Stratifying Cumulus Cell Samples Based on Molecular Profiling to Help Resolve Biomarker Discrepancies and to Predict Oocyte Developmental Competence.

To increase the efficiency of assisted reproductive techniques (ART), molecular studies have been performed to identify the best predictive biomarkers for selecting the most suitable germ cells for fertilization and the best embryo for intra-uterine transfer. However, across different studies, no universal markers have been found. In this study, we addressed this issue by generating gene expression and CpG methylation profiles of outer cumulus cells obtained during intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).

Effects of Pulsed-Wave Photobiomodulation Therapy on Human Spermatozoa.

Background And Objectives: Previous studies reported that photobiomodulation (PBM) positively affects the mitochondrial respiratory chain in sperm, resulting in improved motility and velocity. As laser settings are not yet fully established, the present study aimed at optimizing PBM on human sperm. In addition, possible side-effects of PBM on sperm DNA fragmentation level and acrosomal integrity have been analyzed.

Assessment of reflectance confocal microscopy for non-invasive selection of optimal ovarian cortex fragments for autotransplantation.

Research Question: Can reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) be used to determine follicle density in human ovarian cortex fragments that are intended for fertility restoration?

Design: RCM was used on living cortex tissue fragments derived from five bovine ovaries and 13 human ovaries. All tissue fragments were cryopreserved and thawed before RCM analysis. Follicle numbers and distribution were determined by RCM and histology.

Overnight ovarian tissue transportation for centralized cryobanking: a feasible option.

Research Question: Is overnight transportation of ovarian tissue before cryopreservation in a centralized cryobank from the FertiPROTEKT network feasible?

Design: Data from 1810 women with cryopreserved ovarian tissue after overnight transportation from December 2000 to December 2017 were analysed with a focus on transportation, tissue activity parameters and pregnancy, and delivery rates after transplantation.

Results: A total of 92.4% of tissue samples arrived at ideal temperatures of 2-8°C, 0.

Concept Paper on the Technique of Cryopreservation, Removal and Transplantation of Ovarian Tissue for Fertility Preservation.

The cryopreservation of ovarian tissue with subsequent transplantation of the tissue represents an established method of fertility protection for female patients who have to undergo gonadotoxic therapy. The procedure can be performed at any point in the cycle and thus generally does not lead to any delay in oncological therapy. With the aid of this procedure, more than 130 births to date worldwide have been able to be recorded.

Fertility protection: complications of surgery and results of removal and transplantation of ovarian tissue.

Fertility-preserving measures are becoming important for patients receiving oncological treatment. One method involves cryopreservation of ovarian tissue and transplanting it when treatment is completed. We report complications resulting from surgical and fertility medicine, and the results of procedures for the removal and transplantation of ovarian tissue carried out within the FertiProtekt network.

Xenotransplantation of cryopreserved human ovarian tissue--a systematic review of MII oocyte maturation and discussion of it as a realistic option for restoring fertility after cancer treatment.

Objective: To systematically review the reporting of MII (MII) oocyte development after xenotransplantation of human ovarian tissue.

Design: Systematic review in accordance with the guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA).

Setting: Not applicable.

Spontaneous antral follicle formation and metaphase II oocyte from a non-stimulated prepubertal ovarian tissue xenotransplant.

Background: Current strategies in cancer treatment have markedly increased the rates of remission and survival for cancer patients, but are often associated with subsequent sterility. While there are various options available to an adult female depending on the patient's particular situation, the only realistic option for preserving fertility in prepubertal females is to cryopreserve ovarian tissue. This is the first report of a morphologically mature oocyte collected from non-stimulated prepubertal ovarian tissue xenotransplants.

The impact of culture conditions on early follicle recruitment and growth from human ovarian cortex biopsies in vitro.

Objective: To investigate the effects of a dynamic fluidic culture system on early in vitro folliculogenesis in standardized ovarian cortex biopsies.

Design: Cortical small strips were cultured for 6 days in a conventional static or in a dynamic fluidic culture system.

Setting: University-affiliated laboratory with an associated cryobank facility.

First live birth in germany after re-transplantation of cryopreserved ovarian tissue: original device for initiation of ice formation.

Background: The problem of post-cancer infertility is of significant concern. The cryopreservation of ovarian tissue before cancer therapy with retransplantation after convalescence is the key to solving this problem.

Methods: Cryopreservation of ovarian tissue was performed in 2005 after surgical operation, post-operative low-temperature 22 hour transportation, and freezing using a special, original design block constructed for the initiation of ice formation (ice-seeding).

Application of a ready-to-use calcium ionophore increases rates of fertilization and pregnancy in severe male factor infertility.

Objective: To analyze whether a ready-to-use calcium ionophore improves outcomes, from fertilization to live birth, in patients with severe male factor infertility.

Design: Artificial oocyte activation offered to applicable patients over a 20-month period.

Setting: Specialized in vitro fertilization (IVF) centers in Austria and Germany.

The benefit of artificial oocyte activation is dependent on the fertilization rate in a previous treatment cycle.

Following intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), some patients present low or zero fertilization rates. Artificial oocyte activation has been proposed as a suitable means to overcome this problem. This study applied artificial oocyte activation in patient cohorts with a history of no fertilization (0%, group 1), fertilization between 1 and 29% (group 2) or fertilization between 30 and 50% (group 3) in initial ICSI cycles.

Retransplantation of cryopreserved ovarian tissue: the first live birth in Germany.

Background: Cryopreserved ovarian tissue can be retransplanted to restore fertility after radiation or chemotherapy. To date, 15 live births after retransplantation have been reported worldwide. We report the first pregnancy and the first live birth after retransplantation in Germany.

Live birth after ovarian tissue autotransplantation following overnight transportation before cryopreservation.

Objective: To describe the first live birth after transplantation of ovarian tissue following overnight transportation of the tissue before freezing.

Design: Technical note.

Setting: University department of obstetrics and gynecology.

Polar body array CGH for prediction of the status of the corresponding oocyte. Part I: clinical results.

Background: Several randomized controlled trials have not shown a benefit from preimplantation genetic screening (PGS) biopsy of cleavage-stage embryos and assessment of up to 10 chromosomes for aneuploidy. Therefore, a proof-of-principle study was planned to determine the reliability of alternative form of PGS, i.e.

Xenotransplantation of cryopreserved ovarian tissue from patients with ovarian tumors into SCID mice--no evidence of malignant cell contamination.

This study examined the possible presence of malignant cells in ovarian cortex from patients with ovarian tumors after xenografting of the ovarian tissue into severe combined immunodeficiency mice. None of the mice presented symptoms of reintroduced malignancy nor did microscopic and immunohistochemical evaluation of the grafts raise any suspicion of residual malignant disease.

Gamete competence assessment by polarizing optics in assisted reproduction.

Background: The purpose of this study was first to give an overview of the historical development of polarization microscopy, second to describe the various applications of this technique in assisted reproduction techniques (ART) and third to discuss the potential benefit of polarization microscopy as a predictor for IVF success.

Methods: The history of polarization microscopy was undertaken by performing a backward search in the scientific literature using Google and internet sites of several Societies for Microscopy and Cell Biology. Studies of polarization microscopy in ART were identified by using a systematic literature search in PubMed and Scopus.

Methylation at global LINE-1 repeats in human blood are affected by gender but not by age or natural hormone cycles.

Previously, we reported on inter-individual and gender specific variations of LINE-1 methylation in healthy individuals. In this study, we investigated whether this variability could be influenced by age or sex hormones in humans. To this end, we studied LINE-1 methylation in vivo in blood-derived DNA from individuals aged 18 to 64 years and from young healthy females at various hormone levels during the menstrual cycle.

Effect of mono-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate on steroid production of human granulosa cells.

The phthalate ester mono-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (MEHP) is the active metabolite of di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, a high-production-volume chemical used as a plasticizer and solvent in numerous consumer products. MEHP has been demonstrated to be a reproductive toxicant in rodents decreasing estradiol and progesterone production in preovulatory granulosa cells. In the present study, we examined the effect of MEHP on steroid production of human granulosa-lutein (GL) cells.

Cryopreservation of human ovarian tissue: effect of spontaneous and initiated ice formation.

This investigation compared conventional freezing of human ovarian tissue using either spontaneous or initiated ('seeded') ice formation. Biopsies of ovarian tissue were obtained from women with indications for chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Small pieces of experimental tissue were randomly distributed into three groups that were then subjected to different treatments prior to culture in vitro for 16 days: the control group, no treatment, cultured immediately after biopsy (group 1); cryopreservation/thawing with spontaneous ice formation (group 2); and cryopreservation/thawing with initiated ice formation (group 3).

Polar body diagnosis - a step in the right direction?

Introduction: Polar body diagnosis (PBD) is a new diagnostic method for the indirect genetic analysis of oocytes, which is carried out as part of in vitro fertilization. The biopsy of polar bodies is technically demanding and cannot be adopted uncritically in routine practice, in the absence of robust data to support this laboratory procedure.

Methods: Selective literature review and analysis of own PBD data.

Cryopreservation of human ovarian tissue: comparison of rapid and conventional freezing.

Cryopreservation, which is the most important procedure in ovarian tissue banking, can be divided into two methods: conventional freezing and rapid freezing. In previous study, the higher effectiveness of rapid freezing in comparison with the conventional freezing for human oocytes and embryos was shown. Data on comparison of these two methods for human ovarian tissue are limited.

Effective method for in-vitro culture of cryopreserved human ovarian tissue.

It is widely accepted that it is possible to successfully cryopreserve human ovarian tissue by direct plunging into liquid nitrogen using permeable cryoprotectants only, without disaccharides. This study aimed to search for and test a new method for in-vitro culture of vitrified tissue. Ovarian biopsies were obtained during operative laparoscopy.

Spindle imaging in human oocytes: the impact of the meiotic cell cycle.

Recent studies using polarized light microscopy revealed a correlation between the presence of a spindle in human metaphase II meiotic oocytes and the fertilization rate following intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). Using a new spindle imaging system, it was possible to visualize the spindle image and the conventional light microscopic view of the oocyte simultaneously. Using this system, time-lapse studies of the meiotic cycle of human oocytes were performed.