The human sperm basal body is a complex centrosome important for embryo preimplantation development.

The mechanism of conversion of the human sperm basal body to a centrosome after fertilization, and its role in supporting human early embryogenesis, has not been directly addressed so far. Using proteomics and immunofluorescence studies, we show here that the human zygote inherits a basal body enriched with centrosomal proteins from the sperm, establishing the first functional centrosome of the new organism. Injection of human sperm tails containing the basal body into human oocytes followed by parthenogenetic activation, showed that the centrosome contributes to the robustness of the early cell divisions, increasing the probability of parthenotes reaching the compaction stage.

Novel phospholipase C zeta 1 mutations associated with fertilization failures after ICSI.

Study Question: Are phospholipase C zeta 1 (PLCZ1) mutations associated with fertilization failure (FF) after ICSI?

Summary Answer: New mutations in the PLCZ1 sequence are associated with FFs after ICSI.

What Is Known Already: FF occurs in 1-3% of ICSI cycles, mainly due to oocyte activation failure (OAF). The sperm PLCζ/PLCZ1 protein hydrolyzes phosphatidylinositol (4, 5)-bisphosphate in the oocyte, leading to intracellular calcium release and oocyte activation.

Are we ready to inject? Individualized LC-CUSUM training in ICSI.

Purpose: The objective of this prospective, single center study was to develop a personalized training scheme for intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) through the use of learning curve-cumulative summation (LC-CUSUM), which allows to tailor training to the trainee performance, and to validate it against the performance of experienced embryologists.

Methods: Five trainees microinjected latex microspheres (LM) into vitro matured oocytes. A microinjection was considered successful when the oocyte did not lyse in the 24 h following the injection.

PLCζ disruption with complete fertilization failure in normozoospermia.

Purpose: Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is widely used to achieve fertilization in the presence of severe male factor, resulting in high fertilization rates. Nevertheless, 1-3 % of couples experience complete fertilization failure after ICSI. When a male factor is identified, assisted oocyte activation (AOA) can help overcome fertilization failures.

Mitochondrial DNA depletion in oocytes of HIV-infected antiretroviral-treated infertile women.

Background: HIV-infected women under highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) have a lower pregnancy rate than noninfected controls, which depends on oocyte-related factors. We hypothesized that mitochondrial toxicity caused by antiretrovirals could be the underlying mechanism of such disturbance.

Methods: We have studied 16 and 19 frozen-thawed oocytes obtained after oocyte retrieval IVF cycles from 8 and 14 infertile HIV-infected and uninfected women, respectively, matched by age.

Endometrial receptivity after oocyte donation in recipients with a history of chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy.

Introduction: Information is scarce regarding the outcome of oocyte donation (OD) in patients with a history of cancer treatment. Therefore, we conducted a matched controlled analysis on the outcome of OD in these recipients.

Methods: Between January 2000 and November 2005, 33 patients with a history of chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy had an OD cycle.

Prognostic factors in oocyte donation: an analysis through egg-sharing recipient pairs showing a discordant outcome.

Objective: To analyze prognostic factors that are associated with a discordant outcome in egg recipients sharing oocytes from the same donor.

Design: Matched case-control single-center study.

Setting: Private infertility clinic.

Decreased pregnancy rate after in-vitro fertilization in HIV-infected women receiving HAART.

A study on in-vitro fertilization (IVF) was conducted among HIV-infected women. In these patients, a reduced pregnancy rate after IVF was observed if the patient's own oocytes were used. However, no significant reduction in the pregnancy rate was found if donated oocytes were used.

Analysis of nine chromosome probes in first polar bodies and metaphase II oocytes for the detection of aneuploidies.

We used fluorescent in situ hybridisation (FISH) to detect nine chromosomes (1, 13, 15, 16, 17, 18, 21, 22 and X) in 89 first Polar Bodies (1PBs), from in vitro matured oocytes discarded from IVF cycles. In 54 1PBs, we also analysed the corresponding oocyte in metaphase II (MII) to confirm the results; the other 35 1PBs were analysed alone as when preimplantation genetic diagnosis using 1PB (PGD-1PB) is performed. The frequency of aneuploid oocytes found was 47.