This study examines the role of several key features of professional development (PD) in bringing about changes in teachers' mathematical knowledge for teaching. Artifacts (e.g., PD tasks, materials, ...and agendas) of the PD activities completed by 542 teachers in 21 different Mathematics and Science Partnership programs were coded based on the core features of PD identified in earlier literature. Multilevel analyses examined whether the programs' focus on specific components of teacher knowledge (e.g., knowledge of mathematics teaching) and specific strategies for implementing the PD content (e.g., examining students' work and solving mathematics problems) were related to gains in teachers' mathematical knowledge. The results showed that a focus on curricular content knowledge and examining students' work were significantly related to teachers' learning. Implications for research and teacher education are discussed.
The ideal protocols of endometrial preparation for polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) patients are lacking and need further declaration. Our objective was to compare the clinical outcomes of ...frozen-thawed embryo transfer (FET) with and without pretreatment gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRHa) in PCOS patients.
In this retrospective cohort study, we used propensity score matching (PSM) to compare the live birth rate between patients who underwent FET with hormone replacement treatment (HRT) and patients with GnRHa pretreatment (GnRHa + HRT). Patients using GnRHa + HRT (n = 514) were matched with 514 patients using HRT.
The live birth rate was higher in the GnRHa + HRT group compared with the HRT group with no significant difference (60.12% vs 56.03%, p = 0.073). The clinical pregnancy rate (75.29% vs 70.62%), miscarriage rate (14.20% vs 13.81%) and ectopic pregnancy rate (0.39% vs 0.19%) were similar between the two groups. The preterm birth rate in GnRHa + HRT was higher than HRT (20.23% vs 13.04%). No difference was found in live birth between GnRHa +HRT and HRT before adjusting for covariates (crude OR 1.22, 95%CI, 0.99-1.51, p = 0.062) and after PSM (OR 1.47, 95%CI, 0.99-2.83, p = 0.068). In addition, there is a marginally difference after adjusting for covariates (aOR 1.56, 95%CI, 1.001-2.41, p = 0.048), this finding with p-value close to 0.05 represent insufficient empirical evidence. Similar results were obtained after propensity score matching in the entire cohort.
GnRHa pretreatment could not improve the live birth rate in women with PCOS.
Glutathione and 2-aminopyridine are used as carbon sources to prepare carbon dots (CDs) by a one-step hydrothermal reaction. The results show that the average particle diameter of CDs is 8.64 nm with ...uniform size distribution and the fluorescence quantum yield is 13.62%. We further demonstrate that novel CDs possess highly selective sensing of Fe
3+
from 0.2 to 200 μM with a low detection limit (0.194 μM). Meanwhile, the fluorescence of CDs can be repeated many times by the addition of S
2−
. Moreover, the CDs are used for biological imaging of living cells with well cell penetrability and low toxicity. Furthermore, it is successfully applied for anti-counterfeiting and information encryption. More interestingly, it can be doped with hydrogel and filter paper to prepare solid-phase sensors exhibiting high sensitivity and fast response, demonstrating their tremendous potential for the simple, rapid, and low-cost monitoring of Fe
3+
and S
2−
.
Graphical abstract
Purpose
To investigate the relationship between different duration of estrogen administration and live birth rate (LBR) after autologous single frozen blastocyst transfer with hormone replacement ...therapy.
Methods
A total of 2026 frozen blastocyst transfer cycles in the assisted reproductive center of northwest women and children’s hospital from January, 2017, to August, 2020, were retrospectively analyzed. All the cycles were allocated into 3 groups according to the duration of estrogen administration: group A, 11–14 days (
n
= 346); group B, 15–18 days (
n
= 1191), and group C, ≥ 19 days (
n
= 489). Baseline data, clinical, and perinatal outcomes of the three groups were compared. A multivariate regression model was constructed to analyze the association between duration of estradiol administration and clinical outcomes.
Results
We did not observe a significant association between duration of estrogen supplementation and LBR in group B (adjusted odds ratio aOR 1.14; 95% confidence interval CI, 0.89–1.45) or group C (aOR 1.16; 95% CI, 0.86–1.56) patients with group A as the reference group, through logistic regression analysis. No statistical differences were observed in perinatal outcomes among the three groups.
Conclusion
The duration of estrogen administration was not associated with the likelihood of live birth in women undergoing frozen-thawed autologous single-blastocyst transfer.
Late follicular phase progesterone elevation (LFPE) during ovarian stimulation is associated with reduced live birth rates (LBRs) after cleavage-stage embryo transfer. However, due to better ...synchronization with a stimulated endometrium, prior studies shown that LFPE had no effect on transferring embryos at blastocyst stage. The study aim to exam whether the developmental stage of embryos and serum progesterone levels on the day of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) administration jointly affect the odds of live birth in fresh fresh IVF/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) cycles. METHODS: The single-center retrospective cohort study included a total of 4,471 fresh embryo transfer cycles with 2,342 at cleavage stage versus 2,129 at blastocyst stage. Patients underwent IVF/ICSI with ovarian stimulation in gonadotropin-releasing hormone antagonist protocol. The serum progesterone level was examined both as a continuous variable and as a categorical variable by quartiles. Analysis was performed using the generalized estimating equations framework and multivariate regression models.
LBRs were inversely associated with progesterone as a continuous variable on the day of hCG in both the cleavage-stage (crude OR 0.87, 95%CI 0.73-1.03; adjusted OR 0.80, 95% CI 0.65-0.98) and the blastocyst-stage (crude OR 0.66, 95%CI 0.56-0,78; adjusted OR 0.61, 95%CI 0.50-0.73) groups. The interaction testing was highly significant (P = 0.018) indicating an effect modifying role of stage of embryos transferred on the association of pregesterone values with the LBRs in fresh cycles. A similar pattern for a greater reduction in ORs for live birth in cycles with blastocysts transfer was also observed when progesterone was analyzed by interquartile ranges. The findings remained unchanged in subgroup analysis stratified by types of ovarian response.
In fresh cycles, detrimental effect of late follicular phase progesterone elevation on live birth was more prominent in blastocyst-stage group compared with that in clevaged-stage group.
The psychometric properties of a 14-item bidimensional Mathematics Anxiety Scale—Revised (MAS-R) were empirically cross-validated with two independent samples consisting of 647 secondary school ...students. An exploratory factor analysis on the scale yielded strong construct validity with a clear two-factor structure. The results from a confirmatory factor analysis indicated an excellent model-fit (χ 2 = 98.32, df = 62; normed fit index = .92, comparative fit index = .97; root mean square error of approximation = .04). The internal consistency (.85), test—retest reliability (.71), interfactor correlation (.26, p < .001), and positive discrimination power indicated that MAS-R is a psychometrically reliable and valid instrument for measuring mathematics anxiety. Math anxiety, as measured by MAS-R, correlated negatively with student achievement scores (r = -.38), suggesting that MAS-R may be a useful tool for classroom teachers and other educational personnel tasked with identifying students at risk of reduced math achievement because of anxiety.
Purpose
To assess the association between maternal education level and live birth after in vitro fertilization (IVF).
Methods
We studied women who underwent the first cycle of fresh or frozen-thawed ...embryo transfer between 2014 and 2019. Women were divided into four educational categories according to the level of education received (elementary school graduate or less, middle school graduate, high school graduate, college graduate or higher). The live birth rate was compared between different education level groups. We used logistic regression to analyze the association between maternal education level and live birth after IVF.
Results
We studied 41,546 women, who were grouped by maternal educational level: elementary school graduate or less (
n
= 1590), middle school graduate (
n
= 10,996), high school graduate (
n
= 8354), and college graduate or higher (
n
= 20,606). In multivariable logistic regression analysis, we did not demonstrate a statistically significant relationship between educational level and live birth in middle school graduate (adjusted odds ratio AOR 0.96; 95% confidence interval CI, 0.84–1.09), high school graduate (AOR 1.01; 95% CI, 0.87–1.14) or college graduate or higher (AOR 1.01; 95% CI, 0.88–1.14) patients, with elementary school graduate or less as the reference group.
Conclusions
Maternal educational level was not associated with the likelihood of live birth in patients undergoing fresh or frozen embryo transfer.
To investigate ovarian sensitivity in subgroups of patients with a low prognosis, as defined by the POSEIDON criteria, undergoing
fertilization treatment and measures to improve ovarian sensitivity ...in these patients.
We conducted a retrospective cohort analysis.
The study was conducted at an IVF clinic in a public hospital.
A total of 32,128 fresh IVF cycles from January 2014 to October 2018 at a single IVF clinic were included in the analysis. Patients with a low prognosis were categorized into four groups based on the POSEIDON criteria.
None.
The primary outcome measures were the follicular output rate (FORT) and the follicle-to-oocyte index (FOI).
The FORTs in the order from the highest to the lowest were 1.18 in group 3, 0.98 in group 4, 0.76 in group 1, and 0.68 in group 2. The trend in the FOI values was consistent with that in the FORTs. Among patients with poor ovarian sensitivity, 58.41% of patients with FORTs ≥ 0.30 in the second cycle underwent an adjustment to the ovarian stimulation (OS) protocol and 41.59% underwent an adjustment to the gonadotropin (Gn) starting dose. Among patients with normal ovarian sensitivity, 43.56% of those with FORTs ≥ 0.80 in the second cycle underwent an adjustment to the OS protocol and 56.44% underwent an adjustment to the Gn starting dose.
Ovarian sensitivity was the highest in group 3 (young women with poor ovarian reserve), followed by groups 4 (women at advanced age with poor ovarian reserve) and 1 (young women with good ovarian reserve), and it was the lowest in group 2 (women at advanced age with good ovarian reserve). For patients with poor ovarian sensitivity, it is preferred to recommend an adjustment to the OS protocol, while for those with normal ovarian sensitivity, adjusting the Gn starting dose is preferred.
Research Question:
How to prevent the transfer of a mutation causing osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) to offspring in a couple with recurrent adverse pregnancy outcomes, when the male partner is a ...gonosomal mosaic carrier.
Design:
High-throughput sequencing and first-generation DNA sequencing were performed using the tissues from an aborted fetus and its parents. Regions 2 Mb upstream and downstream of the COL1A1 gene were subjected to multiplex PCR to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and family haplotypes associated with the disease-causing mutation. Single-cell whole-genome amplification and sequencing were performed on trophoblasts cultured
in vitro
for 5–6 days to construct embryonic SNP haplotypes, and first-generation sequencing was used for pathogenic locus verification and aneuploidy screening. Preimplantation genetic testing for monogenic disorders (PGT-M) was also performed.
Results:
The aborted fetus was heterozygous for the COL1A1 mutation c.1454G>A (chr17-48272089, p.Gly485Asp) suspected to cause OI. The variant was also detected in the peripheral blood cells and sperm of the male partner, who appeared to be a gonosomal mosaic carrier of the mutation. Three morphologically usable blastocysts were obtained
in vitro
and successfully expanded after a trophectoderm biopsy. Two blastocysts were unusable owing to aneuploidy; however, one was euploid and did not carry the paternal mutation. Post-transfer gestation was confirmed by systematic B-scan ultrasound, and amniocentesis findings were consistent with the PGT-M results.
Conclusion:
Parental gonadal mosaicism was the cause of recurrent terminated pregnancies due to fetal skeletal dysplasia. Using PGT-M to select embryos without the paternal pathogenic mutation prevented the vertical transmission of OI in this family, and a successful pregnancy was achieved.
A number of studies have compared the clinical outcomes between the two endometrial preparation methods: natural cycles (NCs) and hormone replacement treatment (HRT) before frozen embryo transfer, ...but the results were conflicting. In order to mitigate the potential effect of embryos per se, several researchers have worked on this subject for euploid blastocyst transfer, but the results were still inconsistent. Therefore, the present study was aimed to investigate the clinical outcomes between HRT and NC for autologous single vitrified-warmed euploid blastocyst transfer based on our data.
A total of 598 frozen-thawed single euploid blastocyst transfer cycles in the assisted reproductive center of Northwest Women's and Children's Hospital from January 2014 to May 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. Women were stratified into the NC (n = 125) or HRT (n = 473) group according to the patient's preference and the physician's guidance. Multivariate regression models and subgroup analysis were constructed to analyze the association between endometrial preparation and live birth.
Women in the NC group had a higher live birth rate (68.80% versus 58.35%,
= 0.034) and a lower risk of total pregnancy loss (8.51% versus 21.14%,
= 0.005) when compared with women in the HRT group. The biochemical pregnancy rate (75.20% versus 74.00%,
= 0.784) and clinical pregnancy rate (74.40% versus 69.98%,
= 0.334) were similar between the two groups (NC versus HRT). NC was associated with an increased odds of live birth compared with HRT by different multivariable analysis models (Model 1: adjusted odds ratio aOR, 95% confidence interval CI: 0.57, 0.36 - 0.90; Model 2: aOR, 95%CI: 0.57, 0.35 - 0.92). In addition, the increased chance of live birth in the NC group was found in all subgroups. No major obstetrical complications and two malformation livebirths were reported.
In women undergoing single euploid frozen blastocyst transfers, the NC group was associated with a lower pregnancy loss rate and an ultimately higher live birth rate than the HRT group. Although HRT is convenient for both clinicians and patients, the lower live birth rate should be taken into account and NC might be the first choice of endometrial preparation method.
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