Investigation of the reliability of semi-automatic annotation by the Geri time-lapse system.

Research Question: What is the reliability of Geri® Assess 2.0 software time-lapse technology for annotating kinetic events and identifying abnormal phenotypes in preimplantation human embryos?

Design: Embryos were annotated using Assess 2.0 for the appearance and fading of pronuclei, and for progression to the 2-, 3-, 4-, 5- and 6-cell stages and to three blastocyst stages.

Validation of the French IVF guidelines during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Research Question: Is a symptom questionnaire as per the French IVF guidelines adequate for screening patients during the COVID-19 pandemic?

Design: Patients planning IVF from June 2020 to February 2021 were included in the study. In compliance with French IVF guidelines, all patients fever-free on the day of oocyte retrieval were screened for risk of COVID-19 by completing a symptom questionnaire after being counselled regarding the importance of a COVID-19-free medical practice. Patients with IVF planned between June and September 2020 only completed the questionnaire (group 1), while those planning IVF after September 2020 also underwent the RT-PCR test for SARS-CoV-2 RNA (group 2).

Utilization of in vitro maturation in cases with a FSH receptor mutation.

Purpose: To identify the FSH receptor (FSHR) variant and efficacy of in vitro maturation (IVM) in a 28-year-old woman with secondary amenorrhea, primary infertility, and ovarian resistance to FSH, and to analyze the genotype-to-phenotype relationship in cases of FSHR mutation for the development of an IVM algorithm for use in patients with gonadotropin resistance syndrome (GRS).

Methods: Oocytes retrieved after menstruation induction with norethisterone, followed by daily estrogen and an ovulatory trigger, underwent IVM, ICSI, and culture in a time-lapse (TL) incubator. Embryo transfers were performed on day 2, and after thawing on day 5.

A new mutation identified in SPATA16 in two globozoospermic patients.

Purpose: The aim of this study is to identify potential genes involved in human globozoopsermia.

Methods: Nineteen globozoospermic patients (previously screened for DPY19L2 mutations with no causative mutation) were recruited in this study and screened for mutations in genes implicated in human globozoospermia SPATA16 and PICK1. Using the candidate gene approach and the determination of Spata16 partners by Glutathione S-transferase (GST) pull-down four genes were also selected and screened for mutations.

DPY19L2 deletion as a major cause of globozoospermia.

Globozoospermia, characterized by round-headed spermatozoa, is a rare (< 0.1% in male infertile patients) and severe teratozoospermia consisting primarily of spermatozoa lacking an acrosome. Studying a Jordanian consanguineous family in which five brothers were diagnosed with complete globozoospermia, we showed that the four out of five analyzed infertile brothers carried a homozygous deletion of 200 kb on chromosome 12 encompassing only DPY19L2.