Dual trigger vs. Conventional trigger outcomes in In Vitro Fertilization. Systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to analyze the efficacy of the dual trigger (human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) + GnRH agonists) compared to the conventional trigger (hCG) in terms of oocyte retrieval (number and oocyte maturity), fertilization rate or number of embryos with two pronuclei, number of high-quality embryos, number of transferred embryos, number of cryopreserved embryos, implantation rate, positive ß-hCG rate, ongoing pregnancy rate, abortion rate, and live birth rate. METHODS: This search performed in this systematic review included all literature published in the PubMed database of studies on controlled ovarian stimulation with dual trigger compared with conventional trigger. The meta-analysis included clinical trials and prospective cohort studies. RESULTS: Statistically significant differences between groups (dual trigger vs. hCG trigger) in terms of number of oocytes retrieved and live birth rate favored the dual trigger protocol. No statistically significant differences were found in the other studied variables. A tend favoring the dual trigger protocol was observed in all studied parameters. CONCLUSIONS: Dual trigger seems to be more effective in GnRH antagonist cycles in terms of embryo and pregnancy outcome.

Immunogenicity of the Conjugate Meningococcal ACWY-TT Vaccine in Children and Adolescents Living with HIV.

BACKGROUND: Children and adolescents living with HIV (CALHIV) are at high risk of meningococcal infections and may present lower immune responses to vaccines. The objectives of this study were to assess the immunogenicity of the quadrivalent Men ACWY-TT vaccine (Nimenrix®) in CALHIV after a two-dose schedule and to describe possible HIV-related factors that may affect the immunogenic response. METHODS: A multicenter prospective study was designed, including CALHIV followed in five hospitals in Madrid, between 2019 and 2021. Two doses of the Men ACWY-TT vaccine were administered. Serum bactericidal antibody (SBA) assays using rabbit complement (rSBA) against serogroups C, W, and Y were used to determine seroprotection and vaccine response (the proportion achieving a putative protective titer of ≥eight or a ≥four-fold rise in titer from baseline). Serum was collected at baseline, and at 3 and 12 months after vaccination. RESULTS: There were 29 CALHIV included, 76% of whom were perinatally infected. All were receiving TAR and presented a good immunovirological and clinical status overall. At baseline, 45% of CALHIV had seroprotective titers to at least one serogroup, with individual seroprotection rates of 24%, 28%, and 32% against C, W, and Y, respectively. After a two-dose schedule, vaccine response was 83% for each serogroup, eliciting a vaccine response to all serogroups in 69% of them. One year after vaccination, 75% of CALHIV maintained seroprotective titers against the C serogroup, and 96% against W and Y. None of the HIV-related characteristics analyzed could predict vaccine response or antibody duration. CONCLUSIONS: CALHIV who received effective TAR and presented a good immuno-virological situation achieved an appropriate vaccine response after two doses of the Men ACWY-TT vaccine, and antibody-mediated protection against serogroups C, W, and Y was maintained in more than 70% of the patients one year after vaccination.

Programmed-cell-death hallmarks in incompatible pollen and papillar stigma cells of Olea europaea L. under free pollination.

Programmed cell death (PCD) is a process that occurs both in animals and in plants and is an essential element in developmental processes. Pollination is a key factor in fruit production and self-incompatibility is one of the main limiting factors of this process. PCD has recently been put forward as a possible cause of pollen-growth arrest. As far as the olive is concerned, no data have been published concerning the mechanisms involved in hindering the growth of pollen tubes in incompatible pollen. Thus, we have studied olive pistils excised from freely pollinated flowers at different stages before and during the progamic phase using different cytochemical techniques, including trypan blue staining. To discover whether the elimination of incompatible pollen might be associated to PCD, we applied different tests to the excised pistils: (1) TUNEL assay; (2) DNA degradation analysis; (3) detection of caspase-3-like activity. Once we had determined that PCD was involved in pollen selection after free pollination, we conducted experiments after controlled pollination in pistils excised from flowers: (a) developing in the absence of pollen; (b) pollinated with sterile pollen that does not germinate; (c) self-pollinated; (d) pollinated with compatible pollen. Our results demonstrate that the growth of tubes in incompatible pollen is halted in the stylar area in a way that suggests the intervention of PCD. Furthermore, any pollen, even if sterile, seemed to accelerate PCD in papillar cells in the olive.

Measurement of Typhim Vi IgG as a Diagnostic Tool to Determine Anti-polysaccharide Antibody Production Deficiency in Children.

Background: The assessment of specific polysaccharide antibody production plays a pivotal role in the diagnosis of humoral primary immunodeficiencies (PID). The response to 23-valent pneumococcal vaccine (PPV) remains the gold standard for the diagnosis of polysaccharide antibodies. However, in Spain, the interpretation of pure polysaccharide 23-valent immunization is hampered by the high endemicity of pneumococcal disease and the generalization of the 13-valent adjuvant pneumococcal vaccination. Specific Typhim Vi vaccination (TV) immunoglobulin G IgG response to immunization is useful in adult PID, but there is no data regarding children. Objectives: To evaluate the clinical utility of TV IgG production as a diagnostic tool to determine anti-polysaccharide antibody production deficiency in children, when the response to PPV is unclear and isolated determination of serotypes is unfeasible. Methods: We conducted a single-institution prospective observational study on 61 children with recurrent infections. Baseline specific antibodies against PPV and TV were evaluated. In 28 children (46%), the response to the production of antibodies confirmed a clinical suspicion of humoral PID, and they were therefore immunized with 23-valent pneumococcal vaccine and Typhim Vi. Both specific antibody responses were measured by ELISA (The Binding Site Group Ltd, Birmingham, UK) using previously published cut-offs. Results: Seventy percent of the 61 children displayed baseline PPV IgG > 27 mg/L, whereas only 8% showed TV IgG > 28 U/mL (p < 0.0001). Twenty-one of 28 children (75%) achieved a 3-fold increase in post-vaccination TV IgG levels, whereas only 3% achieved a 4-fold increase in PPV IgG post vaccination, mainly due to high baseline PPV IgG titers. When we classified children according to their response to TV as responders or non-responders and compared this with the well-known clinical warning signs of the Jeffrey Modell Foundation. The proportions of children with history of pneumonia and the need for intravenous antibiotics were significantly higher in TV IgG non-responders than in TV IgG responders (p = 0.02 and p = 0.01, respectively). Conclusion: Response to TV can be considered an ancillary diagnostic tool to determine polysaccharide antibodies in children, particularly when isolated determination of pneumococcal serotypes is not feasible. TV provides a useful asset for clinicians in the era of conjugate PPV vaccination, with clinical relevance. Further research is warranted for validation.