Objective:To investigate the association between homocysteine (Hcy) and recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL), as well as its impact on clinical pregnancy outcomes in patients undergoing in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection and embryo transfer (IVF/ICSI-ET). Methods:This retrospective cohort study collected clinical data from patients undergoing IVF/ICSI-ET at the Reproductive Health Hospital of the Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University between December 2020 and March 2024. Patients were divided into no history of pregnancy loss group (named control group, n=1 027) and RPL group ( n=743) based on history of pregnancy loss. Peripheral blood Hcy levels were compared between the two groups. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to adjust for confounding factors and determine whether Hcy is an independent risk factor for RPL. RPL patients were divided into four subgroups based on Hcy quartiles, named Q1 subgroup (Hcy<7.03 μmol/L), Q2 subgroup (7.03 μmol/L≤Hcy<8.63 μmol/L), Q3 subgroup (8.63 μmol/L≤Hcy<10.44 μmol/L), and Q4 subgroup (Hcy≥10.44 μmol/L), to further analyze the impact of Hcy level on pregnancy outcomes after IVF/ICSI-ET in these patients. Results:1) Baseline characteristics between control and RPL groups: statistically significant differences were observed in female age, male age, female body mass index (BMI), duration of infertility, cause of infertility, and peripheral blood Hcy levels (all P<0.05). 2) After adjusting for female age, male age, female BMI, duration of infertility, and cause of infertility via multivariate logistic regression, elevated Hcy levels was identified as an independent risk factor for RPL (a OR=1.366, 95% CI: 1.298-1.438, P<0.001). 3) Baseline characteristics of the four RPL subgroups: antral follicle count (AFC) differed significantly among Q1, Q2, Q3 and Q4 subgroups [17.00 (11.00, 24.00), 15.00 (10.00, 24.00), 14.00 (7.00, 22.25), 15.50 (8.00, 22.00), P=0.043]. No statistically significant differences were observed in other baseline characteristics (all P>0.05). 4) Pregnancy outcomes across the four RPL subgroups: miscarriage rates in the Q1, Q2, Q3 and Q4 subgroups were 18.18% (18/99), 30.61% (30/98), 33.70% (31/92), and 35.96% (32/89), respectively, live birth rates were 44.26% (81/183), 36.17% (68/188), 32.80% (61/186), and 30.65% (57/186), respectively. Intergroup differences in miscarriage rate and live birth rate were statistically significant ( P=0.033, P=0.036). Specifically, miscarriage rate in the Q3 and Q4 subgroups, and live birth rate in the Q4 subgroup were significantly higher than those in the Q1 subgroup (all q<0.05). However, no significant differences were observed in clinical pregnancy rate or early miscarriage rate among the four groups (all P>0.05). After adjusting for confounding factors using multivariate logistic regression, taking the Q1 subgroup as the control, there were no statistically significant differences in the clinical pregnancy rate between the remaining groups and the Q1 subgroup (all P>0.05). The early miscarriage rate in the Q3 subgroup (a OR=2.184, 95% CI: 1.077-4.426, P=0.030) and the early miscarriage rate in the Q4 subgroup (a OR=2.290, 95% CI: 1.116-4.697, P=0.024) were significantly higher than those in the Q1 subgroup; the miscarriage rate in the Q3 subgroup (a OR=2.207, 95% CI: 1.125-4.330, P=0.021) and the miscarriage rate in the Q4 subgroup (a OR=2.377, 95% CI: 1.209-4.674, P=0.012) were significantly higher than those in the Q1 subgroup; the live birth rate in the Q3 subgroup (a OR=0.615, 95% CI: 0.401-0.944, P=0.026) and the live birth rate in the Q4 subgroup (a OR=0.560, 95% CI: 0.364-0.863, P=0.009) were significantly lower than those in the Q1 subgroup. Conclusion:Elevated Hcy is a high-risk factor for RPL in IVF/ICSI-ET patients and may adversely affect pregnancy outcomes.

Objective:To investigate the association between homocysteine (Hcy) and recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL), as well as its impact on clinical pregnancy outcomes in patients undergoing in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection and embryo transfer (IVF/ICSI-ET). Methods:This retrospective cohort study collected clinical data from patients undergoing IVF/ICSI-ET at the Reproductive Health Hospital of the Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University between December 2020 and March 2024. Patients were divided into no history of pregnancy loss group (named control group, n=1 027) and RPL group ( n=743) based on history of pregnancy loss. Peripheral blood Hcy levels were compared between the two groups. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to adjust for confounding factors and determine whether Hcy is an independent risk factor for RPL. RPL patients were divided into four subgroups based on Hcy quartiles, named Q1 subgroup (Hcy<7.03 μmol/L), Q2 subgroup (7.03 μmol/L≤Hcy<8.63 μmol/L), Q3 subgroup (8.63 μmol/L≤Hcy<10.44 μmol/L), and Q4 subgroup (Hcy≥10.44 μmol/L), to further analyze the impact of Hcy level on pregnancy outcomes after IVF/ICSI-ET in these patients. Results:1) Baseline characteristics between control and RPL groups: statistically significant differences were observed in female age, male age, female body mass index (BMI), duration of infertility, cause of infertility, and peripheral blood Hcy levels (all P<0.05). 2) After adjusting for female age, male age, female BMI, duration of infertility, and cause of infertility via multivariate logistic regression, elevated Hcy levels was identified as an independent risk factor for RPL (a OR=1.366, 95% CI: 1.298-1.438, P<0.001). 3) Baseline characteristics of the four RPL subgroups: antral follicle count (AFC) differed significantly among Q1, Q2, Q3 and Q4 subgroups [17.00 (11.00, 24.00), 15.00 (10.00, 24.00), 14.00 (7.00, 22.25), 15.50 (8.00, 22.00), P=0.043]. No statistically significant differences were observed in other baseline characteristics (all P>0.05). 4) Pregnancy outcomes across the four RPL subgroups: miscarriage rates in the Q1, Q2, Q3 and Q4 subgroups were 18.18% (18/99), 30.61% (30/98), 33.70% (31/92), and 35.96% (32/89), respectively, live birth rates were 44.26% (81/183), 36.17% (68/188), 32.80% (61/186), and 30.65% (57/186), respectively. Intergroup differences in miscarriage rate and live birth rate were statistically significant ( P=0.033, P=0.036). Specifically, miscarriage rate in the Q3 and Q4 subgroups, and live birth rate in the Q4 subgroup were significantly higher than those in the Q1 subgroup (all q<0.05). However, no significant differences were observed in clinical pregnancy rate or early miscarriage rate among the four groups (all P>0.05). After adjusting for confounding factors using multivariate logistic regression, taking the Q1 subgroup as the control, there were no statistically significant differences in the clinical pregnancy rate between the remaining groups and the Q1 subgroup (all P>0.05). The early miscarriage rate in the Q3 subgroup (a OR=2.184, 95% CI: 1.077-4.426, P=0.030) and the early miscarriage rate in the Q4 subgroup (a OR=2.290, 95% CI: 1.116-4.697, P=0.024) were significantly higher than those in the Q1 subgroup; the miscarriage rate in the Q3 subgroup (a OR=2.207, 95% CI: 1.125-4.330, P=0.021) and the miscarriage rate in the Q4 subgroup (a OR=2.377, 95% CI: 1.209-4.674, P=0.012) were significantly higher than those in the Q1 subgroup; the live birth rate in the Q3 subgroup (a OR=0.615, 95% CI: 0.401-0.944, P=0.026) and the live birth rate in the Q4 subgroup (a OR=0.560, 95% CI: 0.364-0.863, P=0.009) were significantly lower than those in the Q1 subgroup. Conclusion:Elevated Hcy is a high-risk factor for RPL in IVF/ICSI-ET patients and may adversely affect pregnancy outcomes.

Objective:To investigate the effect of luteinizing hormone (LH) levels on the clinical outcome and cumulative live birth rate of in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (IVF/ICSI) fresh embryo transfer in patients with normal ovarian reserve function after application of a flexible protocol of gonadotropin-releasing hormone antagonist (GnRH-A) to promote ovulation with the addition of GnRH-A. Methods:A retrospective cohort study was conducted to analyze the data of 685 patients with normal ovarian reserve function who underwent IVF/ICSI after ovulation induction with antagonist flexible regimen between January 2016 and June 2021 at the Reproductive Medicine Center of the Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University. The quartile method was used to group patients after the addition of the antagonist by the mean value of serum LH each time they were monitored (usually twice, depending on the rate of follicular growth and patients' need) until the day of the trigger, and were divided into group A (smaller than the 25th percentile of the mean LH level of the included population, LH<1.25 U/L, n=166), group B (in the 25th to 50th percentile of the mean LH level of the included population, 1.25 U/L≤LH<1.91 U/L, n=174), group C (in the 50th to 75th percentile of the mean LH level of the included population, 1.91 U/L≤LH<2.85 U/L, n=171), and group D (greater than the 75th percentile of the mean LH level of the included population, 2.85 U/L≤LH≤7.55 U/L, n=174). The general condition, clinical data, embryo laboratory indices, clinical outcome indices of fresh embryo transfer cycle and cumulative live birth rate were compared among the 4 groups. Results:After correcting for confounding factors by multifactorial linear regression, the number of high-quality embryos and the rate of blastocyst formation of patients in group C were significantly higher than those in group A, and the differences were statistically significant ( B=0.600, 95% CI: 0.086-1.114, P=0.022; B=0.134, 95% CI: 0.052-0.216, P=0.001). The number of high-quality embryos, the number of available embryos, and the rate of blastocyst formation of patients in group D were significantly higher than those in group A, and the differences were statistically significant ( B=0.771, 95% CI: 0.259-1.284, P=0.003; B=0.730, 95% CI: 0.205-1.255, P=0.007; B=0.085, 95% CI: 0.003-0.167, P=0.042).After multifactorial logistic regression, there was no statistically significant difference in live birth rate between group A and groups B, C and D ( P>0.05). The cumulative live birth rate of patients in group D was significantly higher than that in group A, and the difference was statistically significant ( aOR=2.439, 95% CI: 1.169-4.974, P=0.014). Conclusion:In patients with normal ovarian reserve function, a flexible protocol of antagonists was applied to promote ovulation, and the addition of antagonists had no significant effect on the clinical outcome of the fresh embryo transfer cycle in terms of mean LH levels, but the quality of the embryos was significantly reduced when the mean LH level was <1.25 U/L, and this may consequently reduce the developmental potential of the embryos and the cumulative live birth rate.

Objective:To explore the effect of vaginal microbiota disorder on pregnancy outcomes in the first-time frozen-thawed embryo transfer (FET) patients and perinatal outcomes in single pregnancy live delivery patients.Methods:The clinical data of 2 299 cycles of FET patients in the Reproductive Center of the Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January 2021 to December 2022 were collected in a retrospective cohort study. According to the types of dominant bacteria in the vaginal microbiota before transplantation, they were divided into three groups: control group (dominant bacteria were Lactobacillus, which was Gram positive bacteria, 1 849 cycles), the Gram negative bacilli group (191 cycles), and the Gram positive cocci group (259 cycles). Baseline data and pregnancy outcomes were compared among the three groups. The perinatal outcomes of select single pregnancy live birth FET patients who met the inclusion criteria were further analyzed among the three groups. The main observation indicators were live birth rate, miscarriage rate, and preterm birth rate. A multivariate logistic regression model was used to control confounding factors in the main observation indicators, and to analyze the relationship between dominant bacterial types in the vaginal microbiota and live birth rate, miscarriage rate, and preterm birth rate.Results:The difference in endometrial thickness on the day of transplantation among control group, Gram negative bacilli group, and Gram positive cocci group was statistically significant [(9.38±1.58) mm, (9.56±1.70) mm, and (9.84±1.74) mm, respectively, P<0.001]. In the endometrium preparation methods, the proportion of down-regulation+artificial cycle patients in the Gram positive cocci group was higher than that in control group, and the difference was statistically significant [13.13% (34/259) and 7.46% (138/1 849), respectively, P<0.016 7]. In the pregnancy outcomes, there was a statistically significant difference in live birth rate among control group, Gram negative bacilli group, and Gram positive cocci group [49.86% (922/1 849), 49.21% (94/191) and 41.70% (108/259), respectively, P=0.048]. The live birth rate of the Gram positive cocci group was lower than that of control group, and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant ( P<0.016 7). There were no statistically significant differences in other pregnancy outcomes and perinatal outcomes of single pregnancy live birth FET patients (all P>0.05). The multivariate logistic regression model corrected for female age, infertility years, basal follicle stimulating hormone, anti-Müllerian hormone, proportion of single embryo transfer, proportion of single blastocyst transfer, endometrial thickness on transfer day, and endometrial preparation methods, Gram positive cocci were independent risk factors for live brith after FET transplantation (a OR=0.73, 95% CI: 0.55-0.95, P=0.021). Conclusion:The dominant bacteria in the vaginal microbiota before embryo transfer are Gram positive cocci, which may be related to a decrease in live birth rate in first-time FET patients, but not significantly related to the perinatal outcomes.

Objective:To investigate the effect of luteinizing hormone (LH) levels on the clinical outcome and cumulative live birth rate of in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (IVF/ICSI) fresh embryo transfer in patients with normal ovarian reserve function after application of a flexible protocol of gonadotropin-releasing hormone antagonist (GnRH-A) to promote ovulation with the addition of GnRH-A. Methods:A retrospective cohort study was conducted to analyze the data of 685 patients with normal ovarian reserve function who underwent IVF/ICSI after ovulation induction with antagonist flexible regimen between January 2016 and June 2021 at the Reproductive Medicine Center of the Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University. The quartile method was used to group patients after the addition of the antagonist by the mean value of serum LH each time they were monitored (usually twice, depending on the rate of follicular growth and patients' need) until the day of the trigger, and were divided into group A (smaller than the 25th percentile of the mean LH level of the included population, LH<1.25 U/L, n=166), group B (in the 25th to 50th percentile of the mean LH level of the included population, 1.25 U/L≤LH<1.91 U/L, n=174), group C (in the 50th to 75th percentile of the mean LH level of the included population, 1.91 U/L≤LH<2.85 U/L, n=171), and group D (greater than the 75th percentile of the mean LH level of the included population, 2.85 U/L≤LH≤7.55 U/L, n=174). The general condition, clinical data, embryo laboratory indices, clinical outcome indices of fresh embryo transfer cycle and cumulative live birth rate were compared among the 4 groups. Results:After correcting for confounding factors by multifactorial linear regression, the number of high-quality embryos and the rate of blastocyst formation of patients in group C were significantly higher than those in group A, and the differences were statistically significant ( B=0.600, 95% CI: 0.086-1.114, P=0.022; B=0.134, 95% CI: 0.052-0.216, P=0.001). The number of high-quality embryos, the number of available embryos, and the rate of blastocyst formation of patients in group D were significantly higher than those in group A, and the differences were statistically significant ( B=0.771, 95% CI: 0.259-1.284, P=0.003; B=0.730, 95% CI: 0.205-1.255, P=0.007; B=0.085, 95% CI: 0.003-0.167, P=0.042).After multifactorial logistic regression, there was no statistically significant difference in live birth rate between group A and groups B, C and D ( P>0.05). The cumulative live birth rate of patients in group D was significantly higher than that in group A, and the difference was statistically significant ( aOR=2.439, 95% CI: 1.169-4.974, P=0.014). Conclusion:In patients with normal ovarian reserve function, a flexible protocol of antagonists was applied to promote ovulation, and the addition of antagonists had no significant effect on the clinical outcome of the fresh embryo transfer cycle in terms of mean LH levels, but the quality of the embryos was significantly reduced when the mean LH level was <1.25 U/L, and this may consequently reduce the developmental potential of the embryos and the cumulative live birth rate.

Objective:To explore the effect of vaginal microbiota disorder on pregnancy outcomes in the first-time frozen-thawed embryo transfer (FET) patients and perinatal outcomes in single pregnancy live delivery patients.Methods:The clinical data of 2 299 cycles of FET patients in the Reproductive Center of the Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January 2021 to December 2022 were collected in a retrospective cohort study. According to the types of dominant bacteria in the vaginal microbiota before transplantation, they were divided into three groups: control group (dominant bacteria were Lactobacillus, which was Gram positive bacteria, 1 849 cycles), the Gram negative bacilli group (191 cycles), and the Gram positive cocci group (259 cycles). Baseline data and pregnancy outcomes were compared among the three groups. The perinatal outcomes of select single pregnancy live birth FET patients who met the inclusion criteria were further analyzed among the three groups. The main observation indicators were live birth rate, miscarriage rate, and preterm birth rate. A multivariate logistic regression model was used to control confounding factors in the main observation indicators, and to analyze the relationship between dominant bacterial types in the vaginal microbiota and live birth rate, miscarriage rate, and preterm birth rate.Results:The difference in endometrial thickness on the day of transplantation among control group, Gram negative bacilli group, and Gram positive cocci group was statistically significant [(9.38±1.58) mm, (9.56±1.70) mm, and (9.84±1.74) mm, respectively, P<0.001]. In the endometrium preparation methods, the proportion of down-regulation+artificial cycle patients in the Gram positive cocci group was higher than that in control group, and the difference was statistically significant [13.13% (34/259) and 7.46% (138/1 849), respectively, P<0.016 7]. In the pregnancy outcomes, there was a statistically significant difference in live birth rate among control group, Gram negative bacilli group, and Gram positive cocci group [49.86% (922/1 849), 49.21% (94/191) and 41.70% (108/259), respectively, P=0.048]. The live birth rate of the Gram positive cocci group was lower than that of control group, and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant ( P<0.016 7). There were no statistically significant differences in other pregnancy outcomes and perinatal outcomes of single pregnancy live birth FET patients (all P>0.05). The multivariate logistic regression model corrected for female age, infertility years, basal follicle stimulating hormone, anti-Müllerian hormone, proportion of single embryo transfer, proportion of single blastocyst transfer, endometrial thickness on transfer day, and endometrial preparation methods, Gram positive cocci were independent risk factors for live brith after FET transplantation (a OR=0.73, 95% CI: 0.55-0.95, P=0.021). Conclusion:The dominant bacteria in the vaginal microbiota before embryo transfer are Gram positive cocci, which may be related to a decrease in live birth rate in first-time FET patients, but not significantly related to the perinatal outcomes.

Objective:To investigate the correlation between total MRI burden and serum uric acid level in patients with cerebral small vessel disease(CSVD) and its gender differences.Methods:A total of 217 patients with CSVD were retrospectively included as the research objects, and the clinical data such as serum uric acid value were collected.The imaging findings of patients with CSVD were evaluated by MRI, and the total MRI burden score of CSVD was calculated.According to the total MRI burden score of CSVD, patients with CSVD were divided into mild-to-moderate burden group ( n=133) and severe burden group ( n=84). SPSS 20.0 software was used for data analysis and processing.Logistic regression was used to analyze the relationship between uric acid and the total MRI burden score of CSVD. Results:The serum uric acid of severe burden group was higher than that of mild-to-moderate burden group((326.94±70.95)μmol/L, (293.42±80.52)μmol/L, P=0.002). The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the elevated level of serum uric acid was an independent risk factors for total MRI burden of CSVD ( β=0.005, OR=1.005, 95% CI=1.001-1.009, P=0.019). The patients with CSVD were equally divided into four group based on the serum uric acid concentration.After controlling the confounding factors, with the increase of uric acid level, the risk of aggravating total MRI burden score of CSVD increased, and the difference was statistically significant( P=0.001). Serum uric acid(for each quartile increase)was an independent risk factor for total MRI burden in male patients with CSVD( β=0.482, OR=1.619, 95% CI=1.125-2.330, P=0.010), while there was no significant difference in female patients( P=0.070). Conclusion:Serum uric acid level is a risk factor for increasing the total MRI burden in male patients with CSVD, but this effect is not found in female patients with CSVD.

Objective To investigate nutritional knowledge,attitude,and practice (K-A-P) of medical staff in the nerve-related departments in Hebei province,with the aim of determining a basis for the effective education of nutrition.Methods A multicenter,observational study was utilized to conduct a questionnaire survey.642 medical staff in nerve-related departments from 15 hospitals in 11 prefecture level cities was surveyed from September 2016 to March 2017 in Hebei Province.Results were statistically analyzed.Results The overall scores of nutrition knowledge,attitude,and practice were 34.88±22.90,69.14± 16.75 and 42.86± 18.22,respectively.There were positive correlations between nutrition knowledge and attitude (r=0.150,P＜ 0.001),knowledge and practice (r=0.152,P＜0.001),and attitude and practice (r =0.432,P＜0.001).The nutrition knowledge score of male medical staff was higher than that of female (t =3.546,P＜0.01) however,there was no significant difference between males and females in nutrition attitude and practice scores (t =0.685,P=0.494;t=1.649,P=0.091).In addition,the nutrition knowledge scores of physicians and medical technicians were significantly higher than that of nurses (F=46.89,P＜0.01) while the nutrition practice scores of physicians were significantly higher than both medical technicians and nurses (F=7.85,P＜0.01).It was also found that nutrition attitude scores of senior and secondary medical staff were higher than junior medical staff (F=5.116,P=0.002) and nutrition practice scores of senior and secondary senior medical staff were higher than that of junior medical staff (F=4.074,P=0.007).Furthermore,it was found that nutrition knoledge scores of undergraduate,master and doctoral degree staff were higher than that of junior college staff (F=15.617,P＜0.001) and nutrition attitude score of undergraduate and master degree staff were significantly higher than that of junior college staff (F =4.11,P =0.003).It was also found that the nutrition knowledge scores of medical staff with less than 5 years of work experience were significantly higher than those with more than 5 years of work experience (F=3.312,P =0.02).However,the scores of nutrition attitude of medical staff with more than 15 years of work experience were significantly higher than those with less than 15 years of work experience (F=6.356,P＜0.001) and the scores of nutrition practice of medical staff with 10-15 years of work experience were higher than that of less than 5 years and 5-10 years of work experience (F=2.959,P=0.032).It was also identified that the top three ways to obtain nutrition knowledge were learning at work (68.85％),learning at university (68.69％) and reading books and journals (57.79％).Conclusion The medical staff of nerve-related departments in Hebei province has positive attitudes towards nutrition treatments.However,their mastery of nutritional knowledge and practice could and should be improved further.Therefore,it is necessary to strengthen the nutrition education for medical staff of the nerve profession.

Objective To investigate the relationship of lacunar infarction (LI) and white matter lesion with cognitive impairment in patients with subcortical ischemic vascular disease (SIVD) Methods Fifty-three patients were diagnosed as SIVD according to the criteria of Erkinjuntti. The symptoms and signs were recorded by an interview and examination, and neuropsychological assessment and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were performed. A semi-automated MRI quantitative method was used to measure the volume of white matter hyperintensity (WMH) and the number of LI was counted. Correlation and the partial correlation analysis were performed to examine the relationship of general cognitive function with the volume of WMH and the number of LI. Results The pseudobulbar paralysis symptom and the upper motoneuron injury sign were the most common in these patients (18.9% and 37.7%). Correlation analysis showed that there was positive correlation between the volume of WMH and age (r = 0. 518, P < 0. 05), and there was negative correlcction between mini-metal state examination (MMSE) scures and the volume of WMH (r=-0.514, P<0. 05), After controlling confounding factors, only age was positively correlated with the volume of WMH (r=0. 400, P=0. 004). There were negative correlation between the number of LI, the volume of WMH and MMSE scores(r=-0. 456,-0. 514,-0. 385,-0. 382;all P<0. 05), and the years of education was positively correlated with MMSE scores (r= 0. 518, P< 0. 001). Conclusions Age may not be the main risk factor for cognitive impairment in patients with SIVD. The volume of WMH and the number of LI are independent risk factors for cognitive impairment in patients with SIVD. Patients with severer SIVD or more LI show poorer performance on cognitive function.