Search results for "Obstetrics"

Embryo morphokinetics analysis and reproductive outcomes with assisted oocyte activation by a calcium ionophore after prior fertilization failure. A …

2020

Abstract Background Fertilization failure or low fertilization rate after ICSI is around 1–3% in IVF treatments. Several strategies have been studied in order to bypass the lack of activation. The aim of this study is to evaluate embryo morphokinetics and reproductive outcomes after intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) with assisted oocyte activation (AOA) using a calcium ionophore (CaI) in patients with previous fertilization failure or low fertilization rate (under 30%) and severe male factor. Methods Multicentric retrospective cohort study including 70 patients with fertilization failure or low fertilization rate and severe male factor (sperm concentration under 1 million/mL) who unde…

Introduction

2019

Timely and appropriate medical care can significantly influence the health of a newborn. When considering how to best deliver such care, we must first note that each human represents the result of a balance between nature (genetics) and nurture (environment). Importantly, while most of our care is centered on in utero development, the preconception period is also a time at which genetic and environmental factors can interact to exert effects that ultimately influence the health of the future offspring. In this issue's Views and Reviews, we provide data to suggest that modern preconceptional care should become a key component of reproductive medicine, not only to improve implantation and pre…

Innovations in assisted reproductive technologies: impact on contemporary donor egg practice and future advances.

2018

Innovations in assisted reproductive technologies (ART) have driven progress in the donor egg field since the birth of the first baby derived from a donor egg in 1983. Over time, donor oocytes have become an increasingly used option for patients unable to conceive with autologous oocytes. In donor egg, the unique separation of the oocyte source and recipient uterus has created a model that has propelled advances in ART. Progressive ART innovations that have optimized the oocyte donor and resulting embryo include the following: evaluation of ovarian reserve, controlled ovarian hyperstimulation regimens that reduce the risk of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, blastocyst culture, oocyte cryo…

Stem Cells and the Endometrium: From the Discovery of Adult Stem Cells to Pre-Clinical Models.

2021

Adult stem cells (ASCs) were long suspected to exist in the endometrium. Indeed, several types of endometrial ASCs were identified in rodents and humans through diverse isolation and characterization techniques. Putative stromal and epithelial stem cell niches were identified in murine models using label-retention techniques. In humans, functional methods (clonogenicity, long-term culture, and multi-lineage differentiation assays) and stem cell markers (CD146, SUSD2/W5C5, LGR5, NTPDase2, SSEA-1, or N-cadherin) facilitated the identification of three main types of endogenous endometrial ASCs: stromal, epithelial progenitor, and endothelial stem cells. Further, exogenous populations of stem c…

Long-term vitamin D treatment decreases human uterine leiomyoma size in a xenograft animal model

2019

Objective To study the effects of short- and long-term vitamin D treatment on uterine leiomyomas in vivo through cell proliferation, extracellular matrix (ECM) degradation, and apoptosis. Design Preclinical study of human leiomyoma treatment with vitamin D in an nonhuman animal model. Setting Hospital and university laboratories. Patient(s)/Animal(s) Human leiomyomas were collected from patients and implanted in ovariectomized NOD-SCID mice. Intervention(s) Mice were treated with vitamin D (0.5 μg/kg/d or 1 μg/kg/d) or vehicle for 21 or 60 days. Main Outcome Measure(s) Vitamin D effect in xenograft tissue was assessed by monitoring tumor size (18F-FDG positron-emission tomography/computeriz…

The most well kept secret, embryo culture media: a smart reveal from an expert.

2017

The use of morphokinetic as a predictor of implantation.

2017

In recent years the increased efforts intended for improving future outcomes in the laboratory have focused mostly on the search of additional markers of embryo quality to add up present embryo selection criteria. Time-lapse system involves an alternative tool in assisted reproduction techniques, being able to improve the embryo selection from a dynamic and interactive approach while standard embryo assessment implies a subjective and static morphology evaluation and consequently reducing the information gained for embryo selection, time-lapse technology adds several morphokinetic parameters, providing additional input for embryo evaluation. This further information represents a challenge f…

Elderly Onset Celiac Disease: A Narrative Review.

2016

Celiac sprue is a chronic disease, which usually occurs in children and young adults. However, it can develop in any age group, and the prevalence is increasing even in the elderly population. The atypical patterns of clinical presentation in this age group sometimes can cause a delay in diagnosis. Given the lower sensitivity and specificity of serological tests in the aged population, clinical suspect often arises in the presence of complications (autoimmune disorders, fractures, and finally, malignancy) and must be supported by endoscopic and imaging tools. In this review, we highlight the incidence and prevalence of celiac disease in the elderly, the patterns of clinical presentation, d…

Kinematic Sub-Populations in Bull Spermatozoa: A Comparison of Classical and Bayesian Approaches

2020

The ejaculate is heterogenous and sperm sub-populations with different kinematic patterns can be identified in various species. Nevertheless, although these sub-populations are statistically well defined, the statistical differences are not always relevant. The aim of the present study was to characterize kinematic sub-populations in sperm from two bovine species, and diluted with different commercial extenders, and to determine the statistical relevance of sub-populations through Bayesian analysis. Semen from 10 bulls was evaluated after thawing. An ISAS&reg

Activin and inhibin A in predicting outcome of pregnancies of unknown location after ART

2018

Abstract The aim was to investigate the predictive value of a single serum determination of activin A and inhibin A for classifying pregnancies of unknown location (PUL) after IVF cycles in both own fresh and donated oocytes. A case–control study conducted in a University-affiliated IVF center. Pregnancy outcomes after own fresh oocytes included 12 failing PUL, 12 ectopic pregnancies (EP) and a control group of 24 singleton intrauterine pregnancies (IUP). The same scheme was followed for the oocyte donation recipients. Inhibin A, activin A, β-hCG and Progesterone (P) were determined. In the own fresh oocytes IVF, the AUC for predicting EP vs. f failing PUL were: Activin A: 0.458 and Inhibin…