Hyaluronan-enriched transfer medium (HETM) can improve the implantation rate in morphologically poor euploid blastocyst transfer.

PURPOSE: Hyaluronan-enriched transfer medium (HETM) could improve the clinical pregnancy rate (CPR) for patients with repeated implantation failures (RIF). In contrast, there have been seldom reports addressing the potentially beneficial effects of HETM for morphologically poor blastocysts (MPBLs). Our study aimed to evaluate whether the use of HETM would improve the CPR for the patients who were transferred with euploid MPBLs. METHODS: Patients who underwent single euploid blastocyst transfer between July 2020 and June 2022 were enrolled. We included only those blastocysts confirmed as euploid by PGT-A, and those blastocysts were transferred after thawing. The natural ovulatory cycle or hormone replacement cycle (HRC) protocol were used for endometrial preparation for frozen embryo transfer (FET). A total of 1,168 FET cycles were performed in the study period, including 954 cycles of morphologically good blastocysts (≥ 4BB in Gardner's classification), and 85 cycles of MPBLs, of which 47 were transferred using HETM in FET (the HETM group), and the remaining 38 were transferred with the medium without hyaluronan (the control group). We compared the CPR between these two groups. RESULTS: The characteristics of patients were similar between the HETM and control groups. The CPR in the HETM group was significantly higher than the control group (47.4% and 21.5%, respectively, p = 0.019). The multiple logistic regression analysis found that the use of HETM was a predictive factor of positive pregnancy outcomes (OR = 5.08, 95% CI = 1.62-16.0, p = 0.019). CONCLUSION: Our data suggests that HETM used in the euploid blastocyst transfer can improve the clinical pregnancy rates of morphologically poor blastocysts.

Carbohydrate Mouth Rinse and Spray Improve Prolonged Exercise Performance in Recreationally Trained Male College Students.

Mouth rinsing with a carbohydrate (CHO) solution has emerged as a sports nutrition strategy to increase endurance performance. This study aimed to clarify the effects of two forms of CHO sensing in the mouth (i.e., CHO mouth rinse (CMR) and CHO mouth spray (CMS)) on exercise performance during prolonged exercise, including ultra-high intensity intermittent exercise over time. We conducted the following experimental trials: (1) 6% glucose solution (G), (2) 6% CMR, (3) 6% CMS, and (4) water (WAT). These trials were conducted at least 1 week apart in a randomized crossover design. Eight male college students performed constant-load exercise for 60 min (intensity 40% VO2peak), four sets of the Wingate test (three 30 s Wingate tests with a 4 min recovery between each test), and a constant-load exercise for 30 min (intensity 40% VO2peak). The mean exercise power output (Watt), ratings of perceived exertion, and blood glucose levels were measured. We found that the mean power values of the CMR and CMS in the third and fourth sets was significantly higher than that of WAT (p < 0.05), and that the G trial did not show a significant difference from any other trial. Thus, when compared to G or WAT, CMR and CMS can help improve endurance exercise performance.

Effect of Paprika Xanthophyll Supplementation on Cognitive Improvement in a Multitasking Exercise: A Pilot Study for Middle-Aged and Older Adults.

Ingestion of paprika xanthophyll supplement (PX), which has antioxidant effects, has been recently reported to maintain red blood cell deformability and improve oxygen delivery efficiency. Therefore, we hypothesized that the brain activation induced by multitasking exercise in middle-aged and older participants along with the improved erythrocyte oxygen-carrying efficiency induced by PX supplementation would show a synergistic effect, increasing oxygen supply to the brain and improving cognitive function more effectively. In study 1, cerebral blood flow measurements were conducted during the multitasking exercise and cognitive function tests to verify their effect on cognitive function. The results confirmed that cerebral blood flow increased during the exercise and cognitive function improved after the exercise. In study 2, we compared the effects of the multitasking exercise on cognitive function before and after PX supplementation in middle-aged and older participants to evaluate the effects of PX supplementation. The results suggested that PX supplementation enhanced the effects of active multitasking exercise on cognitive function. We speculate that the improvement of oxygen transport efficiency by PX resulted in more effective oxygen supply, allowing the multitasking exercise to occur more effectively, which was reflected as an improvement in the cognitive function.

Clinical outcomes resulting from the transfer of vitrified human embryos using a new device for cryopreservation (plastic blade).

PURPOSE: We attempted clinical application of a plastic blade, which is a novel cryopreservation device, for vitrification of human embryos and blastocysts. METHODS: Between February 2003 and December 2007, a total of 4,430 Day 3 embryos from 898 patients (Day 3 group) and 55 blastocysts from 29 patients (blastocyst group) were vitrified and cryopreserved with a plastic device, and subsequently thawed for embryo transfer. Clinical outcomes after thawing and transfer of vitrified embryos and blastocysts were evaluated. RESULTS: In the Day 3 group, all embryos resulting from 1,441 oocyte retrieval cycles were recovered, and the thawed embryo survival rate was 98.4%. In the blastocyst group, the survival rate after thawing was 100%. A total of 3,026 day 3 embryos and 46 blastocysts were transferred. The pregnancy and implantation rates in the Day 3 group were 25.0% and 15.5%, respectively, and in the blastocyst group the rates were 24.2% and 26.1%, respectively. The miscarriage rates in the Day 3 and blastocyst groups were 18.3% and 50.0%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: A plastic blade is a useful novel device in cryopreservation of vitrified human embryos.

A study of the effect of an extremely low oxygen concentration on the development of human embryos in assisted reproductive technology.

Purpose: To determine whether embryos cultured with a low oxygen level (2%) brought about beneficial effects on the outcome of ART. Methods: This is a sequential case-control embryo-culture study. Embryos were cultured either with a gas mixture containing 2% O2, 5% CO2, and 93% N2 (low-oxygen group) or 5% O2, 5% CO2, and 90% N2 (conventional group). From January 2008 to September 2008, 873 fertilized oocytes were obtained from 250 patients in the low-oxygen group and from October 2008 to March 2009, 730 fertilized oocytes were obtained from 213 patients in the conventional group. The outcomes of ART were compared between two groups. Results: The cleavage rate in the low-oxygen group (94.4%) was similar to that (94.7%) in the conventional group. The mean number of blastomeres on Day 3 in the low-oxygen group (mean ± SE) was 6.5 ± 1.9, and this was significantly lower than in the conventional group (6.8 ± 1.9, p < 0.05). Moreover, the low-oxygen group produced worse quality embryos, on the basis of the significantly higher embryo grade 2.1 ± 0.6 versus 1.9 ± 0.6, p < 0.001, in 5% oxygen. The pregnancy and miscarriage rates in the low-oxygen group were 22.3 and 20.8%, respectively, which were statistically similar to the outcomes in the conventional group. Conclusions: Overall, culture of embryos at the low oxygen level did not significantly improve ART results compared with embryos grown in 5% oxygen. The study suggests that a low oxygen level worsens embryo morphology but does not impair embryo viability.