Coenzyme Q10 improves the in vitro maturation of oocytes exposed to the intrafollicular environment of patients on fertility treatment.

Objective: To evaluate the impact of patient follicular environment with oxidative stress on oocyte quality.

Methods: Patients on fertility treatment with either advanced maternal age or endometriosis were asked to donate follicular fluid collected during ovum pick-up. Follicular fluid (FF) was added (20%, 10% and 5%; %V/V) to in vitro maturation (IVM) medium with mouse oocytes.

Oxidative balance in follicular fluid of ART patients of advanced maternal age and blastocyst formation.

Objective: To evaluate the follicular fluid oxidative balance of infertile patients of advanced-maternal-age and the correlation between oxidative imbalance in the follicular fluid and the embryological outcomes.

Methods: Follicular fluid (FF) from infertile patients of advanced-maternal-age undergoing ART treatments were collected and frozen in cryovials at -86°C until further use, and analyzed at the Biochemistry and Nutrition Institute of San Marcos University. As controls, we used FF from oocyte donors.

Occurrence of ovarian follicular dominance during stimulation for IVM impacts usable blastocyst yield.

Objective: To evaluate the influence of ovarian follicular dominance on the outcome of oocyte in-vitro maturation.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study included 21 patients with polycystic ovaries or polycystic ovary syndrome (Rotterdam criteria, 2004) subjected to 24 invitro maturation (IVM) cycles between October 2015 and January 2017. Patients undergoing IVM received minimal gonadotropin stimulation starting on day 2 or 3 of the cycle; ovum pick-up typically occurred on days 6 to 8.

Embryotoxicity of serum from women smoking cocaine base paste (CBP).

Objective: Using a mouse embryo bioassay, we examined the embryotoxic properties of serum obtained from eight women who had ingested cocaine base paste (CBP) for a period of 1-3 years.

Study Design: Two-cell stage mouse embryos were cultured in the presence of serum extracted from eight CBP-smoking or control women. After 48h, embryos were evaluated to determine their developmental stage and then processed by Tarkoswki's technique to determine the proportion of embryos with micronuclei, in order to establish the number of micronuclei/embryo.