Narrow Results

INDIA – Plastic bricks could protect Indian homes from monsoon.

THE PHILIPPINES – Philippines aims for better basic sanitation practices.

SINGAPORE – A*STAR scientists discover gene critical for proper brain development.

AFRICA – Project to conserve indigenous crops launched in Kenya.

AFRICA – Cellphone voice and SMS tech developed to fight Ebola.

AFRICA – Scientists say Kenya’s GMO ban stalling biotech R&D.

AFRICA – Scientists unveil a plan to fight deadly banana disease.

AFRICA – Drug resistance to kill 10 million a year by 2050.

BANGLADESH – Aflatoxin threat in Nepal and Bangladesh.

BANGLADESH – Daily multivitamin improves pregnancy outcomes in South Asia.

EUROPE – New study describes, for the first time, a fundamental mechanism regulating a protein’s shape.

UNITED STATES – Cells identified that enhance tumor growth and suppress anti-cancer immune attack.

UNITED STATES – Scripps Research Institute scientists uncover new, fundamental mechanism for how resveratrol provides health benefits.

UNITED STATES – Canopus BioPharma Inc. achieves positive results from an in vitro live Ebola virus study.

In vitro maturation (IVM) is an assisted reproductive technology (ART) whereby immature cumulus-oocyte complexes are collected and matured in vitro, without need for controlled ovarian stimulation and ovulation triggering. Advantages of IVM over in vitro fertilization (IVF) include mild or no stimulation, lower medication costs and less patient burden. However, early clinical outcomes with IVM were suboptimal. More recently, clinical studies reported live birth rates after IVM of about 40%. New IVM culture systems are being used to improve the efficacy of IVM. These have been in widespread use for animals for many years and are now showing promise in the clinical setting. Patients more likely to benefit from IVM over IVF include those at risk of OHSS (e.g. women with polycystic ovary syndrome), when the time for ovarian stimulation is limited, or where sustained elevations of estradiol are contraindicated (e.g. oncofertility indications). The main barrier to use of IVM to date was its relative efficacy compared with IVF, and there have also been concerns over the health of infants born following IVM. However, no differences in congenital abnormalities between IVM and other ARTs have been identified. In addition, there is a lack of both experience and standardized protocols. Strategies to overcome barriers to the use of IVM include better training for clinicians, more and better funded research in the field, and improved recognition of IVM by fertility specialists. Overall, IVM offers a valuable alternative for ART in select patient populations. New approaches to IVM appear to have the potential to achieve pregnancy outcomes equivalent to those after IVF. Increasing the use of IVM in the future can be achieved with improved training and education for fertility specialists, and increased funding for IVM research, with the ultimate goal of improving fertility outcomes.

Purpose: To study effect of paternal age on pregnancy outcomes of intracytoplasmic sperm injections (ICSI).

Methods: The present study is a retrospective analysis of 153 ICSI cycles on donor oocytes. The effect of paternal age on fertilization rates, implantation rates, total pregnancy rates, number of miscarriages and live births were analyzed.

Results: 1422 donor oocytes were injected with sperm from 153 men. Linear regression analysis revealed no association between paternal age (28-54 years) and fertilization rate. No association was found between the embryo quality and paternal age. Of the 359 embryos transferred, linear regression analysis revealed no association between paternal age and implantation rate. After correcting for maternal age, binary logistic regression analysis revealed no association between total pregnancy rates (B = 0.943, CI 0.861-1.033, P = 0.205), live birth rates (B = 1.018, CI 0.896-1.158, P = 0.562) and miscarriage rates (B = 0.944, CI 0.866-1.029, P = 0.193) and paternal age.

Conclusion: Paternal age does not seem to influence outcomes in assisted reproduction.

Background: Following on from Part 1 of these companion articles, which described the maternal and paternal cohort of the Middle East Area of Operations (MEAO) Census Study, this manuscript aims to describe fetal and infant characteristics and outcomes from the self-report data, including live deliveries, stillbirths, all other pregnancy losses, and unknown outcomes.

Methods: A descriptive analysis was performed on the clinical variables where data were reported. Descriptive statistics (means, frequencies, percentiles) were used to describe the occurrence of adverse gestational outcomes. Odds ratios were also calculated for perinatal outcomes. Infant characteristics and outcomes were evaluated using statistical analysis software IBM SPSS v26.

Results: There were 15,417 pregnancies reported by respondents to the MEAO Census Study. Of these, 74% (11,367) resulted in a live delivery, 0.75% in a stillbirth, and 20% in another type of pregnancy loss (ectopic pregnancy, miscarriage, termination). The unadjusted odds of an adverse perinatal outcome were higher in the MEAO Census population than in the general Australian population, notably stillbirth (OR = 3.11, 95% CI 2.56–3.80), perinatal death (OR = 3.80, 95% CI 3.26–4.44), and neonatal death (OR = 5.43, 95% CI 4.27–6.91). There were 499 cases of birth defects reported and 85 cases of childhood cancer in the MEAO population. The unadjusted odds of childhood cancer were slightly higher (OR = 1.7, 95% CI 0.09–3.28) in the MEAO population, and the unadjusted odds of birth defects were lower (OR = 0.52, 95% CI 0.40–0.68). The male:female infant sex ratio of babies born to respondents was 102 (5939 males:5823 females).

Conclusions: The MEAO Census Study presents a generally reassuring picture of reproductive health for women serving in the Australian Defence Force with regards to the risk of pregnancy loss and perinatal outcomes. The increased odds of perinatal and neonatal death and stillbirth are worthy of further study and evaluation, as is the increase in likelihood of childhood cancer in the offspring of MEAO veterans.

Background: This study investigated pregnancy outcomes after expectant management and infertility treatment in women with secondary infertility, with and without cesarean scar defect (CSD).

Methods: This retrospective cohort study was conducted at IVFMD, My Duc Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Women aged $\ge$18 years with at least one previous cesarean section were eligible. Women who had any uterine malformation, leiomyoma, adenomyosis, and myometrial surgery (except for cesarean section or previous CSD repair) were excluded. Patients were followed up for 15 months. The primary outcome was the cumulative live birth rate.

Results: A total of 340 women were included between October 2020 and March 2021. The cumulative live birth rate did not differ significantly between women with and without CSD (odds ratio 0.76; 95% confidence interval 0.47–1.22; $P$ = 0.256). In patients with CSD, only 6/117 (5%) had obstetrics complications, such as placenta previa and postpartum hemorrhage.

Conclusions: These data indicate that CSD does not appear to have a significant detrimental effect on pregnancy outcomes in our cohort of patients. This information is useful to help physicians to counsel women with secondary infertility and CSD.

Background and Aims: Follitropin delta is the third recombinant human follicle-stimulating hormone (r-hFSH) expressed in a host cell line of human fetal retinal origin that currently emphasizes that the actual tendency of administration is a personalized dosing algorithm based on the anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) and body mass index (BMI) for ovarian stimulation.

Methods: In this present manuscript, we aimed to gather all available data published between 2018–2022 regarding the co-administration and administration of follitropin delta and the clinical outcomes reported following an in vitro fertilization (IVF).

Results: Follitropin delta is non-inferior in contrast to its previously launched agents for ovarian stimulation, enhancing a similar-to-superior response reflected by both the reproductive and pregnancy outcomes in parallel with a low risk of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS), being well tolerated. The body weight and AMH level are factors that may influence the outcome in a patient. Despite controversy and results that refute these arguments on several occasions, follitropin delta exceeds the benefits of conventional dosing with either follitropin alfa or follitropin beta. Therefore, all post hoc derived analyzes and subgroups of patients who participated in subsequent studies support this statement.

Conclusion: Despite the relatively limited range of data in the current literature, most authors provide strong evidence to support the later use of this drug according to patient profiles and overcoming ethnic limitations. Others disagree with these observations, but this topic and this drug have great potential. As such, additional research is needed to fill existing knowledge gaps and extend this experience to a larger scale. Demonstrate overcoming all limitations.

Pregnancy and fetal outcomes in patients suffering from systemic lupus erythematosus or antiphospholipid syndrome have been well described, as these are more common diseases and associated with frequent maternal and fetal complications. The data is scant about pregnancy-related morbidity and its outcome among less common rheumatic diseases like inflammatory myositis, systemic sclerosis (SSc), and vasculitis. Inflammatory myositis, vasculitis, and SSc are associated with higher risk of spontaneous abortions, preterm delivery, and intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). Conception during active disease is associated with poor pregnancy outcomes, hence good control of disease is important. These diseases also increase risk of maternal complications like hypertension, preeclampsia, and antepartum hemorrhage. Due to rarity of these diseases, the individual experience of a physician is limited, thus it requires a collaborative team approach to have best outcome.