Objective: To evaluate whether zona pellucida thickness (ZPT) of human embryos is correlated with maternal age, patient's hormonal status, embryo quality, and IVF outcomes.
Design: Prospective study.
Setting: University-affiliated IVF clinic.
Patient(s): Couples undergoing IVF-ET cycles.
Intervention(s): Zona measurements, clinical data collection.
Main Outcome Measure(s): Correlation between the ZPT and maternal age, basal FSH and E(2) levels, stimulation protocols, cause of infertility, embryo quality, and implantation/pregnancy rates.
Result(s): The measurements of ZPT were collected from 5,184 day 3 human embryos originated from 744 IVF patients. The overall mean ZPT was 16.18 ± 2.00 μm. No significant correlation was observed between the ZPT and the patient's age, E(2) values on the day of hCG administration, basal concentration of serum FSH, stimulation protocol, infertility diagnosis, and implantation/pregnancy rates. The ZPT was strongly influenced only by the embryo quality: Embryos with good morphology exhibited considerably thinner ZP compared with those of less favorable morphology (mean 15.87 ± 2.48 μm vs. 16.36 ± 2.57 μm, respectively). The ZPT had no significant impact on the implantation and pregnancy rates.
Conclusion(s): The thickness of the human ZP of day 3 embryos is not influenced by women's age and hormonal levels. The strong correlation between ZPT and embryo quality suggests that thickness of ZP depends on inherent embryo properties. The overall ZPT is not a good predictive indicator for IVF clinical outcomes.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.fertnstert.2012.04.015 | DOI Listing |
Nat Commun
January 2025
Laboratory of High Resolution Optical Imaging, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
Optical aberrations hinder fluorescence microscopy of thick samples, reducing image signal, contrast, and resolution. Here we introduce a deep learning-based strategy for aberration compensation, improving image quality without slowing image acquisition, applying additional dose, or introducing more optics. Our method (i) introduces synthetic aberrations to images acquired on the shallow side of image stacks, making them resemble those acquired deeper into the volume and (ii) trains neural networks to reverse the effect of these aberrations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD(H)) and its metabolites function as crucial regulators of physiological processes, allowing cells to adapt to environmental changes such as nutritional deficiencies, genotoxic factors, disruptions in circadian rhythms, infections, inflammation, and exogenous substances. Here, we investigated whether elevated NAD(H) levels in oocytes enhance their quality and improve developmental competence following in vitro fertilization (IVF). Bovine cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) were matured in a culture medium supplemented with 0-100 μM nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN), a precursor of NAD(H).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTheriogenology
December 2024
College of Veterinary Medicine and Research Institute for Veterinary Science, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, Republic of Korea. Electronic address:
To improve the efficiency of in-vitro-produced (IVP) porcine embryos, we focused on the events that usually occur during in-vivo embryonic transit from the oviduct to the uterus. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are released by different mammalian cells and are imperative for intercellular communication and reflect the cell's physiological state. Based on these characteristics, EVs were isolated from oviductal and uterine fluid to imitate the in vivo environment and improve the efficiency of IVP embryos.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFront Endocrinol (Lausanne)
January 2025
Reproductive Medicine Centre, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China.
Purpose: Propofol, a widely utilized anesthetic, is employed to alleviate pain and anxiety in outpatient oocyte retrieval procedures. However, its potential impact and safety profile in the context of fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET) remain unclear.
Methods: This retrospective study enrolled 1187 patients undergoing IVF-ET, and divided into two groups depending on whether they received propofol (propofol group, n=140) or not (control group, n=1047) for anesthesia during oocyte retrieval.
Adv Anat Embryol Cell Biol
January 2025
Department of Animal Sciences, College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, USA.
Extracellular vesicles (EVs), including exosomes and microvesicles, have emerged as pivotal mediators of intercellular communication. Embryo implantation is a critical process in early pregnancy and requires communication between the embryo and maternal uterus. EVs are important in coordinating the communication between the embryo and maternal uterus.
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