1,721,076 research outputs found

    An Update on Clinical and Surgical Interventions to Reduce Sperm DNA Fragmentation in Infertile Men

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    Sperm chromatin integrity is essential for normal embryo development and pregnancy outcome. Sperm DNA fragmentation (SDF) testing constitutes a diagnostic tool to measure the proportion of sperm with damaged chromatin in the ejaculate. SDF is associated with potentially treatable conditions, including varicocele, male accessory gland infections, inadequate lifestyle, and gonadotoxin exposure, thus prompting their treatment as a means of improving sperm DNA quality and the reproductive outcomes

    POSEIDON groups and their distinct reproductive outcomes: Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness insights from real-world data research

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    : The Patient-Oriented Strategies Encompassing IndividualizeDOocyte Number (POSEIDON) criteria identify and classify the so-called 'low-prognosis' patients undergoing assisted reproductive technology (ART). Recent large-scale studies using real-world data (RWD) have shown that patients classified under this system have distinct reproductive outcomes. Moreover, these studies also confirm that POSEIDON patients are commonly found in fertility centers. RWD has substantiated the validity of the POSEIDON biomarkers' thresholds (antral follicle count [AFC] and/or anti-Müllerian hormone [AMH]) for patient classification. Lastly, a predictive model has been developed and validated to estimate the POSEIDON metric of success (i.e., number of oocytes needed to achieve at least one euploid blastocyst). Although more evidence is needed in this area, current insights from RWD research indicate that infertility patients can be counseled and managed more effectively under the POSEIDON scope, with potential gains for all parties involved

    Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis

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    The present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed

    The novel POSEIDON stratification of ‘Low prognosis patients in Assisted Reproductive Technology’ and its proposed marker of successful outcome [version 1; referees: 2 approved, 1 approved with reservations]

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    In reproductive medicine little progress has been achieved regarding the clinical management of patients with a reduced ovarian reserve or poor ovarian response (POR) to stimulation with exogenous gonadotropins -a frustrating experience for clinicians as well as patients. Despite the efforts to optimize the definition of this subgroup of patients, the existing POR criteria unfortunately comprise a heterogeneous population and, importantly, do not offer any recommendations for clinical handling. Recently, the POSEIDON group (Patient-Oriented Strategies Encompassing IndividualizeD Oocyte Number) proposed a new stratification of assisted reproductive technology (ART) in patients with a reduced ovarian reserve or unexpected inappropriate ovarian response to exogenous gonadotropins. In brief, four subgroups have been suggested based on quantitative and qualitative parameters, namely, i. Age and the expected aneuploidy rate; ii. Ovarian biomarkers (i.e. antral follicle count [AFC] and anti-Müllerian hormone [AMH]), and iii. Ovarian response - provided a previous stimulation cycle was performed. The new classification introduces a more nuanced picture of the “low prognosis patient” in ART, using clinically relevant criteria to guide the physician to most optimally manage this group of patients. The POSEIDON group also introduced a new measure for successful ART treatment, namely, the ability to retrieve the number of oocytes needed for the specific patient to obtain at least one euploid embryo for transfer. This feature represents a pragmatic endpoint to clinicians and enables the development of prediction models aiming to reduce the time-to-pregnancy (TTP). Consequently, the POSEIDON stratification should not be applied for retrospective analyses having live birth rate (LBR) as endpoint. Such an approach would fail as the attribution of patients to each Poseidon group is related to specific requirements and could only be made prospectively. On the other hand, any prospective approach (i.e. RCT) should be performed separately in each specific group

    Variations on the Author

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    “Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship

    Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis

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    We provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis

    Male infertility and gonadotropin treatment: What can we learn from real-world data?

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    : Gonadotropin therapy to treat specific male infertility disorders associated with hypogonadotropic hypogonadism is evidence-based and effective in restoring spermatogenesis and fertility. In contrast, its use to improve fertility in men with idiopathic oligozoospermia or nonobstructive azoospermia remains controversial, despite being widely practiced. The existence of two major inter-related pathways for spermatogenesis, including FSH and intratesticular testosterone, provides a rationale for empiric hormone stimulation therapy in both eugonadal and hypogonadal males with idiopathic oligozoospermia or nonobstructive azoospermia. Real-world data (RWD) on gonadotropin stimulating for these patient subsets, mainly using human chorionic gonadotropin and follicle-stimulating hormone, accumulated gradually, showing a positive therapeutic effect in some patients, translated by increased sperm production, sperm quality, and sperm retrieval rates. Although more evidence is needed, current insights from RWD research indicate that selected male infertility patients might be managed more effectively using gonadotropin therapy, with potential gains for all parties involved
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