The Power of Observation

Abstract

Independent replication to verify results would augment power.

Intravenous Immunoglobulin for Repeated IVF Failure and Unexplained Infertility

“…In addition, our results in the present study are consistent with two previous cohort‐controlled studies, one examining IVIG with anticoagulants in IVF and another examining the effect of Humira and IVIG with anticoagulants in IVF failure patients . In these studies, patient with an increase in Th1/Th2 and/or% NK benefited from treatment to correct these abnormalities …”

Determination of Clinical Cellular Immune Markers in Women with Recurrent Pregnancy Loss

“…Therefore, it seems to be appropriate to apply immunomodulatory treatment such as IVIG to women with immunologic abnormality, but not to RPL women without immunologic aberrations, because 24% of idiopathic RPL women do not have immune abnormality. A treatment is more likely to work if it is given to those with physiological abnormality that the treatment can correct, and if the treatment in fact corrects it . Therefore, detection of immunologic abnormalities in women with RPL may significantly enhance treatment outcome .…”

Popular myths in reproductive immunology

“…In so far as systematic reviews and meta-analysis are concerned, those involved may also be biased by wanting a particular outcome, and subtle biases can affect the selection of what to include, how to include it, and what method of meta-analysis should be used (RMITG, 1994;Clark et al, 1997;Clark, 2012). Before the RCT, the use of the Bradford Hill criteria was a way of determining causation, and among these the dose-response test can be applied to determine if a treatment may cause a particular outcome (Clark, 2011). I have suggested the first step before any controlled study is carried out to first try to determine in which types of patients treatment is successful when the same treatment is given to everyone (Clark, 2010(Clark, , 2012.…”