From the press release:

The Guardia Pro's outer sheath protects the embryo through entry and then opens in petals to further advance the inner transfer catheter allowing placement of the embryo in the uterine cavity.

Additionally, the transfer catheter also incorporates Cook's Microvol™ technology that decreases the volume of fluid required for embryo transfer helping lessen the likelihood of embryo migration and allowing more accurate embryo placement.

Press release: Cook Medical Introduces the Guardia™ Pro Protective Embryo Transfer Catheter...

Product page: Guardia™ Pro Protective Embryo Transfer Catheter...

Product brochure...

FHC’s first-generation FC Female Condom® (FC1) originally received FDA approval for distribution in the United States in 1993. FC1 is also included in the World Health Organization’s (WHO) essential products list for distribution by United Nations (UN) agencies. Since its approval, 165 million FC1 female condoms have been distributed in 142 countries.

The cost of FC1 has remained a key barrier to increased uptake by HIV prevention programs in the U.S. and globally. While numerous studies over the past two decades have indicated that acceptability of FC1 is comparable to the male condom among both male and female users, the high cost of FC1 has limited procurement by government programs and direct purchase by individual consumers.

As a result, five years ago FHC initiated the development of the FC2 Female Condom to expand access to women at risk of HIV and STIs by significantly lowering the cost of the product. FHC has succeeded in reducing FC2’s cost through the introduction of a new material and a different manufacturing process. FC1 is made from polyurethane and involves a labor-intensive manufacturing process, while FC2, which looks very similar to FC1, is made from a proprietary nitrile polymer that allows it to be manufactured using a highly automated process. Studies have shown that FC2 performs in a comparable manner to FC1.

As a result of FHC’s development program, FC2 will be available to the public sector at a cost as much as 30 percent less than FC1, contingent on volumes of procurement. In addition, the company has indicated that as public sector volume increases, additional cost reductions may be possible.

Press release: Female Health Company Receives FDA Approval for FC2 Female Condom (PDF)

Product brochure (PDF)...

Flashback: New Female Condom to Face FDA Gavel

From MIT Tech Review:

In order to probe a single sperm cell with Raman spectroscopy, the researchers first pin it down with optical tweezers--a focused laser beam that is able to "trap" a small object like a living cell. The unique scattering produced by each molecule creates a fingerprint of the contents in a sample, allowing scientists to analyze its chemical makeup. In this application, the researchers use Raman spectroscopy to look at the structure of a sperm cell's DNA and determine whether that DNA is broken or intact. Elfick explains that when DNA breaks, a chemical group forms at the ends of the breaks, and they can be detected with Raman spectroscopy.

Preliminary tests suggest that the technique does not harm the cells, although Elfick says that more rigorous testing must be done in order to bring the technique into clinical use. His team is hoping to commercialize this and other applications for Raman spectroscopy, including analyzing breast-cancer cells for specific proteins in order to tailor chemotherapy to individual patients.

More from MIT Technology Review...

Reuters reports:

The FC2 Female Condom, made by Female Health Co, is made with a synthetic rubber using a process similar to male condoms that the company says is less labor intensive and should reduce its current cost...

But FDA regulatory staff questioned whether the company should have conducted specific trials to show how well the FC2 prevents women from contracting diseases or becoming pregnant.

Female Health said it did not conduct such studies because FC2 uses a new material but is otherwise similar to the version already on the U.S. market, the FDA staff said in documents released on Tuesday ahead of the panel meeting.

More from Reuters...

FC2 product page...

Product brochure (.pdf)...

The new research shows that it may be that males are also driving their partners to infidelity,at least on an evolutionary time-scale, and as it applies to fruit flies. The evidence shows that male "selfish" sperm may selectively attack XY sperm to select for female progeny, and, it appears, the female's defense to that "attack" is to seek multiple partners.

Science Online reports:

"Selfish" genes break the 50-50 inheritance rule by being passed onto offspring more often than not. Selfish genes "fight" other genes to get passed on to the next generation, often harming the carrier by causing problems such as reduced fertility. For example, male fruit flies can carry a selfish gene that destroys all of their sperm with a Y chromosome, so they produce fewer sperm and can father only daughters. Yet, male fruit flies with the selfish gene are physically identical to those without it.

To test whether females might evolve polyandry in response to the gene, the researchers ran an evolutionary experiment. They compared mating behavior between four fruit fly lines in which the selfish gene was present in about 30% of the males, and eight fruit fly lines lacking the gene entirely. Females in all the fruit fly lines showed nearly identical mating rates at the outset of the experiment. But after 10 generations, females from the selfish gene population remated, on average, almost a full day sooner than females from the populations without the selfish gene, the researchers report today in Science (p. 1241).

Remating increased the females' chances of snagging a male fly with normal fertility, the researchers note. The findings present a new explanation for polyandry: that it represents an attempt to prevent the spread of selfish genes, Wedell says. "I suspect this may be more general [than just flies] simply because selfish genes are ubiquitous."

Carol Boggs, an evolutionary ecologist at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California, says the work makes an important contribution to our understanding of how mating systems evolve. It's the first study to look at the potential impact of selfish genes on mating systems, she says. "This is something that could very well be a factor in the determining the evolution of polyandry."

We'll have to wait until Judge Judy rules on the science, but it certainly looks like the blame for infidelity in both sexes is being squarely placed on the male!

Science Online: Why the Lady is a Tramp

Burnett says that the study "confirms an earlier trial that many patients can achieve excellent results using ErecAid(R) as an addition to oral PDE5i therapy. Based upon these results, I would encourage physicians treating ED to consider the importance of this approach in their treatment protocols and to discuss this option with their patients."

From the press release:

The phosphodiesterase five inhibitors (PDE5i) such as Viagra(R) and Cialis(R) have become a major resource in the management of ED. Unfortunately, 30-50% of men report inadequate results with these oral medications. When patients fail to respond to the oral medications, physicians are often forced to consider more invasive and more complicated second line agents such as penile injections or urethral suppositories.

Investigators at four separate study sites evaluated 69 men aged 36 to 82 with ED of diverse etiology who had responded inadequately to PDE5i therapy. Study subjects were allowed to continue use of PDE5i's but were instructed to use the ErecAid(R) device as an adjunct to their current oral medication. Study subjects were assessed using three validated measurements of erectile function and sexual satisfaction: the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5), the Sexual Encounter Profile (SEP-2 and SEP-3) and the Global Patient Assessment Scale (GAPS).

After 4 weeks of supplemental treatment with ErecAid(R), the IIEF-5 score improved substantially from a baseline of 9.0 to 17.6 (p<0.001). Moreover, of the 34 subjects unable to achieve an erection satisfactory for intercourse at baseline (SEP-2 response of "no"), 27 subjects (79%) reported erections satisfactory for intercourse following the addition of ErecAid(R) (p<0.001). Finally, of 42 subjects reporting no or slight response to PDE5i at baseline (GAPS responses of "not at all" or "slightly"), 31 (74%) reported moderate or great improvement (GAPS responses of "moderately" or "greatly") at the end of the 4 week study (p<0.001).

Product page: Osbon ErecAid Vacuum Therapy System...

Press release...

Clinicians from NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center are studying the two-ring device to see its efficacy and applicability for the African population and beyond.

From the NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center press release:

With the recent endorsement by the World Health Organization (WHO) and scientists worldwide of adult male circumcision as an important strategy for HIV prevention, there is increased urgency to develop safe and cost-effective circumcision services. This is especially the case in Africa where HIV/AIDS continues to spread at an epidemic rate.

Studying this method are Dr. Marc Goldstein and physician-scientists at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, who are evaluating an innovative circumcision device developed in China and will initiate a study of the device in Africa in the coming months.

The device, named the ShangRing after its inventor, Mr. Jian-Zhong Shang, consists of two concentric plastic rings that sandwich the foreskin, allowing it to be cut away without suturing and with minimal bleeding. Performed in a clinic under local anesthesia, the procedure takes less than five minutes, compared with approximately 20 to 30 minutes for a traditional "free hands" circumcision that requires suturing. The patient returns in one week for device removal.

"Circumcision with this technique promises to be faster, safer and more acceptable to patients than conventional surgical circumcision methods," says Dr. Goldstein, the study's principal investigator. He is urologist and specialist in reproductive medicine at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, the Matthew P. Hardy Distinguished Professor of Reproductive Medicine and Urology at Weill Cornell Medical College, and senior scientist at The Population Council, Center for Biomedical Research, located on the campus of The Rockefeller University.

The ShangRing has been used to circumcise several thousand Chinese men since 2005. Preliminary reports of 1,200 patients indicate good results with minimal complications. The ShangRing, with 15 patents pending in 85 countries, is currently available only in China. FDA evaluation is under way.

We tried to obtain images of this device, but unfortunately we failed. (Anyone out there can get them for us?)To further understand how the device works, attached is the United States Patent Application recently filed by Mr. Shang with USPTO.

Press release: New Male Circumcision Device for HIV Prevention Studied by NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell...

United States Patent Application # 20080154283:
Apparatus for circumcising a penis

UPDATE: Hurrah! Weill Cornell Medical College has kindly provided us with the picture of ShangRing device.

From the press release, titled "New IVF "lab in a box" increases clinical pregnancy rates by 50%":

The state-of-the-art gas controlled device mimics ‘inutero’ conditions for all IVF manipulations in a single workstation. According to Ruskinn, recent clinical trials in Denmark have demonstrated an increase in clinical pregnancy rates by up to 50% in an already successful IVF laboratory using the Ac-tive workstation.

According to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, the average IVF success rate (take home baby rate) for women under 35 years of age is 29.6%1. Using the Ac-tive IVF workstation, IVF clinics could potentially increase their “take home baby rate” by 50% - from a successful 29.6% to a possible 44.4%. Ac-tive results in the production of less stressed embryos, which suggests improved implantation in the uterus and ultimately increased pregnancy rates.

Replicating the entire in-utero environment in a single, controlled-atmosphere workstation, Ac-tive delivers a stable, optimal atmosphere which simulates the environment of the human body and creates optimal conditions for embryo
culture. This means all IVF procedures – from oocyte retrieval through to embryo transfer, and including embryo culture and selection - take place in a single, stable biological atmosphere.

The Ezee Sleeve™ Bare-hand System provides ‘hands in’ access to the workstation, enabling all processes to be carried out without disturbing the carefully controlled environment.

Press release (.pdf)...

Product page: Ac-tive® IVF System...

From the press release:

According to Claude Ranoux, M.D., President and Chief Scientist of BioXcell, "INVOcell allows conception and embryo development to take place inside the woman's body, making having a baby simpler and less expensive, while promoting more involvement by the woman. Our device, the INVOcell, and the INVO procedure, are less expensive and simpler to perform than conventional in vitro fertilization."

Dr. Ranoux added, "The INVO procedure uses a lower stimulation approach to produce eggs for fertilization. Eggs are combined with sperm in the INVOcell device and placed in the woman's vaginal cavity where it remains for 3 days. This step eliminates the need for a complex IVF laboratory and allows the woman's body to provide the nurturing environment in which conception and early embryo development take place."

Press release: BioXcell's New INVOcell Receives CE Mark "Declaration of Conformity;" Allows Conception and Embryo Development to Take Place Inside the Woman's Body

Product page: INVOcell

Abstract: INVO: a simple, low cost effective assisted reproductive technology Human Reproduction, doi:10.1093/humrep/den163

Flashbacks: IVF Minus The Test Tube Goes On Trial

Anecova ...

Times Online: IVF trial gives embryos a natural start in life...

Flashback to refresh our memories: Anecova IVF Technology: Where IVF Means In Vivo