Early rescue oocyte activation at 5 h post-ICSI is a useful strategy for avoiding unexpected fertilization failure and low fertilization in ICSI cycles.

Introduction: Attempts to artificially activate unfertilized oocytes at 24 h post intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) have generally resulted in poor outcomes. This study aims to explore a new strategy for early judgement and rescue activation of unfertilized oocytes at 5 h post ICSI to avoid unexpected fertilization failure (UFF) or unexpected low fertilization (ULF) in ICSI cycles.

Methods: Firstly, time-lapse data from 278 ICSI cycles were retrospectively analyzed to establish an indicator for fertilization failure prediction.

Blastocyst quality and reproductive and perinatal outcomes: a multinational multicentre observational study.

Study Question: Does the transfer of single low-grade blastocysts result in acceptable reproductive and perinatal outcomes compared to the transfer of single good-grade blastocysts?

Summary Answer: The transfer of single low-grade blastocysts resulted in a reduced live birth rate of around 30% (14% for very low-grade blastocysts) compared to 44% for single good-grade blastocysts, but does not lead to more adverse perinatal outcomes.

What Is Known Already: It is known that low-grade blastocysts can result in live births. However, the current studies are limited by relatively small sample sizes and single-centre designs.

Short-interval second ejaculation improves sperm quality, blastocyst formation in oligoasthenozoospermic males in ICSI cycles: a time-lapse sibling oocytes study.

Background: Does short-interval second ejaculation improve sperm quality, embryo development and clinical outcomes for oligoasthenozoospermia males received intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) treatment?

Methods: All enrolled male patients underwent short-interval secondary ejaculation on the day of oocyte retrieval, and 786 sibling MII oocytes from 67 cycles were equally divided into two groups based on whether the injected spermatozoons originated from the first or second ejaculation. Semen parameters, embryo development efficiency, morphokinetic parameters and clinical outcomes were compared between the two groups to assess the efficiency and clinical value of short-interval second ejaculation in ICSI cycles.

Results: Short-interval second ejaculation significantly improved sperm motility, normal morphological rate, and sperm DNA integrity both before and after sperm swim-up.

Chromosome-level genome and recombination map of the male buffalo.

Background: The swamp buffalo (Bubalus bubalis carabanesis) is an economically important livestock supplying milk, meat, leather, and draft power. Several female buffalo genomes have been available, but the lack of high-quality male genomes hinders studies on chromosome evolution, especially Y, as well as meiotic recombination.

Results: Here, a chromosome-level genome with a contig N50 of 72.

Perfluoroalkyl Acids in Follicular Fluid and Embryo Quality during IVF: A Prospective IVF Cohort in China.

Background: Perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAA) have been measured in ovarian follicular fluid from women using fertilization (IVF), although associations between follicular fluid PFAA and IVF outcomes have been inconsistent.

Objectives: We investigated the association between follicular fluid PFAA and embryo quality in women undergoing IVF.

Methods: We prospectively enrolled 729 women undergoing IVF treatment in Guangxi province, China, from July 2018 to December 2018.

Evaluation of GnRH antagonist pretreatment before ovarian stimulation in a GnRH antagonist protocol in normal ovulatory women undergoing IVF/ICSI: a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Synchronization of follicles is key to improving ovulation stimulation with the gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) antagonist protocol. GnRH antagonist administration in the early follicular phase can quickly decrease gonadotrophin (Gn) levels and achieve downregulation before stimulation, which may improves synchronization. A previous small randomized controlled study (RCT) showed that pretreatment with a GnRH antagonist for 3 days before stimulation may increase oocyte retrieval but cannot increase the pregnancy rate.

Sperm DNA fragmentation measured by sperm chromatin dispersion impacts morphokinetic parameters, fertilization rate and blastocyst quality in ICSI treatments.

To determine the effects of sperm DNA fragmentation (SDF) on embryo morphokinetic parameters, cleavage patterns and embryo quality, this retrospective study analyzed 151 intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) cycles (1152 embryos collected) between November 2016 and June 2019. SDF was assessed using sperm chromatin dispersion. The cycles were divided into two groups based on the SDF rate: SDF < 15% (n = 114) and SDF ≥ 15% (n = 37).

[Chromosome polymorphisms and their influence on semen quality and sperm DNA integrity in males undergoing IVF/ICSI].

Objective: To investigate the incidence of chromosome polymorphisms and their influence on semen quality and sperm DNA integrity in male patients receiving in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (IVF/ICSI).

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the chromosomal karyotypes and the types and incidence rate of chromosome polymorphisms in 2 370 male patients undergoing IVF/ICSI between June 2016 and June 2018. We classified the patients into groups A (with variation in the secondary constriction region in the autosomal long arm), B (with variation in the short arm of the D/G group chromosomes), C (with interbrachial inversion of chromosome 9) and D (with Y chromosome polymorphisms), and compared the semen parameters and sperm DNA fragmentation indexes (DFI) between the patients with chromosome polymorphisms and those with normal chromosomes.

Molecular‑cytogenetic study of de novo mosaic karyotype 45,X/46,X,i(Yq)/46,X,idic(Yq) in an azoospermic male: Case report and literature review.

The present study describes a 36‑year‑old male with the 45,X/46,X,i(Yq)/46,X,idic(Yq) karyotype, who suffered from azoospermia attributed to maturation arrest of the primary spermatocyte. To the best of our knowledge, this rare karyotype has not yet been reported in the literature. The results of detailed molecular‑cytogenetic studies of isodicentric (idic)Y chromosomes and isochromosome (iso)Y, which are identified in patient with complex mosaic karyotypes, are presented.

AZFa Microdeletions: Occurrence in Chinese Infertile Men and Novel Deletions Revealed by Semiconductor Sequencing.

Objective: To evaluate the frequency of azoospermia factor (AZFa) microdeletions among infertile men and establish a new high-throughput sequencing method to detect novel deletion types.

Materials And Methods: A total of 3731 infertile men were included. Karyotype analysis was performed using G-band staining of peripheral blood lymphocytes.

Effect of sperm DNA fragmentation on clinical outcomes for Chinese couples undergoing in vitro fertilization or intracytoplasmic sperm injection.

Objective To investigate the effect of sperm DNA fragmentation on the fertilization rate, embryo development and pregnancy outcome of in vitro fertilization (IVF) and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) in a cohort of Chinese couples. Methods Infertile couples that had undergone assisted reproductive technology at our centre between January 2011 and December 2013 were included in this retrospective study. Fractions of prepared sperm samples were evaluated for sperm DNA fragmentation on the day of oocyte recovery.

Effects of human menopausal gonadotropin on zona pellucida and pregnancy outcomes of ovarian stimulation protocols.

Background: Human menopausal gonadotropin (hMG) has contributed many improvements to human assisted reproduction. However, effects of hMG on oocyte development and clinical results remain controversial.

Objective: This study was conducted to investigate the effects of hMG on the zona pellucida of oocytes, as well as clinical results in superovulation treatment.