Impact of Group vs Individual Embryo Culture Strategies on Blastocyst and Clinical Outcomes.

Embryo culture is one of the most important steps in an assisted reproduction laboratory. Embryos can be cultured individually, one embryo per media drop, or in groups, culturing several embryos in the same media drop. Due to the controversy generated on this subject, we wondered which embryo culture method would have the best results in terms of quality and blastocyst formation rate.

Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase gene polymorphisms are not associated with embryo chromosomal abnormalities and IVF outcomes.

The aim of our study was to investigate the effect of maternal and embryo C677T and A1298C polymorphisms on embryo aneuploidies and mosaicism and the correlation between these genetic variants in transferred euploid embryos and IVF outcomes. genotype was analyzed in 77 women who performed an IVF/ICSI cycle with PGT-A. Moreover, to evaluate the effect of embryo polymorphisms on embryo aneuploidies and mosaicism, the genotype was analyzed in 191 biopsied embryos from the PGT-A cycles of these patients.

Sperm DNA fragmentation on the day of fertilisation is not associated with assisted reproductive technique outcome independently of gamete quality.

The evaluation of sperm DNA fragmentation has been postulated as a predictive molecular parameter of the semen fertilising potential, as well as the ability to give rise to a healthy embryo and an ongoing pregnancy. However, there are controversial results due to oocyte quality, the use of different measurement techniques and interpretation criteria. Our objective is to investigate if sperm DNA fragmentation on the day of fertilisation influences fertilisation (IVF) outcome in a prospective double-blind study.

Consistent results of non-invasive PGT-A of human embryos using two different techniques for chromosomal analysis.

Research Question: Are discordances in non-invasive preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidies (niPGT-A) results attributable to the technique used for chromosomal analysis?

Design: A prospective blinded study was performed (September 2018 to December 2019). In total 302 chromosomal analyses were performed: 92 trophectoderm PGT-A biopsies and their corresponding spent embryo culture medium (SCM) evaluated by two methods (n = 184), negative controls (n = 8), and trophectoderm and inner cell mass biopsies from trophectoderm-aneuploid embryos (n = 18). Trophectoderm analyses were carried out using Veriseq (Illumina), and SCM was analysed using Veriseq and NICS (Yikon).

Comparison of two closed carriers for vitrification of human blastocysts in a donor program.

The survival of human blastocysts to vitrification with two different carriers is compared. Both vitrification carriers used in this study are in the category of closed carriers, as they completely isolate the samples from direct contact with liquid nitrogen or its vapours during cooling and storage, until warming. This characteristic is appealing because it reduces or eliminates the theoretical risk of cross-contamination during that period of time.

Complete reversal of coenzyme specificity of isocitrate dehydrogenase from Haloferax volcanii.

Haloferax volcanii Ds-threo-isocitrate dehydrogenase (ICDH) was highly expressed in bacteria as inclusion bodies. The recombinant enzyme was refolded, purified and characterized, and was found to be NADP-dependent like the wild-type protein. Sequence alignment of several isocitrate dehydrogenases from evolutionarily divergent organisms including H.

Salt-dependent studies of NADP-dependent isocitrate dehydrogenase from the halophilic archaeon Haloferax volcanii.

The salt-dependent stability of recombinant dimeric isocitrate dehydrogenase [ICDH; isocitrate: NADP oxidoreductase (decarboxylating), EC 1.1.1.

NADP-dependent isocitrate dehydrogenase from the halophilic archaeon Haloferax volcanii: cloning, sequence determination and overexpression in Escherichia coli.

A gene encoding NADP-dependent Ds-threo-isocitrate dehydrogenase was isolated from Haloferax volcanii genomic DNA by using a combination of polymerase chain reaction and screening of a lambda EMBL3 library. Analysis of the nucleotide sequence revealed an open reading frame of 1260 bp encoding a protein of 419 amino acids with 45837 Da molecular mass. This sequence is highly similar to previously sequenced isocitrate dehydrogenases.