clear understanding of the types of digital interventions that have been evaluated and where gaps in the evidence base exist. We also need to understand the effectiveness of different types of digital alcohol and drug interventions for various population groups. Further, we do not know which digital alcohol and drug interventions are being used in England, and whether the interventions in use align with those that have been evaluated. Research questions To address the above concerns, we sought to address the following questions: • RQ1: What is the possible range of digital alcohol and drug interventions? • RQ2: Which types of digital alcohol and drug interventions are currently available for use in England? • RQ3: What systematic reviews provide findings for digital alcohol and drug intervention strategies within a prevention/treatment/recovery pathway? • RQ4: Which types of digital alcohol and drug interventions have been evaluated in primary research? • RQ5: To what extent does the evaluation evidence overlap with digital alcohol and drug interventions that are currently available for use in England? • RQ6: What evidence is there that certain types of digital alcohol and drug interventions are (cost-) effective or ineffective for specific population groups or in particular contexts? This report covers our findings in relation to questions RQ1 - RQ5. Based on these findings we also provide suggestions as to what could be the focus of further work to answer RQ6. Methods To address RQ1 an initial typology was drafted, adapting and building on existing typologies of digital interventions. Through this process it became clear to OHID/PHE that a pathway, presenting a route through services, with different types of interventions recommended for use at different times would be more helpful than a typology of intervention characteristics. This pathway was then developed by OHID/PHE and trialled by the research team, with refinements made over time with discussions between the study team and PHE. To address RQ2 we contacted people in England in 2019, who were involved in developing, commissioning, prescribing, recommending or evaluating digital alcohol/drug interventions. Using an online survey, we asked them to describe the interventions they were involved with. To address RQ3, RQ4 and RQ5 we conducted systematic searching and screening to identify and describe existing systematic reviews (RQ3) and primary studies (RQ4). Included systematic reviews were appraised for quality and detailed information was extracted from full reports. For primary studies we extracted basic details using the information contained within the title and abstract. The pathway developed for RQ1 was employed to code and describe the nature of available interventions (RQ2), systematic reviews (RQ3) and primary studies (RQ4). EPPI-Mapper software was used to produce online interactive maps to visually display the findings

DNA replication stress restricts ribosomal DNA copy number

Ribosomal RNAs (rRNAs) in budding yeast are encoded by ~100–200 repeats of a 9.1kb sequence arranged in tandem on chromosome XII, the ribosomal DNA (rDNA) locus. Copy number of rDNA repeat units in eukaryotic cells is maintained far in excess of the requirement for ribosome biogenesis. Despite the importance of the repeats for both ribosomal and non-ribosomal functions, it is currently not known how “normal” copy number is determined or maintained. To identify essential genes involved in the maintenance of rDNA copy number, we developed a droplet digital PCR based assay to measure rDNA copy number in yeast and used it to screen a yeast conditional temperature-sensitive mutant collection of essential genes. Our screen revealed that low rDNA copy number is associated with compromised DNA replication. Further, subculturing yeast under two separate conditions of DNA replication stress selected for a contraction of the rDNA array independent of the replication fork blocking protein, Fob1. Interestingly, cells with a contracted array grew better than their counterparts with normal copy number under conditions of DNA replication stress. Our data indicate that DNA replication stresses select for a smaller rDNA array. We speculate that this liberates scarce replication factors for use by the rest of the genome, which in turn helps cells complete DNA replication and continue to propagate. Interestingly, tumors from mini chromosome maintenance 2 (MCM2)-deficient mice also show a loss of rDNA repeats. Our data suggest that a reduction in rDNA copy number may indicate a history of DNA replication stress, and that rDNA array size could serve as a diagnostic marker for replication stress. Taken together, these data begin to suggest the selective pressures that combine to yield a “normal” rDNA copy number