Correction to: Contribution of cryopreservation to the cumulative live birth rate: a large multicentric cycle-based data analysis from the Italian National Registry.

The original article unfortunately contained a mistake. The names of the collaborators were captured as authors of the article.

Contribution of cryopreservation to the cumulative live birth rate: a large multicentric cycle-based data analysis from the Italian National Registry.

PURPOSE: To estimate the contribution of cryopreservation to the cumulative live birth rate (CLBR) after law modification in Italy in the era of vitrification and freeze-all. METHODS: The Italian National Registry performed a cycle-based data collection. Nine Italian IVF clinics were involved incorporating a total of 10,260 fresh cycles performed between January 2015 and April 2016 resulting in 9273 oocyte retrievals and 3266 subsequent warming cycles from the same oocyte retrievals performed up to December 2016. Mean female age was 37 ± 4.3 years. Primary outcome measure was CLBR per oocyte retrieval. Confounding factors were tested in multivariate regression analysis, and the relative impact of cryopreservation to the CLBR in different patient categories was calculated. RESULTS: CLBR per oocyte retrieval was 32.6%, 26.5%, 18.7%, 13.0%, and 5.5% for women younger than 36, aged 36-39, 40-41, and older than 41 years, respectively. The total relative contribution of oocyte/embryo cryopreservation was 40.6% (95% CI 38.41-42.75). An association between maternal age, number of oocytes retrieved, fertilization rate, cryopreservation, and cumulative live birth was shown. When adjusted for confounders, a 2.3-fold increase was observed in the chance of live birth when cryopreservation was performed (OR 2.3; 95% CI 1.99-2.56). In high responder patients (> 15 oocytes retrieved) where freeze-all was applied in 67.6% of cycles to avoid the risk of hyper stimulation syndrome, the relative contribution of vitrification to the CLBR was 80.6%. CONCLUSIONS: Cryopreservation is essential in IVF and should always be available to patients to optimize success rates. Multicentric, cycle-based data analyses are crucial to provide infertile couples, clinicians, and regulatory bodies with accurate information on IVF effectiveness including fresh and cryopreserved cycles.

Assisted reproductive technologies in Italy, 2005-2007: results from the Italian Assisted Reproductive Technologies Register.

AIM: The aim of this study was to assess the quantitative and qualitative outcomes of assisted reproductive technologies in Italy, from 2005 to 2007, collected by the Italian Assisted Reproductive Technologies Register (IARTR). METHODS: We analyzed, retrospectively, 121,708 ART treatments performed by Italian assisted reproductive technologies (ART) centres from 2005 to 2007. RESULTS: In the study period ART Italian centers were reporting data to the IARTR. Number of total cycles (all homologous) reported was 121,708 including 110,074 fresh (FRESH), 8682 frozen/thawed oocytes (FO) and 2952 frozen embryo (FER). Pregnancy rates per cycle with respect to FRESH, FO and FER treatments were 19.1%, 10.2% and 15%, respectively. Delivery rate per cycle with at least one live birth was 10.8%, 5.8% and 8.4%, respectively, per type of procedure. Twin and "triplet or more" birth rate per delivery was 21% and 2.8%; 12% and 0.4%; 14.9% and 0.8%, respectively. During the study period 15923 ART infants were born (0.95% of all newborn in Italy). CONCLUSION: From 2005 to 2007 we registered a strong increase in ART procedures concomitantly with a qualitative improvement leading to increased pregnancy and live birth rates per cycles. Remarkably, pregnancy loss to follow-up decreased drastically during the three years study-period.

Analysis of oocyte cryopreservation in assisted reproduction: the Italian National Register data from 2005 to 2007.

This paper reports on oocyte cryopreservation efficacy in Italy with respect to successful IVF from 2005 to 2007, presenting data from 193 centres collected by the Italian National Register. Post-thawing survival rates, number of transferred embryos, implantation rates and clinical pregnancy rates per transfer with respect to frozen/vitrified oocytes (FVO) were analysed. These numbers were compared with those obtained using frozen embryos or fresh oocytes. A total of 121,708 cycles were initiated, of which, 7.1% (8682) were FVO cycles and 2.4% (2952) were frozen embryo cycles. Of the 81,786 FVO, 52.5% (42,917) were thawed and 26.9% (22,005) inseminated. Of those inseminated, 68.0% (14,966) yielded good embryos. These numbers were significantly lower than those using fresh oocytes in which 77.9% (197,242; fresh oocytes versus FVO P<0.001) of inseminated oocytes generated good embryos. Implantation rate using FVO was 6.9%, which was significantly lower than that using fresh oocytes (13.5%; P<0.001) and frozen embryos (8.8%; P<0.001). Pregnancy rate per transfer using FVO was 12.5% and significantly lower than that using fresh oocytes (24.9%; P<0.001) or frozen embryos (16.4%; P<0.001). There were 505 deliveries after IVF with FVO and 582 babies.

Circulating CD8+ lymphocytes, white blood cells, and survival in patients with mycosis fungoides.

BACKGROUND: There is a need for reliable, easily measurable laboratory markers that may help dermatologists to predict the course of mycosis fungoides (MF) when they first evaluate their patients. OBJECTIVES: Our objective was to identify clinical, haematological or immunological parameters as predictors of mortality in patients with MF. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study on a prevalent cohort of 124 patients with MF hospitalized at IDI-IRCCS, Rome, Italy, from 1983 to 2001. We calculated the proportion of patients surviving (Kaplan-Meier product-limit estimates) 5 and 10 years after first hospital admission, and hazard ratios (HR) from the Cox proportional hazards model. RESULTS: Patients' survival was linked to age and staging (lower survival in older patients and in patients with staging IIB-IV). Higher numbers of white blood cells (WBC) and neutrophils, lower numbers of CD8+ lymphocytes, low haematocrit and lower levels of albumin were significantly associated with a lower survival probability. When simultaneously accounting for age and staging, CD8+ [HR = 3.02, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.01-9.07 for CD8+ < 250 vs. > or = 600 cells microL(-1)] and WBC (HR = 2.59, 95% CI 0.96-6.96 for WBC > or = 9000 vs. < 6000 cells microL(-1)) were associated with survival. In addition, we observed an exceedingly high risk of death (HR = 12.40, 95% CI 3.11-49.43) for patients with a combination of WBC > or = 9000 and CD8+ < 600 cells microL(-1) vs. WBC < 9000 and CD8+ > or = 600 cells microL(-1)). CONCLUSIONS: The measurement of CD8+ cells and WBC in MF seems to be a promising criterion to predict survival, and possibly to support treatment decisions and inclusion of patients in randomized controlled trials.