OBJECTIVETo investigate the correlation of the fertilization strategy and embryo transfer (ET) time with the incidence of ectopic pregnancy.

METHODSWe selected 3,331 fresh and 2,706 frozen-thawed ET cycles for the patients undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). The fresh transfers included 2 546 IVF-ET and 785 ICSI-ET cycles and 2,220 day-3 embryo and 1,111 day-5 blastocyst transfers, while the frozen-thawed transfers included 2,080 IVF-ET and 626 ICSI-ET cycles and 741 day-3 embryo and 1 965 day-5 or -6 blastocyst transfers. We compared the incidence rate of ectopic pregnancy associated with different fertilization strategies and ET time.

RESULTSThe incidence rate of ectopic pregnancy was 1. 41% (36/2 546) in the IVF-ET cycles and 3.44% (27/785) in the ICSI-ET cycles of the fresh transfers, significantly lower in the IVF-ET than in the ICSI-ET cycles (P < 0.01), and it was 1.01% (21/2,080) in the IVF-ET cycles and 0.80% (5/626) in the ICSI-ET cycles of the frozen-thawed transfers, with no remarkable difference between the two groups (P > 0.05). The IVF-ET and ICSI-ET cycles included 2,220 fresh day-3 (F-D3) embryos, 1,111 F-D5 blastocysts, 741 frozen-thawed day-3 (T-D3) embryos, and 1,965 T-D5/6 blastocysts. The incidence rate of ectopic pregnancy was 1.71% (n = 38) in the F-D3, 2.25% (n = 25) in the F-D5, 1.35% (n = 10) in the T-D3, and 0.81% (n = 16) in the T-D5/6 group, respectively, significantly lower in the T-D5/6 than in the other three groups (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe incidence rate of ectopic pregnancy is associated with fertilization strategies, which is significantly lower in frozen-thawed than in fresh embryo transfers.

Blastocyst ; Embryo Transfer ; adverse effects ; methods ; statistics & numerical data ; Female ; Fertilization in Vitro ; adverse effects ; methods ; statistics & numerical data ; Humans ; Incidence ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Rate ; Pregnancy, Ectopic ; epidemiology ; etiology ; Sperm Injections, Intracytoplasmic ; adverse effects ; methods ; statistics & numerical data

This article, introduces setting up of reflectance confocal microscope which is divided into four parts: optical system, scanning system, detecting system and software controlling system. This reflectance confocal microscope realizes in vivo epidermis tissue imaging in mouse skin as well as disease diagnosis related cell parameters measurement.
Animals ; Diagnostic Imaging ; instrumentation ; methods ; Microscopy, Confocal ; methods ; Rats ; Skin ; Software

A knife-edge method is used here to measure the beam width of the highly repetitive high-power thin disk Yb:KYW femtosecond laser (MABEL-Mannheim Biomedical Engineering Lab, University of Heidelberg, Germany). Presented in this paper is the detailed measuring process together with the results verified by theoretical calculating and scanning electron microscope measurements respectively. Therefore, it is concluded that the knife-dege method is an effective beam width measurement tool of high-power femtosecond lasers.
Bioengineering ; instrumentation ; Lasers ; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning ; instrumentation

Adolescent ; Brain Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Female ; Humans ; Melanoma ; metabolism ; pathology ; Melanoma-Specific Antigens ; metabolism ; Neurilemmoma ; metabolism ; pathology ; S100 Proteins ; metabolism ; Vimentin ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the cutaneous histological and ultrastructural changes of dogs following hair removal by Alexandrite laser.

METHODSSeven healthy dogs with dark hair were treated for hair removal with the Alexandrite laser and skin biopsies were taken after 0.5 h, 2, 3, 5, 10, and 30 days. Specimens were examined with light microscopy and transmission electron microscopy.

RESULTLaser-treated specimens showed widespread coagulation and charring subcutaneous hair shafts. These obviously damaged follicles were randomly dispersed among intact follicles within the same treatment sites. Microscopic changes were also seen in the basal epidermis where melanin was concentrated. A low level of inflammatory response was seen up to 10 days followed laser treatment. The efficiency in higher fluence test area was better than the lower one; the degree of damaged follicles with double pulse was similar to that with single pulse.

CONCLUSIONAlexandrite laser irradiation results in selective damage to follicles and microscopic changes in the basal epidermis. Alexandrite laser hair removal does not lead to scar formation; the efficiency of laser hair removal is fluence-depent; the degree of damaged follicles with double pulse is not different with single one; the cooled hand piece can minimize epidermal injury.

Animals ; Dogs ; Hair Removal ; methods ; Laser Therapy ; Microscopy, Electron ; Skin ; pathology ; ultrastructure

In this article, the implementation of eye movement tracking system includes three procedures: hardware acquisition, data extraction and overall analysis. The system is based on Camshift algorithm with an eye tracking module added, developed on VC++ 6.0. The system can track the eye movement effectively in simulated phosphene evaluation experiment based on prosthetic vision.
Algorithms ; Analysis of Variance ; Eye Movements ; physiology ; Prosthesis Design

The proposed hybrid image segmentation method, based on MRI renal images, aims at extracting the cortical and medullary regions of the kidney. It incorporates the thresholding segmentation and the active contour model. To begin with, the binary mask was obtained by preprocessing and thresholding. Then, the manually set starting contour deformed like a balloon under the framework of a simplified active contour model, thus getting the initial contour of the medulla or the cortex. Finally, the initial contour deformed according to the traditional active contour model and was attracted by the actual boundary of the tissues, defined by the gradient image.
Algorithms ; Humans ; Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted ; methods ; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted ; methods ; Kidney ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; methods

Objective:To investigate the efficacy of additional treatment (chemoradiotherapy or esophagectomy) after endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) for superficial esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.Methods:Clinicopathological data of 97 patients of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma with infiltration depth of M3-SM3 who underwent ESD in Zhongda Hospital from July 2014 to April 2019 were reviewed. There were 57 patients in the additional treatment group and 40 patients in the observation group. The rate of relapse-free survival (RFS) was evaluated by Kaplan-Meier method (used log-rank test).Results:In the additional treatment group, 15 underwent esophagectomy after ESD, and no tumor metastases were found, but 1 patient died of upper gastrointestinal bleeding after surgery; 42 underwent chemoradiotherapy, and all patients were alive, but 3 patients experienced distant metastases. In the observation group, 13 patients experienced local recurrence, 2 patients died of tumor recurrence and 1 patient died of cerebrovascular disorder. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that the RFS rate of the additional treatment group was higher than that of the observation group ( P=0.001). Conclusion:ESD followed by additional chemoradiotherapy or esophagectomy has good clinical efficacy and can improve prognosis for superficial esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (M3-SM3) patients.

This paper introduces the current development and challenges of vision prosthesis.
Prosthesis Design ; Visual Prosthesis

OBJECTIVEThe optic nerve is a key component regarding research on visual prosthesis. Previous pharmacological and electrical studies has pinned down the main features of the mechanisms underlying the nerve impulse in the rat optic nerve, and this work proposed a mathematical model to simulate these phenomena.

METHODSThe main active nodal channels: fast Na+, persistent Na+, slow K+ and a fast repolarizing K+ (A-current) were added on a double layer representation of the axon. A simplified representation of K+ accumulation and clearance in the vicinity of the Ranvier node was integrated in this model.

RESULTSThe model was able to generate the following features. In the presence of 4-aminopyridine (4-AP), spike duration increased and a depolarizing afterpotential (DAP) appeared. In the presence of 4-AP and tetraethylammonium (TEA), the DAP was followed by a hyperpolarizing afterpotential (AHP) and the amplitude of this AHP increased with the frequency of the stimulation. In normal conditions (no drugs): DAP and AHP were absent after a single action potential (AP) and a short train of AP; there was a relative refractoriness in amplitude lasting for 30 ms after an AP; an early AHP was revealed by a continuous depolarizing current; and there was a partial spike adaptation for a long current step stimulus.

CONCLUSIONThe model successfully reproduced previous experiments results including long-lasting stimulation experiment, which is known to modify nerve physiological parameter values and is a key issue for visual prosthesis research.

Action Potentials ; physiology ; Algorithms ; Animals ; Computer Simulation ; Evoked Potentials ; physiology ; Homeostasis ; physiology ; Models, Biological ; Nerve Fibers, Myelinated ; physiology ; Optic Nerve ; cytology ; physiology ; Potassium Channels ; classification ; physiology ; Rats ; Sodium Channels ; classification ; physiology