Publications by authors named "Laura Kopcow"
Study Question: Are modifications in the embryo culture protocol needed to perform non-invasive preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidies (niPGT-A) affecting clinical reproductive outcomes, including blastocyst development and pregnancy outcomes?
Summary Answer: The implementation of an embryo culture protocol to accommodate niPGT-A has no impact on blastocyst viability or pregnancy outcomes.
What Is Known Already: The recent identification of embryo cell-free (cf) DNA in spent blastocyst media has created the possibility of simplifying PGT-A. Concerns, however, have arisen at two levels.
Article Synopsis
- Scientists found that testing noninvasive embryonic cell-free DNA from spent blastocyst media can help detect issues in embryos during IVF.
- This study looked at a lot of embryos to see how often the DNA from the media matched the DNA from the embryo biopsy.
- They discovered that 78.2% of the time, the DNA results from the media were the same as those from the biopsies, which is a pretty good match!
Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) is a disorder associated with ovarian stimulation. OHSS features are ovarian enlargement with fluid shifting to the third space. Disturbances in the vasculature are considered the main changes that lead to OHSS.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To investigate the effects of selective cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibition on the ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) in an experimental model.
Design: Controlled laboratory study.
Setting: University-affiliated fertility center.
Purpose: To evaluate the percentages of macrophages present in granulosa cells (GC) cultures from patients with different responses to the hyperstimulation, in relation to the percentages of apoptotic cells (ApC), as well as to the release of cytokines.
Methods: We studied 42 patients: 12 Hyporesponders, (with < or =4 follicles), 15 Normoresponders, (5-14 follicles), and 15 Hyperresponders, (> or =15 follicles). In GC cultures percentages of macrophages and ApC were counted and, in the conditioned media, cytokines were measured.
Objective: To investigate the effects of an ovarian injection of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) on antral follicle development, neoangiogenesis, and apoptosis.
Design: Controlled laboratory study.
Setting: University-affiliated fertility center.