Comparison of ICSI and Conventional IVF in Non-Male Factor Patients with Less Than Four Oocytes

Background: We aimed to analyse our clinical results for a particular subgroup of patients with poor ovarian response (POR) in order to clarify if lower number of oocytes is a drawback for proceeding to C-IVFMaterials and methods: In this retrospective study, patient files of all couples (#1733) who underwent oocyte retrieval between January 2017 and December 2019 were reviewed and 191 cases diagnosed with non-male factor infertility in which ≤3 cumulus-oocyte-complexes available for fertilisation were analysed. Exclusion criteria were: woman age>42, patients with a history of previous ART trial, prenatal genetic testing cycles and couples undergoing total cryopreservation for any indication. Three groups were constructed depending on the method of fertilisation and on semen quality as follows: IVF non-male factor (Group 1,n=77); ICSI non-male factor (Group 2, n=65); ICSI male factor- ICSI/MF n=49 according to WHO reference values. Main outcome parameters were: fertilisation rate, implantation rate and live birth rate. Results: Fertilisation rate per collected COC was significantly higher in group 1 compared to the other two groups (85,68%, 72,58%, 73,33% respectively, p=0,004). FR per inseminated oocyte also tended to be higher in group 1 but not reaching a statistically significant level. Both techniques yielded similar implantation rates (20,42%, 28,49%, 23,33% respectively, p=0,407) and live birth rates (26,8%, 30,6%, 31,1% respectively, p=0.643).Conclusions: In the presence of normal semen parameters, low egg number is not an indication to perform ICSI. The choice of fertilisation method should be based primarily on semen quality, in combination with the patient’s previous history regardless of the ovarian reserve.

Comparison of Frozen Embryo Transfer Outcomes Between Uterine Infusion of Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor and Growth Hormone Application in Patients With Thin Endometrium: A Retrospective Study

ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of two treatments on the outcome of freeze-thaw embryo transfer for pregnancy assistance in thin endometrium.MethodsA retrospective study was conducted on 66 patients who failed in the first cycle treated in the reproductive medicine center of the Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University from January 2018 to December 2019. Granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) was used through cavity infusion in one group (n=25, and growth hormone (GH) was subcutaneously injected in the group (n=41). The clinical data of the two groups were compared, including morphology and thickness of the endometrium, biochemical pregnancy rate, clinical pregnancy rate, implantation rate, miscarriage rate, and live birth rate in each period of the hormone replacement cycle.ResultsThere was no significant difference in age, BMI, AMH, FSH, LH, E2, infertility years, number of transferred embryos, basal endometrium, and thickness of endometrium on the day of P administration before and after treatment (P> 0.05). After treatment, compared to the GH group, the G-CSF group presented higher biochemical pregnancy rate (56% versus 48.8%; P=0.569), clinical pregnancy rate (52% versus 46.3%; P=0.655), implantation rate (34.8% versus 27.5%; P=0.391), and live birth rate (40% versus 31.7%; P=0.493), but the differences were not statistically significant (P > 0.05). On the 5th day of treatment, the endometrial thickness in the G-CSF group was thinner than that in the GH group (4.83 ± 0.85 versus 5.75 ± 1.27; P< 0.05), but it had no correlation with pregnancy outcome (P > 0.05). There was no significant difference in endometrial thickness between the two groups on the 7th, 9th day of treatment and the day of P administration (P > 0.05). On the 5th day of treatment, the proportion of endometrial type A morphology in the GH group was significantly higher than that in the G-CSF group (P < 0.05), while the type B morphology in the G-CSF group was significantly higher than that in the GH group (P< 0.05).ConclusionAlthough G-CSF and GH may not have a role in increasing endometrium, both of them can improve the pregnancy outcomes of patients with thin endometrium in the FET cycle. And the effects of the two treatments were similar.

Combined treatment of prednisone and hydroxychloroquine may improve outcomes of frozen embryo transfer in antinuclear antibody-positive patients undergoing IVF/ICSI treatment

Background The influence of anti-nuclear antibody (ANA) on induced ovulation was controversial, and the effect of prednisone plus hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) treatment on frozen embryo transfer outcomes of in-vitro fertilization (IVF) and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) for ANA-positive women was unclear. Methods Fifty ANA-positive women and one-hundred ANA-negative women matched for age and anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) were included from a Reproductive Medical Central of a University Hospital. Sixty-one oocytes pick-up (OPU) cycles in ANA+ group and one-hundred OPU cycles in ANA− group were compared; 30 frozen embryo transfer cycles without treatment and 66 with prednisone plus HCQ treatment among ANA-positive women were compared. Results There was no statistical difference in number of retrieved oocytes (13.66 ± 7.71 vs 13.72 ± 7.23, p = .445), available embryos (5.23 ± 3.37 vs 5.47 ± 3.26, p = .347), high-quality embryos (3.64 ± 3.25 vs 3.70 ± 3.52, p = .832), and proportion of high-quality embryos (26.5% vs. 26.7%, p = .940). Biochemical pregnancy rate (33.3% vs. 68.2%, p < .05), clinical pregnancy rate (20.0% vs. 50.1%, p < .05), and implantation rate (5.6% vs. 31.8%, p < .05) were lower, and pregnancy loss rate (83.3% vs. 23.1%, p < .05) was higher in patients with treatment than no treatment. Conclusion The influence of ANA on number of retrieved oocytes, available embryos, high-quality embryos, and proration of high-quality embryos was not found. The treatment of prednisone plus HCQ may improve implantation rate, biochemical pregnancy rate, and clinical pregnancy rate, and reduce pregnancy loss rate in frozen embryo transfer outcomes for ANA-positive women.

Clinical outcomes for Day 3 double cleavage-stage embryo transfers versus Day 5 or 6 single blastocyst transfer in frozen–thawed cycles: a retrospective comparative analysis

Objective This study aimed to compare the clinical outcomes for transfer of Day 3 (D3) double cleavage-stage embryos and Day 5/6 (D5/6) single blastocysts in the frozen embryo transfer (FET) cycle to formulate a more appropriate embryo transplantation strategy. Methods We retrospectively analyzed 609 FET cycles from 518 women from April 2017 to March 2021. All FETs were assigned to the D3-DET group (transfer of a Day 3 double cleavage-stage embryo), D5-SBT group (transfer of a Day 5 single blastocyst), or D6-SBT group (transfer of a Day 6 single blastocyst). Clinical outcomes were comparatively analyzed. Results There were no significant differences in the biochemical pregnancy rate, clinical pregnancy rate, or ongoing pregnancy rate between the D3-DET and D5-SBT groups, but these rates in the two groups were all significantly higher compared with those in the D6-SBT group. The implantation rate in the D5-SBT group was significantly higher than that in the D3-DET group. The twin pregnancy rate in the D5-SBT and D6-SBT groups was significantly lower than that in the D3-DET group. Conclusion This study suggests that D5-SBT is the preferred option for transplantation. D6-SBT reduces the pregnancy rate, making it a more cautious choice for transfer of such embryos.

Progestin primed ovarian stimulation using corifollitropin alfa in PCOS women effectively prevents LH surge and reduces injection burden compared to GnRH antagonist protocol

Utilizing corifollitropin alfa in GnRH antagonist (GnRHant) protocol in conjunction with GnRH agonist trigger/freeze-all strategy (corifollitropin alfa/GnRHant protocol) was reported to have satisfactory outcomes in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Although lessening in gonadotropin injections, GnRHant were still needed. In addition to using corifollitropin alfa, GnRHant was replaced with an oral progestin as in progestin primed ovarian stimulation (PPOS) to further reduce the injection burden in this study. We try to investigate whether this regimen (corifollitropin alfa/PPOS protocol) could effectively reduce GnRHant injections and prevent premature LH surge in PCOS patients undergoing IVF/ICSI cycles. This is a retrospective cohort study recruiting 333 women with PCOS, with body weight between 50 and 70 kg, undergoing first IVF/ICSI cycle between August 2015 and July 2018. We used corifollitropin alfa/GnRHant protocol prior to Jan 2017 (n = 160), then changed to corifollitropin alfa/PPOS protocol (n = 173). All patients received corifollitropin alfa 100 μg on menstruation day 2/3 (S1). Additional rFSH was administered daily from S8. In corifollitropin alfa/GnRHant group, cetrorelix 0.25 mg/day was administered from S5 till the trigger day. In corifollitropin alfa/PPOS group, dydrogesterone 20 mg/day was given from S1 till the trigger day. GnRH agonist was used to trigger maturation of oocyte. All good quality day 5/6 embryos were frozen, and frozen-thawed embryo transfer (FET) was performed on subsequent cycle. A comparison of clinical outcomes was made between the two protocols. The primary endpoint was the incidence of premature LH surge and none of the patients occurred. Dydrogesterone successfully replace GnRHant to block LH surge while an average of 6.8 days of GnRHant injections were needed in the corifollitropin alfa/GnRHant group. No patients suffered from ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS). The other clinical outcomes including additional duration/dose of daily gonadotropin administration, number of oocytes retrieved, and fertilization rate were similar between the two groups. The implantation rate, clinical pregnancy rate, and live birth rate in the first FET cycle were also similar between the two groups. In women with PCOS undergoing IVF/ICSI treatment, corifollitropin alfa/PPOS protocol could minimize the injections burden with comparable outcomes to corifollitropin alfa/GnRHant protocol.

Adding Low Dose hCG to rFSH in GnRH Antagonist ICSI Cycles: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Inhibition of luteinizing hormone (LH) by gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) antagonist may lead to suboptimal response during ovarian stimulation. In addition, several studies suggest that low level of LH is associated with lowered fertilization and implantation rate and increased early pregnancy loss rate. The aim of this study is to study the effect of adding low dose human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG - 200 IU), as an LH supplement, to recombinant follicle stimulating hormone (rFSH) in a GnRH antagonist cycles in women undergoing in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (IVF/ICSI) treatment. Sixty-three infertile women undergoing IVF were randomly divided into two groups. One group was stimulated with the conventional stimulation protocol (rFSH alone), while the second group received 200 IU hCG in addition to rFSH in the late follicular phase (hCG + rFSH). Both groups' results including pregnancy rate, total dose of rFSH required, duration of stimulation, endometrial thickness, oocytes and embryos characteristic, serum hormone levels (Testosterone, Estradiol, Progesterone, and LH) and level of epidermal growth factor (EGF) were compared. The results show that pregnancy rate among the group of women who received the low dose hCG was higher than those who did not receive hCG. However, this difference did not reach statistical significance. Furthermore, other cycle outcomes and hormonal values were comparable between the two stimulation protocols.

Post Transplantation Fludarabine and Cyclophosphamide Selected and Promoted Low Dose of Unrelated UCB Implanation in Combined Transplantation of Haploid and UCB Stem Cells in Childhood Leukemia: 40 Cases Report in Double Center

Background: For patients without HLA matched donor, Haploid stem cell transplantation with PTCY method has relatively higher risk of relapse and graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). Umbilical cord blood (UCB) is readily available and has helped expand the donor pool to almost all patients requiring a transplant. Meanwhile UCB transplant improves EFS in leukaemia with lower risk of relapse and GVHD. However, the clinical application of UCB is limited due to lower implantation rate because of its low dose of stem cells than other sources of hematopoietic stem cells (HSC). Aims: This study is to explore the feasibility and efficacy of post-transplantation fludarabine and cyclophosphamide to select and promote the unrelated UCB to engraft in combined transplantation of haploid and UCB stem cells for the treatment of childhood and adolescent leukemia. Methods: Total 40 children and adolescent patients with leukemia in Nanfang Hospital and Shenzhen Children's Hospital enrolled this study from Sept.2019 to Jun.2021. These patients were diagnosed as AML (20 HR, 5 IR, 2 relapsed AML), ALL (5 HR, 2 IR, 2 relapsed ALL), AL (1), JMML (2), MDS (1) and BPDCN (1) with a median age of 80 months (range 7 months -17 years). The biggest body weight reached to 77kg. The haploid stem cell was 5/10-9/10 mismatched and UCB was selected as 6/10-10/10 HLA matched or mismatched. The condition regimen was busulfan+fludarabine+CY+Ara-C. Haploid PBSC was infused in day0. All received PTCy 50 mg/kg and post-transplantation fludarabine 40mg/m 2 on days 3 and 4 along with tacrolimus or cyclosporine and mycophenolate mofetil for prophylaxis of acute GVHD. UCB was infused in day6. A median of haploid stem cells of 20.00×10 8/kg (13.00-32.10) of mononuclear cells was infused while a median of UCB cells of 4.32×10 7/kg (1.48-22.78) of total nucleated cells was infused. A median of CD34+ cells of haploid stem cells 13.00×10 6/kg (1.51-32.00) was infused while a median of CD34+ cells of UCB cells 1.74×10 5/kg (0.26-4.80) was infused. The survival rate, umbilical cord blood implantation rate, hematopoietic recovery and the rate of transplant-related complications were analyzed. Results: At a median follow-up of 8 months (range 1-21 months), there were 2/40（5%）cases of transplant-related death. All surviving patients were leukemia free, with one-year overall survival rate 92.8±5.0%. Among these patients, 37/40(92.5%, 95%CI: 84.0%~100.0%) of patients achieved complete chimerism of unrelated UCB cells and 3/40(7.5%, 95%CI: -1.0%~16.0%) of patients achieved mixed chimerism of unrelated UCB cells and haploid cells. In these transpltantation, the CD34+ cell dose of UCB less than 1.0×10 5/kg accounted for 10/40 (25.0%), and less than 2.0×10 5/kg accounted for 23/40 (57.5%).Two patients had primary poor graft function. Neutrophil reconstitution was achieved in 39/40 patients with a median time of 29 days (range 17 - 44 days) without G-CSF after transplantation. Platelet recovery was achieved in 37/40 patients with a median time of 37 days (range 8-92 days). There was a significant linear relationship between platelet recovery time and the dose of total nucleated cells and CD34+ cells in UCB（r=-0.368, P=0.025; r=-0.355, P=0.031）.The incidence of gradeⅠand gradeⅡGVHD was 32.5%（95%CI:17.3%-47.7%）and 42.5%（95%CI:26.5%-58.5%）, respectively. There was no grade Ⅲ-Ⅳ aGVHD and only 1/40(2.5%) case of extensive chronic GVHD. The incidence of chronic limited GVHD was 22.5% (95%CI: 9.0%-36.0%). Twenty-four of 40(60.0%, 95%CI:44.1%-75.9%) patients experienced clinically significant CMV reactivations or infections. One of 40（2.5%, 95%CI: -2.6%-7.6%）patients experienced EB virus reactivation. Two of 40（5.0%, 95%CI: -2.1%-12.1%）patients experienced human herpesvirus 6 infection. Thirteen of 40（32.5%, 95%CI: 17.3%-47.7%）patients presented with hemorrhagic cystitis. Conclusion: In our primary clinical study, post-transplantation fludarabine and cyclophosphamide could effectively select and promote the unrelated UCB to implant rather than haploid cells in combined transplantation of haploid and UCB stem cells even if the CD34+ cells of UCB less than 1.0×10 5/kg. Although acute GVHD was common but just milder degree and with lower incidence of EB virus reactivation. This new strategy has the potential to promote the wilder clinical use of unrelated UCB in the treatment of leukemia. Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Cardiac implantable electronic devices in Bulgaria: results from the electronic registry BG-Pace for the period 2019-2021

The current study analyses the activity in cardiac pacing in Bulgaria in 2019, 2020 and 2021 based on data derived from a national registry of patients with cardiac electronic implantable devices (CIEDs). Materials and methods. Data from the national registry BG-Pace in the period 08.2019-06.2021 was retrospectively studied. Demographic data, procedure and device type, pacing mode, etiology, symptoms, preimplantation ECG, number of implantations and centre and operator volumes were analysed. Results. Six thousand nine hundred forty-nine devices were implanted by 47 operators in 28 centres for the study period. Median age was 75 (IQR 68-81, 21-103) years in males and 77 (IQR 71-82, 17-98) years in females, P< 0.05. The largest number of devices were implanted in the age group 70-79 years. The most commonly implanted CIEDs were antibradycardia devices with a total of 486.7/million implantations for the period 08.2019-08.2020 and 353.9/million for the period 08.2020-06.2021. Implanted cardioverter-defibrillators demonstrated a growth from 14.1/million to 20.1/million in the period 08.2020 – 06.2021. The number of all implantations dropped signifi cantly during the two epidemic waves of COVID-19. The mean number of implantations per centre and per operator for the whole period was 232.3±204 (2-705) and 148±139.1 (2-660), respectively. Dual chamber device implantations were more prevalent, representing 65.8% of implantations in AV block I and II degree, 63.5% in complete AV block, 59.8% in intraventricular conduction disturbances and 60.9% in sick sinus syndrome. Pacing modes with atrial sensing represented more than 55% of the implantations for all indications. Increasing age was associated with signifi cantly more common use of VVI pacing mode (P < 0.001). Conclusion. The national registry BG-Pace includes systematic clinical, demographical and procedural data for CIED implantations in Bulgaria. Results demonstrate lower number of implantations compared to the average European volume. There was a signifi cant drop in the implantation rate during the two waves of COVID-19.