Abstract: An apparatuses and methods to improve the effectiveness of in vitro fertilization are described. In one embodiment of a method, a patient suffers from infertility because of a tubal disease. The patient's ovaries are shut down, followed by over stimulation of the ovaries to produce at least one viable egg. After the at least one egg is harvested, a structure is placed in the diseased fallopian tube to functionally occlude the disease fallopian tube at least temporarily. Once the fallopian tube is occluded, in vitro fertilization of the harvested egg is performed. The fertilized eggs which become pre-embryos are subsequently implanted into the uterus of the patient.

Abstract: Methods for quantitatively or qualitatively detecting an analyte in a sample and suitable reagents for this purpose, in particular to a carrier molecule to which one or more analyte-specific binding partner(s) is/are bonded and which possesses additional binding sites for a specific binding partner X or Y which is associated with a component of a signal-generating system, and to the use of such a conjugate, in particular in homogeneous binding tests.