Sequential cleavage and blastocyst embryo transfer and IVF outcomes: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Sequential embryo transfer has been proposed as a way to improve embryo implantation in women for in vitro fertilization (IVF), but the effect on pregnancy outcomes remains ambiguous. This systematic review was conducted to investigate the efficacy of sequential embryo transfer on IVF outcomes. METHODS: A literature search was performed in the PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, ScienceDirect and Wanfang databases. Data were pooled using a random- or fixed-effects model according to study heterogeneity. The results are expressed as relative risks (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Heterogeneity was evaluated by the I2 statistic. The study protocol was registered prospectively on INPLASY, ID: INPLASY202180019. RESULTS: Ten eligible studies with 2658 participants compared sequential embryo transfer and cleavage transfer, while four studies with 513 participants compared sequential embryo transfer and blastocyst transfer. The synthesis results showed that the clinical pregnancy rate was higher in the sequential embryo transfer group than in the cleavage embryo transfer group (RR 1.42, 95% CI 1.26-1.60, P< 0.01) for both women who did experience repeated implantation failure (RIF) (RR 1.58, 95% CI 1.17-2.13, P< 0.01) and did not experience RIF (Non-RIF) (RR 1.44, 95% CI 1.20-1.66, P< 0.01). However, sequential embryo transfer showed no significant benefit over blastocyst embryo transfer. CONCLUSION: The current systematic review demonstrates that sequential cleavage and blastocyst embryo transfer improve the clinical pregnancy rate over conventional cleavage embryo transfer. For women with adequate embryos, sequential transfer could be attempted following careful consideration. More high-grade evidence from prospective randomized studies is warranted.

Mean number of DNA breakpoints: illuminating sperm DNA integrity and in vitro fertilization outcomes.

OBJECTIVE: To verify the capacity of the mean number of DNA breakpoints (MDB) for evaluating sperm integrity and its relationship with in vitro fertilization (IVF) outcomes. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Reproductive center in a tertiary hospital. PATIENT(S): All men whose female partners underwent IVF from March to October 2022 in the reproductive center. INTERVENTION(S): The MDB and DNA fragmentation index (DFI) were used to assess sperm DNA integrity. The patients were stratified into two groups according to MDB and DFI cutoffs: sperm DNA-normal and sperm DNA-impaired. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Semen parameters: concentration, progressive motility (PR), MDB, and the DFI; IVF outcome measures: two pronuclei (2-PN), fertilization rate, fertilization cleavage rate, high-quality embryo rate, biochemical pregnancy rate, clinical pregnancy rate, and implantation rate. RESULTS: Sperm MDB had a higher negative correlation with PR compared with the DFI (r = -0.43; r = -0.37, respectively). Sperm MDB did not have a statistical correlation with sperm concentration, whereas the DFI correlated significantly with concentration (r = -0.17; r = -0.27, respectively). Logistic regression analysis controlling for age and semen concentration demonstrated that an increase in MDB increased the risk of asthenospermia (odds ratio = 1.018, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.003-1.034). An increasing DFI also increased the risk of asthenospermia (odds ratio = 1.044, 95% CI 1.002-1.087). The MDB showed a stronger clinical relevance with sperm PR than the DFI, as indicated using the area under the curve values (0.754, 95% CI 0.649-0.859 vs. 0.691, 95% CI 0.556-0.825). A threshold of the MDB >0.37 nM was calculated to define sperm DNA-impaired. Comparison of IVF results showed that the high-quality embryo rate (χ2 = 13.00) was significantly lower in the DNA-impaired group than in the DNA-normal group stratified using the MDB, although there were no significant differences in IVF outcomes in DFI-stratified groups. CONCLUSION: The MDB has been verified to correlate closely with semen PR and may serve as a predictive parameter for IVF outcomes. Rigorous prospective studies are required to explore MDB performance and to further validate and reinforce the potential application of MDB as a parameter for male infertility.

Effects of Steviol Glycosides on Growth Performance, Ruminal Fermentation and Microbial Diversity of Hu Sheep.

The experiment was conducted to investigate the potential effects of steviol glycosides on growth performance, rumen fermentation processes, and microbial diversity in Hu sheep. A single-factor design was used for the trial. Twenty healthy weaned Hu lambs, possessing comparable body weights averaging 18.31 ± 1.24 kg, were randomly allocated into two distinct groups: the control group (CON) and the experimental group (STE), with each comprising 10 lambs. The CON was fed the basal diet, and the STE was supplemented with 0.07% steviol glycosides based on the basal diet. During the experimental period, variations in body weight and feed intake were closely monitored and recorded. After feeding for 90 d, blood was collected to determine blood biochemical indices, and rumen fluid samples were gathered for an in-depth analysis of rumen fermentation parameters and microbial diversity. The outcomes revealed no statistically significant differences in growth performance or serum biochemical indices between the two groups (p > 0.05). Rumen pH in STE and CON was within the normal range. The rumen ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N) and acetic acid (AA) content of STE decreased significantly compared with CON (p < 0.05). No significant variations were observed in the levels of other volatile fatty acids (VFAs) between the two groups (p > 0.05). The rumen microbial OTUs count, as well as the Shannon, Simpson, Chao1, and Ace indices, were notably lower in the STE group compared to the CON group (p < 0.05). Additionally, at the phylum level, the relative abundance of Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, and Proteobacteria collectively accounted for over 97% of the total phylum composition. In comparison to the CON group, the STE group exhibited an increase in the relative abundance of Proteobacteria (p < 0.05), accompanied by a significant reduction in the relative abundance of Patescibacteria and Desulfobacteria (p < 0.05). At the genus level, there was a notable increase in the relative abundance of Prevotella_7 and Succinivibrionaceae_UCG_001 in the STE group, whereas the relative abundance of Rikenellaceae_RC9_gut_group significantly decreased (p < 0.05). According to the correlation analysis between rumen microflora and VFAs, the relative abundance of Succinivibrionaceae_UCG_001 displayed a significant negative correlation with AA (p < 0.05), whereas Lactobacillus exhibited a notable positive correlation with isobutyric acid (IBA) (p < 0.05). In summary, steviol glycosides had no significant effect on the production performance and blood biochemical indexes of Hu sheep. Steviol glycosides can improve rumen fermentation parameters and rumen microflora structure of Hu sheep and have a certain effect on rumen microbial diversity and composition.

A Cyclodiaryliodonium NOX Inhibitor for the Treatment of Pancreatic Cancer via Enzyme-Activatable Targeted Delivery by Sulfated Glycosaminoglycan Derivatives.

Pancreatic cancer renders a principal cause of cancer mortalities with a dismal prognosis, lacking sufficiently safe and effective therapeutics. Here, diversified cyclodiaryliodonium (CDAI) NADPH oxidase (NOX) inhibitors are rationally designed with tens of nanomolar optimal growth inhibition, and CD44-targeted delivery is implemented using synthesized sulfated glycosaminoglycan derivatives. The self-assembled nanoparticle-drug conjugate (NDC) enables hyaluronidase-activatable controlled release and facilitates cellular trafficking. NOX inhibition reprograms the metabolic phenotype by simultaneously impairing mitochondrial respiration and glycolysis. Moreover, the NDC selectively diminishes non-mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) but significantly elevates cytotoxic ROS through mitochondrial membrane depolarization. Transcriptomic profiling reveals perturbed p53, NF-κB, and GnRH signaling pathways interconnected with NOX inhibition. After being validated in patient-derived pancreatic cancer cells, the anticancer efficacy is further verified in xenograft mice bearing heterotopic and orthotopic pancreatic tumors, with extended survival and ameliorated systemic toxicity. It is envisaged that the translation of cyclodiaryliodonium inhibitors with an optimized molecular design can be expedited by enzyme-activatable targeted delivery with improved pharmacokinetic profiles and preserved efficacy.

Androgen Signaling Contributes to Sex Differences in Cancer by Inhibiting NF-κB Activation in T Cells and Suppressing Antitumor Immunity.

Sex is known to be an important factor in the incidence, progression, and outcome of cancer. A better understanding of the underlying mechanisms could help improve cancer prevention and treatment. Here, we demonstrated a crucial role of antitumor immunity in the sex differences in cancer. Consistent with observations in human cancers, male mice showed accelerated tumor progression compared with females, but these differences were not observed in immunodeficient mice. Androgen signaling suppressed T-cell immunity against cancer in males. Mechanistically, androgen-activated androgen receptor upregulated expression of USP18, which inhibited TAK1 phosphorylation and the subsequent activation of NF-κB in antitumor T cells. Reduction of testosterone synthesis by surgical castration or using the small-molecular inhibitor abiraterone significantly enhanced the antitumor activity of T cells in male mice and improved the efficacy of anti-PD-1 immunotherapy. Together, this study revealed a novel mechanism contributing to sex differences in cancer. These results indicate that inhibition of androgen signaling is a promising approach to improve the efficacy of immunotherapy in males. SIGNIFICANCE: Androgen signaling induces immunosuppression in cancer by blocking T-cell activity through upregulation of USP18 and subsequent inhibition of NF-κB activity, providing a targetable axis to improve antitumor immunity in males.

Cannabis suppresses antitumor immunity by inhibiting JAK/STAT signaling in T cells through CNR2.

The combination of immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) with chemotherapy significantly improves clinical benefit of cancer treatment. Since chemotherapy is often associated with adverse events, concomitant treatment with drugs managing side effects of chemotherapy is frequently used in the combination therapy. However, whether these ancillary drugs could impede immunotherapy remains unknown. Here, we showed that ∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the key ingredient of drugs approved for the treatment of chemotherapy-caused nausea, reduced the therapeutic effect of PD-1 blockade. The endogenous cannabinoid anandamide (AEA) also impeded antitumor immunity, indicating an immunosuppressive role of the endogenous cannabinoid system (ECS). Consistently, high levels of AEA in the sera were associated with poor overall survival in cancer patients. We further found that cannabinoids impaired the function of tumor-specific T cells through CNR2. Using a knock-in mouse model expressing a FLAG-tagged Cnr2 gene, we discovered that CNR2 binds to JAK1 and inhibits the downstream STAT signaling in T cells. Taken together, our results unveiled a novel mechanism of the ECS-mediated suppression on T-cell immunity against cancer, and suggest that cannabis and cannabinoid drugs should be avoided during immunotherapy.

Fucoidan-Supplemented Diet Potentiates Immune Checkpoint Blockage by Enhancing Antitumor Immunity.

Immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapies such as PD-1 antibodies have produced significant clinical responses in treating a variety of human malignancies, yet only a subset of cancer patients benefit from such therapy. To improve the ICB efficacy, combinations with additional therapeutics were under intensive investigation. Recently, special dietary compositions that can lower the cancer risk or inhibit cancer progression have drawn significant attention, although few were reported to show synergistic effects with ICB therapies. Interestingly, Fucoidan is naturally derived from edible brown algae and exhibits antitumor and immunomodulatory activities. Here we discover that fucoidan-supplemented diet significantly improves the antitumor activities of PD-1 antibodies in vivo. Specifically, fucoidan as a dietary ingredient strongly inhibits tumor growth when co-administrated with PD-1 antibodies, which effects can be further strengthened when fucoidan is applied before PD-1 treatments. Immune analysis revealed that fucoidan consistently promotes the activation of tumor-infiltrating CD8+ T cells, which support the evident synergies with ICB therapies. RNAseq analysis suggested that the JAK-STAT pathway is critical for fucoidan to enhance the effector function of CD8+ T cells, which could be otherwise attenuated by disruption of the T-cell receptor (TCR)/CD3 complex on the cell surface. Mechanistically, fucoidan interacts with this complex and augments TCR-mediated signaling that cooperate with the JAK-STAT pathway to stimulate T cell activation. Taken together, we demonstrated that fucoidan is a promising dietary supplement combined with ICB therapies to treat malignancies, and dissected an underappreciated mechanism for fucoidan-elicited immunomodulatory effects in cancer.

DGKA Mediates Resistance to PD-1 Blockade.

Immunologic checkpoint blockade has been proven effective in a variety of malignancies. However, high rates of resistance have substantially hindered its clinical use. Understanding the underlying mechanisms may lead to new strategies for improving therapeutic efficacy. Although a number of signaling pathways have been shown to be associated with tumor cell-mediated resistance to immunotherapy, T cell-intrinsic resistant mechanisms remain elusive. Here, we demonstrated that diacylglycerol kinase alpha (Dgka) mediated T-cell dysfunction during anti-PD-1 therapy by exacerbating the exhaustion of reinvigorated tumor-specific T cells. Pharmacologic ablation of Dgka postponed T-cell exhaustion and delayed development of resistance to PD-1 blockade. Dgka inhibition also enhanced the efficacy of anti-PD-1 therapy. We further found that the expression of DGKA in cancer cells promoted tumor growth via the AKT signaling pathway, suggesting that DGKA might be a target in tumor cells as well. Together, these findings unveiled a molecular pathway mediating resistance to PD-1 blockade and provide a potential therapeutic strategy with combination immunotherapy.

CAR-T cells targeting CLL-1 as an approach to treat acute myeloid leukemia.

BACKGROUND: Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is one of the most common types of adult acute leukemia. Standard chemotherapies can induce complete remission in selected patients; however, a majority of patients eventually relapse and succumb to the disease. Thus, the development of novel therapeutics for AML is urgently needed. Human C-type lectin-like molecule-1 (CLL-1) is a type II transmembrane glycoprotein, and its expression is restricted to myeloid cells and the majority of AML blasts. Moreover, CLL-1 is expressed in leukemia stem cells (LSCs), but absent in hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), which may provide a potential therapeutic target for AML treatment. METHODS: We tested the expression of CLL-1 antigen on peripheral blood cells and bone marrow cells in healthy donor and AML patients. Then, we developed a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) containing a CLL1-specific single-chain variable fragment, in combination with CD28, 4-1BB costimulatory domains, and CD3-ζ signaling domain. We further investigate the function of CLL-1 CAR-T cells. RESULTS: The CLL-1 CAR-T cells specifically lysed CLL-1+ cell lines as well as primary AML patient samples in vitro. Strong anti-leukemic activity was observed in vivo by using a xenograft model of disseminated AML. Importantly, CLL-1+ myeloid progenitor cells and mature myeloid cells were specifically eliminated by CLL-1 CAR-T cells, while normal HSCs were not targeted due to the lack of CLL-1 expression. CONCLUSIONS: CLL-1 CAR-T represents a promising immunotherapy for the treatment of AML.