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Oocyte preservation for planned fertility delay, also referred to as social oocyte preservation or colloquially as "egg freezing," has become increasingly popular in the last few decades. Previous literature has suggested that there are gaps in counseling and expectations regarding the expected thaw rates and outcomes of preserved oocytes. To characterize the literature on social oocyte preservation, specifically the return rates, thaw rates, clinical pregnancy rates, and live birth rates. We conducted a systematic review following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses of 7 databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, Emcare, CINAHL, the Cochrane Library, Web of Science: Core Collection, and Scopus) until January 1, 2024. The Risk Of Bias In Non-randomized Studies of Interventions tool was used for critical appraisal. All original human research that reported data for individuals who underwent autologous oocyte preservation for planned fertility delay (i.e., not for medical indications such as chemotherapy) was included for analysis. A meta-analysis was conducted using descriptive statistics and pooled prevalence rates. Title and abstract screening and data extraction were conducted in duplicate by 2 independent reviewers for all studies until full agreement on eligibility was achieved through consensus-based discussion. Return rate among those who froze oocytes for planned fertility delay, as well as live birth rate and clinical pregnancy rate among these patients. After screening 1,540 references, a total of 27 studies encompassing 13,724 patients were included. Follow-up ranged from 4 to 19 years, with a median follow-up time of 7 years. A total of 17,418 oocyte retrieval cycles for planned fertility delay were reported, with most individuals undergoing a single cryopreservation cycle. Overall, 10.8% of individuals returned to thaw their eggs, with an aggregate oocyte survival rate of 81.4%. The implantation rate was 44.4% and clinical pregnancy rate was 34.2%. A live birth was reported for 28.9% of individuals across all age groups who returned to thaw eggs. Individuals should be counseled regarding the low return rates after oocyte preservation for planned fertility delay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To assess the awareness, knowledge, and misconceptions of young people regarding long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs).Design: We conducted a systematic review in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines of MEDLINE-Ovid, Embase, and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature. A random-effects meta-analysis was performed with formal tests for heterogeneity and publication bias. Additional outcomes were summarized using thematic analysis.Setting: Not applicable.Patient(s): Adolescents and young adults (aged 12-25 years) with a uterus.Intervention(s): Not applicable.Main Outcome Measure(s): Patient-reported outcomes related to awareness, knowledge, and misconceptions of LARCs (including intrauterine devices, subdermal implants, and injections) were analyzed.Result(s): Of the 4,077 database citations, we included 40 studies encompassing 10,470 adolescents and young people. Twenty studies were eligible for meta-analysis. The pooled prevalence described that only 65.0% (95% confidence interval [CI], 51-78) of participants were aware of at least 1 type of LARC (I2 = 100). The meta-regression noted that the region, risk of bias, gravidity, sexual history, previous LARC experience, and postsecondary education were not associated with awareness. There were numerous misconceptions regarding eligibility, safety, and usage. Notably, 62% (95% CI, 20-91) did not understand that LARCs could be used in nulliparous individuals, and 37% (95% CI, 21-56) believed that LARCs could cause infertility.Conclusion(s): There are notable knowledge gaps among adolescents and young people regarding LARCs, such as eligibility criteria, the reversibility of long-acting options, and misconceptions regarding infertility. Clinicians should specifically counsel regarding the suitability for LARCs in nulliparous populations and that LARCs do not cause infertility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Survey-based studies are often the basis of policy changes; however, the methodologic quality of such research can be questionable. Methodologic reviews of survey-based studies have been conducted in other medical fields, but the surgical literature has not been assessed. All citations published in 9 major surgical journals from 2002 to 2019 were screened for studies administering surveys to health care professionals. Descriptive and methodologic data were collected by 2 reviewers who also assessed the transparency and quality of the methodology. Agreement between reviewers was assessed using a weighted κ-statistic. Survey quality metrics were measured, descriptive statistics were calculated, and regression analysis was used to assess the association between subjective overall study quality and objective quality metrics. We included 271 articles in our analysis; the weighted-κ for reviewer quality assessment was 0.69 and for transparency assessment was 0.71. Deficiencies were identified in questionnaire development methodology and reporting, in which the median number of developmental steps reported was 1 (of 8) and in the reporting of incomplete/missing data where 63% of studies failed to report how incomplete questionnaires were managed; 70% of studies failed to report missing data. Overall subjective quality was positively associated with objective quality metrics. The deficiencies identified in the surgical literature highlight the need for improvement in the conduct and reporting of survey-based research, both in the surgical literature and more broadly. Adoption of a standardized reporting guideline for survey-based research may ameliorate the deficiencies identified by this study and other investigations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To characterize the patient and provider perspectives on cultural competence in lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) fertility care.Design: Systematic review.Setting: Not applicable.Patient(s): LGBTQ+ patients and their partners treated for fertility-related care; fertility providers who treat LGBTQ+ patients.Intervention(s): We conducted a systematic review following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis guidelines of six databases: Medline-OVID, EMBASE, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, ClinicalTrials.Gov, and PsycInfo. Citations of full-text articles were hand-searched using the Scopus database. Eligible studies were assessed using the Risk of Bias Instrument for Cross-Sectional Surveys of Attitudes and Practices, as well as the Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Checklist for Qualitative Research. All screening, extraction, and appraisal were completed in duplicate with two independent reviewers.Main Outcome Measure(s): Patient-reported or provider-reported views on LGBTQ+ cultural competence in fertility care, including barriers and facilitators to inclusive care.Result(s): Of the 1,747 original database citations, we included 25 studies that met the inclusion criteria. Of the 21 studies that evaluated patient perspectives, 13 studies targeted same-sex cisgender couples while the remainder targeted transgender and gender-nonconforming participants (n = 6) or any individual who identified as a sexual or gender minority (n = 2). Key barriers for LGBTQ+ participants included gender dysphoria, heteronormativity, stigmatization, and psychological distress. The lack of tailored information for LGBTQ+ populations was repeatedly highlighted as a concern. Promising solutions included tailored information, psychosocial interventions, gender-neutral language, and inclusive intake processes.Conclusion(s): LGBTQ+ individuals face unique barriers in fertility care, as described by both patients and providers. This review describes a number of implementable solutions for equitable care, which should be given priority for both research and hospital interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to quantify the association between mode of operative delivery in the second stage of labor (cesarean delivery vs operative vaginal delivery) and spontaneous preterm birth in a subsequent pregnancy. MEDLINE, Embase, EmCare, CINAHL, the Cochrane Library, Web of Science: Core Collection, and Scopus were searched from database inception to April 1, 2023. All retrospective cohort studies with participants who had a second-stage cesarean delivery (defined as intrapartum cesarean delivery at full cervical dilation) or operative vaginal delivery (including forceps- and/or vacuum-assisted delivery) and that reported the rate of preterm birth (either spontaneous or not specified) in subsequent pregnancy were included. Both a descriptive analysis and a meta-analysis were performed. A meta-analysis was performed for dichotomous data using the Mantel-Haenszel random-effects model and used the odds ratio as an effect measure with 95% confidence intervals. The risk of bias was assessed using Cochrane's 2022 Risk Of Bias In Non-randomized Studies of Exposure tool. After screening 2671 articles from 7 databases, a total of 18 retrospective cohort studies encompassing 605,138 patients were included. The pooled rates of spontaneous preterm birth in a subsequent pregnancy were 6.9% (12 studies) after second-stage cesarean delivery and 2.6% (8 studies) after operative vaginal delivery. A total of 7 studies encompassing 75,460 patients compared the primary outcome of spontaneous preterm birth after second-stage cesarean delivery vs operative vaginal delivery in an index pregnancy with an odds ratio of 2.01 (95% confidence interval, 1.57–2.58) in favor of operative vaginal delivery. However, most studies did not include important confounding factors, did not address exposure misclassification because of failed operative vaginal delivery, and considered operative vaginal delivery as a homogeneous category with no distinction between forceps- and vacuum-assisted deliveries. Although a synthesis of the existing literature suggests that the risk of spontaneous preterm birth is higher in those with a previous second-stage cesarean delivery than in those with operative vaginal delivery, the risk of bias in these studies is very high. Findings should be interpreted with caution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In multisensor multitarget tracking systems, spatiotemporal bias compensation is essential for correct data fusion. However, waiting for the measurements of all targets from a sensor to estimate the biases in a batch processing scheme is computational prohibitive and infeasible in some real applications. In this paper, an online sequential spatiotemporal bias compensation method using multisensor multitarget measurements is presented. The spatiotemporal biases of the sensors are augmented into the state vector of each target to be estimated by the measurements of this target. When updating the estimates of a target, the spatiotemporal bias estimates of the previous target are used as linear pseudo-measurements. The correlation between the pseudo-measurement and the augmented state estimates of this target from the previous time step is analyzed. To handle the correlation problem, a novel estimator is derived under the minimum mean square error (MMSE) framework to obtain correct sequential estimation in this situation. The proposed method produces both target state and spatiotemporal bias estimates once the measurements of one target from a sensor are received, without requirement of waiting for all target measurements and calculation with high dimensional matrix. The posterior Cramer-Rao Lower Bound (PCRLB) for spatiotemporal bias and state estimation is presented. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to assess the content of online videos as an educational supplement for gynecology trainees for Total Laparoscopic Hysterectomy (TLH). We performed a cross-sectional analysis of relevant YouTube videos. The keywords "laparoscopic total hysterectomy surgical training" and "laparoscopic total hysterectomy surgical education" were used to retrieve the top 60 videos per search query. Videos without live surgical footage, audio narration, or with commercial intent were excluded. Two independent reviewers evaluated the videos using the "Objective Scale Specific for the Assessment of Technical skills for Laparoscopic Hysterectomy" (H-OSATS) to assess the inclusion of necessary steps, the "Modified Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills" (M-OSATS) for laparoscopy to assess surgical technique and a 3-point Likert scale to assess surgical difficulty. N/A N/A N/A A total of 12 videos were analyzed: 11/12 (91.6%) videos were created by physicians without academic affiliations, and 1 was from an academic center. The mean H-OSATS and M-OSATS scores were 21.73/53 (41%) and 16.5/20 (82.5%) respectively. Inter-rater agreement was rated at 95.3% with a Cohen's kappa of 0.90. All videos included instruction on the division of uterine and utero-ovarian pedicles (100%). However, the majority of videos did not provide instruction on patient positioning (83%), abdominal entry (77%), trocar insertion (67%), division of the cervical attachments of the cardinal ligaments (62%), port removal (100%), and skin closure (100%). The mean surgical difficulty was rated as 1.6/3. Online surgical videos likely demonstrate adequate surgical skill and technique, but do not provide comprehensive instruction on the essential steps of conducting a TLH. There is a need for the production of open-access high quality comprehensive videos for TLH instruction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses the problem of tracking multiple vehicles on multi-lane roads with consideration for interactions among vehicles. Due to limited lane resources and traffic heterogeneity, vehicles have to interact with neighboring vehicles while moving along roads to improve their navigability and safety, resulting in highly dependent motions. However, multitarget tracking algorithms generally assume that targets move independently of one another. To address this limitation, using the microscopic traffic flow (MTF) model for modeling vehicle dynamics in the presence of interactions with surrounding traffic, an MTF-based tracking algorithm is proposed under the particle filter (PF) framework. The recursive maximum likelihood (RML) method is integrated into the PF to estimate unknown parameters in the MTF model. The posterior Cramer–Rao lower bound (PCRLB) is also derived for this problem. The performance of the proposed MTF-PF algorithm is compared with those of existing algorithms for multi-vehicle tracking on multi-lane roads. Numerical results show that the proposed algorithm requires less prior information while yielding more accurate and consistent tracks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]