Pretreatment of normal responders in fresh in vitro fertilization cycles: A comparison of transdermal estradiol and oral contraceptive pills

Pereira, Nigel,Petrini, Allison C.,Zhou, Zhen N.,Lekovich, Jovana P.,Kligman, Isaac,Rosenwaks, Zev The Korean Society for Reproductive Medicine 2016 Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine Vol.43 No.4

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of pretreatment with transdermal estradiol ($E_2$) compared to oral contraceptive pills (OCPs) on controlled ovarian stimulation (COS) response in normal responders undergoing fresh in vitro fertilization (IVF)-embryo transfer (ET) cycles. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was performed of normal responders undergoing fresh IVF-ET cycles who received pretreatment with transdermal $E_2$ versus OCPs prior to fresh IVF-ET. The total days of ovarian stimulation, total dosage of gonadotropins, total number of oocytes, and mature oocytes retrieved were noted. Pregnancy outcomes after ET were also recorded. Results: A total of 2,092 patients met the inclusion criteria: 1,057 and 1,035 patients in the transdermal $E_2$ and OCP groups, respectively. Patients in the OCP group had a longer duration of COS ($10.7{\pm}1.63days$, p< 0.01) than the $E_2$ group ($9.92{\pm}1.94days$). Patients in the OCP group also required higher cumulative doses of gonadotropins ($2,657.3{\pm}1,187.9IU$) than those in the $E_2$ group ($2,550.1{\pm}1,270.2IU$, p= 0.002). No statistically significant differences were found in the total and mature oocytes retrieved or in the rates of biochemical pregnancy, clinical pregnancy, spontaneous miscarriage, and live birth between the groups. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that compared to OCPs, pretreatment with transdermal $E_2$ is associated with a shorter duration of ovarian stimulation and lower gonadotropin utilization, without compromising the oocyte yield or pregnancy outcomes in normal-responder patients undergoing fresh IVF.

Susceptibility of Ceftolozane-Tazobactam and Ceftazidime-Avibactam Against a Collection of β-Lactam-Resistant Gram-Negative Bacteria

Mark D. Gonzalez,Allison R. McMullen,Meghan A. Wallace,Matthew P. Crotty,David J. Ritchie,Carey-Ann D. Burnham 대한진단검사의학회 2017 Annals of Laboratory Medicine Vol.37 No.2

Dear Editor, Ceftolozane-tazobactam (C/T) and ceftazidime-avibactam (CZA) were recently approved for the treatment of complicated intra-abdominal infections and complicated urinary tract infections (http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm427534.htm, http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm435629.htm, both accessed February 24, 2016). To date, only one study has simultaneously evaluated the activities of C/T and CZA in vitro against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and few studies have evaluated the effects of these antibiotics on multi-drug resistant (MDR) gram-negative bacteria [1-3]. This study aimed to examine the activities of C/T and CZA against β-lactam-resistant Enterobacteriaceae and P. aeruginosa clinical isolates.

Recent developments in G<small>EANT</small>4

Allison, J.,Amako, K.,Apostolakis, J.,Arce, P.,Asai, M.,Aso, T.,Bagli, E.,Bagulya, A.,Banerjee, S.,Barrand, G.,Beck, B.R.,Bogdanov, A.G.,Brandt, D.,Brown, J.M.C.,Burkhardt, H.,Canal, Ph.,Cano-Ott, D. Elsevier 2016 Nuclear Instruments & Methods in Physics Research. Vol.835 No.-

<P><B>Abstract</B></P> <P>G<SMALL>EANT</SMALL>4 is a software toolkit for the simulation of the passage of particles through matter. It is used by a large number of experiments and projects in a variety of application domains, including high energy physics, astrophysics and space science, medical physics and radiation protection. Over the past several years, major changes have been made to the toolkit in order to accommodate the needs of these user communities, and to efficiently exploit the growth of computing power made available by advances in technology. The adaptation of G<SMALL>EANT</SMALL>4 to multithreading, advances in physics, detector modeling and visualization, extensions to the toolkit, including biasing and reverse Monte Carlo, and tools for physics and release validation are discussed here.</P> <P><B>Highlights</B></P> <P> <UL> <LI> Multithreading resulted in a smaller memory footprint and nearly linear speed-up. </LI> <LI> Scoring options, faster geometry primitives, more versatile visualization were added. </LI> <LI> Improved electromagnetic and hadronic models and cross sections were developed. </LI> <LI> Reverse Monte Carlo and general biasing methods were added. </LI> <LI> Physics validation efforts were expanded and new validation tools were added. </LI> </UL> </P>

Performance of a Dual Layer Silicon Charge Detector During CREAM Balloon Flight

Nam, S.,Ahn, H. S.,Allison, P.,Bagliesi, M. G.,Barbier, L.,Beatty, J. J.,Bigongiari, G.,Brandt, T. J.,Jeon, J. A.,Childers, J. T.,Conklin, N. B.,Coutu, S.,DuVernois, M. A.,Ganel, O.,Han, J. H.,Kim, K. IEEE 2007 IEEE transactions on nuclear science Vol.54 No.5

<P>The balloon-borne cosmic-ray experiment CREAM (Cosmic Ray Energetics And Mass) has completed two flights in Antarctica, with a combined duration of 70 days. One of the detectors in the payload is the SCD (silicon charge detector) that measures the charge of high energy cosmic rays. The SCD was assembled with silicon sensors. A sensor is a 4 × 4 array of DC-coupled PIN diode pixels with the total active area of 21 × 16 mm<SUP>2</SUP>. The SCD used during the first flight (December 2004-January 2005) was a single layer device, then upgraded to a dual layer device for the second flight (December 2005-January 2006), covering the total sensitive area of 779 × 795 mm<SUP>2</SUP>. Flight data demonstrated that adding a second layer improved SCD performance, showing excellent particle charge resolution. With a total dissipation of 136 W for the dual layer system, special care was needed in designing thermal paths to keep the detector temperature within its operational range. As a consequence, flight temperatures of the SCD, even at diurnal maximum were kept below 38°C. The SCD mechanical structure was designed to minimize the possibility of damage to the sensors and electronics from the impacts of parachute deployment and landing. The detector was recovered successfully following the flight and is being refurbished for the next flight in 2007. Details of construction, operation, and performance are presented for the dual-layered SCD flown for the second CREAM flight.</P>

DISCREPANT HARDENING OBSERVED IN COSMIC-RAY ELEMENTAL SPECTRA

Ahn, H. S.,Allison, P.,Bagliesi, M. G.,Beatty, J. J.,Bigongiari, G.,Childers, J. T.,Conklin, N. B.,Coutu, S.,DuVernois, M. A.,Ganel, O.,Han, J. H.,Jeon, J. A.,Kim, K. C.,Lee, M. H.,Lutz, L.,Maestro, P IOP Publishing 2010 ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL LETTERS - Vol.714 No.1

<P>The balloon-borne Cosmic Ray Energetics And Mass experiment launched five times from Antarctica has achieved a cumulative flight duration of about 156 days above 99.5% of the atmosphere. The instrument is configured with complementary and redundant particle detectors designed to extend direct measurements of cosmic-ray composition to the highest energies practical with balloon flights. All elements from protons to iron nuclei are separated with excellent charge resolution. Here, we report results from the first two flights of similar to 70 days, which indicate hardening of the elemental spectra above similar to 200 GeV/nucleon and a spectral difference between the two most abundant species, protons and helium nuclei. These results challenge the view that cosmic-ray spectra are simple power laws below the so-called knee at similar to 10(15) eV. This discrepant hardening may result from a relatively nearby source, or it could represent spectral concavity caused by interactions of cosmic rays with the accelerating shock. Other possible explanations should also be investigated.</P>

ENERGY SPECTRA OF COSMIC-RAY NUCLEI AT HIGH ENERGIES

Ahn, H. S.,Allison, P.,Bagliesi, M. G.,Barbier, L.,Beatty, J. J.,Bigongiari, G.,Brandt, T. J.,Childers, J. T.,Conklin, N. B.,Coutu, S.,DuVernois, M. A.,Ganel, O.,Han, J. H.,Jeon, J. A.,Kim, K. C.,Lee, IOP Publishing 2009 The Astrophysical journal Vol.707 No.1

<P>We present new measurements of the energy spectra of cosmic-ray (CR) nuclei from the second flight of the balloon-borne experiment Cosmic-Ray Energetics And Mass (CREAM). The instrument included different particle detectors to provide redundant charge identification and measure the energy of CRs up to several hundred TeV. The measured individual energy spectra of C, O, Ne, Mg, Si, and Fe are presented up to similar to 10(14) eV. The spectral shape looks nearly the same for these primary elements and it can be fitted to an E(-2.66 +/- 0.04)power law in energy. Moreover, a new measurement of the absolute intensity of nitrogen in the 100-800 GeV/n energy range with smaller errors than previous observations, clearly indicates a hardening of the spectrum at high energy. The relative abundance of N/O at the top of the atmosphere is measured to be 0.080 +/- 0.025 (stat.) +/- 0.025 (sys.) at similar to 800 GeV/n, in good agreement with a recent result from the first CREAM flight.</P>

SEARCHES FOR LARGE-SCALE ANISOTROPY IN THE ARRIVAL DIRECTIONS OF COSMIC RAYS DETECTED ABOVE ENERGY OF 10¹⁹eV AT THE PIERRE AUGER OBSERVATORY AND THE TELESCOPE ARRAY

Aab, A.,Abreu, P.,Aglietta, M.,Ahn, E. J.,Al Samarai, I.,Albuquerque, I. F. M.,Allekotte, I.,Allen, J.,Allison, P.,Almela, A.,Castillo, J. Alvarez,Alvarez-Muñ,iz, J.,Batista, R. Alves,Ambrosio, IOP Publishing 2014 The Astrophysical journal Vol.794 No.2

<P>Spherical harmonic moments are well-suited for capturing anisotropy at any scale in the flux of cosmic rays. An unambiguous measurement of the full set of spherical harmonic coefficients requires full-sky coverage. This can be achieved by combining data from observatories located in both the northern and southern hemispheres. To this end, a joint analysis using data recorded at the Telescope Array and the Pierre Auger Observatory above 10(19) eV is presented in this work. The resulting multipolar expansion of the flux of cosmic rays allows us to perform a series of anisotropy searches, and in particular to report on the angular power spectrum of cosmic rays above 10(19) eV. No significant deviation from isotropic expectations is found throughout the analyses performed. Upper limits on the amplitudes of the dipole and quadrupole moments are derived as a function of the direction in the sky, varying between 7% and 13% for the dipole and between 7% and 10% for a symmetric quadrupole.</P>

MEASUREMENTS OF THE RELATIVE ABUNDANCES OF HIGH-ENERGY COSMIC-RAY NUCLEI IN THE TeV/NUCLEON REGION

Ahn, H. S.,Allison, P. S.,Bagliesi, M. G.,Barbier, L.,Beatty, J. J.,Bigongiari, G.,Brandt, T. J.,Childers, J. T.,Conklin, N. B.,Coutu, S.,DuVernois, M. A.,Ganel, O.,Han, J. H.,Jeon, J. A.,Kim, K. C.,L IOP Publishing 2010 The Astrophysical journal Vol.715 No.2

<P>We present measurements of the relative abundances of cosmic-ray nuclei in the energy range of 500-3980 GeV/nucleon from the second flight of the Cosmic Ray Energetics And Mass balloon-borne experiment. Particle energy was determined using a sampling tungsten/scintillating-fiber calorimeter, while particle charge was identified precisely with a dual-layer silicon charge detector installed for this flight. The resulting element ratios C/O, N/O, Ne/O, Mg/O, Si/O, and Fe/O at the top of atmosphere are 0.919 +/- 0.123(stat) +/- 0.030(syst), 0.076 +/- 0.019(stat) +/- 0.013(syst), 0.115 +/- 0.031(stat) +/- 0.004(syst), 0.153 +/- 0.039(stat) +/- 0.005(syst), 0.180 +/- 0.045(stat) +/- 0.006(syst), and 0.139 +/- 0.043(stat) +/- 0.005(syst), respectively, which agree with measurements at lower energies. The source abundance of N/O is found to be 0.054 +/- 0.013(stat) +/- 0.009(-0.017)(syst+0.010esc). The cosmic-ray source abundances are compared to local Galactic (LG) abundances as a function of first ionization potential and as a function of condensation temperature. At high energies the trend that the cosmic-ray source abundances at large ionization potential or low condensation temperature are suppressed compared to their LG abundances continues. Therefore, the injection mechanism must be the same at TeV/nucleon energies as at the lower energies measured by HEAO-3, CRN, and TRACER. Furthermore, the cosmic-ray source abundances are compared to a mixture of 80% solar system abundances and 20% massive stellar outflow (MSO) as a function of atomic mass. The good agreement with TIGER measurements at lower energies confirms the existence of a substantial fraction of MSO material required in the similar to TeV per nucleon region.</P>

High-Spin Ferric Ions in <i>Saccharomyces cerevisiae</i> Vacuoles Are Reduced to the Ferrous State during Adenine-Precursor Detoxification

Park, Jinkyu,McCormick, Sean P.,Cockrell, Allison L.,Chakrabarti, Mrinmoy,Lindahl, Paul A. American Chemical Society 2014 Biochemistry Vol.53 No.24

<P/><P>The majority of Fe in Fe-replete yeast cells is located in vacuoles. These acidic organelles store Fe for use under Fe-deficient conditions and they sequester it from other parts of the cell to avoid Fe-associated toxicity. Vacuolar Fe is predominantly in the form of one or more magnetically isolated nonheme high-spin (NHHS) Fe<SUP>III</SUP> complexes with polyphosphate-related ligands. Some Fe<SUP>III</SUP> oxyhydroxide nanoparticles may also be present in these organelles, perhaps in equilibrium with the NHHS Fe<SUP>III</SUP>. Little is known regarding the chemical properties of vacuolar Fe. When grown on adenine-deficient medium (A↓), ADE2Δ strains of yeast such as W303 produce a toxic intermediate in the adenine biosynthetic pathway. This intermediate is conjugated with glutathione and shuttled into the vacuole for detoxification. The iron content of A↓ W303 cells was determined by Mössbauer and EPR spectroscopies. As they transitioned from exponential growth to stationary state, A↓ cells (supplemented with 40 μM Fe<SUP>III</SUP> citrate) accumulated two major NHHS Fe<SUP>II</SUP> species as the vacuolar NHHS Fe<SUP>III</SUP> species declined. This is evidence that vacuoles in A↓ cells are more reducing than those in adenine-sufficient cells. A↓ cells suffered less oxidative stress despite the abundance of NHHS Fe<SUP>II</SUP> complexes; such species typically promote Fenton chemistry. Most Fe in cells grown for 5 days with extra yeast-nitrogen-base, amino acids and bases in minimal medium was HS Fe<SUP>III</SUP> with insignificant amounts of nanoparticles. The vacuoles of these cells might be more acidic than normal and can accommodate high concentrations of HS Fe<SUP>III</SUP> species. Glucose levels and rapamycin (affecting the TOR system) affected cellular Fe content. This study illustrates the sensitivity of cellular Fe to changes in metabolism, redox state and pH. Such effects broaden our understanding of how Fe and overall cellular metabolism are integrated.</P>

COSMIC-RAY PROTON AND HELIUM SPECTRA FROM THE FIRST CREAM FLIGHT

Yoon, Y. S.,Ahn, H. S.,Allison, P. S.,Bagliesi, M. G.,Beatty, J. J.,Bigongiari, G.,Boyle, P. J.,Childers, J. T.,Conklin, N. B.,Coutu, S.,DuVernois, M. A.,Ganel, O.,Han, J. H.,Jeon, J. A.,Kim, K. C.,Le IOP Publishing 2011 The Astrophysical journal Vol.728 No.2

<P>Cosmic-ray proton and helium spectra have been measured with the balloon-borne Cosmic Ray Energetics And Mass experiment flown for 42 days in Antarctica in the 2004-2005 austral summer season. High-energy cosmic-ray data were collected at an average altitude of similar to 38.5 km with an average atmospheric overburden of similar to 3.9 g cm(-2). Individual elements are clearly separated with a charge resolution of similar to 0.15 e (in charge units) and similar to 0.2 e for protons and helium nuclei, respectively. The measured spectra at the top of the atmosphere are represented by power laws with a spectral index of -2.66 +/- 0.02 for protons from 2.5 TeV to 250 TeV and -2.58 +/- 0.02 for helium nuclei from 630 GeV nucleon(-1) to 63 TeV nucleon-1. They are harder than previous measurements at a few tens of GeV nucleon-1. The helium flux is higher than that expected from the extrapolation of the power law fitted to the lower-energy data. The relative abundance of protons to helium nuclei is 9.1 +/- 0.5 for the range from 2.5 TeV nucleon(-1) to 63 TeV nucleon(-1). This ratio is considerably smaller than the previous measurements at a few tens of GeV nucleon(-1).</P>