Semen Analysis and Fecundity Association Among Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Experiencing Ovulatory Dysfunction Treated by Ovulation Induction

In this study,normal values of semen analysis were set for a general infertile population of couples among which most women had normal ovulation.The predictive capacity values of sperm quality,including concentration,motile count,progressive motile count,and morphology,are unclear for women with polycystic ovary syndrome(PCOS).A secondary analysis was conducted based on a randomized controlled trial investigating infertility among women with PCOS experiencing ovulatory disorder between 2011 and 2016 in China.A total of 1000 women received ovulation induction(acupuncture and clomiphene).We randomized the women with PCOS in 27 hospitals in China who received one of four interventions(acupuncture plus clomiphene,sham acupuncture plus clomiphene,acupuncture plus placebo,or sham acupuncture plus placebo).Semen analysis was performed for every male partner according to the World Health Organization(WHO)criteria.The outcomes included conception,clinical pregnancy,and live birth.Logistic regression was used to evaluate the predictive value of semen analysis among ovulatory women for conception,clinical pregnancy,and live birth.Among the 1000 couples,the number of couples who attained ovulation,conception,clinical pregnancy,and live birth were 780,320,235,and 205,respectively.Semen volume and motility were applied and used as prediction parameters for conception(area under the curve(AUC)of 0.62(95%confidence interval(CI),0.55–0.69)),clinical pregnancy(AUC of 0.67(95%CI:0.61–0.73)),and live birth(AUC of 0.57(95%CI:0.50–0.64)).No poor calibration was shown for these models in Hosmer–Lemeshow tests.The predictive capacity of semen analysis for treatment outcome in PCOS women with PCOS experiencing with ovulatory dysfunction is limited.

Establishment of a prognostic scoring model for regional recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma after neck dissection

Objective:The main aim of this study was to establish a scoring model to predict risk of progression and survival in patients with regionally recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma(NPC).Methods:Three hundred and forty-eight patients subjected to neck dissection from 2003 to 2017 were included for study.Clinicopathologic information for each patient was analyzed.Independent prognostic factors were selected using the Cox proportional hazards model and incorporated into the scoring model.Concordance index(C-index)and calibration curves were used to verify discrimination and calibration,respectively and the results validated using bootstrap resampling.Results:Microscopic positive lymph node>2[hazard ratio(HR),2.19;95%confidence interval(CI),1.30–3.68;P=0.003],extranodal extension(HR,2.75;95%CI,1.69–4.47;P<0.001),and lower neck involvement(HR,1.78;95%CI,1.04–3.04;P=0.034)were identified from multivariate analysis as independent factors for overall survival(OS).A qualitative 4-point scale was generated to stratify patients into 4 risk groups for predicting OS and progression-free survival(PFS).The novel scoring model demonstrated enhanced discrimination(C-index=0.69;95%CI,0.62–0.76)relative to the original recurrent tumor-node-metastasis(rTNM)staging system(C-index=0.56;95%CI,0.50–0.62),and was internally validated with a bootstrap-adjusted C-index of 0.70.The calibration curve showed good agreement between predicted probabilities and actual observations.Conclusions:The scoring system established in this study based on a large regionally recurrent NPC cohort fills a gap regarding assessment of risk and prediction of survival outcomes after neck dissection in this population and could be further applied to identify high-risk patients who may benefit from more aggressive intervention.