Objective: To determine the carrier frequency and hot-spot variants of a custom-designed expanded carrier screening (ECS) panel with 216 diseases (216-ECS panel) within a Chinese population of childbearing age. Methods: Whole-exome sequencing data from a cohort of 3 097 unrelated healthy individuals (including 1 424 couples) from Peking Union Medical College Hospital between January 2013 and December 2023 were analyzed. Totally 220 genes which inherited in a recessive manner of 216-ECS panel were included in the analysis. The analysis included variant carrier rate, gene carrier rate, cumulative carrier rate, at-risk couple rates, and variant spectrum. Results: (1) Pathogenic variants were identified in 1 472 (47.53%, 1 472/3 097) individuals, with an average of 0.65 pathogenic variants per individual. The rate of at-risk couples was 3.93% (56/1 424). (2) A total of 180 genes were identified, with 16 genes exhibiting a gene carrier rate of ≥1% and 33 genes having a rate of ≥0.5%, most of which were associated with inherited metabolic diseases. Noteworthy genes with higher gene carrier rates and high-frequency variants included GJB2: c.235del, PAH: c.728G>A, ATP7B: c.2333G>T, SLC26A4: c.919-2A>G, GALC: c.1901T>C, POLG: c.2890C>T, SLC22A5: c.1472C>G, USH2A: c.2802T>G, SLC25A13: c.852_855del, GAA: c.761C>T and c.752C>T. Conclusion: This study offers a focused analysis of carrier frequencies and hot-spot variants of 216 diseases of the ECS panel constructed by our laboratory among the Chinese population, laying a foundation for the development of ECS programs tailored to the Chinese population.
Objective: To explore diagnostic value of prenatal ultrasound screening in velamentous umbilical cord insertion (VCI) and its influence on perinatal outcomes, and to provide theoretical basis for clinical practice. Methods: Fifty-eight pregnant women diagnosed with VCI before or after delivery admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University were selected from January 2012 to December 2022. The clinical features and perinatal outcomes of 45 women finally with VCI after delivery (VCI group) were retrospectively analyzed, and 225 women with normal umbilical cord attachment were selected as the control group during the same period. Results: (1) Among 58 women, 54 (93.1%, 54/58) were diagnosed with VCI by prenatal ultrasound screening, 4 patients (6.9%, 4/58) were missed; and 13 (22.4%, 13/58) were misdiagnosed. Finally, a total of 45 women were confirmed by postpartum placental examination, and 11 (24.4%,11/45) were combined with vasa previa. (2) There were no differences in age, number of pregnancies, and number of induced abortions between the two groups (all P>0.05). Compared with the control group, the rate of assisted reproductive technology [13.3% (6/45) vs 0.4% (1/225); P<0.01], and twin pregnancy rate [8.9% (4/45) vs 0.4% (1/225); P<0.01] in the VCI group were significant higher. (3) Compared with the control group, the rate of placenta previa, succenturiate placenta, vasa previa, postpartum hemorrhage, prenatal hemorrhage and postpartum intrauterine remainder in the VCI group were significant higher (all P<0.05); there was no significant difference in the incidence of placental abruption, premature rupture of membranes, fetal distress and single umbilical artery between the two groups (all P>0.05). The incidence of fetal structural abnormalities in the VCI group (4.4%, 2/45) was higher than that in the control group (1.3%, 3/225), but there was no significant difference between the two groups (P=0.195). (4) The cesarean section rate [75.0% (33/44) vs 45.1% (101/224); P<0.01], preterm birth rate [29.5% (13/44) vs 5.4% (12/224); P<0.01], rate of small for gestational age [20.5% (9/44) vs 5.4% (12/224); P<0.01] in the VCI group were significant higher. However, neonatal birth weight [(2 928±552) vs (3 353±498) g; P<0.01], and 1-minute Apgar score (median: 10 vs 10; P<0.01) in the VCI group were lower than those in the control group. Conclusions: Prenatal ultrasound screening is an important method to diagnose VCI. VCI is more prone to adverse pregnancy outcomes, such as postpartum hemorrhage, premature delivery, small for gestational age, et al. Its risk factors include twin pregnancy, assisted reproductive technology, placenta previa, and para-placenta.
Objective: To investigate the impact of the progesterone concentration on human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) trigger day in fresh cycles versus thawed transfer cycles (the freeze-all strategy) with an antagonist protocol, and to compare the differences in clinical outcomes. Methods: This retrospective cohort study included a total of 2 165 cycles conducted at Henan Provincial People's Hospital with cleavage-stage embryo (at least one top-quality) transfer between January 2017 and December 2023, with serum progesterone levels on hCG trigger day all≤6.34 nmol/L (i.e. 2 ng/ml). Multivariate logsitic regression analysis and curve fitting were performed based on different serum progesterone levels on hCG trigger day [≤3.17 nmol/L (i.e. 1 ng/ml) or 1-2 ng/ml]. Results: Multivariate regression analysis, by using cycle type (either fresh or frozen-thawed cycle) as the exposure variable, showed that the clinical pregnancy rate (≤1 ng/ml: OR=0.93, 95%CI: 0.75-1.14; 1-2 ng/ml: OR=1.05, 95%CI: 0.58-1.87) and live birth rate (≤1 ng/ml: OR=0.90, 95%CI: 0.71-1.13; 1-2 ng/ml: OR=1.53, 95%CI: 0.79-3.00) had no statistically significant differences in group of progesterone concentration ≤1 ng/ml or in group of 1-2 ng/ml. Using serum progesterone levels on hCG trigger day as a continuous variable for curve fitting analysis, the clinical pregnancy rate in fresh or thawed cycles showed no significant changes with increasing progesterone levels. Conclusions: In the antagonist protocol with cleavage-stage embryo transfer (at least one top-quality), when the serum progesterone level on hCG day is ≤2 ng/ml, there are no significant differences in clinical outcomes between thawed cycles and fresh cycles, including clinical pregnancy rate and live birth rate. Transferred in fresh cycles or choosing the freeze-all strategy could be selected based on the actual situation of the patients.