The zona-free hamster egg penetration test (HEPT) is widely used for evaluating the fertilizing ability of human spermatozoa. However, the relationship between the HEPT and microassisted fertilization has yet to be determined. To evaluate the efficiency of HEPT in selecting the most appropriate method of in-vitro fertilization (IVF), including intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) in couples ...

objectives this study aimed to examine the relationship between patients’ anthropometric characteristics and depth of spinal needle insertion to the subarachnoid cavity. patients and methods 385 patients with asa class i – ii, aged 18 - 65 years and undergoing elective surgery of the lower abdomen and extremities under spinal anesthesia, were selected for this cross-sectional study. the patient...

Using a hand-held photoacoustic probe integrated with a clinical ultrasound array system, we successfully imaged objects deeply positioned in biological tissues. The optical contrasts were enhanced by methylene blue with a concentration of ~30 mM. The penetration depth reached ~5.2 cm in chicken breast tissue by using 650-nm wavelength, which is ~4.7 times the 1/e optical penetration depth. Thi...

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is the optical equivalent of ultrasound imaging, based on the backscattering of near infrared light. OCT provides real time images with a 15 µm axial resolution at an effective tissue penetration of 2-3 mm. Within the OCT images the loss of signal intensity per millimeter of tissue penetration, the attenuation coefficient, is calculated. The attenuation coeffi...

BACKGROUND While evidence supports efficacy of acupuncture and/or dry needling in treating musculoskeletal pain, it is unclear which needling method is most effective. This study aims to determine the effects of depth of needle penetration on muscle pain. METHODS A total of 22 healthy volunteers performed repeated eccentric contractions to induce muscle soreness in their extensor digital musc...

results in the first series, cellularity and blood levels were significantly lower in capillary-fnb compared with cfnb (p < 0.001 and p = 0.011, respectively). there was no significant difference between cfnb and vacfnb in cellularity and blood (p = 0.15 and p = 0.1, respectively). in the second series, cellularity was significantly higher in cfnb compared with vacfnb (p < 0.001) with no signif...