Biogenesis of Extracellular Vesicles (EVs) and the Potential Use of Embryo-Derived EVs in Medically Assisted Reproduction.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are lipid bilayer-bound particles released from cells that cannot replicate on their own, play a crucial role in intercellular communication, and are implicated in various physiological and pathological processes. Within the domain of embryo culture media research, extensive studies have been conducted to evaluate embryo viability by analyzing spent culture medium. Advanced methodologies such as metabolomic profiling, proteomic and genomic analyses, transcriptomic profiling, non-coding RNA assessments, and oxidative status measurements have been employed to further understand the molecular characteristics of embryos and improve selection criteria for successful implantation.

The effect of pipette- and laser-induced blastocyst collapse before vitrification on their re-expansion and clinical outcome after warming.

Research Question: What are the effects of pipette- versus laser-assisted artificial blastocyst collapse (ABC) on the morphokinetics of warmed blastocyst re-expansion, and what is the potential effect on treatment outcomes?

Design: Surplus blastocysts were extracted from 203 patients. These were divided into three groups: study group A, artificial collapsed by the aspiration of blastocoel fluid with a pipette; study group B, trophectoderm opened with a laser pulse; control group, no manipulation before vitrification was performed. During the 5-year study period, 257 associated single-warm blastocyst transfers were scheduled.

Natural killer cell-mediated cytotoxicity shapes the clonal evolution of B cell leukaemia.

The term cancer immunoediting describes the dual role by which the immune system can suppress and promote tumour growth and is divided into three phases: elimination, equilibrium and escape. The role of NK cells has mainly been attributed to the elimination phase. Here we show that NK cells play a role in all three phases of cancer immunoediting.

A Rare Case of a Gigantic Retroperitoneal Schwannoma.

: Schwannomas (Schs) are benign tumor masses that rarely occur intra-abdominally and rarely reach larger diameters. When present, they occur as rare solitary nerve sheath tumors of peri-neural Schwann cells. Schwannoma mostly affects the nerves of the extremities, trunk, or the head and neck region.

Embryos from Prepubertal Hyperglycemic Female Mice Respond Differentially to Oxygen Tension In Vitro.

Reduced oxygen during embryo culture in human ART prevents embryo oxidative stress. Oxidative stress is also the major mechanism by which maternal diabetes impairs embryonic development. This study employed induced hyperglycemia prepubertal mice to mimic childhood diabetes to understand the effects of varying oxygen tension during in vitro embryonic development.

The role of regulatory T-cells in the development of endometriosis.

Endometriosis is a benign disease of the female reproductive tract, characterized by the process of chronic inflammation and alterations in immune response. It is estimated to affect 2-19% of women in the general population and is commonly associated with symptoms of chronic pelvic pain and infertility. Regulatory T cells (Treg) are a subpopulation of T lymphocytes that are potent suppressors of inflammatory immune response, essential in preventing destructive immunity in all tissues.

Postoperative cognitive dysfunction: Review of pathophysiology, diagnostics and preventive strategies.

Postoperative cognitive impairment is a common disorder after major surgery. Advances in medicine and treatment have resulted in an increasingly ageing population undergoing major surgical procedures. Since age is the most important risk factor for postoperative cognitive decline, it is not surprising that impairment of cognitive functions after surgery was recorded in almost a third of elderly patients.

Secretomes from Conventional Insemination and Intra-Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection Derived Embryos Differentially Modulate Endometrial Cells In Vitro.

Conventional Insemination (CI) and Intra-Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) are routinely used insemination methods in clinical Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) settings. However, the existing data on the developmental competence and implantation potential of CI and ICSI derived embryos are not unequivocal. This prospective study on 23 patients undergoing ART treatment explored whether the secretomes of CI- and ICSI-derived embryo differentially alter the expression of integrins (α and β integrin) and MUCIN-1 (MUC-1) in a human endometrial epithelial cell line (Ishikawa).

The readiness of the spontaneous reporting system for COVID-19 vaccines safety monitoring in Croatia.

We aimed to identify whether a spontaneous reporting system (SRS) in Croatia could timely identify and confirm signals for COVID-19 vaccines. Post-marketing spontaneous reports of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) following COVID-19 immunisation reported to the Agency for Medicinal Products and Medical Devices of Croatia (HALMED) were extracted and analysed. 6624 cases reporting 30 655 ADRs following COVID-19 immunisation were received from 27 December 2020 to 31st December 2021.

An annotated human blastocyst dataset to benchmark deep learning architectures for in vitro fertilization.

Medical Assisted Reproduction proved its efficacy to treat the vast majority forms of infertility. One of the key procedures in this treatment is the selection and transfer of the embryo with the highest developmental potential. To assess this potential, clinical embryologists routinely work with static images (morphological assessment) or short video sequences (time-lapse annotation).

Hypothesis: Drainage of the peripheral tissue edema by the hyperbaric oxygen therapy because of hyperoxygenation that constricts arterioles and alters the downstream capillary fluid traffic in affected tissues.

Hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) therapy still lacks proper interpretations of its many actions. This hypothesis is based on reports of temporarily elevated peripheral vascular resistance (PVR) during HBO sessions. Besides that, during HBO sessions, hyperoxygenated tissues can reduce their perfusion so much that CO can accumulate in them.

Cohort Event Monitoring of Adverse Reactions to COVID-19 Vaccines in Seven European Countries: Pooled Results on First Dose.

Introduction: COVID-19 vaccines were rapidly authorised, thus requiring intense post-marketing re-evaluation of their benefit-risk profile. A multi-national European collaboration was established with the aim to prospectively monitor safety of the COVID-19 vaccines through web-based survey of vaccinees.

Methods: A prospective cohort event monitoring study was conducted with primary consented data collection in seven European countries.

Training and competency assessment of Clinical Embryologists and licensing of the profession in European countries.

Study Question: How is the acquisition and testing of theoretical and practical knowledge in Clinical Embryology and the licensing of ART laboratory personnel carried out in European countries?

Summary Answer: Twelve out of 31 European countries have established some kind of verification of laboratory competency and skills in ART: in 7 countries, this was related to licensing, but where organized education for Clinical Embryologists existed, there were vast differences in the way these processes were undertaken.

What Is Known Already: In 2015, a report by the ESHRE Embryology Certification Committee concluded that regardless of the large number of people working in IVF laboratories, Clinical Embryology was only recognized as an official profession in 3 out of 27 European national health systems. In most countries, Clinical Embryologists needed to be officially registered under an alternative profession and there were limited opportunities for organized education in this specialist field.

ESHRE certification of ART centres for good laboratory and clinical practice.

Study Question: Three years after the start of the ESHRE ART Centre Certification (ARTCC) programme, what is the current state of the system, in terms of the interest expressed in it and experiences during the assessment of ART services?

Summary Answer: As of 1 December 2021, 25 European ART centres have been involved in the various stages of certification and the most common recommendations from inspectors were the need for documented training, verification of competencies for all staff members, verification of laboratory and clinical performance indicators, implementation of a quality management system and avoidance of overusing ICSI and add-ons.

What Is Known Already: European Union (EU) legislation has included ART activities in the EU Tissue and Cells Directives (EUTCDs). Following inspections by national EUTCD authorities, many details regarding documentation, laboratory environment, handling of reproductive cells and tissues, traceability, coding and patient testing have become standardized.

To collapse or not to collapse blastocysts before vitrification? A matched case-control study on single vitrified-warmed blastocyst transfers.

Research Question: Does laser-induced artificial blastocoel collapse result in better blastocyst cryopreservation survival and a higher live birth rate (LBR) in comparison with intact counterparts?

Design: Half of the supernumerary blastocysts from IVF cycles were randomly selected before vitrification for laser-induced artificial collapsing or vitrification in intact form. A matched case-control study of first transfers of single blastocysts artificially collapsed (case) or intact (control) before vitrification was conducted. Controls were matched to cases on a 1:1 ratio by female age, parity, fresh and vitrified cycle protocol, blastocyst age and quality, resulting in 309 case-control pairs.

Experimentally Induced Hyperglycemia in Prepubertal Phase Impairs Oocyte Quality and Functionality in Adult Mice.

Reproductive abnormalities in women with a history of childhood diabetes are believed to be partially attributed to hyperglycemia. Prolonged hyperglycemia can negatively affect ovarian function and fertility during reproductive life. To address this in an experimental setting, the present study used streptozotocin-induced hyperglycemic prepubertal mouse model.

Transcriptomics of receptive endometrium in women with sonographic features of adenomyosis.

Background: Women with uterine adenomyosis seeking assisted reproduction have been associated with compromised endometrial receptivity to embryo implantation. To understand the mechanisms involved in this process, we aimed to compare endometrial transcriptome profiles during the window of implantation (WOI) between women with and without adenomyosis.

Methods: We obtained endometrial biopsies LH-timed to the WOI from women with sonographic features of adenomyosis (n=10) and controls (n=10).

Patient Outcomes Following Extra-Osseous Talo-Tarsal Stabilization for Foot Hyperpronation.

The aim is to present a single-center case series of patients with symptomatic hyperpronated feet treated with arthroereisis by using a second generation extra-osseous talo-tarsal stabilization device. This case series enrolled 123 feet in 87 patients (20 [6-75] years) treated with arthroereisis, either isolated (76 cases) or combined procedure (47 cases). At their final follow-up, a patient reported questionnaire (overall satisfaction, foot stability and shape, activities of daily living, pain level, and analgesics usage) was distributed.

STAT3 promotes melanoma metastasis by CEBP-induced repression of the MITF pathway.

Metastatic melanoma is hallmarked by its ability of phenotype switching to more slowly proliferating, but highly invasive cells. Here, we tested the impact of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) on melanoma progression in association with melanocyte inducing transcription factor (MITF) expression levels. We established a mouse melanoma model for deleting Stat3 in melanocytes with specific expression of human hyperactive NRAS in an Ink4a-deficient background, two frequent driver mutations in human melanoma.

Determining the Molecular Background of Endometrial Receptivity in Adenomyosis.

Background: Adenomyosis is a gynaecological condition with limited evidence of negative impact to endometrial receptivity. It is commonly associated with endometriosis, which has been shown to alter endometrial expression patterns. Therefore, the candidate genes identified in endometriosis could serve as a source to study endometrial function in adenomyosis.

ESHRE Clinical Embryologist certification: the first 10 years.

Study Question: What has the ESHRE programme 'ESHRE Certification for Clinical Embryologists' achieved after 10 years?

Summary Answer: The post-exam analysis showed a pass rate of 60% for Clinical and 50% for Senior Clinical Embryologists and a high level of internal consistency of all exams, leading to a total of 773 certified Clinical and 493 Senior Clinical Embryologists over the decade.

What Is Known Already: In an ESHRE survey on the educational and professional status of Clinical Embryology in Europe, it was found that education of laboratory personnel working in the field of assisted reproduction is highly variable between countries. In 2008, ESHRE introduced a programme, curriculum and certification in the field of Clinical Embryology.