Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Vaccination and Assisted Reproduction Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the association between coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination and female assisted reproduction outcomes through a systematic review and meta-analysis. DATA SOURCES: We searched Medline (OVID), EMBASE, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and ClinicalTrials.gov on January 11, 2023, for original articles on assisted reproduction outcomes after COVID-19 vaccination. The primary outcome was rates of clinical pregnancy; secondary outcomes included number of oocytes retrieved, number of mature oocytes retrieved, fertilization rate, implantation rate, ongoing pregnancy rate, and live-birth rate. METHODS OF STUDY SELECTION: Two reviewers independently screened citations for relevance, extracted pertinent data, and rated study quality. Only peer-reviewed published studies were included. TABULATION, INTEGRATION, AND RESULTS: Our query retrieved 216 citations, of which 25 were studies with original, relevant data. Nineteen studies reported embryo transfer outcomes, with a total of 4,899 vaccinated and 13,491 unvaccinated patients. Eighteen studies reported data on ovarian stimulation outcomes, with a total of 1,878 vaccinated and 3,174 unvaccinated patients. There were no statistically significant results among our pooled data for any of the primary or secondary outcomes: clinical pregnancy rate (odds ratio [OR] 0.94, 95% CI 0.88-1.01, P=.10), number of oocytes retrieved (mean difference -0.26, 95% CI -0.68 to 0.15, P=.21), number of mature oocytes retrieved (mean difference 0.31, 95% CI -0.14 to 0.75, P=.18), fertilization rate (OR 0.99, 95% CI 0.87-1.11, P=.83), implantation rate (OR 0.92, 95% CI 0.84-1.00, P=.06), ongoing pregnancy rate (OR 0.95, 95% CI 0.86-1.06, P=.40), or live-birth rate (OR 0.95, 95% CI 0.78-1.17, P=.63). A subanalysis based on country of origin and vaccine type was also performed for the primary and secondary outcomes and did not change the study results. CONCLUSION: Vaccination against COVID-19 is not associated with different fertility outcomes in patients undergoing assisted reproductive technologies. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: PROSPERO, CRD42023400023

Serum hCG Levels following the Ovulatory Injection: Associations with Patient Weight and Implantation Time

Objective. To test if serum hCG levels the morning after the ovulatory hCG injection correlate with (1) retrieval efficiency, (2) oocyte maturity, (3) embryo quality, (4) pregnancy, and/or (5) time to implantation in patients undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) with intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). Design. Retrospective cohort analysis. Setting. University-based IVF clinic. Patient(s). All IVF/ICSI cycles from April 2005 to February 2008 whose hCG administration was confirmed ( = 472 patients). Intervention(s). Serum hCG was measured the morning following the ovulatory injection, on the 16th day following retrieval, and repeated on day 18 for those with positive results. Main Outcome Measure(s). Number of follicles on the day of hCG injection, number of oocytes retrieved, maturity of oocytes, embryo quality, pregnancy outcome, and time to implantation. Result(s). hCG levels did not correlate with retrieval efficiency, oocyte maturity, embryo quality, or pregnancy. Postinjection hCG levels were inversely associated with patient weight and time to implantation. Conclusion (s). No correlation was found between hCG level and any parameter of embryo quality. Patient weight affected hCG levels following hCG injection and during the early period of pregnancy following implantation. No association between postinjection hCG level and time of implantation (adjusted for patient weight) was apparent

Serum hCG Levels following the Ovulatory Injection: Associations with Patient Weight and Implantation Time

Objective. To test if serum hCG levels the morning after the ovulatory hCG injection correlate with (1) retrieval efficiency, (2) oocyte maturity, (3) embryo quality, (4) pregnancy, and/or (5) time to implantation in patients undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) with intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). Design. Retrospective cohort analysis. Setting. University-based IVF clinic. Patient(s). All IVF/ICSI cycles from April 2005 to February 2008 whose hCG administration was confirmed (n=472 patients). Intervention(s). Serum hCG was measured the morning following the ovulatory injection, on the 16th day following retrieval, and repeated on day 18 for those with positive results. Main Outcome Measure(s). Number of follicles on the day of hCG injection, number of oocytes retrieved, maturity of oocytes, embryo quality, pregnancy outcome, and time to implantation. Result(s). hCG levels did not correlate with retrieval efficiency, oocyte maturity, embryo quality, or pregnancy. Postinjection hCG levels were inversely associated with patient weight and time to implantation. Conclusion(s). No correlation was found between hCG level and any parameter of embryo quality. Patient weight affected hCG levels following hCG injection and during the early period of pregnancy following implantation. No association between postinjection hCG level and time of implantation (adjusted for patient weight) was apparent

Euploidy rates in donor egg cycles significantly differ between fertility centers

STUDY QUESTION: Do external factors affect euploidy in egg donor cycles? SUMMARY ANSWER: The study demonstrates that during human assisted reproduction, embryonic chromosome abnormalities may be partly iatrogenic. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY: Chromosome abnormalities have been linked in the past to culture conditions such as temperature and Ph variations, as well as hormonal stimulation. Those reports were performed with older screening techniques (FISH), or ART methods no longer in use, and the subjects studied were not a homogeneous group. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION: A total of 1645 donor oocyte cycles and 13 282 blastocyst biopsies from 42 fertility clinics were included in this retrospective cohort study. Samples from donor cycles with PGS attempted between September 2011 and July 2015 were included. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS: PGS cycles from multiple fertility clinics referred to Reprogenetics (Livingston, NJ) that involved only oocyte donation were included in this study. Testing was performed by array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH). Ploidy data were analyzed using Generalized Linear Mixed Models with logistic regression using a logit link function considering a number of variables that represent fixed and random effects. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE: Euploidy rate was associated with the referring center and independent of almost all the parameters examined except donor age and testing technology. Average euploidy rate per center ranged from 39.5 to 82.5%. The mean expected rate of euploidy was 68.4%, but there are variations in this rate associated with the center effect. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION: Data set does not include details of the donor selection process, donor race or ethnic origin, ovarian reserve or ovarian responsiveness. Due to the retrospective nature of the study, associations are apparent, however, causality cannot be established. Discrepancies in regard to completeness and homogeneity of data exist due to data collection from over 40 different clinics. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS: This is the first study to show a strong association between center-specific ART treatment practices and the incidence of chromosome abnormality in human embryos, although the meiotic or mitotic origin of these abnormalities could not be determined using these technologies. Given the widespread applications of ART in both subfertile and fertile populations, our findings should be of interest to the medical community in general as well as the ART community in particular. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S): No external funds were used for this study. S. Munne is a founding principle of Reprogenetics/current employee of Cooper Genomics. M Alikani’s spouse is a founding principle of Reprogenetics/current consultant for Cooper Genomics. The remaining authors have no conflicts to declare

The Spider Effect: Morphological and Orienting Classification of Microglia in Response to Stimuli in Vivo

The different morphological stages of microglial activation have not yet been described in detail. We transected the olfactory bulb of rats and examined the activation of the microglial system histologically. Six stages of bidirectional microglial activation (A) and deactivation (R) were observed: from stage 1A to 6A, the cell body size increased, the cell process number decreased, and the cell processes retracted and thickened, orienting toward the direction of the injury site; until stage 6A, when all processes disappeared. In contrast, in deactivation stages 6R to 1R, the microglia returned to the original site exhibiting a stepwise retransformation to the original morphology. Thin highly branched processes re-formed in stage 1R, similar to those in stage 1A. This reverse transformation mirrored the forward transformation except in stages 6R to 1R: cells showed multiple nuclei which were slowly absorbed. Our findings support a morphologically defined stepwise activation and deactivation of microglia cells

TRY plant trait database – enhanced coverage and open access

Plant traits - the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants - determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research spanning from evolutionary biology, community and functional ecology, to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and landscape management, restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data coverage under an open access data policy and is the main plant trait database used by the research community worldwide. Increasingly, the TRY database also supports new frontiers of trait‐based plant research, including the identification of data gaps and the subsequent mobilization or measurement of new data. To support this development, in this article we evaluate the extent of the trait data compiled in TRY and analyse emerging patterns of data coverage and representativeness. Best species coverage is achieved for categorical traits - almost complete coverage for ‘plant growth form’. However, most traits relevant for ecology and vegetation modelling are characterized by continuous intraspecific variation and trait–environmental relationships. These traits have to be measured on individual plants in their respective environment. Despite unprecedented data coverage, we observe a humbling lack of completeness and representativeness of these continuous traits in many aspects. We, therefore, conclude that reducing data gaps and biases in the TRY database remains a key challenge and requires a coordinated approach to data mobilization and trait measurements. This can only be achieved in collaboration with other initiatives

Calcium Influx Mediates the Voltage-Dependence of Sperm Entry into Sea Urchin Eggs

Sperm entry was monitored in voltage-clamped sea urchin eggs following insemination in a variety of artificial seawaters. In regular seawater, maintaining the membrane potential at increasingly negative values progressively inhibits sperm entry. Reducing [Ca2+]o relieves the inhibition, shifting the sperm entry vs voltage relationship toward more negative potentials. Raising [Ca2+]o shifts the relationship in the other direction. Large changes in [Na+]o or [Mg2+]o do not affect sperm entry although changing [Na+]o dramatically changes the currents following sperm attachment. Applying one of seven different calcium channel blockers or replacing Ca2+ with Ba2+ or Sr2+ or microinjecting calcium chelators into the cytoplasm relieves the block to sperm entry at negative potentials. We conclude that the block to sperm entry at negative potentials is mediated by calcium which crosses the membrane and acts at an intracellular site

Fertility-Sparing Treatment and Assisted Reproductive Technology in Patients with Endometrial Carcinoma and Endometrial Hyperplasia: Pregnancy Outcomes after Embryo Transfer

The goal of fertility-sparing treatment (FST) for patients desiring future fertility with EMCA, and its precursor EH, is to clear the affected tissue and revert to normal endometrial function. Approximately 15% of patients treated with FST will have a live birth without the need for assisted reproductive technology (ART). Despite this low number, little information exists on the pregnancy outcomes of patients who utilize ART. The purpose of this study was to evaluate pregnancy outcomes following embryo transfer in patients with EMCA or EH who elected for FST. This retrospective cohort study at a large urban university-affiliated fertility center included all patients who underwent embryo transfer after fertility-sparing treatment for EMCA or EH between January 2003 and December 2018. Primary outcomes included embryo transfer results and a live birth rate (defined as the number of live births per number of transfers). There were 14 patients, three with EMCA and 11 with EH, who met the criteria for inclusion with a combined total of 40 embryo transfers. An analysis of observed outcomes by sub-group, compared to the expected outcomes at our center (patients without EMCA/EH matched for age, embryo transfer type and number, and utilization of PGT-A) showed that patients with EMCA/EH after FST had a significantly lower live birth rate than expected (Z = −5.04, df = 39, p p < 0.001). Among patients with EMCA/EH who required assisted reproductive technology, live birth rates were lower than expected following embryo transfer when compared to patients without EMCA/EH at our center. Further evaluation of the impact of the diagnosis, treatment, and repeated cavity instrumentation for FST is necessary to create an individualized and optimized approach for this unique patient population