Why are they not coming back? A single-center follow-up study on oncological women oocyte's storing for fertility preservation.

Introduction: Oocyte cryopreservation is a valid option for female cancer patients to preserve fertility. The number of patients undergoing fertility preservation (FP) cycles has increased over the past years. Nevertheless, the rates of patients returning to use their cryopreserved material have shown to be considerably low, ranging from 5-8%, but significant data regarding the reasons of such low return rates are scarce.

Inter-centre reliability in embryo grading across several IVF clinics is limited: implications for embryo selection.

Research Question: What is the intra- and inter-centre reliability in embryo grading performed according to the Istanbul Consensus across several IVF clinics?

Design: Forty Day 3 embryos and 40 blastocysts were photographed on three focal planes. Senior and junior embryologists from 65 clinics were invited to grade them according to the Istanbul Consensus (Study Phase I). All participants then attended interactive training where a panel of experts graded the same embryos (Study Phase II).

Preimplantation Genetic Testing for Aneuploidy Improves Clinical, Gestational, and Neonatal Outcomes in Advanced Maternal Age Patients Without Compromising Cumulative Live-Birth Rate.

Purpose: To report the effects of blastocyst stage aneuploidy testing on clinical, gestational, and neonatal outcomes for patients of advanced maternal age undergoing IVF.

Methods: This is a single-center observational-cohort study with 2 years follow-up. The study includes a total of 2538 couples undergoing 2905 egg collections (control group), 308 (PGT-A), and 106 (drop-out group, consenting for PGT-A but withdrawing due to poor embryological outcome) RESULTS: Compared with control group, PGT-A showed improved clinical outcomes (live-birth rate per transferred embryo, LBR 40.

Oocyte Cryopreservation in Oncological Patients: Eighteen Years Experience of a Tertiary Care Referral Center.

The aim of the present study is to report our experience on elective women fertility preservation before cancer treatment. This is a single-center retrospective observational study, including all patients who underwent elective fertility preservation before oncological treatment between January 2001 and March 2019 at our Institute. Of a total of 568 women who received fertility counseling, 244 (42.

Delayed childbearing and female ageing impair assisted reproductive technology outcome in survivors of male haematological cancers.

Purpose: To analyse the impact of female characteristics on assisted reproductive technology outcome among male haematological cancer survivors.

Methods: A retrospective analysis of 93 haematological cancer survivors attending our tertiary referral fertility centre between June 1998 and June 2017 for achieving fatherhood with assisted reproductive technology treatments.

Results: A progressive increase in the median female age was observed during the study period (32.

Small interfering RNA delivery through positively charged polymer nanoparticles.

Small interfering RNA (siRNA) is receiving increasing attention with regard to the treatment of many genetic diseases, both acquired and hereditary, such as cancer and diabetes. Being a high molecular weight (MW) polyanion, siRNA is not able to cross a cell membrane, and in addition it is unstable in physiological conditions. Accordingly, a biocompatible nanocarrier able to deliver siRNA into cells is needed.

Italian Constitutional Court modifications of a restrictive assisted reproduction technology law significantly improve pregnancy rate.

Background: In May 2009, the Italian Constitutional Court banned most of the limitations of a restrictive law regulating assisted reproduction technology on the grounds that it limited a couple's right to have access to the best possible medical treatment and reduce any possible higher risk of complications. The aim of the study was to compare our results in fresh cycles before and after this change.

Materials And Methods: We analysed retrospectively 3274 IVF cycles: 2248 before and 1026 after the law was modified.

Human oocyte ultravitrification with a low concentration of cryoprotectants by ultrafast cooling: a new protocol.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of a new ultravitrification technique with a low concentration of cryoprotectants.

Design: Ultravitrification research.

Setting: Private assisted reproduction center.

Long-term activation in a 15 MeV radiotherapy accelerator.

The high energy electrons produced by linear accelerators can generate several radioisotopes by means of photonuclear reactions. The activity produced in the head of a 15 MV Mevatron Siemens 77 medical linear accelerator was measured by high resolution gamma-ray spectrometry, during its decommissioning 1 year after the last clinical use. The activity of 54Mn, 57Co, 60Co, 181W, and 65Zn was measured while the activity of other radioisotopes which emit soft beta or gamma rays such as 59Ni, 63Ni, and 55Fe was inferred by appropriate scaling factors.

Results of in vitro fertilization in Italy after the introduction of a new law.

Objective: To investigate the consequences of a law introduced in Italy in 2004 that forbids the fertilization or injection of more than three oocytes for assisted reproduction and does not allow any embryo selection or cryopreservation.

Design: Retrospective observational analysis.

Setting: Subfertile patients enrolled in an assisted reproduction program.

A very low-background gamma-ray counting facility in the Baradello underground laboratory.

An underground station for the measurement of low-level radioactivity is in operation in Northern Italy in the town of Como under the Baradello hill. The rock cover is -300 m water equivalent. This paper reports about the preliminary measurements carried out to characterise the site of the Baradello hill and the installation of a high-purity Ge detector with a radio-pure copper shielding.

Secondary photon fields produced in accelerator-based sources for neutron generation.

Neutrons can be produced with low-energy ion accelerators for many applications, such as the characterisation of neutron detectors, the irradiation of biological samples and the study of the radiation damage in electronic devices. Moreover, accelerator-based neutron sources are under development for boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT). Thin targets are used for generating monoenergetic neutrons, while thick targets are usually employed for producing more intense neutron fields.

Cryopreservation of supernumerary oocytes in IVF/ICSI cycles.

Background: The aim of the present study is to investigate cryopreservation of oocytes in patients refusing embryo cryopreservation for ethical reasons, patients from whom no sperm could be retrieved and patients with enough oocytes to yield a number of fresh and cryopreserved embryos to transfer.

Methods: A total of 2900 oocytes out of 6216 retrieved were cryopreserved in 286 patients undergoing 303 cycles. The reasons for cryopreservation were because no sperm was found in 16 cycles, for ethical or personal reasons in 80, and in 207 only supernumerary oocytes were frozen.

Outcome of assisted reproductive technologies after different embryo transfer strategies.

The outcomes of 1028 assisted reproductive technology cycles were studied retrospectively, considering two different periods of embryo transfer. In the first period, 262 cycles in women < 36 years old were studied, in which three embryos were transferred, followed by 157 cycles in women > or = 36 years, in which four embryos were transferred. In the second period, 332 cycles were evaluated in women < 36 years and 277 cycles in women > or = 36 years old, reducing the number of embryos transferred to two and three respectively.

Normal birth after transfer of cryopreserved human embryos generated by microinjection of cryopreserved testicular spermatozoa into cryopreserved human oocytes.

Objective: To report the first birth after transfer of cryopreserved embryos generated by intracytoplasmic sperm injection of cryopreserved testicular spermatozoa into cryopreserved human oocytes.

Design: Case report.

Setting: Tertiary center for reproductive technology.

Cryopreservation of a small number of spermatozoa in yolk-filled human zonae pellucidae.

Objectives: Conventional sperm freezing procedures need the addition of a relatively large volume of cryoprotectant. The dilution of extremely poor sperm suspensions from ejaculate or testicular tissue may make the recovery of viable spermatozoa difficult at the moment of the intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) procedure. The cryopreservation of a few spermatozoa in empty zonae pellucidae is an interesting solution for crypto-azoospermic infertile men.

Characterization of an underground site in Northern Italy in view of low radioactivity measurements.

A low background station for the measurement of low level radioactivity is under development in Northern Italy. The rock cover is about 300 m water equivalent. We report and discuss measurements of radon concentration in air and of gamma, muon and neutron fluxes performed in the neighborhood of the station site.

Determination of P in bones and of Al and Si in pottery by activation with reactor neutrons.

This note describes the results obtained in activation analysis with reactor neutrons. Particular attention is devoted to the analysis of P in bones, and of Al and Si in pottery. Other applications are also discussed.

[Hodgkin's disease in the malignant lymphoma category atypical clinical aspects].

Various clinical and pathological features of Hodgkin's disease and its related disorders are discussed: a rare, benign form of Hodgkin's disease with skin loci only; unusual primary sites (bone, spleen, lungs and intestine---including alphs-chain disease): various paraneplastic syndromes caused by hyperparathyroidism and hypercorticism; idiopathic nephrotic syndromes of immunological origin. Reference is also made to possible relationships between lymphoma and leukaemia.