Stringent Regulations of Oocyte Donation Among Jewish Women in Israel: Characteristics and Outcomes of the National Oocyte Donation Program in One Central IVF Unit.

On September 5, 2010, the Israeli Parliament passed a law that allows Israeli female residents to donate their oocytes to infertile Israeli female residents. This law includes unique restrictions that do not exist in other countries. Our aim was to characterize Israeli oocyte donors and recipients and the outcomes of the oocyte donation program as regulated by national law.

BlastAssist: a deep learning pipeline to measure interpretable features of human embryos.

Study Question: Can the BlastAssist deep learning pipeline perform comparably to or outperform human experts and embryologists at measuring interpretable, clinically relevant features of human embryos in IVF?

Summary Answer: The BlastAssist pipeline can measure a comprehensive set of interpretable features of human embryos and either outperform or perform comparably to embryologists and human experts in measuring these features.

What Is Known Already: Some studies have applied deep learning and developed 'black-box' algorithms to predict embryo viability directly from microscope images and videos but these lack interpretability and generalizability. Other studies have developed deep learning networks to measure individual features of embryos but fail to conduct careful comparisons to embryologists' performance, which are fundamental to demonstrate the network's effectiveness.

A clinical predictive model for live birth in women of advanced age undergoing PGT cycles.

Purpose: The trend of delaying childbirth has resulted in a growing number of advanced-aged women who are opting for preimplantation genetic testing (PGT) to screen for monogenic diseases or structural chromosomal rearrangements (PGT-M and PGT-SR). This increase in demand necessitates the development of a clinical predictive model for live birth outcomes in these women. Therefore, the objective of this study is to construct a comprehensive predictive model that assesses the likelihood of achieving a successful live birth in advanced-aged women undergoing PGT-M and PGT-SR treatments.

A pathogenic variant in the uncharacterized gene results in severe aneuploidy male infertility and repeated IVF failure.

Quantitative and qualitative spermatogenic impairments are major causes of men's infertility. Although fertilization (IVF) is effective, some couples persistently fail to conceive. To identify causal variants in patients with severe male infertility factor and repeated IVF failures, we sequenced the exome of two consanguineous family members who underwent several failed IVF cycles and were diagnosed with low sperm count and motility.

The association between a carrier state of FMR1 premutation and numeric sex chromosome variations.

Purpose: Women carriers of FMR1 premutation are at increased risk of early ovarian dysfunction and even premature ovarian insufficiency. The aim of this study was to examine a possible association between FMR1 permutation and numeric sex chromosome variations.

Methods: A retrospective case-control study conducted in the reproductive center of a university-affiliated medical center.

Similar fertilization rates and preimplantation embryo development among testosterone-treated transgender men and cisgender women.

Research Question: What are the effects of testosterone treatment on oocyte fertilization and preimplantation embryo development among transgender men who have undergone fertility preservation?

Design: A retrospective study was undertaken in a university-affiliated tertiary hospital between April 2016 and November 2021. Embryos were divided into three groups by source: 210 embryos from 7 testosterone-exposed transgender men, 135 from 10 cisgender women who cryopreserved embryos, and 276 from 24 cisgender women who underwent fertility treatment. Statistical analyses compared assisted reproductive technology outcomes between the group of transgender men and both groups of cisgender women.

New insights regarding origin of monosomy occurrence in early developing embryos as demonstrated in preimplantation genetic testing.

Introduction: Analyses of miscarriage products indicate that the majority of aneuploidies in early developing embryos derive from errors occurring during maternal meiosis and the paternal contribution is less than 10%. Our aim was to assess the aneuploidy (mainly monosmies) frequencies at the earliest stages of embryo development, 3 days following fertilization during In vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments and to elucidate their parental origin. Later, we compared monosomies rates of day 3 to those of day 5 as demonstrated from Preimplantation Genetic Testing for Structural chromosomal Rearrangement (PGT-SR) results.

A decision tree analysis applied to women aged 43-45: who should be referred for ovum donation?

Research Question: In women at the advanced age of 43-45 years undergoing repeated IVF cycles with autologous oocytes, who has the highest chance for birth and who should be referred early to receive donor oocytes?

Design: A retrospective cohort study was conducted at a university hospital reproductive centre. The computerized database of 394 women aged 43-45 years undergoing 1528 non-donor IVF or intracytoplasmic sperm injection cycles between 2010 and 2019 was analysed. A decision tree was developed, enabling a comprehensive study of a set of clinical parameters and the expected outcomes.

A decision tree model for predicting live birth in FMR1 premutation carriers undergoing preimplantation genetic testing for monogenic/single gene defects.

Research Question: Can patient selection for successful preimplantation genetic testing for women who are fragile X (FMR1) premutation carriers be optimized using a decision tree analysis? This decision support tool enables a comprehensive study of a set of clinical parameters and the expected outcomes.

Design: A retrospective case-control study analysing the results of 264 fresh and 21 frozen preimplantation genetic testing for monogenic disorders/single gene defects (PGT-M) cycles in 64 FMR1 premutation carriers. Primary outcome was live birth per cycle start.

Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Agonist Versus Recombinant Human Chorionic Gonadotropin Triggering in Fertility Preservation Cycles.

The purpose of this research is to study the efficacy of GnRH-a versus r-hCG triggering in patients who go through fertility preservation cycles. This retrospective cohort study was performed in a tertiary university-affiliated medical center. It includes 191 patients undergoing fertility preservation cycles between May 2013 and September 2018, in which ovulation was induced by either GnRH-a or r-hCG.

Transfer of Day 6 Frozen-Thawed Blastocysts on Day 5 Compared with Day 6: Catching Up with the Window of Implantation-a Retrospective Study.

To compare clinical pregnancy rate (CPR) and live birth rate (LBR) after frozen-thawed embryo transfer (FET) of day (D-) 6 blastocysts on D-5 versus D-6. A retrospective cohort study. A university-affiliated single-center tertiary hospital.

Effects of letrozole or tamoxifen coadministered with a standard stimulation protocol on fertility preservation among breast cancer patients.

Purpose: To assess the effects of letrozole or tamoxifen coadministration on fertility preservation treatment outcomes.

Methods: Retrospective cohort study of 118 breast cancer patients undergoing fertility preservation treatment between 2008 and 2018. Patients who received letrozole (n = 36) or tamoxifen (n = 30) were compared to controls (n = 52) who underwent standard ovarian stimulation protocols.

Automated Measurements of Key Morphological Features of Human Embryos for IVF.

A major challenge in clinical In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF) is selecting the highest quality embryo to transfer to the patient in the hopes of achieving a pregnancy. Time-lapse microscopy provides clinicians with a wealth of information for selecting embryos. However, the resulting movies of embryos are currently analyzed manually, which is time consuming and subjective.

In-vitro maturation of oocytes recovered during cryopreservation of pre-pubertal girls undergoing fertility preservation.

Research Question: In-vitro maturation (IVM) of oocytes recovered during ovarian tissue cryopreservation (OTC) is often practised, although it is still considered experimental. To date, only a few studies have examined the success of this maturation process in pre-menarche girls. The aim of this study was to examine the outcomes of IVM of oocytes recovered during OTC in pre-menarche patients scheduled for onco-therapy.

The Effect of Advanced Maternal Age on Embryo Morphokinetics.

To compare the morphokinetic parameters of pre-implantation development between embryos of women of advanced maternal age (AMA) and young women. Time-lapse microscopy was used to compare morphokinetic variables between 495 embryos of AMA women ≥ age 42 years and 653 embryos of young patients ( View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Morphokinetic characteristics of embryos originating from extremely small follicles: A prospective study.

Objective: To investigate the developmental potential of oocytes and embryos derived from extremely small follicles (<10 mm) in comparison to those originated in larger follicles.

Study Design: A prospective study, undertaken in a university affiliated single center tertiary hospital. The study included 98 patients undergoing infertility treatments.

Systematic interrogation of human promoters.

Despite much research, our understanding of the architecture and -regulatory elements of human promoters is still lacking. Here, we devised a high-throughput assay to quantify the activity of approximately 15,000 fully designed sequences that we integrated and expressed from a fixed location within the human genome. We used this method to investigate thousands of native promoters and preinitiation complex (PIC) binding regions followed by in-depth characterization of the sequence motifs underlying promoter activity, including core promoter elements and TF binding sites.

Time-lapse imaging reveals delayed development of embryos carrying unbalanced chromosomal translocations.

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to compare the morphokinetic parameters of embryos carrying balanced chromosomal translocations with those carrying unbalanced chromosomal translocations using time-lapse microscopy.

Methods: The study group included 270 embryos that underwent biopsies on day 3 for preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) for chromosomal translocations in our unit between 2013 and 2015. All embryos were incubated under time-lapse microscopy and evaluated for timing of developmental events up to day 5.

Optimal timing for blastomere biopsy of 8-cell embryos for preimplantation genetic diagnosis.

Study Question: What is the optimal timing for blastomere biopsy during the 8-cell stage, at which embryos will have the best implantation potential?

Summary Answer: Fast-cleaving embryos that are biopsied during the last quarter (Q4) of the 8-cell stage and are less affected by the biopsy procedure, and their implantation potential is better than that of embryos biopsied earlier during the 8-cell stage (Q1-Q3).

What Is Known Already: Blastomer biopsy from cleavage-stage embryos is usually performed on the morning of Day 3 when the embryos are at the 6- to 8-cell stage and is still the preferred biopsy method for preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) for monogentic disorders or chromosomal translocations. Human embryos usually remain at the 8-cell stage for a relatively long 'arrest phase' in which cells grow, duplicate their DNA and synthesize various proteins in preparation for the subsequent division.

Systematic Investigation of Transcription Factor Activity in the Context of Chromatin Using Massively Parallel Binding and Expression Assays.

Precise gene expression patterns are established by transcription factor (TFs) binding to regulatory sequences. While these events occur in the context of chromatin, our understanding of how TF-nucleosome interplay affects gene expression is highly limited. Here, we present an assay for high-resolution measurements of both DNA occupancy and gene expression on large-scale libraries of systematically designed regulatory sequences.