The mitochondrial protease LONP1 maintains oocyte development and survival by suppressing nuclear translocation of AIFM1 in mammals.

Background: Oogenesis is a fundamental process of human reproduction, and mitochondria play crucial roles in oocyte competence. Mitochondrial ATP-dependent Lon protease 1 (LONP1) functions as a critical protein in maintaining mitochondrial and cellular homeostasis in somatic cells. However, the essential role of LONP1 in maintaining mammalian oogenesis is far from elucidated.

Endometrial cavity fluid is associated with deleterious pregnancy outcomes in patients undergoing fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: The effects of endometrial cavity fluid (ECF) on in vitro fertilization (IVF) and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) pregnancy outcomes following embryo transfer (ET) are still controversial. We conducted the present study to investigate whether the presence of ECF in infertile patients scheduled to undergo IVF or ICSI was associated with pregnancy outcomes.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study design was used.

High grade trophectoderm is associated with monozygotic twinning in frozen-thawed single blastocyst transfer.

Background: The aim of this study was to explore specific factors that predispose to monozygotic twinning (MZT) at the blastocyst stage.

Methods: This was a retrospective observational study of a cohort of 2863 pregnancies after single blastocyst transfer (SBT) between January 2011 and June 2019 in our hospital. MZT pregnancy was identified as the number of fetuses exceeded the number of gestational sacs (GSs) by transvaginal ultrasound at 6-7 gestational weeks.

Diagnosis of chronic endometritis: How many CD138 cells/HPF in endometrial stroma affect pregnancy outcome of infertile women?

Problem: The definition of chronic endometritis (CE) differs among studies, and currently, there is no accepted consensus. This study aimed to establish the minimum number of immunohistochemical analysis of CD138 plasma cells to identify a clinically relevant CE.

Method Of Study: We performed a retrospective study on 716 infertile patients who never did CE analysis and respective antibiotic treatment before.

Variants in Homologous Recombination Genes EXO1 and RAD51 Related with Premature Ovarian Insufficiency.

Context: Premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) is characterized by cessation of menstruation before 40 years of age and elevated serum level of FSH (>25 IU/L). Recent studies have found a few causative genes responsible for POI enriched in meiotic recombination and DNA damage repair pathways.

Objective: To investigate the role of variations in homologous recombination genes played in POI pathogenesis.

Increased risk of maternal and neonatal complications in hormone replacement therapy cycles in frozen embryo transfer.

Background: The endometrial preparation during frozen embryo transfer (FET) can be performed by natural cycle (NC), hormone replacement therapy (HRT) cycle and cycle with ovulation induction (OI). Whether different FET preparation protocols can affect maternal and neonatal outcomes is still inconclusive.

Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study that included 6886 women who delivered singleton live birth babies after 28 weeks of pregnancy underwent FET from January, 2015 to July, 2018.

Effect of pregravid obesity on perinatal outcomes in singleton pregnancies following in vitro fertilization and the weight-loss goals to reduce the risks of poor pregnancy outcomes: A retrospective cohort study.

Objective: In the present study, we aimed to determine whether pregravid obesity independently predicts increased risks of perinatal complications following in vitro fertilization (IVF) and the weight loss goals to reduce the risk of poor pregnancy outcomes.

Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Population: All pregnancies after first the fresh IVF cycle from January 2014 to December 2016 in the Reproductive Center affiliated to Shandong University were reviewed.

Impact of Thyroid Autoimmunity on Ovarian Reserve, Pregnancy Outcomes, and Offspring Health in Euthyroid Women Following Fertilization/Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection.

Thyroid autoimmunity (TAI) is the most frequent autoimmune disease among reproductive-aged women. It has been related to premature ovarian insufficiency, but the mechanisms remain elusive, and its association with ovarian reserve in euthyroid women is debatable. Moreover, the impact of TAI on assisted reproduction is controversial: especially for women with diminished ovarian reserve (DOR), few studies are available.

Effects of oral contraceptive pretreatment on IVF outcomes in women following a GnRH agonist protocol.

Research Question: Does oral contraceptive pretreatment impact IVF-embryo transfer cycle outcomes in women following the gonadotrophin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRHa) protocol?

Design: This retrospective study was designed to compare cycle outcomes after oral contraceptive pretreatment versus the standard protocol in women within the GnRHa long protocol or the GnRHa short protocol. A total of 2052 women undergoing their first IVF treatment with the GnRHa long protocol and 3557 women with the GnRHa short protocol between 2012 and 2017 were enrolled.

Results: No significant differences in the rates of clinical pregnancy (long protocol: 49.

Genome Sequencing Explores Complexity of Chromosomal Abnormalities in Recurrent Miscarriage.

Recurrent miscarriage (RM) affects millions of couples globally, and half of them have no demonstrated etiology. Genome sequencing (GS) is an enhanced and novel cytogenetic tool to define the contribution of chromosomal abnormalities in human diseases. In this study we evaluated its utility in RM-affected couples.

MicroRNA-200b and microRNA-200c are up-regulated in PCOS granulosa cell and inhibit KGN cell proliferation via targeting PTEN.

Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most common endocrine metabolic disorders characterized by hyperandrogenism, polycystic ovaries and ovulatory dysfunction. Several studies have reported that the aberrant expression of miRNAs contributes a lot to disordered folliculogenesis in PCOS, though the role and underlying mechanism of microRNA-200b (miR-200b) and microRNA-200c (miR-200c) in the development of PCOS remain unclear.

Methods: The expression of miR-200b in granulosa cells (GCs) derived from 90 PCOS patients and 70 controls was analyzed by using quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR).

RNA-Binding Protein IGF2BP2/IMP2 is a Critical Maternal Activator in Early Zygotic Genome Activation.

A number of genes involved in zygotic genome activation (ZGA) have been identified, but the RNA-binding maternal factors that are directly related to ZGA in mice remain unclear. The present study shows that maternal deletion of (also commonly known as ) in mouse embryos causes early embryonic developmental arrest in vitro at the 2-cell-stage. Transcriptomics and proteomics analyses of 2-cell-stage embryos in mice reveal that deletion of IMP2 downregulates the expression of and , both of which are required for early embryonic developmental competence.

Variation analysis of tousled like kinase 1 gene in patients with sporadic premature ovarian insufficiency.

Tousled like kinase 1 (), a member of DNA repair family, participates in the regulation of chromatin assembly and is associated with early menopause and premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) in European women. However, whether the sequence variant in the gene was causative for POI is still elusive. Here we performed direct sequencing of the gene in 192 patients with sporadic POI.

Melatonin promotes human oocyte maturation and early embryo development by enhancing clathrin-mediated endocytosis.

Embryo development potential and reproductive clinical outcomes are all deeply rooted in oocyte maturation. Melatonin has been reported to promote oocyte maturation as an antioxidant in nonprimate species. Its antioxidative functions also help reduce plasma membrane rigidity, which facilitates clathrin-mediated endocytosis (CME).

IVF outcomes of women with discrepancies between age and serum anti-Müllerian hormone levels.

Background: To determine the effects of age and the serum anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) level on in vitro fertilization (IVF) outcomes, especially among young women with low serum AMH levels and older women with high AMH levels.

Methods: This study was a cohort study in which a total of 9431 women aged 20-51 years who were undergoing their first IVF cycles were recruited. Ovarian response parameters included the number of retrieved oocytes, the number of 2 pronuclear zygotes (2PN), and the frequency of good-quality embryos (GQE).

Novel FSHR mutations in Han Chinese women with sporadic premature ovarian insufficiency.

Premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) is characterized by amenorrhea and elevated levels of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH, usually > 25 IU/L) before 40 years of age. To identify the relationship between FSHR mutations and sporadic POI patients of Han Chinese descent, we performed Sanger sequencing of FSHR gene in 192 sporadic POI patients and 192 matched controls of Han Chinese descent. Two heterozygous missense variants, c.

Mutational analysis of theFAM175A gene in patients with premature ovarian insufficiency.

Research Question: The family with sequence similarity 175 member A gene (FAM175A; also known as ABRAXAS1, CCDC98 and ABRA1), a member of the DNA repair family, contributes to the BRCA1 (BRCA1 DNA repair associated)-dependent DNA damage response and is associated with age at natural menopause. However, it remains poorly understood whether sequence variants in FAM175A are causative for premature ovarian insufficiency (POI). The aim of this study was to investigate whether mutations in the gene FAM175A were present in patients with POI.

Palmitic acid causes insulin resistance in granulosa cells via activation of JNK.

Obesity is a worldwide health problem with rising incidence and results in reproductive difficulties. Elevated saturated free fatty acids (FFAs) in obesity can cause insulin resistance (IR) in peripheral tissues. The high intra-follicular saturated FFAs may also account for IR in ovarian granulosa cells (GCs).

Comparison of two protocols of blastocyst biopsy submitted to preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidies: a randomized controlled trial.

Purpose: To compare the effectiveness of two protocols of blastocyst biopsy submitted to preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidies (PGT-A).

Methods: This is a randomized controlled trial of a cohort of 221 patients undergoing PGT-A. 106 female patients aged ≤ 40 years with no less than 8 mature oocytes retrieved and ≥ 3 good-quality embryos on day 3 were randomly assigned to the day-3 hatching-based TE biopsy.

Variation analysis of theTMEM150B gene in Chinese women with premature ovarian insufficiency.

Research Question: The TMEM150B gene, which promotes cell survival under stress conditions by modulating autophagy, is closely associated with age at natural menopause, early menopause and premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) in European women. However, whether gene variants of TMEM150B contribute to the pathogenesis of POI needs to be determined.

Design: A case-control genetic study in 408 Han Chinese women with non-syndromic POI, in which all exons and exon-intron boundaries of the TMEM150B gene were screened by Sanger sequencing; the results were analysed by statistics and bioinformatics.

Metabolic disturbances in non-obese women with polycystic ovary syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: To explore metabolic disturbances in nonobese women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) compared with nonobese healthy controls.

Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

Setting: Not applicable.

Over Ten-Cell Good Embryo Transfers on Day Three have Equivalent Clinical Outcomes with Those of Eight-Cell Embryos in Female Patients Aged ≤35 Years: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Background/aim: To compare the clinical outcomes between > 10- and 8-cell good quality embryos on day 3.

Methods: A retrospective study of a cohort of 459 patients was included in the fresh embryo transfer (ET) cycle group from January 2009 to April 2016. In this group, 2 good quality embryos on day 3, were transferred on corresponding dates, in 75 patients (> 10-cell embryos), and in 384 patients (8-cell embryos).

Comprehensive assessment the expression of core elements related to IGFIR/PI3K pathway in granulosa cells of women with polycystic ovary syndrome.

Objective: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common multisystem endocrinopathy in women, characterized by chronic hyperandrogenism, ovulatory dysfunction, and polycystic ovaries. But its etiology remains elusive. A plethora of information suggests phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K) pathway is key to the pathogenesis of PCOS but little is known about the expression pattern and possible role of insulin like growth factor 1 receptor (IGFIR)/PI3K pathway in PCOS.

MicroRNA-141 and MicroRNA-200c Are Overexpressed in Granulosa Cells of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Patients.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most common endocrine disorders in reproductive-aged women, affecting 6-8% of women and characterized by hyperandrogenism, ovulatory dysfunction, and polycystic ovarian morphology. Accumulating evidence demonstrates that different microRNAs (miRNAs) expressions may contribute to the pathogenesis of PCOS. Therefore, the goal of this study is to compare the expression levels of miR-141 and miR-200c in granulosa cells isolated from PCOS patients and also evaluate their predictive values for pregnancy complications.