ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the relationship between serum/follicular fluid fetuin B levels and outcome offertilization (IVF).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Infertility women (28 with low fertilization rates, 44 with normal fertilization rates) receiving IVF in Women's Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine during June and December 2016 were enrolled in the study. Serum/follicular fluid fetuin B levels were measured with ELISA method. Correlations of serum and follicular fetuin B level with fertilization outcome of IVF were analyzed with Pearson correlation coefficient and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>A positive correlation between serum fetuin B and follicular fluid fetuin B levels was observed (=0.675,<0.01). Both serum and follicular fluid fetuin B levels in women with low fertilization rates of IVF were lower than those in women with normal fertilization rates[(6.09±1.31) μg/mL vs. (7.13±1.47) μg/mL,=3.050,<0.05; (5.13±0.96)μg/mL vs. (6.22±1.33) μg/mL,=3.755,<0.01]. ROC analysis showed that the area under curve (AUC) of serum fetuin B level in predicting fertilization rate was 0.832 (95%:0.729-0.934,<0.01), and 6.08 μg/mL could be used as cut-off value.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Serum fetuin B level is correlated with follicular fluid fetuin B level, and it may be used for predicting the fertilization outcome of IVF.</p>
ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the effect of low and high oxygen concentration on embryo development, pregnancy outcome and birth defects offertilization-embryo transfer (IVF-ET).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>According to the oxygen concentration ofculture environment, the IVF-ET performed in the Women's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine during 2013 and 2015 were divided into low oxygen concentration group (=2036, 5% O) and high oxygen concentration group (=4617, 20% O). The rate of fertilization, good quality embryo, clinical pregnancy, ectopic pregnancy, abortion and birth defect were compared between two groups.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The good quality embryo rate was significantly higher in the low oxygen concentration group (<0.05). However, no significant differences were found between two groups in the rate of fertilization, clinical pregnancy, ectopic pregnancy, abortion and birth defect (all>0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Low oxygen environment may improve the potential of embryonic development, but its impact on pregnancy outcome and birth defect is not significant.</p>
ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the effects of embryo cryopreservation and thawing on clinical outcomes of transplantable embryos after preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) or preimplantation genetic screening (PGS) in cleavage-stage.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The clinical data of 302 cases (including 118 cases using frozen/thawing embryos and 184 cases using fresh embryos) undergoing PGD/PGS in Women's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine during January 2011 and December 2016 were retrospectively analyzed. The pregnancy rate, implantation rate, live birth rate and abortion rate of fresh and frozen-thawed embryo transfer (FET) cycles were compared. And the influencing factors for pregnancy outcome was analyzed by multivariate logistic regression.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The rate of normal or balanced translocation embryos in fresh cycle was higher than that in FET cycle (23.52% vs 16.67%,<0.05), and the average number of transplanted embryos was more than that in FET cycle (1.54±0.56 vs 1.33±0.51,<0.05). But there were no significant differences in pregnancy rate (36.42% vs 40.00%,>0.05), implantation rate (26.62% vs 32.91%,>0.05), abortion rate (19.44% vs 8.33%,>0.05) and live birth rate (25.96% vs 28.33%,>0.05) between fresh cycle and FET cycle. Multivariate logistic regression showed that, parent ages, embryo status (fresh or frozen), the mode of PGD/PGS and the findings of PGD/PGS had no impact on pregnancy outcome (all>0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Cryopreservation do not have significant effects on the clinical outcomes of transplantable embryos after PGD/PGS in cleavage-stage.</p>
ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the correlation between glutathione S-transferase (GST) M1 and T1 genotypes and endometriosis risk (EM).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique was used to detect the presence or absence of the GSTM1 and GSTT1 genes in genomic DNA isolated from the blood samples of 68 Han Chinese women with endometriosis and 28 without endometriosis.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The frequencies of GSTM1 and GSTT1 null genotypes in women with endometriosis were 0.721 (49/68) and 0.779 (53/68), respectively, and in women without endometriosis were 0.429 (12/28) and 0.321 (9/28), respectively. There was a significant difference with regard to the frequencies of GSTM1 and GSTT1 null genotypes between the women with and without endometriosis (P < 0.01). Furthermore, the frequencies of GSTM1 and GSTT1 null genotypes were significantly higher in the patients with stage III and IV endometriosis [0.731 (38/52) and 0.788 (41/52), respectively] than in women without endometriosis (P < 0.01), and the frequency of GSTT1 null genotype was statistically higher in patients with stage I and II endometriosis [0.75 (12/16)] than in the women without endometriosis (P < 0.01). No correlation between GSTM1 and GSTT1 null genotypes and age, induced abortion or dysmenorrhea was detected in this study (P > 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>GSTM1 and GSTT1 null genotypes may be risk factors for the development of endometriosis.</p>