Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics最新文献

Female fertility preservation via complete in vitro folliculogenesis is still chimerical. Due to many factors affecting the efficiency of isolation and culture of preantral follicles, the improvement of techniques geared to fertility preservation in higher mammals seems to be at an impasse. We need an objective view of the current stand to understand how to progress further. As such, a survey was conducted to analyze the relative distribution of studies performed in ten mammalian species on preantral follicle culture available on PubMed. Using the bovine as a reference model, we explore some factors influencing data variation that contribute to the difficulty in reproducing studies. While years of research have enabled the recapitulation of folliculogenesis from as modest as the early antral follicle stage ex vivo, in vitro preantral folliculogenesis remains elusive. Herein, we revisit the classical evidence that laid the foundations for understanding preantral folliculogenesis and review the length, breadth, and depth of information that the era of big data has currently levied. Moving forward, we recognize the urgency of synthesizing the multi-disciplinary approaches to mimic folliculogenesis in vitro to achieve a translational landscape of infertility at individual and large-scale conservation levels.

Purpose: Male infertility may influence fertilization rates, embryo morphology, and implantation rates in in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles. Oocyte competence plays a major role in embryo development, but there is a limited understanding of the connection between sperm quality, embryo development, and morphokinetic parameters using donor oocytes. The study evaluated if sperm quality may influence the morphokinetic parameters in IVF cycles.

Methods: A retrospective multicentric observational cohort study included 747 ICSI cycles using donor oocytes with fresh or frozen sperm. Embryos were cultured in time-lapse incubators until the blastocyst stage. The population was divided into three groups according to sperm concentration, as control group (> 16 mill/mL), severe oligospermia (0-5 mill/mL), and moderate oligospermia group (5-16 mill/mL).

Results: Morphokinetic analysis showed no difference in the time from the 2-cell to 6-cell stage of embryo development. A significant difference was observed on day 3 of embryo development, specifically at the 7-cell stage (t7), severe oligospermia 53.37 ± 9.81, moderate oligospermia 56.95 ± 9.78, and control 55.1 ± 8.85 h post-insemination (hpi) (p = 0.024), and 8-cell stage (t8), severe oligospermia 55.41 ± 10.83, moderate oligospermia 61.86 ± 12.38 hpi (p < 0.001), and control 58.61 ± 11.33. Accordingly, the synchrony of the four cleavages going from 4 to 8 cells (s3) was found statistically different among the groups in the severe oligospermia 8.05 ± 9.99, moderate oligospermia 11.66 ± 11.04 hpi, and control 8.55 ± 8.58 (p = 0.009). Morphokinetic time ranges were obtained for t6, t7, t8, and s3 in order to identify the good-quality blastocysts.

Conclusions: Poor sperm quality is associated with alterations in morphokinetic parameters on day 3 in IVF cycles with donor oocytes, underlining the important role of spermatozoa during embryo development.

Purpose: To compare obstetrical and neonatal outcomes of embryo transfer cycles using fresh vs. frozen-thawed testicular sperm derived from microTESE in non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA) patients.

Design: The retrospective cohort study included a total of 48 couples diagnosed with NOA who underwent 93 ET cycles, both fresh and frozen-thawed embryos, and resulted in pregnancy. ET cycles were divided into two groups according to sperm type, fresh (46 cycles, 49.5%) or frozen (47 cycles, 50.5%) testicular sperm. The primary outcome was the birth weight of newborns correlated with gestational week (birth weight percentile).

Results: A comparison of patients' basic characteristics and ET cycle parameters showed no significant clinical differences between the groups. A total of 172 embryos were transferred, 86 (50%) in each group. A higher rate of good-quality blastocysts was found in the fresh testicular group (83.3% vs. 50%, p = 0.046). A comparison of pregnancy outcomes showed no significant differences in clinical pregnancy, implantation, or live birth rates. A total of 53 cycles resulted in live birth, 26 (49%) and 27 (51%) in the fresh and frozen groups, respectively. No difference was found in pregnancy length, delivery mode, or obstetrical complications. A total of 61 newborns were included, 31 (51%) and 30 (49%) in fresh and frozen testicular groups, respectively. No significant differences were found in mean birth weight or birth weight percentile between the groups.

Conclusion: No significant differences were found in obstetrical outcomes when comparing ET cycles using fresh or frozen-thawed testicular sperm retrieved from microTESE. Moreover, there is no association between the sperm source and the birth weight of newborns.

Purpose: Techniques of medically assisted reproduction interact with the embryo at crucial developmental stages, yet their impact on the fetus and subsequent child's health remains unclear. Given rising infertility rates and more frequent use of fertility treatments, we aimed to investigate if these methods heighten the risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in children.

Methods: A population-based cohort study was conducted at Soroka University Medical Center, a tertiary referral hospital, encompassing singleton births. The incidence of ASD in offspring, incorporating either hospital or community-based diagnoses, was compared in relation to the conception method. To examine the cumulative incidence of ASD, a Kaplan-Meier survival curve was utilized. Cox proportional hazards model was employed to adjust for confounders.

Results: Among 115,081 pregnancies, 0.5% involved ovulation induction (OI) and 1.7% in vitro fertilization (IVF), with the rest conceived naturally. Fertility treatments were more common in older patients and linked to more diabetes, hypertensive disorders, preterm, and cesarean deliveries. Out of 767 ASD diagnoses, offspring from OI and IVF had higher initial ASD rates (2.1% and 1.3%) than natural conceptions (0.6%). In a Cox model accounting for maternal age, ethnicity, and gender, neither OI nor IVF was significantly associated with ASD. The adjusted hazard ratios were 0.83 (95% CI 0.48-1.43) for OI and 1.34 (95% CI 0.91-1.99) for IVF. When considering fertility treatments combined, the association with ASD remained non-significant (aHR 1.11, 95% CI 0.80-1.54, p = 0.52).

Conclusion: Fertility treatments, including OI and IVF, do not exhibit a significant association with heightened ASD risk in offspring.

As a major component of the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) can be recognized by toll-like receptors (TLRs) and induce inflammation through MyD88 or the TIR domain-containing adapter-inducing interferon-β (TRIF) pathway. Previous studies have found that LPS-associated inflammatory/immune challenges were associated with ovarian dysfunction and reduced female fertility. However, the etiology and pathogenesis of female fertility decline associated with LPS are currently complex and multifaceted. In this review, PubMed was used to search for references on LPS and fertility decline so as to elucidate the potential mechanisms of LPS-associated female fertility decline and summarize therapeutic strategies that may improve LPS-associated fertility decline.

Intercellular communication is an important mechanism for the development and maintenance of normal biological processes in all organs, including the female reproductive system. Extracellular vesicles, as important carriers of intercellular communication, contain a variety of biologically active molecules, such as mRNAs, miRNAs, lncRNAs, and circRNAs, which are involved in cell-to-cell exchanges as well as in many physiological and pathological processes in the body. Compared with biomarkers found in tissues or body fluids, extracellular vesicles show better stability due to the presence of their envelope membrane which prevents the degradation of the RNA message in their vesicles. Therefore, the genomic and proteomic information contained in extracellular vesicles can serve as important markers and potential therapeutic targets for female reproductive system-related diseases or placental function. Moreover, changes in the expression of non-coding RNAs (mainly miRNAs, lncRNAs, and circRNAs) in maternal extracellular vesicles can accurately and promptly reflect the progress of female reproductive system diseases. The aim of this review is to collect information on different types of non-coding RNAs with key molecular carriers in female pathologic pregnancies (preeclampsia and recurrent spontaneous abortion), so as to explore the relevant molecular mechanisms in female pathologic pregnancies and provide a theoretical basis for clinical research on the pathogenesis and therapeutic approaches of reproductive system diseases. The current state of the art of exosome isolation and extraction is also summarized.

Purpose: Laparoscopic cystectomy for ovarian endometriomas and benign ovarian cysts is often conducted through hemostatic methods, with bipolar electrocoagulation as a common approach. This study evaluated the impact of electrocoagulation, primarily through bipolar energy, versus nonthermal hemostatic methods on ovarian reserve in patients undergoing laparoscopic cystectomy for ovarian endometriomas and benign ovarian cysts.

Methods: A systematic review with meta-analysis was conducted by searching the Cochrane Library, PubMed, EMBASE, and Web of Science databases. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing the impact of nonthermal hemostatic methods and electrocoagulation on the ovarian reserve during laparoscopic cystectomy were included. The Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool for Randomized Controlled Trials (ROB 2.0) was utilized to assess the quality of the included studies. The meta-analysis included 13 RCTs involving 1043 patients. Postoperative serum anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) levels and antral follicle counts (AFCs) were analyzed using Review Manager ver. 5.4.

Results: Compared with the bipolar group, patients with endometriomas in the nonthermal hemostatic group exhibited significantly higher postoperative AMH levels at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months. Conversely, no significant differences in AMH levels were observed in patients with benign ovarian cysts. Similarly, AFCs showed no significant differences, except for lower postoperative AFCs in patients with endometrioma in the electrocoagulation group.

Conclusion: Nonthermal hemostatic methods are associated with more effective preservation of the ovarian reserve compared with bipolar electrocoagulation in laparoscopic cystectomy for ovarian endometriomas. However, no significant impact of bipolar electrocoagulation on the ovarian reserve was observed in patients with benign ovarian cysts.

Trial registration: Registered in PROSPERO on April 10, 2023; ID # CRD42023413158.

Purpose: Chromosomal abnormalities play an important role in male infertility, which is becoming a significant issue in human fertility. Aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence of spermatic aneuploidies and diploidies in human sperm, according to semen parameters.

Methods: We performed semen analysis according to the 6th edition of WHO criteria in 50 male subjects; samples were divided into normozoospermic (n = 23) or those with altered seminal parameters (n = 27). To assess chromosomal numerical alterations of sperm, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) was used.

Result: A significant increase in aneuploidies and diploidies was observed in samples with altered seminal parameters. Furthermore, stratifying this group, we observed a significant increase in aneuploidies and total abnormalities in oligozoospermic, asthenoteratozoospermic (AT), and oligoteratoasthenozoospermic (OAT) samples compared to normozoospermic.

Conclusion: Our results showed the correlation between altered seminal parameters and numerical chromosomal abnormalities, confirming that sperm FISH analysis could be an additional clinical tool to assess reproductive potential in infertile males. Moreover, our results point to the importance of updating the normality ranges for detecting chromosomal aneuploidies using FISH.