Association of microRNAs With Embryo Development and Fertilization in Women Undergoing Subfertility Treatments: A Pilot Study

Objective: Small non-coding RNAs, known as microRNAs (miRNAs), have emerging regulatory functions within the ovary that have been related to fertility. This study was undertaken to determine if circulating miRNAs reflect the changes associated with the parameters of embryo development and fertilization.Methods: In this cross-sectional pilot study. Plasma miRNAs were collected from 48 sequentially presenting women in the follicular phase prior to commencing in vitro fertilization (IVF). Circulating miRNAs were measured using locked nucleic acid (LNA)-based quantitative PCR (qPCR), while an updated miRNA data set was used to determine their level of expression.Results: Body mass index and weight were associated with the miRNAs let7b-3p and miR-375, respectively (p < 0.05), with the same relationship being found between endometrium thickness at oocyte retrieval and miR-885-5p and miR-34a-5p (p < 0.05). In contrast, miR-1260a was found to be inversely associated with anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH; p = 0.007), while miR-365a-3p, miR122-5p, and miR-34a-5p correlated with embryo fertilization rates (p < 0.05). However, when omitting cases of male infertility (n = 15), miR122-5p remained significant (p < 0.05), while miR-365a-3p and miR-34a-5p no longer differed; interestingly, however, miR1260a and mir93.3p became significant (p = 0.0087/0.02, respectively). Furthermore, age was negatively associated with miR-335-3p, miR-28-5p, miR-155-5p, miR-501-3p, and miR-497-5p (p < 0.05). Live birth rate was negatively associated with miR-335-3p, miR-100-5p, miR-497-5p, let-7d, and miR-574-3p (p < 0.05), but these were not significant when age was accounted for.However, with the exclusion of male factor infertility, all those miRNAs were no longer significant, though miR.150.5p emerged as significant (p = 0.042). A beta-regression model identified miR-1260a, miR-486-5p, and miR-132-3p (p < 0.03, p = 0.0003, p < 0.00001, respectively) as the most predictive for fertilization rate. Notably, changes in detectable miRNAs were not linked to cleavage rate, top quality embryos (G3D3), and blastocyst or antral follicle count. An ingenuity pathway analysis showed that miRNAs associated with age were also associated with the variables found in reproductive system diseases.Conclusion: Plasma miRNAs prior to the IVF cycle were associated with differing demographic and IVF parameters, including age, and may be predictive biomarkers of fertilization rate.

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Biological factors affecting subzonal sperm microinjection results

Reproduction Fertility and Development ◽

10.1071/rd9940063 ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 6 (1) ◽

pp. 63

Author(s):

L Gianaroli ◽

MC Magli ◽

AP Ferraretti ◽

D Fortini ◽

E Feliciani ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Embryo Transfer ◽

Embryo Development ◽

Fertilization Rate ◽

Early Embryo ◽

Male Factor Infertility ◽

Biological Factors ◽

Male Factor ◽

Cleavage Rate ◽

Early Embryo Development ◽

Factors Affecting

One hundred and sixteen couples with severe male factor infertility underwent 139 subzonal sperm microinjection cycles. In total, 1343 oocytes were microinjected, resulting in a fertilization rate of 24%, followed by a cleavage rate of 65%. In 26% of the zygotes, fertilization was delayed and embryos derived from these zygotes demonstrated a poor capacity for further growth and implantation. In 102 of 139 cycles (73%) embryo transfer was performed, resulting in 9 pregnancies. This study followed the fate of injected oocytes and early embryo development to investigate biological factors that influence the results of subzonal injection.

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Towards a Validation of Multiple Features in the Assessment of Emotions

European Journal of Psychological Assessment ◽

10.1027/1015-5759.14.3.202 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 14 (3) ◽

pp. 202-210 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Suzanne Skiffington ◽

Ephrem Fernandez ◽

Ken McFarland

Keyword(s):

Factor Analysis ◽

Pilot Study ◽

Cognitive Appraisal ◽

Negative Emotions ◽

The Self ◽

Factor Analyses ◽

Data Set ◽

Multiple Features ◽

Action Tendency ◽

Intensity Range

This study extends previous attempts to assess emotion with single adjective descriptors, by examining semantic as well as cognitive, motivational, and intensity features of emotions. The focus was on seven negative emotions common to several emotion typologies: anger, fear, sadness, shame, pity, jealousy, and contempt. For each of these emotions, seven items were generated corresponding to cognitive appraisal about the self, cognitive appraisal about the environment, action tendency, action fantasy, synonym, antonym, and intensity range of the emotion, respectively. A pilot study established that 48 of the 49 items were linked predominantly to the specific emotions as predicted. The main data set comprising 700 subjects' ratings of relatedness between items and emotions was subjected to a series of factor analyses, which revealed that 44 of the 49 items loaded on the emotion constructs as predicted. A final factor analysis of these items uncovered seven factors accounting for 39% of the variance. These emergent factors corresponded to the hypothesized emotion constructs, with the exception of anger and fear, which were somewhat confounded. These findings lay the groundwork for the construction of an instrument to assess emotions multicomponentially.

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Minimum Data Set for Incontinence-Associated Dermatitis (MDS-IAD) in adults: Design and pilot study in nursing home residents

Journal of Tissue Viability ◽

10.1016/j.jtv.2018.10.004 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 27 (4) ◽

pp. 191-198

Author(s):

Karen Van den Bussche ◽

Sofie Verhaeghe ◽

Ann Van Hecke ◽

Dimitri Beeckman

Keyword(s):

Nursing Home ◽

Pilot Study ◽

Nursing Home Residents ◽

Minimum Data Set ◽

Data Set ◽

Minimum Data

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Assessment of the Metabolic Pathways Associated With Glucose-Stimulated Biphasic Insulin Secretion

Endocrinology ◽

10.1210/en.2013-1805 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 155 (5) ◽

pp. 1653-1666 ◽

Cited By ~ 23

Author(s):

Mei Huang ◽

Jamie W. Joseph

Keyword(s):

Insulin Secretion ◽

Time Course ◽

Tricarboxylic Acid Cycle ◽

Global Analysis ◽

Tricarboxylic Acid ◽

Second Phase ◽

Data Set ◽

Negatively Associated ◽

Biphasic Insulin ◽

Biphasic Insulin Secretion

Biphasic glucose-stimulated insulin secretion involves a rapid first phase followed by a prolonged second phase of insulin secretion. The biochemical pathways that control these 2 phases of insulin secretion are poorly defined. In this study, we used a gas chromatography mass spectroscopy-based metabolomics approach to perform a global analysis of cellular metabolism during biphasic insulin secretion. A time course metabolomic analysis of the clonal β-cell line 832/13 cells showed that glycolytic, tricarboxylic acid, pentose phosphate pathway, and several amino acids were strongly correlated to biphasic insulin secretion. Interestingly, first-phase insulin secretion was negatively associated with l-valine, trans-4-hydroxy-l-proline, trans-3-hydroxy-l-proline, dl-3-aminoisobutyric acid, l-glutamine, sarcosine, l-lysine, and thymine and positively with l-glutamic acid, flavin adenine dinucleotide, caprylic acid, uridine 5′-monophosphate, phosphoglycerate, myristic acid, capric acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid, and palmitoleic acid. Tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediates pyruvate, α-ketoglutarate, and succinate were positively associated with second-phase insulin secretion. Other metabolites such as myo-inositol, cholesterol, dl-3-aminobutyric acid, and l-norleucine were negatively associated metabolites with the second-phase of insulin secretion. These studies provide a detailed analysis of key metabolites that are either negatively or positively associated with biphasic insulin secretion. The insights provided by these data set create a framework for planning future studies in the assessment of the metabolic regulation of biphasic insulin secretion.

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Circulating miRNAs as Predictive Biomarkers of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Development in Coronary Heart Disease Patients from the CORDIOPREV Study

Molecular Therapy — Nucleic Acids ◽

10.1016/j.omtn.2018.05.002 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

pp. 146-157 ◽

Cited By ~ 25

Author(s):

Rosa Jiménez-Lucena ◽

Oriol Alberto Rangel-Zúñiga ◽

Juan Francisco Alcalá-Díaz ◽

Javier López-Moreno ◽

Irene Roncero-Ramos ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Diabetes Mellitus ◽

Type 2 Diabetes ◽

Coronary Heart Disease ◽

Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus ◽

Heart Disease ◽

Predictive Biomarkers ◽

Circulating Mirnas

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Comprehensive transcriptomic analysis of Papillary Thyroid Cancer: potential biomarkers associated with tumor progression

10.21203/rs.2.15631/v1 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Nazanin Hosseinkhan ◽

Maryam Honardoost ◽

Kevin Blighe ◽

C.B. Tara Moore ◽

Mohammad Ebrahim Khamseh

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Expression Patterns ◽

Stage Iv ◽

Predictive Biomarkers ◽

Stage I ◽

The Cancer Genome Atlas ◽

Papillary Thyroid ◽

Validation Data ◽

Data Set ◽

Small Subgroup

Abstract Background Identification of stage-specific prognostic/predictive biomarkers could lead to the more efficient clinical management in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). The main objective of this study was to characterize the stage-specific deregulations in gene and miRNA expression in PTC and also to identify potential prognostic biomarkers.Methods 495 RNASeq and 499 miRNASeq PTC samples (stage I-IV) as well as, respectively, 56 and 57 normal samples were retrieved from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). DESeq2 was used to identify deregulation of genes and miRNAs between sequential stages of PTC. To identify the minority of patients who progress from stage I to higher stages, we additionally performed a clustering analysis focused on the stage I RNASeq data. Moreover a validation study was done on an independent PTC RNASeq study.Results Large amount of heterogeneity in gene expression patterns was observed in stage I PTC patients. LTF and PLA2R1 were identified as two promising biomarkers that exhibited down-regulation in a small subgroup of stage I (both in TCGA and in the validation data set) and in the majority of stage IV patients (in TCGA data set). hsa-miR-205, hsa-miR-509-2, hsa-miR-514-1 and hsa-miR-514-2 were also identified as up-regulated miRNAs in both PTC patients with stage I and stage III.Conclusion Common gene expression alterations in early and advanced stages of PTC, could be used for individualized risk stratification and personalized treatment approach.

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The ratio of exogenous Luteinizing hormone to Follicle stimulating hormone administered for controlled ovarian stimulation is associated with oocytes’ number and competence

Bioscience Reports ◽

10.1042/bsr20190811 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 40 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Dragos Albu ◽

Alice Albu

Keyword(s):

Luteinizing Hormone ◽

Ovarian Stimulation ◽

Follicle Stimulating Hormone ◽

Fertilization Rate ◽

Controlled Ovarian Stimulation ◽

Human Menopausal Gonadotropin ◽

Male Factor ◽

Entire Study ◽

Stimulating Hormone

Abstract We performed a retrospective study aiming to study the relationship between the ratio of the exogenous luteinizing hormone to follicle stimulating hormone (LH/FSH) administrated for controlled ovarian stimulation (COS) and the number and competence of the oocytes retrieved for in vitro fertilization (IVF) or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). Eight hundred sixty-eight consecutive infertile patients (mean age 34.54 ± 4.01 years, mean anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) 2.94 ± 2.07 ng/ml) treated with long agonist protocol and a mixed gonadotropin protocol (human menopausal gonadotropin in association with recombinant FSH (recFSH)) who performed IVF/ICSI between January 2013 and February 2016, were included. Patients with severe male factor were excluded. LH/FSH was calculated based on total doses of the two gonadotropins. We found, after adjustment for confounders, a positive relationship between LH/FSH and the retrieved oocytes’ (β = 0.229, P<0.0001) and zygotes’ number (β = 0.144, P<0.0001) in the entire study group and in subgroups according to age (<35 and ≥35 years) and ovarian reserve (AMH < 1.1 and ≥ 1.1 ng/ml). The fertilization rate was positively associated with LH/FSH in patients with LH/FSH in the lowest three quartiles (below 0.77) (β = 0.096, P=0.034). However, patients in the fourth quartile of LH/FSH had a lower fertilization rate as compared with patients in quartiles 1–3 which, after adjustment for covariates, was only marginally negatively related with LH/FSH (β = −0.108, P=0.05). In conclusion, our results suggest that the adequate LH/FSH administrated during COS can improve the oocytes’ and zygotes’ number in IVF/ICSI cycles, but also the fertilization rate when a certain proportion of LH/FSH is not exceeded.

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Increased Expression of Plasma miRNA-320a and let-7b-5p in Heroin-Dependent Patients and Its Clinical Significance

Frontiers in Psychiatry ◽

10.3389/fpsyt.2021.679206 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Haixiong Liu ◽

Wenjin Xu ◽

Jiying Feng ◽

Hong Ma ◽

Jianbin Zhang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Roc Curves ◽

Brain Diseases ◽

Circulating Mirnas ◽

Heroin Use ◽

Non Invasive ◽

Heroin Use Disorder ◽

Subjective Reports ◽

The Brain ◽

Potential Use ◽

Plasma Mirnas

Heroin use disorder is a chronic and relapsing disease that induces persistent changes in the brain. The diagnoses of heroin use disorders are mainly based on subjective reports and no valid biomarkers available. Recent researches have revealed that circulating miRNAs are useful non-invasive biomarkers for diagnosing brain diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder. However, studies on circulating miRNAs for the diagnosis of heroin use disorders are rarely reported. In this study, we investigated the differential expression of plasma miRNAs in 57 heroin-dependent patients. Based on literature research and microarray analysis, two candidate miRNAs, miR-320a and let-7b-5p, were selected and analyzed by quantitative real-time RT-PCR. The results showed miR-320a and let-7b were significantly upregulated in plasma of the heroin-dependent patients compared to that in healthy controls. The area under curves (AUCs) of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves of miR-320a and let-7b-5p were 0.748 and 0.758, respectively. The sensitivities of miR-320a and let-7b-5p were 71.9 and 70.2%, while the specificities of miR-320a and let-7b-5p were 76.1 and 78.3%, respectively. The combination of these two miRNAs predicted heron dependence with an AUC of 0.782 (95% CI 0.687–0.876), with 73.7% sensitivity and 82.6% specificity. Our findings suggest a potential use for circulating miRNAs as biomarkers for the diagnosis of heroin abuse.

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Russian Regional Politicians’ Income and Property Declarations: a Pilot Study and Quality Assessment of Administrative Data

Sociological Journal ◽

10.19181/socjour.2021.27.3.8422 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 27 (3) ◽

pp. 8-34

Author(s):

Tatyana Cherkashina

Keyword(s):

Pilot Study ◽

Data Quality ◽

Quality Assessment ◽

Administrative Data ◽

Measurement Errors ◽

Private Property ◽

Research Data ◽

Quality Of Data ◽

Data Set ◽

Research Problems

The article presents the experience of converting non-targeted administrative data into research data, using as an example data on the income and property of deputies from local legislative bodies of the Russian Federation for 2019, collected as part of anticorruption operations. This particular empirical fragment was selected for the pilot study of administrative data, which includes assessing the possibility of integrating scattered fragments of information into a single database, assessing quality of data and their relevance for solving research problems, particularly analysis of high-income strata and the apparent trends towards individualization of private property. The system of indicators for assessing data quality includes their timeliness, availability, interpretability, reliability, comparability, coherence, errors of representation and measurement, and relevance. In the case of the data set in question, measurement errors are more common than representation errors. Overall the article emphasizes the notion that introducing new non-target data into circulation requires their preliminary testing, while data quality assessment becomes distributed both in time and between different subjects. The transition from created data to «obtained» data shifts the functions of evaluating its quality from the researcher-creator to the researcheruser. And though in this case data quality is in part ensured by the legal support for their production, the transformation of administrative data into research data involves assessing a variety of quality measurements — from availability to uniformity and accuracy.

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P–214 Effect of artificial activation of oocytes (AOA-ICSI) on the ploidy status of the resultant blastocysts. A sibling-oocytes pilot study

Human Reproduction ◽

10.1093/humrep/deab130.213 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 36 (Supplement_1) ◽

Author(s):

E Seo. Pe. Yin

Keyword(s):

Pilot Study ◽

Fertilization Rate ◽

Control Group ◽

Oocyte Activation ◽

Fertilization Failure ◽

Factor Deficiency ◽

Sperm Factor ◽

Blastocyst Rate ◽

Artificial Activation ◽

Ploidy Status

Abstract Study question Will artificial activation of oocytes alter the ploidy status of the resultant blastocysts? A sibling-oocytes pilot study Summary answer AOA-ICSI does not increase the risk of having aneuploidy blastocysts and can improve the fertilization rate in patients with sperm factor deficiency. What is known already Despite introducing ICSI as an aid to improve chances of fertilization, fertilization failure can still occur in 2–3% of ICSI cycles. Fertilization is a complex process triggered by a cascade of events following calcium (Ca2+) oscillations. Evidence suggests that the deficiency, localization or altered structure of the sperm-derived protein PLCζ in oocyte activation may be a reason for meiotic II arrest in the oocyte. Artificial oocyte activation has been proposed to compensate for the lack of calcium oscillation and resumes meiotic progression. There are however insufficient studies to determine its effect on the chromosomal status of the resultant blastocysts. Study design, size, duration This is a prospective, randomized study conducted at our Center from August-October 2020. A total of 20 couples intended for ICSI + Preimplatation Genetic Testing for Aneuploidy (PGT-A) cycles were recruited based on fulfilling one of the following criteria: 1) previous total fertilization failure (TFF), 2) history of low fertilization rate (<30%), 3) more than 2 cycles of failed IVF cycles (no implantation) 4) poor embryo development (no blastocysts formed) and 5) severe male factor. Participants/materials, setting, methods A total of 231 MII oocytes underwent randomization in a 1:1 ratio between AOA-ICSI and control group. All oocytes are subjected to ICSI treatment. Oocytes in the AOA-ICSI group are treated in 25μl droplets 10μM ready to use bicarbonate buffered calcium ionophore (Kitazato, Japan) for 15 minutes post-ICSI. The blastocysts were biopsied and subjected to PGT-A. Primary outcome was the aneuploidy rate and secondary outcomes were fertilization rate and blastocyst rate. Main results and the role of chance There were 11 out of 40 (27.5%) aneuploid blastocysts in the AOA-ICSI group and 7 out of 23 aneuploid blastocysts (30.4%) in the control group [odds ratio (OR) = 0.87; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.28–2.68, p = 0.8040). There was no statistically significant difference between both groups. However, fertilization rate of the AOA- ICSI group was significantly higher than the fertilization rate in the control group (68.6% vs 49.6% respectively, OR = 2.22; 95% CI, 1.31–3.81, p = 0.0034). There were 40 blastocysts formed in the AOA-ICSI group and 23 blastocysts formed in the control group. It was found that the AOA-ICSI group yielded a higher blastocyst rate (49.4%) compared to the control group (41.1%) (OR = 1.40; 95% CI, 0.71 to 2.78, p = 0.3379) but the difference was not statistically significant. Limitations, reasons for caution The possibility of TE cells biopsied may not be representative of the whole blastocyst makes it possible to have false clinical data. The dosage and time were also not evaluated in this study as exposure time was found to be a critical factor of fertilization rate in a previous study. Wider implications of the findings: This study showed that AOA-ICSI does not increase the risk of having aneuploidy blastocysts and can improve the fertilization rate in patients with sperm factor deficiency. Additional studies involving a larger number of patients with more specific indication can further justify the benefits of AOA as a therapeutic application. Trial registration number NA

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