Detection of Interleukin-1 ß (IL-1ß) in Single Human Blastocyst-Conditioned Medium Using Ultrasensitive Bead-Based Digital Microfluidic Chip and Its Relationship with Embryonic Implantation Potential.

The implantation of human embryos is a complex process involving various cytokines and receptors expressed by both endometrium and embryos. However, the role of cytokines produced by a single embryo in successful implantation is largely unknown. This study aimed to investigate the role of IL-1ß expressed in a single-embryo-conditioned medium (ECM) in embryo implantation. Seventy samples of single ECM were analyzed by a specially designed magnetic-beads-based microfluidic chip from 15 women. We discovered that IL-1ß level increased as the embryo developed, and the difference was significant. In addition, receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curves analysis showed a higher chance of pregnancy when the IL-1ß level on day 5 ECM was below 79.37 pg/mL and the difference between day 5 and day 3 was below 24.90 pg/mL. Our study discovered a possible association between embryonic proteomic expression and successful implantation, which might facilitate single-embryo transfer in the future by helping clinicians identify the embryo with the greatest implantation potential.

The potential role of assisted oocyte activation in the management of a POSEIDON group 3 patient with fertilization failure: A case report and literature review.

OBJECTIVE: Assisted oocyte activation combined with ICSI (ICSI-AOA) has been reported to improve fertilization outcomes of couples with oocyte activation deficiency (OAD). Although there's no sufficient evidence to support ICSI-AOA as routine use, it might be beneficial for POSEIDON group 3 patients with suspected oocyte-related OAD. CASE REPORT: A 29-year-old female presented with a history of primary infertility for two years. She was classified as a POSEIDON group 3 patient and had a total fertilization failure history. With the help of ICSI-AOA, six oocytes were successfully fertilized. Pregnancy was later confirmed after embryo transfer. A living infant was born after 34 weeks of pregnancy. CONCLUSION: OAD should be taken into consideration for POSEIDON group 3 patients since low Antimüllerian hormone is associated decreased quality. Further research needs to be done to understand the mechanism underlying oocyte-related OAD and the potential role of ICSI-AOA in young patients with suboptimal ovarian response.

Epidemiology of culture-confirmed infections of Streptococcus pneumoniae (2012-2015) and nasopharyngeal carriage in children and households in Taiwan (2014-2015).

PURPOSE: An observational study was performed to investigate the carriage rate and serotypes of Streptococcus pneumoniae in the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) era in Taiwan. METHODOLOGY: From March 2014 to March 2015 a total of 500 healthy children and their households (631 adults) were enrolled from two large medical centres for nasopharyngeal carriage survey. Clinical isolates were prospectively collected from June 2012 to May 2015 at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital. We applied a multiplex polymerase chain reaction in addition to culture to detect S. pneumoniae. RESULTS: S. pneumoniae was isolated from 12.0 % of the children and 3.6 % of the households. In the children's cohort only 23.3 % of the isolates could be assigned to PCV13 serotypes; non-vaccine serotypes were predominant (76.6 %) and the most frequently detected non-vaccine serotypes were 15A/F and 15B/C (both 13.3 %), followed by 23A (6.7 %). In the household cohort, 21.7 % belonged to PCV13 serotypes, and 78.3 % to non-vaccine serotypes. Clinical analysis of culture-confirmed pneumococcal infection showed that infection caused by PCV13 serotypes decreased by 47 % from 83 % in 2012-2013 to 44 % in 2014-2015, while infection caused by non-PCV13 serotypes increased from 17 to 56 %. Among the carriage isolates a significantly higher percentage belonged to serogroup 15 compared to serogroup 19 (26.6 vs 6.66 %, 2014-2015; P=0.003). Therefore, clinical isolates belonging to serogroup 15 were more prevalent than those belonging to serogroup 19 (44.1 vs 32.3 %, 2014-2015; P=0.318). CONCLUSION: The isolation of non-vaccine serotypes and unknown serotypes after the introduction of PCV13 in children highlights the importance of continued surveillance for emerging serotypes.