Serum hCG levels in the prediction of molar pregnancy below 11 weeks of gestational age.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the serum hCG level in the differential diagnosis between non-molar miscarriage and complete hydatidiform mole in<11 weeks gestation.

Methods: This was a retrospective collaborative cohort study. This study included women with gestational age<11 weeks, with ultrasound evidence of failed pregnancy and available serum hCG pre-uterine evacuation, divided into two groups: the non-molar miscarriage group and the complete hydatidiform mole group.

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy with carboplatin and paclitaxel in pregnant women with advanced stage cervical cancer: Maternal and perinatal outcomes.

Objective: Cervical cancer is the third most common cancer in Brazil. Although rare, its diagnosis during pregnancy represents a great challenge for the medical team and the patient. The objective of this study was to evaluate the maternal and perinatal outcomes of pregnant women who underwent neoadjuvant chemotherapy with carboplatin and paclitaxel for advanced stage cervical cancer.

Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae and human papillomavirus infections of lower genital tract of Indigenous women from Xingu Indigenous Park.

Introduction: Xingu Indigenous Park (XIP) currently protects 16 ethnic Indigenous groups and is located in the central area of Brazil. XIP is the first and the largest Indigenous land to be recognized in the country. Community access is limited and restricted for the non-Indigenous population, and the Indigenous women are constantly dealing with shortages of medical care.

The impact of inflammatory and metabolic markers on depression, anxiety, and cognition after COVID-19: a narrative review.

Objectives: There has been growing concern about the long-term effects of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on mental health. The biological factors common to psychiatric conditions and COVID-19 are not yet fully understood.

Methodos: We narratively reviewed prospective longitudinal studies that measured metabolic or inflammatory markers and assessed psychiatric sequelae and cognitive impairment in individuals with COVID-19 at least 3 months after infection.

Psycho-emotional acceptance in couple and single women who choose to undergo IVF treatment with donor eggs.

New family configurations are emerging concurrently with improved assisted reproduction techniques, including the use of donated gametes. Most indications for treatment when using donated eggs are caused by an age-related decrease in reproductive capacity. We evaluated the emotional state regarding accepting egg donation in participants who chose this option for in vitro fertilization cycles.

One Plus One is Better than Two: An Approach Towards a Single Blastocyst Transfer Policy for All IVF Patients.

Objective:  It is known that the single embryo transfer (SET) is the best choice to reduce multiples and associated risks. The practice of cryopreserving all embryos for posterior transfer has been increasingly performed for in vitro fertilization (IVF) patients at the risk of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome or preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy. However, its widespread practice is still controverse.

Effectivity of conventional fertilization (IVF) and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) when male factor is absent: a perspective point of view.

An objective and individualized approach of in vitro fertilization techniques tends to decrease costs and improve the experience of infertile couples during treatment. The use of available technologies to diagnose and treat infertility based on scientific evidence seems to be the best practice, which is the guideline that motivates this review on the available techniques for laboratory oocyte insemination. Conventional IVF, the pioneering technique, was initially used in the treatment of tubal obstruction infertility, successfully expanding the treatment of infertile couples presenting with several other factors.

A Single Dose of a Hybrid hAdV5-Based Anti-COVID-19 Vaccine Induces a Long-Lasting Immune Response and Broad Coverage against VOC.

Most approved vaccines against COVID-19 have to be administered in a prime/boost regimen. We engineered a novel vaccine based on a chimeric human adenovirus 5 (hAdV5) vector. The vaccine (named CoroVaxG.

Cumulus cell microRNA expression when LH is added to the ovarian stimulation protocol: a pilot study.

Research Question: Recombinant FSH administration in ovarian stimulation for IVF is a standard procedure, whereas the role of LH is controversial. MicroRNAs (mRNA) are small endogenous non-coding transcripts that are involved in the regulation of many cellular processes, including foliculogenesis and gonadotrophin function. The aim was to study the possible role of miRNA in ovarian follicular development in groups having different ovarian stimulation protocols.

Antibody indexes in COVID-19 convalescent plasma donors: Unanswered questions.

Objective: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection is characterized by high contagiousness, as well as variable clinical manifestations and immune responses. The antibody response to SARS-CoV-2 is directly related to viral clearance and the antibodies' ability to neutralize the virus and confer long-term immunity. Nevertheless, the response can also be associated with disease severity and evolution.

Delivering embryos following 10 years of cryopreservation, using unpaired freeze/thaw techniques: A case report.

Although frozen embryo transfer is a widely established route for assisted reproduction, successful frozen embryo transfer using embryos that have undergone long term cryopreservation remains relatively unexplored, and its efficacy remains a matter of some debate. This case report describes two successful frozen embryo transfer conceptions in the same patient, one after 3 months of cryopreservation and the second 10 years after cryopreservation. These embryos were cryopreserved using the slow freezing technique and were thawed using an unpaired technique (ultra-rapid warming) after 10 years of storage.

Extracellular matrix metalloproteinase expression in endometrial tissue after arterial embolization of myomas.

Objectives: Arterial embolization of myomas (AEM) is controversial because of the changes that occur in the extracellular matrix (ECM) of the endometrium and its effect on gestational success in infertile patients desiring reproductive capability. Therefore, we performed this study on the expression of genes in the ECM of the endometrium, such as those coding metalloproteinases (MMP), before and 6 months after embolization of the uterine arteries.

Methods: Seven women with leiomyomas were evaluated, and MMP3 and MMP10 levels were measured.

The insulin signaling pathway is dysregulated in cumulus cells from obese, infertile women with polycystic ovarian syndrome with an absence of clinical insulin resistance.

Methods: This is a cohort study, conducted at a university-based reproductive medicine center and private reproductive medicine center that aimed to evaluate granulosa cumulus cell gene expression in the insulin signaling pathway in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) patients undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment and to compare the cumulus gene expression between normal weight and obese women without clinical insulin resistance. Fifteen PCOS patients, nine normal weight patients and six obese patients presenting normal HOMA IR (Homeostasis Model Assessment-Insulin Resistance), participated. Patients underwent oocyte retrieval for IVF and after the procedure, granulosa cumulus cells were removed from the oocytes for RNA extraction.

A review of initial data on pregnancy during the COVID-19 outbreak: implications for assisted reproductive treatments.

The current outbreak of the novel 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) started in China in December 2019 and has since spread to several other countries. On March 25, 2020, a total of 375,498 cases had been confirmed globally with 2,201 cases in Brazil, showing the urgency of reacting to this international public health emergency. While in most cases, mild symptoms are observed, in some cases the infection leads to serious pulmonary disease.

Two successful spontaneous pregnancies, single and twin, in uterus bicornis unicollis after deep infiltration endometriosis surgery.

A 26-year-old patient was admitted in our center with one year of infertility history after a miscarriage. She was diagnosed with uterus bicornis unicollis and deep infiltrating endometriosis (DIE); therefore, she underwent endometriosis focus removal surgery. After six-months, she conceived spontaneously and delivered one healthy baby.

Progesterone's role in deep infiltrating endometriosis: Progesterone receptor and estrogen metabolism enzymes expression and physiological changes in primary endometrial stromal cell culture.

To study progesterone signaling activation, we measured changes in extracellular pH as a reflection of Na+/H+ exchange (NHE) using a cytosensor microphysiometer and assessed progesterone receptor (PR) and estrogen metabolism enzymes mRNA expression in cultured endometrial cells from women with deep infiltrating endometriosis and healthy controls using real-time quantitative PCR. This study was conducted at a University hospital and included patients with and without deep infiltrating endometriosis (DIE). Primary endometrial stromal cells (ECs) from women with DIE and controls were treated with 17β-estradiol and progesterone prior to microphysiometer measurements and qPCR evaluations.

Expressed proteins and activated pathways in conditioned embryo culture media from IVF patients are diverse according to infertility factors.

Objective: Given that the embryo culture medium secretome reflects the embryo development, we hypothesize that protein profiles are affected according to infertility factors, which can be responsible for detrimental embryonic developmental competence. The aim of this study was to screen the protein profile of conditioned embryo culture media in patients presenting deep infiltrating endometriosis (ENDO) and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) undergoing IVF, by proteomics approaches. The control group was constituted by tubal factor patients.

Proteomic profile of follicular fluid from patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) submitted to in vitro fertilization (IVF) compared to oocyte donors.

Objective: The follicular fluid (FF) of women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) seems to exhibit a profile different from that of fertile women, which may be related to folliculogenesis disruption in PCOS patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the differentially expressed proteins in the FF of women with PCOS compared to oocyte donors (ODs).

Methods: This screening study included thirteen (13) women who underwent in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles: seven (7) ODs and six (6) PCOS patients.

Should single embryo transfer be used in patients with any kind of infertility factor? Preliminary outcomes.

Objective: Multiple embryos have been transferred to compensate for low implantation rates, which in turn, increase the likelihood of multiple pregnancies. Despite the publication of clinical guidelines and a reduction in the number of embryos transferred, double embryo transfer still is the most common practice. There is no clear evidence of who should receive the single embryo transfer (SET), and it is more commonly indicated for patients of good prognosis.

The impact of balanced reciprocal translocation - 46,XX,t(7;17) (p13;q24) probably involving the SOX9 gene in the in vitro fertilization with own oocytes evaluated by preimplantation genetic testing or donated oocytes.

Preimplantation genetic testing (PGT) for in vitro fertilization (IVF) - also known as PGT for Structural Rearrangements (PGT-SR) - has emerged as an option for at-risk couples carrying balanced translocations. The female in the couple featured in this case report is a carrier of a balanced reciprocal translocation who underwent IVF. PGT showed all her embryos were aneuploid.

How general semen quality influences the blastocyst formation rate: Analysis of 4205 IVF cycles.

Objective: To select embryos with higher implantation potential, the extended culture has been the most frequently applied strategy worldwide, and consequently leads to higher live birth rates per transfer. Sperm quality is a determining feature, and it may influence the outcomes of IVF from fertilization to embryo development. Therefore, we hypothesize that blastocyst formation may also be impaired by general semen quality.

Psychosocial benefits of fertility preservation for young cancer patients.

Purpose: The risk of ovarian failure after radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy is a concern among oncologic women. There is no doubt regarding the psycho-emotional benefits of fertility preservation (FP) after a cancer diagnosis because concerns about biological conception are a source of anxiety and can even affect the patient's cancer recovery. The aim of this study was to evaluate oncology patients' feelings, concerns, and life quality impacts related to FP.