[Effect of women's weight on the success rate of in vitro fertilization]. / Influence du poids sur les taux de succès en fécondation in vitro.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the effect of women's weight on the success rate of in vitro fertilization. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Single centre retrospective study of a continuous series of 846 patients who underwent 1444 in vitro fertilization or ICSI cycles. The outcomes of each cycle was analysed as a function of the woman's body mass index (BMI). Three groups were defined: (1) underweight (BMI<18 kg/m2, n=68 cycles, 43 women), (2) normal BMI (18 < or =BMI<25, n=1045 cycles, 607 women), (3) overweight or obese women (IMC > or =25, n=331 cycles, 196 women). MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENT: Live birth rate per cycle. RESULTS: In group 3, the live birth rate per cycle (10,6% [95% confidence interval: 7,3-13,9]) was significantly lower than in group 2 (16,6% [14,3-18,8]). There was a non-significant trend towards a decreased live birth rate in group I (11,8% [4,1-19,4]). In group 3, the cancellation rate (30,8% [25,8-35,8]) was significantly greater than in group 2 (19,6% [17,2-22]), the pregnancy per oocyte pick-up rate was lower (19,9% versus 24,6%) and the early miscarriage rate was increased (26,9% versus 15,7%) without reaching statistical significance. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: The live birth rate was decreased among overweight or obese women. This could be mediated by impairment of response to ovarian stimulation, oocyte quality, or implantation abnomalies.

[TVT Secur: more and more minimally invasive. Preliminary prospective study of 110 cases]. / TVT Secur: de plus en plus minimal invasif. Etude préliminaire prospective sur 110 cas.

OBJECTIVES: To present a new minimal invasive suburethral tape device derivative of the classic TVT, to describe the technique of laying, to evaluate complications and results to short term. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Prospective multicentric study of 110 patients presenting a stress urinary incontinence and benefiting from the laying of TVT Secur without associated operation. The tape is identical to that old-fashioned retropubic and obturator TVT, smaller, laying in "U" or in "hammock" without orifice of exit, to avoid complications due to crossed spaces of the other techniques. The device and the technique of laying are described by authors. The originality of the TVT Secur resides in the mechanism of insertion of the tape to a metallic divice. All patients have been controlled at two months and complications with notably pains (quotation VAS) as well as objective results have been reported. RESULTS: Pure and isolated stress urinary incontinence for 71 patients, mixed incontinence for 39 and sphincter deficient for 23. Preoperative urgency for 49 patients and dysuria for 10 of them. The method "hammock" has been used in 85.5% of cases. The type of anaesthesia has been pure local for 69.1% (0 to 98.8% for the different centers) with an average operative time of 8'30". Under local anaesthesia, the average per operative pain was quoted 2.8/10, and 0.7 at the end of intervention. Peroperative complications have revealed a wound of bladder, a vaginal wound and four bleeding of more than 100ml. In immediate continuations a total retention yielding to 24h and 13 postmicturition residual between 100 and 200ml have been mentioned. At two months, authors have observed the following: de novo urgency in 19.6%, de novo dysuria in 13.2%, one tape exposition, one granuloma, one urinary infection and seven perceptible lateral cords without pain. Thirteen patients have signalled to have had moderated pains on a duration of four to 30 days. Early objective results are globally 70.4% of dry patients (83% for pure isolated SUI, 72.2% for SUI with deficient sphincter, 50% for mixed incontinence). The pure local anaesthesia was recommended by 98% of patients. CONCLUSION: The diminution of complications ahead not to be made to the detriment of results, it is necessary to envisage multicentric studies with standardized modifications. The indications of this new device will have to be defined.

[Preterm corticosteroid therapy and fetal immobility. Case report]. / Diminution des mouvements actifs foetaux et cure de corticoïdes. A propos d'un cas.

We report a case of fetal immobility following antenatal corticosteroid therapy administered to women in thirty weeks at risk of preterm labor. The short-term side effect of corticosteroid, a decrease in fetal heart rate variation are well known. This case report presents the difficulty of therapy choice in front of fetal immobility and acute fetal distress. We chose a medical supervision. A review of the literature suggests other criteria, such as Doppler of umbilical artery, which could help therapeutical choice.

Maintained coupling of oxidative phosphorylation to creatine kinase activity in sarcomeric mitochondrial creatine kinase-deficient mice.

The importance of mitochondrial creatine kinase (mi-CK) in oxidative muscle was tested by studying the functional properties of in situ mitochondria in saponin-skinned muscle fibres from sarcomeric mi-CK-deficient (mutant) mice. Biochemical analyses showed that the lack of mi-CK in mutant muscle was associated with a decrease in specific activity of MM-CK in mutant ventricle, and increase in mutant soleus (oxidative) muscle. Lactate dehydrogenase activity and isoenzyme analysis showed an increased glycolytic metabolism in mutant soleus. No change was observed in ventricular muscle. In control animals, the apparent K(m) of mitochondrial respiration for ADP in ventricle and soleus (232 +/- 36 and 381 +/- 63 microM, respectively) was significantly reduced in the presence of creatine (52 +/- 8 and 45 +/- 12 microM, respectively). There was no change in the K(m) in oxidative fibres from mutant mice (258 +/- 27 and 399 +/- 66 microM, respectively) compared with control, though surprisingly, it was also significantly decreased in the presence of creatine (144 +/- 8 and 150 +/- 27 microM, respectively) despite the absence of mi-CK. It is proposed that in mutant (and perhaps normal) oxidative tissue, cytosolic MM-CK can relocate to the outer mitochondrial membrane, where it is coupled to oxidative phosphorylation by close proximity to porin, and the adenine nucleotide translocase. Such an effect can preserve the functioning of the CK shuttle and the energetic properties of mi-CK deficient tissue.

New features in the photophysics and photochemistry of 2-(2'-hydroxyphenyl)benzothiazoles introduced by amine substitution.

The photophysics and photochemistry of the 4'-diethylamino derivative of both 2-phenyl-benzothiazole and 2-(2'-hydroxyphenyl)benzothiazole have been studied by nanosecond and microsecond laser flash photolysis and picosecond emission spectroscopy. For the non-hydroxy substituted molecule, the singlet excited state was shown to relax primarily via fluorescence emission, and a very weak triplet transient was observed after laser flash excitation. The 2-(2'-hydroxy-4'-diethylaminophenyl)benzothiazole (AHBT) was shown to undergo excited state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) in the picosecond timescale (k greater than 3 x 10(10) s-1) to form a colored zwitter-ion/keto form in solution at room temperature while the ground state back proton transfer was slower by a factor of approximately 10(5). However, in marked contrast with other derivatives of 2-(2'-hydroxyphenyl)benzothiazole and related molecules, the ESIPT was not the only deactivation process of the lowest singlet excited state of the enol form. Under steady-state excitation at room temperature (and low temperature), the fluorescence emission of the enol form was observed. The T-T absorption of the enol form was also observed and furthermore, the ESIPT was shown to have an activation energy which was estimated to be approximately 4 kJ. None of the foregoing, fluorescence and T-T absorption of the enol nor activation energy for proton transfer have been observed for the parent or derivatives of 2-(2'-hydroxyphenyl)benzothiazoles. The striking new features for the ESIPT photochemistry and photophysics for the 4'-diethylamino derivative of 2-(2'-hydroxyphenyl)benzothiazole are discussed and MO calculations are used to aid in the interpretation of some of the experimental results.