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Biomedical subjects

William R Boone

Publications and source records attributed to William R Boone.

16 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Comparison of pregnancy rates for two embryo-transfer catheters.

OBJECTIVE: To compare two flexible catheters and determine whether pregnancy rates (PRs) differed. DESIGN: Prospective, randomized pilot study. SETTING: Tertiary-care infertility practice. PATIENT(S): The subjects for this study were 100 women undergoing assisted reproductive technology (ART) cycles between September 2003 and October 2005. INTERVENTION(S): None. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Clinical PR for Edwards-Wallace (Cooper Surgical, Shelton, CT) and Cook World (Cook Urological, Spencer, IN) embryo-transfer (ET) catheters. RESULT(S): The outcomes of pregnancy between the Edwards-Wallace and Cook World ET catheters were not significantly different. Use of the flare stimulation protocol resulted in a significantly lower PR compared to long luteal and antagonist protocols. No other variable affected PR. CONCLUSION(S): A 5% difference in PR was demonstrated between ET catheters; however, this study does not have the power to detect a significant difference in clinical PR between the two catheter groups. The pilot study demonstrates good design due to the lack of significant differences between the variables when stratifed by cather as well as pregnancy status. In a larger study, the flare protocol should be excluded.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Developing techniques for determining sperm morphology in today's andrology laboratory.

PURPOSE: To investigate three areas: the staining of spermatozoa; the Computer Assisted Semen Analysis (CASA); and the variability of technicians. METHODS: Staining experiment: sperm from 15 beef bulls were randomized to one of three staining protocols. CASA experiment: slides were evaluated using the Integrated Visual Optical System and compared to technician results. Variability of technicians: five laboratorians analyzed the same set of 20 slides six different times. RESULTS: Staining experiment: the size of the sperm increased in proportion to increased time and heat associated with each successive protocol. CASA experiment: coefficient of variation ranged from 18.3 to 101.7% (12 slides). Variability of technicians: the mean sperm morphology results ranged from 7.3 to 15% normal forms. CONCLUSIONS: Until laboratories adhere to the universal standard set by the World Health Organization to evaluate sperm morphology, a laboratory must rely on its own quality control to insure repeatable results.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Factors affecting assisted reproductive technology (ART) pregnancy rates: a multivariate analysis.

PURPOSE: To determine factors instrumental in achieving a clinical pregnancy in assisted reproductive technology (ART) patients. METHODS: This study included 205 women undergoing their first ART cycle. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed for patient demographics, in vitro production data, and factors associated with embryo transfer. Odds ratios (OR) were performed where appropriate. RESULTS: Our analyses indicated that age (OR: 0.879), specific year in which the cycle was performed (OR: 2.959), and use of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (OR: 2.867) altered potential pregnancy rate. In addition, percent fertilization (OR: 1.028), number of embryos transferred (OR: 1.842), type of catheter used to transfer the embryos (OR: 0.377), presence of blood on the catheter (OR .414), and embryologist (OR: 2.338) also altered pregnancy rate. CONCLUSIONS: Our data indicate patients' age, use of the Cook catheter, and presence of blood on the catheter reduce pregnancy rates. Performing ART in 1999, using ICSI, increasing fertilization rate, increasing number of embryos transferred (albeit less desirable when the chance of multiple gestation may occur), and transferring embryos via a particular embryologist, improve pregnancy rates.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Changes in the freezing protocol for human zygotes alter embryonic development and pregnancy rates.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of various freezing protocols on postthaw development and pregnancy rates resulting from transfer of human zygotes. DESIGN: Prospective study. SETTING: Tertiary care center. PATIENT(S): Couples undergoing assisted reproductive technology (ART) procedures who wished to have their excess zygotes cryopreserved. INTERVENTION(S): We cryopreserved zygotes with one of three protocols. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Post-thaw survival and development of the zygotes as well as pregnancy rate after transfer of these zygotes. RESULT(S): A 3-minute hold time after seeding, followed by a final preplunging temperature of -180 degrees C, resulted in a clinical pregnancy rate of 28.6%. In contrast, a 15-minute postseed hold time and a -30 degrees C final chamber temperature resulted in a 37.3% clinical pregnancy rate. When we combined the protocols to provide a 15-minute postseed holding time and a -180 degrees C before plunging into liquid nitrogen, we achieved a 69.6% clinical pregnancy rate. CONCLUSION(S): By increasing the postseeding hold time and decreasing the temperature of the freezing chamber before plunging the zygotes into liquid nitrogen, significant improvements can be made in postthaw development and pregnancy rates.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Flexible versus rigid intrauterine insemination catheters: a prospective, randomized, controlled study.

OBJECTIVE: To prospectively compare pregnancy rates for couples undergoing IUI by a single healthcare provider with random assignment to either rigid (Tomcat; Kendall Sovereign, Mansfield, MA) or flexible (Soft Pass; Cook, Spencer, IN) catheters. DESIGN: Randomized, controlled study. SETTING: Tertiary care infertility practice. PATIENT(S): One hundred infertile women enrolled from a single infertility practice who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria for IUI were enrolled. Of the 100 patients, 95 underwent ovarian stimulation before IUI: 35 with clomiphene citrate alone, 60 with clomiphene citrate combined with a single dose of gonadotropins. INTERVENTION(S): Timed IUI was performed with either rigid (Tomcat) or flexible (Cook) insemination catheters. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Pregnancy rate per cycle. RESULT(S): No differences were noted between groups for the following: age, length of infertility, day-3 FSH level, number of prior IUI cycles, total motile sperm count, days of abstinence, infertility diagnoses, insemination ratings, and stimulation protocols. No difference in pregnancy rates was observed between rigid and flexible catheter groups. CONCLUSION(S): There is no statistically significant difference between flexible and rigid catheters for IUI.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Defining the typical work environment for assisted reproductive technology laboratories in the United States.

OBJECTIVE: To determine time and staffing requirements as they relate to laboratory personnel in the field of assisted reproductive technology (ART). DESIGN: Descriptive study. SETTING: Assisted reproductive technology clinics in the United States. PERSONNEL: All personnel working in ART laboratories, which included laboratory directors and technicians (those laboratory personnel trained in specific areas of embryology, andrology, and endocrinology). INTERVENTION(S): None. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES(S): Frequencies were determined for time and staffing requirements as they pertained to individuals and procedures (e.g., oocyte retrieval, embryo transfer, semen analysis, hormone assay, etc.) performed in embryology, andrology, and endocrine laboratories. RESULT(S): Two different surveys of ART clinics in the United States were combined in this report. The average technician worked 40 hours a week, whereas the average laboratory director worked 49 hours per week. The average embryologist performed 181 procedures (not cases) per year. The average andrologist performed 648 procedures (not cases) per year, while the average endocrinologist completed 2,673 procedures (not cases) per year. CONCLUSION(S): This is the first report to describe time and staffing requirements as they relate to the laboratory personnel in an ART facility.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed2005

Assisted reproductive technology (ART) in the upstate: reducing the risks of multiple births.

Multiple pregnancies from ART procedures are all too common. Efforts to reduce high-order multiple pregnancies will require both social and medical reforms. In lieu of a legislative agenda to reduce multiple pregnancies in the United States, efforts must come from the personnel within the individual ART clinics. The approach to the problem includes accepting a lower pregnancy rate than otherwise might be obtainable, if the observed rate of high-order multiple pregnancies is above a certain threshold. Expanding the opportunities for ART reimbursement will ultimately address this problem in the United States, but until then, it is a problem that will not go away without commitment and resolve.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Evidence that bears are induced ovulators.

The objective of this study was to determine if black bears are induced ovulators. We conducted a single experiment with two replicates; each replicate was divided into two arms: females exposed to male bears and females without male exposure. We used laparoscopy to examine ovaries for corpora lutea and measured serum progesterone concentrations. Six of the seven isolated females failed to ovulate, while seven of the eight females exposed to males produced one to four corpora lutea. Furthermore, isolated females had significantly lower progesterone concentrations than females exposed to males. Thus, our data suggest that the American black bear is an induced ovulator. These results may aid biologists in their efforts to reproduce ursids in controlled environments.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Conclusions about the effects on fertilization of time from aspiration to incubation and blood in the aspirate depend on the use of appropriate statistical techniques.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the effects of exposure to blood and time from aspiration to incubation on oocyte fertilization. DESIGN: Retrospective, cohort study. SETTING: Hospital-based IVF practice. PATIENT(S): Eighty-two women undergoing IVF procedures. INTERVENTION(S): Patients received a standard gonadotropin protocol or a microdose flare protocol. MAIN OUTCOMES MEASURE(S): Logistic regression was used to estimate odds of nonfertilization, adjusting for maternal age, time from aspiration to incubation, presence of blood in the aspirate, and a time-by-blood interaction. Two statistical methods were used: an analysis that assumed oocytes were independent and an analysis that adjusted for the lack of independence of oocytes within mothers (i.e., cluster-correlated data). RESULT(S): The 82 women contributed 1093 oocytes. In a model with blood dicotomized as present or absent, and with time elapsed and maternal age categorized into quartiles, both time and maternal age were statistically significant when conventional logistic regression was used. In analyses that accounted for clustering within mother, retrieval-to-incubation times more than 4 minutes were associated with an increased risk of nonfertilization, but age and blood were not; there was no evidence of an interaction between time elapsed and blood. CONCLUSION(S): If appropriate statistics are applied, retrieval-to-incubation times more than 4 minutes are associated with increased risk of nonfertilization.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Expectations for oocyte fertilization and embryo cleavage after whole sperm versus sperm head intracytoplasmic sperm injection.

OBJECTIVE: To compare oocyte fertilization and embryo development after intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) with a whole sperm vs. a sperm head. DESIGN: Retrospective study. SETTING: Hospital-based IVF practice. PATIENT(S): Fifty-three women undergoing 54 IVF-embryo transfer plus ICSI procedures between January 1999 and June 2002. INTERVENTION(S): None. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Oocyte fertilization, zygote cleavage, and embryo stage after 72 hours of culture. RESULT(S): A significantly higher fertilization rate was observed using whole sperm (72.2%) than when using sperm heads (56.4%). Zygote cleavage rates for whole sperm vs. sperm head ICSI were 96.4% and 92.7%, respectively. Embryo cell stage after 72 hours of culture for whole sperm vs. sperm head ICSI was 6.5 +/- 2.1 cells and 5.6 +/- 1.8 cells, respectively. Embryo grade at this same time point was not different (2.3 +/- 1.0 and 2.5 +/- 0.9, respectively). CONCLUSION(S): The ICSI using whole sperm produces superior fertilization rates compared to ICSI using sperm heads, but once oocytes were fertilized, zygote cleavage rates were not different between the two sperm sources. Oocytes injected with a whole sperm produced embryos of higher cell stage but equivalent quality compared to oocytes injected with sperm heads. Therefore, having only sperm heads for use in ICSI should not be a deterrent to using this procedure.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Longevity of donor serum.

PURPOSE: To determine the viability of long-term, stored serum, which is used in human in vitro production as a source of energy substrates, amino acids, vitamins, growth factors, and other nutrients. METHOD: Two-cell mouse embryos were used in this prospective, cohort study. Serum stored for 1-, 5-, 10-, and 12-year intervals was subjected to four replications of mouse-embryo testing. RESULT(S): There were no significant differences in blastocyst rates between any of the replicates by year (80-100% blastocyst rate; P > 00.1) or between pooled replicate means by time period. CONCLUSION(S): Serum may be frozen up to 12 years.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Does seasonality alter intrauterine insemination outcomes: a 5-year study.

PURPOSE: To determine if seasonal changes alter pregnancy rate in intrauterine insemination (IUI) patients. METHODS: One-thousand and eighty semen analyses prepared for IUI were evaluated in this retrospective cohort study of 496 patients. RESULTS: Volume, pH, sperm concentration, and pregnancy rates were not altered by season. However, the percent motility, the total motile spermatozoa in the ejaculate, the straight-line velocity (VSL) of spermatozoa, as well as the morphology of sperm were altered by season. In a subset of these patients that were defined as normal, only the VSL and the morphology of the spermatozoa were altered by seasonal changes. CONCLUSIONS: Seasonality alters sperm motility parameters as well as morphology, but these changes are not significant enough to alter pregnancy rates.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Cryopreservation methodologies: freezing location and protocol alter development of mouse embryos.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of location in the freezing chamber and various freezing protocols on post-thaw development of two-cell mouse embryos. Different protocols were used to cryopreserve two-cell mouse embryos in different freezer positions. Embryos were thawed and cultured to observe post-thaw development. When four different freezer positions were compared, one position provided better post-thaw blastocyst development, regardless of several protocols tested. Furthermore, there were significant differences in temperatures between positions in the freezer. These differences came before seeding (-7 degrees C), just before changing the -7.0 degrees C hold demand (Ramp 2), during the two time points tested during Ramp 3 (-0.3 degrees C/min), and during the holding ramp of -30 degrees C. Post-thaw embryo development was improved by lengthening the time after seeding but before decreasing the temperature again. Decreasing embryos' temperature before plunging appeared to improve post-thaw performance.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Breeding behavior of the American black bear Ursus americanus.

By means of videotape, we observed and timed courtship, mating, and refractoriness in the American black bear while confined in a semicaptive environment. Sixty-six courtships resulted in mating. During courtship, the male detected estrus and receptivity in the female. Courtship lasted 22.5+/-2.3s (mean+/-S.E.M.). We videotaped and reviewed 61 matings that included mounts, pelvic thrusts, and flutters. Mating lasted 51.6+/-4.2s. Within these 61 matings, there were 24 pelvic thrusts and 14 flutters observed. Pelvic thrusts averaged 2.3+/-0.3 times, while flutters averaged 11.1+/-2.9 times. Of the 61 courtship-mating segments, 28 segments depicted a male refractory period, while 27 segments depicted a female refractory period. The male refractory period lasted 44.9+/-6.1s during which the male sat and licked his genital region. The female walked, ran away, or turned and attacked the male during her 54.2+/-8.3s refractory period. This is the first time a large number of paired ursid matings has been described and timed.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Can Westgard Quality Control Rules determine the suitability of frozen sperm pellets as a control material for computer assisted semen analyzers?

PURPOSE: To evaluate the drop-to-drop and pellet-to-pellet repeatability and stability of frozen sperm pellets. METHODS: Ten pellets were thawed per batch (low and normal concentration) and evaluated by two investigators to establish a quality control chart. Then low and normal concentration pellets were thawed and evaluated daily for 10 days by both investigators. The values for both investigators were averaged and plotted on the chart. RESULTS: The low sperm concentration specimen had a systematic error while the normal sperm concentration specimen had a random error as well as a systematic error. The low sperm concentration specimen violated the warning rule for motility whereas the normal concentration violated the warning rule, the random error rule, and the systematic error rule when applied to motility. CONCLUSIONS: Frozen sperm pellets are not acceptable as a daily-use quality control material for semen analysis when using a computer assisted semen analyzer.

Cryopreservation↗