Phthalates are detected in the follicular fluid of adolescents and oocyte donors with associated changes in the cumulus cell transcriptome.

Objective: To investigate the follicular fluid (FF) phthalate levels in adolescents undergoing fertility preservation compared with oocyte donors and explore its association with ovarian reserve and cumulus cell (CC) gene expression.

Design: Retrospective study and molecular analysis of CCs and FF.

Setting: Not applicable.

The oocyte microenvironment is altered in adolescents compared to oocyte donors.

Study Question: Do the molecular signatures of cumulus cells (CCs) and follicular fluid (FF) of adolescents undergoing fertility preservation differ from that of oocyte donors?

Summary Answer: The microenvironment immediately surrounding the oocyte, including the CCs and FF, is altered in adolescents undergoing fertility preservation compared to oocyte donors.

What Is Known Already: Adolescents experience a period of subfecundity following menarche. Recent evidence suggests that this may be at least partially due to increased oocyte aneuploidy.

Phthalates are detected in the follicular fluid of adolescents and oocyte donors with associated changes in the cumulus cell transcriptome.

Purpose: To investigate follicular fluid (FF) phthalate levels in adolescents undergoing fertility preservation compared to oocyte donors and explore its association with ovarian reserve and cumulus cell gene expression.

Methods: 20 Adolescents (16.7 ± 0.

The oocyte microenvironment is altered in adolescents compared to oocyte donors.

Study Question: Are the molecular signatures of cumulus cells (CCs) and follicular fluid (FF) of adolescents undergoing fertility preservation differ from that of reproductively adult oocyte donors?

Summary Answer: The microenvironment immediately surrounding the oocyte, including the CCs and FF, is altered in adolescents undergoing fertility preservation compared to oocyte donors.

What Is Known Already: Adolescents experience a period of subfecundity following menarche. Recent evidence suggests that this may be at least partially due to increased oocyte aneuploidy.

Association of State Insurance Mandates for Fertility Treatment With Multiple Embryo Transfer After Preimplantation Genetic Testing for Aneuploidy.

Importance: Multiple gestation is one of the biggest risks after in vitro fertilization (IVF), largely due to multiple embryo transfer (MET). Single embryo transfer (SET) uptake has increased over time and has been attributed to various factors, such as mandated insurance coverage for IVF and preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy (PGT-A).

Objective: To investigate whether mandates for IVF insurance coverage are associated with decreased use of MET after PGT-A.

Neighborhood disadvantage is associated with decreased ovarian reserve in women with overweight and obesity.

Objective(s): To evaluate the association between neighborhood disadvantage and ovarian reserve stratified by body mass index (BMI).

Design: Cross-sectional cohort study.

Setting: Single academic medical center.

Association of the human semen DNA virome with successful in vitro fertilization.

Objective: To comprehensively characterize the DNA virome in semen samples collected for in vitro fertilization (IVF).

Design: A descriptive clinical study.

Setting: Single academic fertility center.

State-Mandated Insurance Coverage and Preimplantation Genetic Testing in the United States.

Objective: To examine the association between state-mandated insurance coverage for infertility treatment in the United States and the utilization of and indication for preimplantation genetic testing.

Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of 301,465 in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles reported to the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology between 2014 and 2016. Binomial logistic regression was performed to examine associations between state-mandated insurance coverage and preimplantation genetic testing use.

Dietary patterns are associated with improved ovarian reserve in overweight and obese women: a cross-sectional study of the Lifestyle and Ovarian Reserve (LORe) cohort.

Background: Growing evidence suggests that adherence to certain dietary patterns is associated with improved fecundity and reproductive outcomes in the general population and infertile couples assisted reproductive treatments. The objective of this study was to assess if dietary patterns are associated with ovarian reserve in reproductive age women without a history of infertility.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of 185 women in the Lifestyle and Ovarian Reserve (LORe) cohort.

Association of vaginal bacterial communities and reproductive outcomes with prophylactic antibiotic exposure in a subfertile population undergoing in vitro fertilization: a prospective exploratory study.

Objective: To determine whether prophylactic azithromycin is associated with the vaginal bacterial microbiome and clinical outcomes in subfertile women undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF).

Design: Prospective exploratory cohort study.

Setting: Single academic fertility center.

Association between arthritis treatments and ovarian reserve: a prospective study.

Research Question: How do anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) concentrations in women with and without arthritis compare? Is there an association between AMH and arthritis drug regimen?

Design: In this prospective cohort study, AMH was measured at two time points (T and T) in 129 premenopausal women with arthritis. AMH at T was compared with that from a bank of serum samples from 198 premenopausal women without arthritis. Primary outcomes were: (i) diminished ovarian reserve (DOR) (AMH <1.

Recent trends in embryo disposition choices made by patients following in vitro fertilization.

Purpose: To assess longitudinal trends in in vitro fertilization (IVF) patients' choices for disposing of cryopreserved embryos.

Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study of embryo disposition forms submitted between January 2000 and February 2020 at a university-based fertility clinic. Primary outcome was disposition decision.

Antenatal pomegranate juice rescues hypoxia-induced fetal growth restriction in pregnant mice while reducing placental cell stress and apoptosis.

Introduction: There is a need for prophylaxis to reduce placental-associated intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). Pomegranate juice (PJ) is replete with phytochemicals having biological effects at non-pharmacological concentrations. We test the hypothesis that exposure of pregnant mice to hypoxia late in gestation induces cellular stress in the placenta, which can be ameliorated by antecedent maternal consumption of PJ.

Is there a role for diet in ameliorating the reproductive sequelae associated with chronic low-grade inflammation in polycystic ovary syndrome and obesity?

A 2013 ASRM committee opinion titled "Optimizing natural fertility" stated that "there is little evidence that dietary variations such as vegetarian diets, low-fat diets, vitamin-enriched diets, antioxidants, or herbal remedies improve fertility …." However, there are emerging epidemiologic data demonstrating that certain components of the diet may influence reproductive health outcomes. Furthermore, translational work with human specimens and animal models lends biologic plausibility to the epidemiologic data, particularly in the context of female reproductive diseases associated with inflammation, including polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and obesity.

Serum Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids and Endometriosis.

Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are fatty acids containing 2 or more double bonds, and they are classified by the location of the last double bond. Omega 3 (n-3) and omega 6 (n-6) PUFAs are obtained through food sources including fatty fish and seed/vegetable oils, respectively, and they are important to a number of physiologic processes including inflammation. Previous work demonstrates suppressive effects of n-3 PUFAs on endometriotic lesions in animal models and decreased risk of endometriosis among women with high n-3 PUFA intake.

Tissue-resident natural killer (NK) cells are cell lineages distinct from thymic and conventional splenic NK cells.

Natural killer (NK) cells belong to the innate immune system; they can control virus infections and developing tumors by cytotoxicity and producing inflammatory cytokines. Most studies of mouse NK cells, however, have focused on conventional NK (cNK) cells in the spleen. Recently, we described two populations of liver NK cells, tissue-resident NK (trNK) cells and those resembling splenic cNK cells.

Relationship between serum polyunsaturated fatty acids and pregnancy in women undergoing in vitro fertilization.

Context: Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and their metabolism may be important in normal reproductive function and fertility. Associations between physiologic PUFAs and pregnancy have not been established in women.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate associations between serum levels of PUFAs and embryo implantation in women undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF).

Preimplantation exposure of mouse embryos to palmitic acid results in fetal growth restriction followed by catch-up growth in the offspring.

Free fatty acids (FFAs) are energy substrates for many cell types, but in excess, some FFAs can accumulate in nonadipose cells, inducing apoptosis. Also known as lipotoxicity, this phenomenon may play a role in the development of obesity-related disease. Obesity is common among reproductive age women and is associated with adverse pregnancy and fetal outcomes; however, little is known about the effects of excess FFAs on embryos and subsequent fetal development.

Peptidoglycan induces necrosis and regulates cytokine production in murine trophoblast stem cells.

Problem: Intrauterine bacterial infection during pregnancy may lead to adverse outcome. The objective of this study was to assess whether peptidoglycan (PGN) derived from Gram-positive bacteria induces trophoblast stem (TS) cell death or alters TS cell cytokine production.

Method Of Study: Toll-like receptor (TLR) transcript expression was assessed by RT-PCR.

A differential autophagic response to hyperglycemia in the developing murine embryo.

Autophagy is critical to the process of development because mouse models have shown that lack of autophagy leads to developmental arrest during the pre-implantation stage of embryogenesis. The process of autophagy is regulated through signaling pathways, which respond to the cellular environment. Therefore, any alteration in the environment may lead to the dysregulation of the autophagic process potentially resulting in cell death.

Validation of lamellar body counts using three hematology analyzers.

The lamellar body count (LBC) represents an alternative method to the TDx-FLM II (Abbott Laboratories, Abbott Park, IL), which is planned to be discontinued, for assessing fetal lung maturity. Our objective was to validate the LBC on 3 hematology analyzers (Coulter LH 750 and Coulter Ac.T diff2, Beckman Coulter, Brea, CA; and Sysmex XE-2100, Sysmex, Mundelein, IL) to serve as a template for other laboratories attempting to perform in-house validation.

Murine trophoblast cells induce NK cell interferon-gamma production through KLRK1.

Murine models suggest that natural killer (NK) cells are important for normal implantation site development, in part, through the production of interferon gamma (IFNG). As KLRK1 (NKG2D) is expressed on human and murine uterine NK (uNK) cells, we examined the role of KLRK1 in the interaction between murine trophoblasts and NK cells. Flow cytometric analysis revealed that both murine trophoblast stem (TS) cells and differentiated trophoblast giant cells expressed the KLRK1 ligand retinoic acid early transcript 1, or RAET1.

Toll-like receptors in pregnancy disorders and placental dysfunction.

The Toll receptor was originally identified as a regulator of embryogenesis in Drosophila. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) in mammals recognize infectious agents and other danger signals. Activation of TLRs on trophoblast influences immune cell recruitment, cytokine secretion, and decidual responses to invading pathogens during pregnancy.

Murine endometrial and decidual NK1.1+ natural killer cells display a B220+CD11c+ cell surface phenotype.

Uterine natural killer (uNK) cells accumulate at the maternal-fetal interface during gestation and are thought to have an important role during pregnancy in both mice and humans. While the cell surface phenotype of human uNK cells is increasingly well defined, less is known regarding the cell surface expression profile of murine uNK cells both before and during gestation. Herein, we demonstrate that murine NK1.