Extracellular vesicles-derived MicroRNA-145-5p is upregulated in the uterine fluid of women with endometriosis and impedes mouse and human blastocyst development.

Previous work indicated that the implantation and pregnancy rates of women with endometriosis are lower than those of healthy women during in-vitro fertilisation and embryonic transfer. And there are numerous microRNAs (miRNAs) in human uterine luminal fluid (ULF), some of which are associated with early preimplantation development of embryos. In our study, we sought to determine whether miRNAs in the ULF are differentially expressed between women with and without endometriosis and to uncover the association of miRNAs with the development potential of blastocysts.

Advances in the genetic etiology of female infertility.

Human reproduction is a complex process involving gamete maturation, fertilization, embryo cleavage and development, blastocyst formation, implantation, and live birth. If any of these processes are abnormal or arrest, reproductive failure will occur. Infertility is a state of reproductive dysfunction caused by various factors.

Nitrite soaking pretreatment induced initial denitrifying nitrite accumulation.

Partial denitrification (PD) could be another method for obtaining nitrite. However, PD startup takes a long time limiting its investigation and application. This study proposed nitrite soaking as a pretreatment method for starting PD.

Modification of a plant-scale semi-centralized wastewater treatment system to enhance nitrogen and phosphorus removal from black water.

Owing to the low ratio of chemical oxygen demand to total nitrogen (SCOD/TN), effective removal of nutrient pollutants from black water is difficult. In this study, to enhance nitrogen and phosphorus removal from such wastewater, a series of operational modification strategies was investigated and applied to a plant-scale semi-centralized system used for black water treatment. The results showed that 21 mg Fe/L was the optimal dosage for the chemical-enhanced pretreatment process, achieving average removal efficiencies of 51.

Elucidating performance failure in the use of an Anaerobic-Oxic-Anoxic (AOA) plug-flow system for biological nutrient removal.

The Anaerobic-oxic-anoxic (AOA) process is a carbon-saving and high-efficiency way to treat municipal wastewater and gets more attention. Recent reports suggest that in the AOA process, well-performed endogenous denitrification (ED), conducted by glycogen accumulating organisms (GAOs), is crucial to advanced nutrient removal. However, the consensuses about starting up and optimizing AOA, and in-situ enriching GAOs, are still lacking.

Impacts of vitrification on the transcriptome of human ovarian tissue in patients with gynecological cancer.

This study investigated the effects of a vitrification/warming procedure on the mRNA transcriptome of human ovarian tissues. Human ovarian tissues were collected and processed through vitrification (T-group) and then subjected to RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis, HE, TdT-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL), and real-time quantitative PCR, and the results were compared to those of the fresh group (CK). A total of 12 patients, aged 15-36 years old, with a mean anti-Müllerian hormone level of 4.

Towards low carbon demand and highly efficient nutrient removal: Establishing denitrifying phosphorus removal in a biofilm-based system.

The combined denitrifying phosphorus removal (DPR) and Anammox process is expected to achieve advanced nutrient removal with low carbon consumption. However, exchanging ammonia/nitrate between them is one limitation. This study investigated the feasibility of conducting DPR in a biofilm reactor to solve that problem.

The mechanism of acentrosomal spindle assembly in human oocytes.

Meiotic spindle assembly ensures proper chromosome segregation in oocytes. However, the mechanisms behind spindle assembly in human oocytes remain largely unknown. We used three-dimensional high-resolution imaging of more than 2000 human oocytes to identify a structure that we named the human oocyte microtubule organizing center (huoMTOC).

Can the combination of time-lapse parameters and clinical features predict embryonic ploidy status or implantation?

Research Question: Can models based on artificial intelligence predict embryonic ploidy status or implantation potential of euploid transferred embryos? Can the addition of clinical features into time-lapse monitoring (TLM) parameters as input data improve their predictive performance?

Design: A single academic fertility centre, retrospective cohort study. A total of 773 high-grade euploid and aneuploid blastocysts from 212 patients undergoing preimplantation genetic testing (PGT) between July 2016 and July 2021 were studied for ploidy prediction. Among them, 170 euploid embryos were single-transferred and included for implantation analysis.

Complete androgen insensitivity syndrome caused by a novel mutation in the androgen receptor gene and its mechanism.

Androgen insensitivity syndrome (AIS) is an X-linked recessive genetic disease characterized by disorders of sex development, commonly caused by mutations of the androgen receptor (AR) gene. Herein, we identified a novel hemizygous mutation (c.2118T > A, p.

Hypoxia and its possible relationship with endometrial receptivity in adenomyosis: a preliminary study.

Background: Adenomyosis (AM) is an important cause of female infertility. However, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. This report describes a preliminary study of hypoxia and its possible association with endometrial receptivity in AM.

Oocyte Vitrification Temporarily Turns on Oxidation-Reduction Process Genes in Mouse Preimplantation Embryos.

We aim to understand how oocyte vitrification impacts subsequent mouse preimplantation embryo development at molecular level. We profiled transcriptomics of fertilized preimplantation embryos derived from mouse vitrified-warmed oocytes. Concomitantly, we evaluated epigenetic markers in fertilized preimplantation embryos.

MicroRNA-451 is downregulated in the follicular fluid of women with endometriosis and influences mouse and human embryonic potential.

Background: Previous work demonstrated that there are numerous miRNAs in human follicular fluids, some of which are associated with reproductive diseases. In the current study, we sought to determine whether microRNAs (miRNAs) in the follicular fluid (FF) are differentially expressed between women with and without endometriosis and to uncover the association of miRNAs with the oocyte and embryonic development potential.

Methods: FF was harvested from 30 women with endometriosis and 30 women without who underwent in vitro fertilization treatment at the University Hospital between February and December 2016.

Preincubation with glutathione ethyl ester improves the developmental competence of vitrified mouse oocytes.

Purpose: Oocyte vitrification is currently used for human fertility preservation. However, vitrification damage is a problem caused by decreasing ooplasmic levels of glutathione (GSH). The GSH donor glutathione ethyl ester (GSH-OEt) can significantly increase the GSH content in oocytes.

Screening of miRNAs in human follicular fluid reveals an inverse relationship between microRNA-663b expression and blastocyst formation.

Research Question: Are miRNAs found in follicular fluid related to blastocyst formation from the corresponding oocytes?

Design: In this study, 91 individual follicular fluid samples from single follicles containing mature oocytes from 91 women were collected and classified into group 1 (n = 38) with viable blastocysts, and group 2 (n = 53) with no blastocyst. TaqMan human miRNA cards and quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction were used to identify differently expressed follicular fluid miRNAs between the two groups.

Results: We found MIR-663B to be significantly differentially expressed in follicular fluid of oocytes that yielded viable blastocysts versus those that did not develop into blastocysts (14.

Transcriptome analysis of endometrial tissues following GnRH agonist treatment in a mouse adenomyosis model.

Purpose: Adenomyosis is a common, benign gynecological condition of the female reproductive tract characterized by heavy menstrual bleeding and dysmenorrhea. Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists are one of the medications used in adenomyosis treatment; however, their underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Moreover, it is difficult to obtain endometrial samples from women undergoing such treatment.

Improved cryotolerance and developmental competence of human oocytes matured in vitro by transient hydrostatic pressure treatment prior to vitrification.

Background: At present, the metaphase II (MII) oocytes have a very special structure that leads to complex difficulties associated with its vitrification, and their efficacy still needs a large amount of study to observe. The present study was to investigate whether transient hydrostatic pressure (THP), which was utilized for oocytes before vitrification, had positive effect on the oocytes' developmental ability and reactive oxygen species, and had no damage on meiotic spindle, zona pellucida, and DNA copy number.

Methods: All the immature oocytes used in this research were collected between February 2015 and December 2015 in Shanghai Ji Ai Genetics & IVF Institute.

Vitrification of in vitro matured oocytes diminishes embryo development potential before but not after embryo genomic activation.

Purpose: The aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of oocyte vitrification on embryo development potential and to assess the chromosome abnormalities of blastocysts derived from fresh/vitrified-warmed oocytes to assure the safety of the oocyte cryopreservation technique.

Methods: In vitro matured oocytes derived from immature oocytes were retrieved from small follicles during IVF/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) cycles were randomly divided into a fresh and vitrified-warmed groups. After intracytoplasmic sperm injection, the fertilization rate, embryo quality, and developmental status were compared between the two groups.

Associations between insulin resistance, free fatty acids, and oocyte quality in polycystic ovary syndrome during in vitro fertilization.

Context: Both polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and obesity are associated with specific reproductive health complications, including lower oocyte quality and clinical pregnancy rates in assisted conception cycles, which may be a result of metabolism-induced changes in the oocyte through the microenvironment of follicular fluid. Free fatty acids (FFAs) are important biomedical indicators of abnormal lipid metabolism and have pronounced effects on cells, leading to changes in metabolism, cell growth, and differentiation.

Objective: Our objective was to determine the effect of FFA metabolism in plasma and follicular fluid on oocyte quality in the women with PCOS undergoing in vitro fertilization.

[Application of human oocyte morphometric parameters in assessment of fertilization and embryo development].

Objective: To investigate the correlation of human oocyte morphometric parameters with fertilization and embryo development in the intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) cycles.

Methods: The morphometric parameters of oocytes collected and submitted to evaluation using OCTAX Eye-ware software just before ICSI. Oocyte diameter (OD), perivitelline space width (PSW), zonapellucida thickness (ZPT) and the shape of first polar body (FPB) (intact or fragmented) were analyzed.

Dynamic changes of histone H3 trimethylated at positions K4 and K27 in human oocytes and preimplantation embryos.

Objective: To investigate the distribution patterns of H3K4me3 and H3K27me3 in human oocytes and preimplantation embryos.

Design: Experimental study.

Setting: University reproductive medical center.

Frozen-thawed embryo transfer cycles in China: clinical outcomes of two and three multicellular embryos transfers.

Purpose: To analyze the clinical outcomes of frozen embryo transfer (FET) cycles when two or three multicellular embryos were transferred in Chinese women.

Methods: A retrospective study was conducted to analyze 980 FET cycles performed between January 2007 and October 2010. Two (785 cycles) or three (195 cycles) multicellular embryos were transferred.