Analysis of pronuclear zygote configurations in 459 clinical pregnancies obtained with assisted reproductive technique procedures

BACKGROUND: Embryos selection is crucial to maintain high performance in terms of pregnancy rate, reducing the risk of multiple pregnancy during IVF. Pronuclear and nucleolar characteristics have been proposed as an indicator of embryo development and chromosomal complement in humans, providing information about embryo viability. METHODS: To correlate the zygote-score with the maternal age and the outcome of pregnancy, we analyzed the pronuclear and nucleolar morphology, the polar body alignment and the zygote configuration in 459 clinical pregnancies obtained by IVF and ICSI in our public clinic in Reggio Emilia, Italy. We derived odds ratios (OR) and Corenfield's 95% confidence intervals (CI). Continuous variables were compared with Student's t-test; P lower than .05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: We observed a significant increase of "A" pronuclear morphology configuration in 38-41 years old patients in comparison to that lower than or equal to 32 years old and a significant decrease of "B" configuration in 38-41 years old patients in comparison to that lower than or equal to 32 and in comparison to that of 33-37 years old. Related to maternal age we found no significant differences in P1 and in P2 configuration. We found no correlation between zygote-score, embryo cleavage and embryo quality. CONCLUSIONS: Our results confirm the limited clinical significance of zygote-score suggesting that it can not be associated with maternal age, embryo cleavage and embryo quality. The evaluation of embryo quality based on morphological parameters is probably more predictive than zygote-score

Intracytoplasmic morphologically selected sperm injection versus conventional intracytoplasmic sperm injection: A randomized controlled trial

Background: Intracytoplasmic morphologically selected sperm injection (IMSI) is still proposed and employed in the clinical practice to improve the reproductive outcome in infertile couples scheduled for conventional intracytoplasmic sperm injection (cICSI). The aim of the current randomized controlled trial (RCT) was to test the hypothesis that IMSI gives a better live birth delivery rate than cICSI. Methods: Infertile couples scheduled for their first cICSI cycle for male factor were allocated using a simple randomization procedure. All available biological and clinical data were recorded and analyzed in a triple-blind fashion. Results: Our final analysis involved the first 121 patients (48 and 73 subjects for IMSI and cICSI arm, respectively) because the trial was stopped prematurely on the advice of the data safety and monitoring Committee because of concerns about IMSI efficacy at the first interim analysis. No significant difference between arms was detected in rates of clinical pregnancy per embryo transferred [11/34 (32.3 %) vs. 15/64 (23.4 %); odds ratio (OR) 1.56, 95 % (confidence interval) CI 0.62–3.93, P = 0.343] and of live birth delivery [9/48 (18.8 %) vs. 11/73 (15.1 %); OR 1.30, 95%CI 0.49–3.42, P = 0.594). Conclusion: Current data did not support the routine use of IMSI in the clinical practice for improving cICSI results in unselected infertile couples with male factor

Neisseria meningitidis Factor H Binding Protein Surface Exposure on Salmonella Typhimurium GMMA Is Critical to Induce an Effective Immune Response against Both Diseases

GMMA, outer membrane vesicles resulting from hyperblebbing mutated bacterial strains, are a versatile vaccine platform for displaying both homologous and heterologous antigens. Periplasmic expression is a popular technique for protein expression in the lumen of the blebs. However, the ability of internalized antigens to induce antibody responses has not been extensively investigated. Herein, the Neisseria meningitidis factor H binding protein (fHbp) was heterologously expressed in the lumen of O-antigen positive (OAg+) and O-antigen negative (OAg-) Salmonella Typhimurium GMMA. Only the OAg- GMMA induced an anti-fHbp IgG response in mice if formulated on Alum, although it was weak and much lower compared to the recombinant fHbp. The OAg- GMMA on Alum showed partial instability, with possible exposure of fHbp to the immune system. When we chemically conjugated fHbp to the surface of both OAg+ and OAg- GMMA, these constructs induced a stronger functional response compared to the fHbp immunization alone. Moreover, the OAg+ GMMA construct elicited a strong response against both the target antigens (fHbp and OAg), with no immune interference observed. This result suggests that antigen localization on GMMA surface can play a critical role in the induction of an effective immune response and can encourage the development of GMMA based vaccines delivering key protective antigens on their surface

I giovani maceratesi tra forme e pratiche di socievolezza reale e virtuale: espressivit\ue0, cultura e partecipazione civica

I principali obiettivi del progetto sono: - approfondire dal punto di vista multidisciplinare (sociologico, psicologico, letterario) i temi dell'espressivit\ue0 giovanile e della partecipazione civica al fine di definirne lo scenario di riferimento; - analizzare le rappresentazioni letterarie, culturali e di scrittura dell'universo giovanile in relazione alle diverse forme di socialit\ue0 e di aggregazione che si definiscono in contesti reali e virtuali, individuando, ove possibile, specifici script comunicativi emergenti; - osservare forme concrete gi\ue0 esistenti di partecipazione giovanile fuori e dentro la rete (in particolare associazioni o grandi eventi promossi anche attraverso i social network tools), anche in relazione a modalit\ue0 di collaborazione con altri soggetti sociali (proprietari dei locali, forze dell'ordine, residenti, associazioni di quartiere, istituzioni locali, media), per verificare continuit\ue0 e discontinuit\ue0 tra esperienza on e off line e effetti sul tessuto sociale di Macerata rispetto a problematiche che riguardano l'ordine pubblico e la vivibilit\ue0 dei luoghi; - analizzare il ruolo svolto dai media nella rappresentazione di questo problema sia per individuare eventuali zone nella citt\ue0 di rifiuto e polemica nei confronti delle pratiche di aggregazione esistenti sia per rilevare il grado di attenzione destinato dalla stampa locale alle forme di progettualit\ue0 di civicness promosse dai giovani

Giovani e literacy culturale. I media digitali come ri-mediazione

Principali obiettivi del progetto: \u2022 definire il profilo dei giovani in relazione alle scelte di consumo outdoor, correlando il tempo dedicato alla fruizione culturale a variabili quali il sesso, l\u2019et\ue0, il grado d\u2019istruzione, il reddito e la condizione professionale. \u2022 analizzare le dinamiche socio-comunicative che si costituiscono dentro e fuori gli spazi della rete attraverso l\u2019analisi pragma-linguistica (anche mediante l\u2019utilizzo di specifici software, quali ad esempio ATLAS.ti) sia delle interazioni che precedono la partecipazione agli eventi outdoor (organizzazione e diffusione in modalit\ue0 telematica degli eventi) sia delle interazioni che seguono tale partecipazione/fruizione (scambi di idee, recensioni ecc.) per verificare continuit\ue0 e discontinuit\ue0 tra esperienza on e offline e effetti sul tessuto sociale. Al fine di verificare la nostra ipotesi circa lo sviluppo e la diffusione di spazi dialogici negoziali, nonch\ue9 del pensiero critico, particolare attenzione verr\ue0 assegnata all\u2019esame degli indicatori linguistici di tipo epistemico ed evidenziale. \u2022 studiare il ruolo dei media digitali quali piattaforme di costruzione di senso e di attivazione di determinati modelli comportamentali, attraverso l\u2019analisi delle peculiari forme di interazione e narrazione che si manifestano in simili contesti, come social network (ad es. Facebook), blog, forum e portali di interesse dedicato. \u2022 progettare una piattaforma digitale di interazione e dialogo sulle tematiche del patrimonio artistico-culturale della citt\ue0 volta a favorire l\u2019accesso e la partecipazione dei giovani ai consumi outdoor

Analysis of pronuclear zygote configurations in 459 clinical pregnancies obtained with assisted reproductive technique procedures

Abstract Background Embryos selection is crucial to maintain high performance in terms of pregnancy rate, reducing the risk of multiple pregnancy during IVF. Pronuclear and nucleolar characteristics have been proposed as an indicator of embryo development and chromosomal complement in humans, providing information about embryo viability. Methods To correlate the zygote-score with the maternal age and the outcome of pregnancy, we analyzed the pronuclear and nucleolar morphology, the polar body alignment and the zygote configuration in 459 clinical pregnancies obtained by IVF and ICSI in our public clinic in Reggio Emilia, Italy. We derived odds ratios (OR) and Corenfield's 95% confidence intervals (CI). Continuous variables were compared with Student's t-test; P lower than .05 was considered statistically significant. Results We observed a significant increase of "A" pronuclear morphology configuration in 38-41 years old patients in comparison to that lower than or equal to 32 years old and a significant decrease of "B" configuration in 38-41 years old patients in comparison to that lower than or equal to 32 and in comparison to that of 33-37 years old. Related to maternal age we found no significant differences in P1 and in P2 configuration. We found no correlation between zygote-score, embryo cleavage and embryo quality. Conclusions Our results confirm the limited clinical significance of zygote-score suggesting that it can not be associated with maternal age, embryo cleavage and embryo quality. The evaluation of embryo quality based on morphological parameters is probably more predictive than zygote-score.</p

Pronuclear morphology evaluation in in vitro fertilization (IVF) / intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) cycles: a retrospective clinical review

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The assessment of the embryo quality is crucial to maintain an high pregnancy rate and to reduce the risk of multiple pregnancy. The evaluation of the pronuclear and nucleolar characteristics of human zygote have been proposed as an indicator of embryo development and chromosomal complement. The aim of the current study was to assess the role of pronuclear morphology evaluation in vitro fertilization (IVF) / intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) cycles.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Retrospective clinical analysis on 755 non-elective transfers of only one embryo (ET). Embryo assessment was performed in days 1 and 2. Clinical and biological data were recorded and analyzed according to embryo and/or pronuclear morphology.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Both pronuclear and embryo morphology were significantly related to clinical pregnancy and live-birth rates. No significant difference in clinical pregnancy and live-birth rates was detected when the pronuclear and embryo morphology assessments were combined. Embryo morphology and maternal age were the only independent predictors of favorable outcome by logistic regression analysis.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Pronuclear evaluation is effective to select the best zygotes if ET is performed at day 1, whereas it did not improve the clinical outcomes when combined with embryo morphology evaluation in day 2.</p