Potential Development of Vitrified Immature Human Oocytes: Influence of the Culture Medium and the Timing of Vitrification.

How does the in vitro maturation (IVM) medium and the vitrification procedure affect the survival of germinal vesicle (GV) oocytes obtained from stimulated cycles and their development to the blastocyst stage? In total, 1085 GV human oocytes were obtained after women underwent a cycle of controlled ovarian stimulation, and these oocytes were subjected to IVM before or after their vitrification. IVM was carried out in two commercial culture media not specifically designed for maturation. MII oocytes were then activated and embryo development until day 6 was evaluated.

Transcriptomic landscape of granulosa cells and peripheral blood mononuclear cells in women with PCOS compared to young poor responders and women with normal response.

Study Question: Are transcriptomic profiles altered in ovarian granulosa cells (GCs) and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMNCs) of women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) compared to young poor responders (YPR) and women with normal response to ovarian stimulation?

Summary Answer: RNA expression profiles in ovarian GCs and PBMNCs were significantly altered in patients with PCOS compared with normoresponder controls (CONT) and YPR.

What Is Known Already: PCOS is characterised by a higher number of follicles at all developmental stages. During controlled ovarian hyperstimulation, PCOS women develop a larger number of follicles as a result of an exacerbated response, with an increased risk of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome.

Impact of Maturation and Vitrification Time of Human GV Oocytes on the Metaphase Plate Configuration.

The combination of in vitro maturation (IVM) techniques and oocyte vitrification (OV) could increase the number of useful oocytes in different types of patients. IVM and subsequent OV is the most widely used clinical strategy. Would the results improve if we reverse the order of the techniques? Here, we evaluated survival, in vitro maturation, time to extrude the first polar body (PB), and the metaphase plate configuration of human prophase I (GV) oocytes before or after their vitrification.

Novel mobile application for direct communication between pharmacists and patients treated with oral antineoplastic agents.

Purpose: Initial experience with use of a smartphone application to enhance communication with and home monitoring of hematology/oncology patients under treatment with oral antineoplastic agents (OAAs) is described.

Summary: Broad use of OAAs is changing the landscape of hematology/oncology patient care, with this form of therapy giving patients greater autonomy but also raising concerns about correct OAA administration and management of adverse effects (AEs) or interactions. Information and communication technologies, specifically mobile health technologies, are ideal tools in this new environment.

Influence of particle size and intestinal conditions on in vitro lipid and protein digestibility of walnuts and peanuts.

A static in vitro model was used to assess walnuts and peanuts macronutrient digestion of with two different particle size. Nuts were digested under different intestinal conditions of pH (6 or 7), bile concentration (1-10 mM) and pancreatic concentration (1000 to 4000 LU/g fat) the matrix degradation index (MDI), proteolysis and lipolysis were analyzed. Results showed that nuts particle size affects proteolysis and MDI the most; intestinal pH was more relevant in free fatty acids release.

A first approach for an evidence-based in vitro digestion method to adjust pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy in cystic fibrosis.

Background: Patients with cystic fibrosis have to take enzymatic supplements to allow for food digestion. However, an evidence-based method to adjust Pancreatic Enzyme Replacement Therapy (PERT) is inexistent, and lipid content of meals is used as a rough criterion.

Objective: In this study, an in vitro digestion model was set up to determine the theoretical optimal dose (TOD) of enzymatic supplement for a selection of foods, which is the dose that allows for maximum lipolysis extent.

In vitro starch digestibility and fate of crocins in pasta enriched with saffron extract.

This work aims to study the effect of the addition of saffron extract on fresh pasta in-vitro digestibility. Fresh pasta was formulated with different concentrations of saffron extracts (0.2 and 0.

Effect of saffron (Crocus sativus L.) enrichment on antioxidant and sensorial properties of wheat flour pasta.

Saffron, used in cookery as a flavouring and colouring agent, is well-known for its antioxidant and beneficial health properties. In the present work, the effect of saffron addition (0-control, 0.1, 0.

Integrated Care Program for Older Adults: Analysis and Improvement.

Objective: We aimed to in-depth analyse the Integrated Care Programme for older in- and out-patients implemented for more than 25 years at the Hospital Universitario de Getafe, in Madrid, Spain. We identify the strengths and barriers hindering the full operation, and we proposed a technological solution that overcame these constraints and facilitated integration.

Design: First, we carried out a comprehensive analysis of the integrated care program at the HUG following Case Study Research; the primary unit of analysis was the Geriatrics service and its clinical units.

Hyphenation of proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry with thermal analysis for monitoring the thermal degradation of retinyl acetate.

Rationale: The processing of retinyl acetate, a vitamin and biomarker, at high temperatures causes significant decomposition of the compound and thus loss of its activity. The rate of mass loss can be conveniently studied by thermogravimetry (TG). However, this technique generally fails to reveal which compounds have evolved from the compound.

Feed3: A Strategy for a 3-Direction Connection Among AT Consumers and Developers.

The Feed3 strategy aims to provide AT consumers, developers and manufacturers with Feedback, Feedforwards and FeedPeer mechanisms to collaborate in the development of novel accessible solutions. This strategy was developed as part of the GPII and it is currently adopted by the Unified Listing and DeveloperSpace infrastructure components.

Open DeveloperSpace: An Enabling Infrastructure for Stakeholders to Generate New Access Solutions.

The DeveloperSpace, one of the core components of GPII, is a self-sustainable infrastructure and collaborative environment, where developers, implementers, consumers, prosumers and other directly and indirectly involved actors (e.g. teachers, caregivers, clinicians) may interact with and play a role in its viability and the development of new access solutions.

Dietary acrylamide: What happens during digestion.

Acrylamide is a well-known potentially carcinogen compound formed during thermal processing as an intermediate of Maillard reactions. Three objectives were addressed: the impact of gastric digestion on acrylamide content of French Fries, chips, chicken nuggets, onions rings, breakfast cereals, biscuits, crackers, instant coffee and coffee substitute; the acrylamide content evolution during gastrointestinal digestion of French fries and chips; and the effectiveness of blanching and air-frying on acrylamide mitigation after gastrointestinal digestion. A significant increase (p-value <0.

Ultrastructural characteristics of human oocytes vitrified before and after in vitro maturation.

The development of an effective program that combines in vitro maturation (IVM) and cryopreservation for immature oocytes would represent a novel advance for in vitro fertilization (IVF), especially as a means to preserve the fertility of women in unique situations. The aim of this study was to analyze the ultrastructural characteristics of human oocytes, obtained after controlled ovarian stimulation, to determine whether IVM is best performed before or after vitrification. To this end, we analyzed the following features in a total of 22 MII oocytes: size, zona pellucida and perivitelline space, mitochondria number, M-SER (mitochondria-smooth endoplasmic reticulum) aggregates and M-V (mitochondria-vesicle) complexes, the number of cortical granules and microvilli, and the presence of vacuolization using transmission electron microscopy (TEM).

Cost-effectiveness analysis of the bevacizumab-irinotecan regimen in the treatment of primary glioblastoma multiforme recurrences.

The purpose of the present study was to calculate the cost-effectiveness of the inclusion of the bevacizumab (BVZ) + irinotecan (CPT-11) regimen in the second-line of treatment for primary glioblastoma multiforme. A retrospective cohort study with a control group was performed in which the cost-effectiveness of a course of chemotherapy was calculated based on survival time and the incremental cost between the two lines of treatment. A total of 77 patients were included, 36 of who formed the BVZ/CPT-11 cohort.

Odour characteristics of seafood flavour formulations produced with fish by-products incorporating EPA, DHA and fish oil.

Thermal degradation of eicosapentaenoic (EPA) and docosahexaenoic (DHA) acids was investigated. As a novelty, EPA, DHA or fish oil (FO) were incorporated as ω-fatty acid sources into model systems containing fish powder produced via Maillard reactions. Aroma composition of the resulting products was determined and complemented with sensory evaluation.

Influence of processing on the volatile profile of strawberry spreads made with isomaltulose.

A new strawberry spread formulated with fructose and isomaltulose (replacing sucrose partially or totally) and a high percentage of fruit was developed in line with the new trend of healthier products. This work studies the influence of some process variables (percentage of sugar, pectin and citric acid, and time of thermal treatment) on the volatile profile of these spreads with different formulations. The ripeness of the raw strawberries influences the concentrations of some of the compounds in the spreads, such as isobutyl acetate, butyl butyrate, 3-hexen-1-yl acetate or propan-2-ol.

Fabrication and morphological characterization of biopolymer particles formed by electrostatic complexation of heat treated lactoferrin and anionic polysaccharides.

Biopolymer particles fabricated from proteins and/or polysaccharides can be used to encapsulate functional components or to modify various functional properties of materials. In this study, sub-micrometer biopolymer particles were fabricated by electrostatic complexation of heat-denatured protein (lactoferrin, LF) particles with anionic polysaccharides (alginate, carrageenan, or pectin). The aim of the study was to exploit macromolecular electrostatic interactions to form sub-micrometer sized particles and study their stability and morphological characteristics.

Wearable and mobile system to manage remotely heart failure.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) account for 45% of all deaths in the western world according to the 2004 World Health Organization statistics report. Heart failure (HF), CVD's primary paradigm, mainly affects people older than 65. The European MyHeart Project's mission is to empower citizens to fight CVD by leading a preventative lifestyle and allowing early diagnosis.

Fraxetin prevents rotenone-induced apoptosis by induction of endogenous glutathione in human neuroblastoma cells.

Fraxetin belongs to an extensive group of natural phenolic anti-oxidants. In the present study, using a human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells, we have investigated the protective effects of this compound on modifications in endogenous reduced glutathione (GSH), intracellular oxygen species (ROS) and apoptotic death on rotenone-mediated cytoxicity. Incubation of cells with the fraxetin led to a significant elevation dose-dependent of cellular GSH and this was accompanied by a marked protection against rotenone-mediated toxicity, which was also significantly reversed in the cells with buthionine sulfoximine (BSO) co-treatment.