OBJECTIVETo assess the effect of muscle contraction on bone capillary permeability.

METHODSThirty female New Zealand white rabbits were randomly divided into the experimental and control groups (n=15). The bone chambers were implanted medially into the right tibiae of the rabbit, and in the experimental group, the rabbits were stimulated by transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulator (TENS) at 4 Hz (1 h/day, 6 days/week) starting from week 2. From week 3, intravital microscopic observation was carried out weekly till week 10, and the vasculature in the tibiae was observed under fluorescent microscope with FITC and RITC staining. All the images were analyzed by Metamorph program.

RESULTSThe bone capillary permeability increased significantly in the experimental group.

CONCLUSIONSkeletal muscle contraction can increase the capillary permeability.

Animals ; Capillary Permeability ; physiology ; Female ; Implants, Experimental ; Muscle Contraction ; physiology ; Muscle, Skeletal ; physiology ; Rabbits ; Random Allocation ; Tibia ; blood supply ; surgery ; Transcutaneous Electric Nerve Stimulation

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the clinical outcomes of half intracytoplasmic sperm injection (partial ICSI) treatment in infertile patients with potential fertilization failure.

METHODSA total of 109 partial ICSI cycles of in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer (IVF-ET) were classified into 5 groups, namely group A (infertile patients for unidentified causes, 17 cycles), group B (oligo-asthenozoospermia patients, 28 cycles), group C (teratozoospermia patients, 8 cycles), group D (primary infertile patients without definite causes, 31 cycles), and group E (secondary infertile patients without definite causes, 25 cycles). The fertilization rate and normal fertilization rate after IVF and ICSI were compared between the groups.

RESULTSSignificant differences were found in the fertilization rate following conventional IVF and ICSI in group A (53.1-/+38.8% vs 72.2-/+34.1%) and group D (58.8-/+31.6% vs 82.7-/+21.4%) (P<0.05), but not in groups B, C and E (P>0.05). The normal fertilization rates following IVF and ICSI in groups A, B, D, E were statistically different (P<0.05), but similar in group C (P>0.05).

CONCLUSIONICSI treatment may increase the fertilization rate of IVF-ET in patients with unexplained infertility and primary infertility, but not in patients with oligo-asthenozoospermia, teratozoospermia or secondary infertility.

Adult ; Asthenozoospermia ; Embryo Transfer ; Female ; Humans ; Infertility, Male ; therapy ; Male ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Outcome ; Retrospective Studies ; Sperm Injections, Intracytoplasmic ; Spermatozoa ; abnormalities