A Comparison of Embryonic Development and Clinical Outcomes between In vitro Oocytes Maturation Using Micro-Vibration System and In vivo Oocytes Maturation in Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome Patients.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Mechanical micro-vibration remains insufficient for improving embryo culture conditions in human immature oocytes. This study compared the clinical outcomes and embryo development between germinal vesicle (GV) oocytes with the micro-vibration culture (MVC) system in in vitro maturation (IVM) cycles and in vivo-matured oocytes in controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH) cycles in polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) patients. METHODS: This study investigated 152 PCOS patients who underwent 159 fresh embryo transfer cycles, including IVM cycles with embryos derived from GV oocytes and the COH cycles with embryos derived from in vivo-matured oocytes. The IVM cycles were divided into groups according to the culture system used: static culture (SC) and MVC: In the IVM-S group (n = 47), SC was applied during both IVM and in vitro culture (IVC), whereas in the IVM-MV group (n = 44), MVC was applied during both IVM and IVC. For the COH cycles, in the COH-S group (n = 68), SC was applied during IVC. RESULTS: The number of in vitro-matured oocytes was similar in the IVM-S and IVM-MV groups, but the good-quality embryo (GQE; ≥6-cells) rate was significantly higher in the IVM-MV group (p < 0.01). The GQE rate and clinical outcomes of the COH-S group were significantly better than those of the IVM-S group (p < 0.05) but similar to those of the IVM-MV group. CONCLUSION: Compared with the SC system, the MVC system in IVM cycles improves the embryonic quality of GV oocytes and clinical outcomes, resulting in development of potential equivalent to in vivo-matured oocytes.

Successful pregnancy and delivery after ICSI with artificial oocyte activation by calcium ionophore in in-vitro matured oocytes: a case report.

The achievement of a successful pregnancy and delivery after oocyte activation with calcium ionophore is reported in a couple having low fertilization rates after intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) of in-vitro matured oocytes. A couple, in which the wife had polycystic ovary syndrome and the husband had moderate oligoteratozoospermia, showed a low fertilization rate in a previous in-vitro maturation cycle (2/11 [18.2%]). The most likely cause of complete fertilization failure or low fertilization rates is failure of oocyte activation. Therefore, artificial oocyte activation by calcium ionophore was combined with ICSI to achieve viable fertilized oocytes. Oocytes were stimulated with calcium ionophore for 30 min after ICSI. The fertilization rate of oocytes activated with calcium ionophore (13/15 [86.7%] and 7/9 [77.8%]) was higher than that of the non-activated oocytes. In the latest cycle, three embryos derived from the activated oocytes were transferred into the uterus on day 3. Subsequently, two gestational sacs were identified on ultrasound. The patient delivered dizygotic twins (girl 2260 g and boy 2760 g) at 35 weeks and 6 days gestation by caesarean section. This result suggests that calcium ionophore could be useful for oocyte fertilization in couples with low fertilization rates after ICSI of in-vitro matured oocytes.

Live birth after SrCl(2) oocyte activation in previous repeated failed or low fertilization rates after ICSI of frozen-thawed testicular spermatozoa: case report.

PURPOSE: To report a live birth resulting after strontium chloride (SrCl(2)) oocyte activation in a couple with complete fertilization failure or low fertilization rates following intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) of frozen-thawed testicular spermatozoa. METHODS: The couple underwent ICSI of frozen-thawed testicular spermatozoa. After ICSI, the oocytes were artificially activated by SrCl(2) because the results of fertilization were not satisfactory in the previous cycles. The main outcome measures were fertilization, pregnancy, and birth. RESULTS: In the first and second cycles performed previously at another clinic, fertilization rates were 9.1 % and 0.0 %, respectively. In the third cycle, 31 metaphase II oocytes were retrieved. After sperm injection, all of the oocytes were stimulated using SrCl(2) for activation. Sixteen oocytes were fertilized (51.6 %), and a single embryo was transferred into the uterus on Day 3. A healthy girl weighing 2750 g was born at 40 weeks of gestation by caesarean section. CONCLUSIONS: This result suggests that SrCl(2) could be useful for oocyte fertilization in case of repeated complete fertilization failure or low fertilization rates following ICSI of frozen-thawed testicular spermatozoa.

Spectroscopic and computational insight into the intermolecular interactions between Zwitter-type ionic liquids and water molecules.

Geometric and conformational changes of zwitter-type ionic liquids (ZILs) due to hydrogen-bonding interactions with water molecules are investigated by density functional theory (DFT), two-dimensional IR correlation spectroscopy (2D IR COS), and pulsed-gradient spin-echo NMR (PGSE NMR). Simulation results indicate that molecular structures in the optimized states are strongly influenced by hydrogen bonding of water molecules with the sulfonate group or imidazolium and pyrrolidinium rings of 3-(1-methyl-3-imidazolio)propanesulfonate (1) and 3-(1-methyl-1-pyrrolidinio)propanesulfonate (2), respectively. Concentration-dependent 2D IR COS reveals kinetic conformational changes of the two ZIL-H(2)O systems attributable to intermolecular interactions, as well as the interactions of sulfonate groups and imidazolium or pyrrolidinium rings with water molecules. The dramatic changes in the (1)H self-diffusion coefficients elucidate the formation of proton-conduction pathways consisting of ZIL networks. In ZIL domains, protons are transferred by a Grotthuss-type mechanism through formation, breaking, and restructuring of bonds between ZILs and H(2)O, leading to an energetically favorable state. The simulation and experimental investigations delineated herein provide a perspective to understanding the interactions with water from an academic point of view as well as to designing ILs with desired properties from the viewpoint of applications.

Healthy live birth from vitrified blastocysts produced from natural cycle IVF/IVM.

Natural-cycle IVF combined with in-vitro maturation (natural-cycle IVF/IVM) was used as a treatment for a 27-year-old woman. She was administered 10,000 IU of human chorionic gonadotrophin intramuscularly about 36 h prior to oocyte collection and oocyte collection was performed on day 11 of her menstrual cycle. One mature oocyte was retrieved from the leading follicle and another five mature oocytes and six immature oocytes were retrieved from the rest of the follicles. Out of 10 fertilized zygotes, eight of them cleaved. Three day-3 embryos derived from in-vivo matured oocytes (one was from the leading follicle) were transferred but failed to conceive. The remaining five embryos were continuously cultured until day 6 and four of them developed to the expanded blastocyst stage and vitrified for the storage. Six months later, two vitrified-warmed blastocysts derived from the immature oocytes were transferred and resulted in the full-term delivery of a healthy female infant. This case report for the first time indicates that blastocysts produced from the immature oocytes retrieved from the small follicles, when a leading follicle exists in the ovaries, can be vitrified to produce a healthy live birth, suggesting that natural-cycle IVF/IVM is an efficient infertility treatment.

Ionic-liquid-assisted sonochemical synthesis of carbon-nanotube-based nanohybrids: control in the structures and interfacial characteristics.

A versatile, facile, and rapid synthetic method of advanced carbon nanotube (CNT)-based nanohybrid fabrication, or the so-called ionic-liquid-assisted sonochemical method (ILASM), which combines the supramolecular chemistry between ionic liquids (ILs) and CNTs with sonochemistry for the control in the size and amount of uniformly decorated nanoparticles (NPs) and interfacial engineering, is reported. The excellence in electrocatalysis of hybrid materials with well-designed nanostructures and favorable interfaces is demonstrated by applying them to electrochemical catalysis. The synthetic method discussed in this report has an important and immediate impact not only on the design and synthesis of functional hybrid nanomaterials by supramolecular chemistry and sonochemistry but also on applications of the same into electrochemical devices such as sensors, fuel cells, solar cells, actuators, batteries, and capacitors.

Improvement of embryonic development and clinical outcomes of germinal vesicle stage oocytes using a microvibration culture system.

In vitro maturation (IVM) has evolved as a clinical treatment option in assisted reproductive technology. However, the poor developmental potential of germinal vesicle (GV)-stage oocytes is still suboptimal. This study's objective was to evaluate the effect of a microvibration culture system (MVC) during IVM and/or in vitro culture (IVC) on the clinical outcomes and the embryonic development potential of human GV-stage oocytes collected from human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG)-primed IVM and fertilization-embryo transfer (IVM/F-ET) cycles of patients with polycystic ovaries (PCO). A total of 206 HCG-primed IVM/F-ET cycles were divided into four groups according to the microvibration and static culture system applied during IVM and/or IVC: Group SS (static system during both IVM and IVC); Group SV (static system during IVM alternated with microvibration system during IVC); Group VS (microvibration system during IVM alternated with static system during IVC), and Group VV (microvibration system during both IVM and IVC). The results indicate that the rates of in vitro MII oocytes per cycle, fertilization, and cleavage were not significantly different between the groups. The rate of good-quality embryos in Group SV tended to be higher than the rate in Groups SS and VS, but there was no significant difference between Group SS and Group SV. Clinical pregnancy, implantation, and live birth rates of Groups SV and VS were slightly higher than those of Group SS. However, the rate of good-quality embryos with at least six cells on day 4, the clinical pregnancy, implantation, and live births in Group VV were significantly higher than those in Group SS. These results indicate that, compared with the static culture system, the MVC system applied for both IVM and IVC seems to improve the clinical outcomes and the quality of embryos of GV oocytes derived from HCG-primed IVM/F-ET cycles in PCO patients. Abbreviations: PCO: polycystic ovaries; HCG: human chorionic gonadotropin; GV: germinal vesicle; MII: metaphase II; IVM: in vitro maturation; IVF: in vitro fertilization; IVC: in vitro culture: MVC: microvibration culture; SC: static culture; ICSI: intracytoplasmic sperm injection; IVM/F-ET: IVM and fertilization-embryo transfer; AMH: anti-Mullerian hormone; OHSS: ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome.

Influence of additives including amine and hydroxyl groups on aqueous ammonia absorbent for CO2 capture.

Aqueous ammonia absorbent (10 wt %) was modified with four kinds of additives (1 wt %) including amine and hydroxyl groups, i.e., 2-amino-2-methyl-1-propanol (AMP), 2-amino-2-methyl-1,3-propandiol (AMPD), 2-amino-2-ethyl-1,3-propandiol (AEPD), and tri(hydroxymethyl) aminomethane (THAM), for CO(2) capture. The loss of ammonia by vaporization was reduced by additives, whereas the removal efficiency of CO(2) was slightly improved. These results were attributed to the interactions between ammonia and additives or absorbents and CO(2) via hydrogen bonding, as verified by FT-IR spectra and computational calculation. Molecular structures as well as binding energies were obtained from the geometries of (ammonia + additives) and (ammonia + additives + CO(2)) at the optimized state. These experimental and theoretical findings demonstrate that additives including amine and hydroxyl group are suitable for modifying aqueous ammonia absorbent for CO(2) removal.

Retrospective study of single vitrified-warmed blastocyst transfer cycles according to the presence of morphokinetic variables.

This study retrospectively assessed whether time-lapse data relating to developmental timing and morphology were associated with clinical outcomes, with the eventual goal of using morphokinetic variables to select embryos prospectively for cryopreservation. In this study, we examined the clinical outcomes of single vitrified-warmed blastocyst transfer cycles that were cultured in a time-lapse incubation system. The morphokinetic variables included uneven pronuclei, an uneven blastomere, multinucleation, and direct, rapid, and irregular division. A total of 164 single vitrified-warmed blastocyst transfer cycles were analyzed (102 cycles of regularly developed blastocysts and 62 cycles of blastocysts with morphokinetic variables). No significant differences in the age of females or the standard blastocyst morphology were found between these two groups. The regularly developed blastocysts showed significantly higher implantation and clinical pregnancy rates than the blastocysts exhibiting morphokinetic variables (30.4% vs. 9.7% and 37.3% vs. 14.5%, respectively; p<0.01). The blastocysts that exhibited morphokinetic variables showed different mean development times compared with the regularly developed blastocysts. Although morphokinetic variables are known to have fatal impacts on embryonic development, a considerable number of embryos developed to the blastocyst stage. Morphokinetic variables had negative effects on the implantation and clinical pregnancy rates in vitrified-warmed blastocyst transfer cycles. These findings suggest that blastocysts cultured in a time-lapse incubation system should be considered for selective cryopreservation according to morphokinetic variables.

Interaction of a transition metal atom with intrinsic defects in single-walled carbon nanotubes.

Interaction of a transition metal atom with defects in single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) were investigated through density functional theory calculations. For three kinds of intrinsic defects (single vacancies, double vacancies and Stone-Wales defects) in (5,5) armchair and (10,0) zigzag SWNTs, stable configurations were analyzed. The orientation of the specific bonds of the defects is related to the most stable configuration among several possible configurations. The stable adsorption sites and binding energies of a Ni atom on three intrinsic defects were calculated and compared to those on perfect side walls. All defects enhance Ni adsorption, and the single vacancy shows the most exothermic binding. These results shed light on the nature of the interaction of the transition metal with defects in SWNT, an important topic to the many aspects of carbon nanotubes interacting with transition metals. Particularly, this is useful for the fabrication of nanosized transition metal particles supported on carbon nanotubes.

Successful pregnancy after SrCl2 oocyte activation in couples with repeated low fertilization rates following calcium ionophore treatment.

This report describes a successful pregnancy and delivery following oocyte activation with strontium chloride (SrCl2) in couples with repeated complete fertilization failure or low fertilization rates even after calcium ionophore treatment. Eight infertile couples who showed complete fertilization failure or low fertilization rates after conventional intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) and calcium ionophore treatment. When the results of fertilization were not satisfactory in the cycles, the oocytes were artificially activated by SrCl2 for the next attempts. Oocyte activation with SrCl2 significantly increased the fertilization rates, when compared with conventional ICSI or calcium ionophore treatment (61.7% vs. 20.0% or 25.3%, respectively). There was significant increase in the proportions of good-quality cleaved embryos (50.0% vs. 0% or 12.5%, respectively). The rate of surplus embryos that developed to blastocyst stage increased in SrCl2-treated oocytes, when compared with that in ICSI with or without calcium ionophore treatment (25.7% vs. 0% or 9.1%, respectively). Five successful pregnancies were attained after oocyte activation with SrCl2, of which eight healthy children were born. Physical and mental development of the children were normal from birth to 60 months. These results suggest that SrCl2 in treatment should be considered as an effective method for artificial oocyte activation (AOA) to improve fertilization rates and embryo quality in cases with complete fertilization failure or low fertilization rates after calcium ionophore treatment.

Lead-free BaTiO3 nanowires-based flexible nanocomposite generator.

We have synthesized BaTiO3 nanowires (NWs) via a simple hydrothermal method at low temperature and developed a lead-free, flexible nanocomposite generator (NCG) device by a simple, low-cost, and scalable spin-coating method. The hydrothermally grown BaTiO3 NWs are mixed in a polymer matrix without a toxic dispersion enhancer to produce a piezoelectric nanocomposite (p-NC). During periodical and regular bending and unbending motions, the NCG device fabricated by utilizing a BaTiO3 NWs-polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) composite successfully harvests the output voltage of ∼ 7.0 V and current signals of ∼ 360 nA, which are utilized to drive a liquid crystal display (LCD). We also characterized the instantaneous power (∼ 1.2 µW) of the NCG device by calculating the load voltage and current through the connected external resistance.

Comparison of pregnancy outcomes in natural cycle IVF/M treatment with or without mature oocytes retrieved at time of egg collection.

The objective of this study is to compare the pregnancy and live birth rates of a natural cycle in vitro fertilization (IVF) combined with in vitro maturation (IVM) treatment (natural cycle IVF/M) by the presence or absence of mature oocytes retrieved. Infertile women were divided into two groups: (A) patients with mature oocytes found at retrieval and (B) patients with only immature oocytes at retrieval. Patients of group A were further divided into three subgroups: (A1) mature oocytes retrieved from both the leading and the small follicles, (A2) mature oocytes retrieved from the leading follicles only, and (A3) mature oocytes retrieved from the small follicles only. Pregnancy and implantation rates were compared. The results indicate that the clinical pregnancy rates were 40.1% (126/314) and 34.5% (19/55) for groups A and B, respectively. There were no differences in pregnancy rates among the subgroups: A1=44.0% (66/150), A2=34.9% (30/86), and A3=38.5% (30/78). In addition there were no differences in implantation rates among the groups (16.2% =139/859, 15.0% =22/147, 16.8% =69/410, 14.7% =34/232, and 16.6% =36/217, respectively). However, the live birth and miscarriage rates were significantly different between the group A and group B (29.6% =93/314 vs. 16.4% =9/55 and 26.2% =32/126 vs. 52.6% =10/19, respectively). In conclusion, for natural cycle IVF/M treatment, although the clinical pregnancy rates are not different regarding the retrieval of mature oocytes or the time of the egg retrieval, the live birth rate is higher (P < 0.05) when the mature oocytes are obtained at the time of the egg retrieval.

Selection of patients for natural cycle in vitro fertilization combined with in vitro maturation of immature oocytes.

OBJECTIVE: To determine a successful method of selecting patients for natural cycle IVF combined with in vitro maturation (IVM) of immature oocytes and to determine treatment efficacy. DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of IVF treatments. SETTING: Hospital IVF clinic. PATIENT(S): Women with infertility according to ovarian reserve and endocrine profile were selected for different treatments. INTERVENTIONS(S): According to screening criteria, infertile women were divided into three treatments: [1] natural cycle IVF combined with IVM (IVF/M), [2] IVM alone, and [3] controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH) with gonadotropin. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): The distribution of completed IVF-ET cycles in each treatment; clinical pregnancy and implantation rates in each treatment. RESULT(S): A total of 417 cycles were started, and 410 cycles (98.3%) were completed. Of 410 cycles, 151 (36.8%) were treated by natural cycle IVF/M, 63 (15.4%) underwent IVM alone, and 196 (47.8%) underwent COH. With increasing age fewer cycles can be treated by natural cycle IVF/M or IVM. Clinical pregnancy rates were 40.4% (61 of 151) for natural cycle IVF/M, 41.3% (26 of 63) for IVM alone, and 37.8% (74 of 196) for COH. There were no differences in implantation rate in the three groups (17.8% [82 of 462], 16.7% [35 of 210], and 20.1% [103 of 513]). CONCLUSION(S): Natural cycle IVF/M together with IVM-alone treatment can offer more than 50% of infertile women with an acceptable pregnancy and implantations rates.

New alternative to infertility treatment for women without ovarian stimulation.

Natural cycle IVF produced the world first successful live birth, but slowly this treatment has been replaced by ovarian stimulated cycle IVF, because it has been believed ovarian stimulated cycle IVF will increase the number of available embryos for transfer. Therefore, it directly increases the chance of pregnancy from the treatment cycle. However, ovarian stimulation is always associated with side effects. The recovery of immature oocytes followed by in-vitro maturation (IVM) and IVF is an attractive alternative to stimulated cycle IVF. IVM treatment provides a successful option to infertile women with polycystic ovaries and polycystic ovary syndrome. It is now possible to combine natural cycle IVF with IVM as an alternative for a selected group of women with various causes of infertility without recourse to ovarian stimulation.

Ni adsorption on Stone-Wales defect sites in single-wall carbon nanotubes.

Ni adsorption on Stone-Wales defect sites in (10,0) zigzag and (5,5) armchair single-wall carbon nanotubes was studied using the density functional theory. The stable adsorption sites and their binding energies on different Stone-Wales defect types were analyzed and compared to those on perfect side walls. It was determined that the sites formed via fusions of 7-7 and 6-7 rings are the most exothermic in the cases of (10,0) and (5,5) defective tubes. In addition C-C bonds associated with Stone-Wales defects are more reactive than the case for a perfect hexagon, thus enhancing the stability of the Ni adsorption. Moreover, the Ni adsorption was found to show a noticeable relationship to the orientation of the Stone-Wales defects with respect to the tube axis. The nature of the Ni adsorption on Stone-Wales defects that have the similar orientation is identical, in spite of the different chiralities.

Correlation between in vitro maturation and expression of LH receptor in cumulus cells of the oocytes collected from PCOS patients in HCG-primed IVM cycles.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate whether in vitro maturation (IVM) and blastocyst development of oocytes collected following HCG-primed IVM cycles of PCOS patients are correlated with their cumulus cell (CC) patterns and further to investigate mRNA expression of the receptors for FSH, LH and epidermal growth factor (EGF) in the CCs with each pattern. METHODS: Patients who underwent IVM were primed with 10,000 IU of HCG 36 h before oocyte aspiration. The isolated cumulus-oocyte complexes were divided into three groups according to the CC patterns: oocytes with dispersed CCs (group A), oocytes with compacted CCs (group B) and oocytes with sparse CCs (group C). Oocyte maturation and blastocyst development were compared among three groups. The expression of the mRNA for FSH, LH and EGF receptors in group A and B was analysed by semi-quantitative RT-PCR. RESULTS: The maturation rate of group A was significantly higher than those of group B and C. The rate of blastocysts in group A was significantly higher than those of group B and C. mRNA expression of the LH receptor in group A was more abundant than that of group B. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the presence of dispersed CCs at oocyte collection may be positively correlated with the rates of oocyte maturation and blastocysts in HCG-primed IVM cycles. In addition, the expression of LH receptor in CCs may be correlated with the CC pattern of oocytes at collection.