STUDY QUESTION How did coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) impact on medically assisted reproduction (MAR) services in Europe during the COVID-19 pandemic (March to May 2020)? SUMMARY ANSWER MAR services, and hence treatments for infertile couples, were stopped in most European countries for a mean of 7 weeks. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY With the outbreak of COVID-19 in Europe, non-urgent medical care was reduced by local authorities to preserve health resources and maintain social distancing. Furthermore, ESHRE and other societies recommended to postpone ART pregnancies as of 14 March 2020. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION A structured questionnaire was distributed in April among the ESHRE Committee of National Representatives, followed by further information collection through email. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS The information was collected through the questionnaire and afterwards summarised and aligned with data from the European Centre for Disease Control on the number of COVID-19 cases per country. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE By aligning the data for each country with respective epidemiological data, we show a large variation in the time and the phase in the epidemic in the curve when MAR/ART treatments were suspended and restarted. Similarly, the duration of interruption varied. Fertility preservation treatments and patient supportive care for patients remained available during the pandemic. LARGE SCALE DATA N/A LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION Data collection was prone to misinterpretation of the questions and replies, and required further follow-up to check the accuracy. Some representatives reported that they, themselves, were not always aware of the situation throughout the country or reported difficulties with providing single generalised replies, for instance when there were regional differences within their country. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS The current article provides a basis for further research of the different strategies developed in response to the COVID-19 crisis. Such conclusions will be invaluable for health authorities and healthcare professionals with respect to future similar situations. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S) There was no funding for the study, apart from technical support from ESHRE. The authors had no COI to disclose.
A new pyrido[1,2-a]pyrimidine derivative causes psychostimulation in albino rats expressed in accelerated learning during the elaboration of the avoidance reaction in a shuttle box. It is also shown that on a model of acute emotional stress induced by a disturbance of the unambiguity of cause-effect relationships in the experimental setting this compound exhibits a stress-protecting effect which is comparable to the effect of piracetam. Key Words: stress; nootropics; antidepressants; psychostimulators; pyridopyrimidinesAs we showed previously, the new pyrido[1,2-a]pyrimidine (PP) derivatives synthesized at the Research Institute of Pharmacology, Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, offer a spectrum of useful psychotropic properties. As quaternary salts of pyridopyrimidine with relatively simple substitutes (methyls, phenyls, and oxy groups) in a basic bicyclic structure, these compounds exert marked psychostimulatory and antidepressive effects in experiments comparable in efficacy to the known antidepressants and psychostimulators with nootropic action.The aim of the present investigation was to correlate the psychostimulatory effect of one of the promising compounds of the PP group -perchlorate-2,4-dimethylpyrido[1,2-a]pyrimidine (PION-6) with the properties of the known psychostimulator piracetam from the group of nootropics. MATERIALS AND METHODSThe methods used for the study were the elaboration of the avoidance reaction (AIR) and reversible functional failure of the AR, which has shown its efficacy in the study of psychopharmacological correction of behavior impaired by stress [4,5,7].The study was carried out on male outbred rats weighing 180-220 g, divided into 3 groups. The rats of the fwst group (n=8) were injected with piracetam (300 mg/kg), animals of group 2 (n=6) were given physiological saline, and rats of group 3 (n=10) received PP derivative (20 mg/kg). The substances and physiological saline were administered intraperitoneally in a volume of 0.4-0.5 ml throughout the course of conditioning 30 min prior to each test.In all animals the AR was learned in the course of 7 days by 25 presentations per test in a shuttle box. The conditioned stimulus was a sound (10 sec) and electric current served as the unconditioned stimulus (10 sec). The movement of the animal from one half of the box to the other half switched off both stimuli.With AR formation completed, the malfunction of the reaction was performed as described previ-
High energy and moderate sensitivity are the two most important demands for modern energetic materials. The powerful CL-20 and its previously obtained analogs do not meet safety requirements. To reach...
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