A developed HPLC-MS/MS method to quantitate 5 steriod hormones in clinical human serum by using PBS as the surrogate matrix.

Steroid hormones play an essential role in regulating physiological and reproductive development throughout the lifetime of an individual. One of the difficulties in determining endogenous substances is the lack of a blank matrix. Especially when the level of analytes is lower than the level in the so-called blank matrix.

Effects of ovarian endometrioma aspiration on in vitro fertilization-intracytoplasmic sperm injection and embryo transfer outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Purpose: To evaluate the effect of ovarian endometrioma aspiration on IVF/ICSI outcomes.

Methods: The PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Wanfang databases were searched to identify studies related to the treatment of endometrioma up to October 1, 2020, and the data of 1207 patients from 10 studies were analyzed using STATA.

Results: The 10 studies in our analysis included 7 comparing aspiration and surgery and 6 comparing aspiration with no intervention.

Variations of C14ORF39 and SYCE1 Identified in Idiopathic Premature Ovarian Insufficiency and Nonobstructive Azoospermia.

Context: Premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) and nonobstructive azoospermia (NOA) are the most severe diseases causing irreversible infertility in females and males, respectively. The contribution of synaptonemal complex (SC) gene variations in the pathogenesis of sporadic patients with POI and NOA has not been systematically illustrated.

Objective: To investigate the role of SC genes in the pathogenesis of sporadic POI and NOA.

Multiomics Analysis Reveals Molecular Abnormalities in Granulosa Cells of Women With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common complex endocrine and metabolic disease in women of reproductive age. It is characterized by anovulatory infertility, hormone disorders, and polycystic ovarian morphology. Regarding the importance of granulosa cells (GCs) in the pathogenesis of PCOS, few studies have investigated the etiology at a single "omics" level, such as with an mRNA expression array or methylation profiling assay, but this can provide only limited insights into the biological mechanisms.

Ovarian Reserve Markers in Premature Ovarian Insufficiency: Within Different Clinical Stages and Different Etiologies.

Objective: To characterize the ovarian reserve indicators for premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) at different disease stages and with various etiologies.

Methods: According to different FSH levels and menstrual conditions, patients with normal ovarian reserve (NOR with 5 IU/L40 IU/L, n=454) were retrospectively screened and their records were abstracted from Reproductive Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University between 2014 and 2019. Based on the known etiologies, POI patients were subdivided into genetic, iatrogenic, autoimmune and idiopathic subsets according to the known etiologies.

Meiotic Recombination Defects and Premature Ovarian Insufficiency.

Premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) is the depletion of ovarian function before 40 years of age due to insufficient oocyte formation or accelerated follicle atresia. Approximately 1-5% of women below 40 years old are affected by POI. The etiology of POI is heterogeneous, including genetic disorders, autoimmune diseases, infection, iatrogenic factors, and environmental toxins.

Effects of PGT-A on Pregnancy Outcomes for Young Women Having One Previous Miscarriage with Genetically Abnormal Products of Conception.

In this retrospective study, the effect of preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy (PGT-A) was evaluated in women younger than 38 years with a history of one prior miscarriage and embryonic chromosomal abnormalities were detected in previous products of conception (POCs). Abnormal karyotypes were detected in POCs at our center between January 2014 and December 2017. Of the women included in this analysis, 124 continued with conventional in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection cycles (non-PGT-A group) and 93 chose PGT-A cycles (PGT-A group), and the pregnancy outcomes in both groups were compared.

Long non-coding RNA lnc-CCNL1-3:1 promotes granulosa cell apoptosis and suppresses glucose uptake in women with polycystic ovary syndrome.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrine and metabolic disease in premenopausal women. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) constitute important factors in numerous biological processes. However, their roles in PCOS pathogenesis require further clarification.

Activin A increases human trophoblast invasion by upregulating integrin β1 through ALK4.

Activin A promotes human trophoblast invasion during the first trimester of pregnancy and is associated with preeclampsia and pregnancy-induced hypertension (PE/PIH) in naturally conceived pregnancies. However, whether integrin β1 mediates activin A-increased trophoblast invasion remains unknown and the evidence is limited regarding the predictive value of activin A for PE/PIH in women receiving in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment. Here, we studied the role and underlying molecular mechanisms of integrin β1 in activin A-promoted invasion in immortalized (HTR8/SVneo) and primary human extravillous trophoblast (EVT) cells.

Quercetin promotes in vitro maturation of oocytes from humans and aged mice.

Maternal fertility declines irreversibly with aging, and advanced maternal age is mostly related to impaired oocyte quality. The flavonol compound quercetin is considered to be an anti-aging agent due to its cytoprotective actions as an antioxidant. However, its role and mechanisms on aged oocytes are unclear.

New theca-cell marker insulin-like factor 3 is associated with premature ovarian insufficiency.

Objective: To characterize circulating insulin-like factor 3 (INSL3) in different stages of ovarian insufficiency and its role in the evaluation of premature ovarian insufficiency (POI).

Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Setting: University-based center for reproductive medicine.

Maternal and Neonatal Complications After Natural vs. Hormone Replacement Therapy Cycle Regimen for Frozen Single Blastocyst Transfer.

To evaluate the maternal and neonatal complications after frozen-thawed blastocyst transfer cycles utilizing different endometrial preparation regimens. This is a retrospective cohort study and a secondary analysis of a multicenter, randomized, controlled trial comparing live birth rate after fresh vs. frozen single blastocyst transfer (Frefro-blastocyst).

Verification of a ZBTB16 variant in polycystic ovary syndrome patients.

Research Question: This study investigated whether rs1784692 is a risk factor for polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) in Han Chinese women.

Design: A case-control study was conducted in Han Chinese women, involving 526 PCOS patients and 522 control participants. A TaqMan MGB probe assay was used to genotype the variant rs1784692.

MiR-148a-3p may contribute to flawed decidualization in recurrent implantation failure by modulating HOXC8.

Purpose: To evaluate whether miR-148a-3p overexpression is associated with disrupted decidualization of recurrent implantation failure (RIF).

Methods: Endometrial miRNA and mRNA expression profiles during the implantation window derived from women with and without RIF were identified using microarray and RT-qPCR. Immortalized human endometrial stromal cells (HESCs) were cultured for proliferation and in vitro decidualization assays after enhancing miR-148a-3p expression or inhibiting putative target gene homeobox C8 (HOXC8) expression.

Clinical outcomes of Preimplantation genetic testing (PGT) application in couples with chromosomal inversion, a study in the Chinese Han population.

Background: Chromosomal inversion was considered to have adverse effects on pregnancy outcomes through abnormal gametogenesis. The purpose of this retrospective study was to investigate whether preimplantation genetic testing (PGT) improves pregnancy outcomes for couples with chromosomal inversion.

Methods: A total of 188 cycles from 165 couples with one chromosomal inversion carrier were divided into two groups: PGT (136 cycles, 125 couples) and non-PGT (52 cycles, 50 couples).

Transmission of polycystic ovary syndrome susceptibility single-nucleotide polymorphisms and their association with phenotype changes in offspring.

Study Question: Does the inheritance of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) susceptibility single-nucleotide polymorphism affect the phenotype of offspring?

Summary Answer: Male offspring who inherit PCOS-related genetic variations from PCOS mothers were more susceptible to developing the metabolic abnormality in their later life.

What Is Known Already: Genetic factors are considered the major etiology of PCOS. Previous studies have highlighted that offspring of women with PCOS had an increased risk of the same disease or PCOS-like symptoms.

Dysregulated cytokine profile associated with biochemical premature ovarian insufficiency.

Problem: Premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) imposes great challenge on female reproduction. Whether immune disturbance in ovarian environment was implicated in POI remains unclear. We aimed to characterize the cytokine profile in follicular fluid (FF) and paired serum in patients with biochemical POI (bPOI).

Large randomized controlled trials in infertility.

As the first paper in this series of Views and Reviews on randomized controlled trials (RCTs), we aim to provide the basics of RCTs in infertility research. In this paper, we discuss the need and ethical considerations of large trials in infertility research and important aspects to guarantee the quality of a trial, including protocols, registrations and monitoring, issues of study design and analysis, and reporting standards. Because most of the treatment effects we would like to study represent relatively small signal-to-noise ratios, large RCTs are required to provide sufficient power to answer these questions.

Absence of murine CFAP61 causes male infertility due to multiple morphological abnormalities of the flagella.

Impaired flagellar development and impaired motility of sperm is a cause of infertility in males. Several genes, including those of the AKAP, CCDC, CFAP, and DNAH families, among others, are involved in the "multiple morphological abnormalities of the flagella" (MMAF) phenotype; these are the most common causes of male infertility. The Cilia-and flagella-associated protein (CFAP) family includes six members reported to cause MMAF phenotypes: CFAP43, CFAP44, CFAP69, CFAP65, CFAP70, and CFAP251.

MEIOK21: a new component of meiotic recombination bridges required for spermatogenesis.

Repair of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) with homologous chromosomes is a hallmark of meiosis that is mediated by recombination 'bridges' between homolog axes. This process requires cooperation of DMC1 and RAD51 to promote homology search and strand exchange. The mechanism(s) regulating DMC1/RAD51-ssDNA nucleoprotein filament and the components of 'bridges' remain to be investigated.

MicroRNA-127-5p impairs function of granulosa cells via HMGB2 gene in premature ovarian insufficiency.

Distinct microRNA (miRNA) profiles have been reported in premature ovarian insufficiency (POI), but their functional relevance in POI is not yet clearly stated. In this study, aberrant expressions of miR-127-5p and high mobility group box 2 (HMGB2) were observed by microarrays in granulosa cells (GCs) from biochemical POI (bPOI) women and further confirmed by a quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction. Immortalized human granulosa cell line and mouse primary ovarian GCs were used for functional validation.