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STUDY QUESTION Does the morphological quality on Day 3 influence the pregnancy outcomes of euploid blastocysts? SUMMARY ANSWER The morphological quality on Day 3 affects the clinical pregnancy rate (CPR) and live birth rate (LBR) of low-quality euploid blastocysts. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY The morphological grading of Day 3 embryos affects the pregnancy outcome of cleavage-stage embryos and is an excellent indicator to predict embryo development potential. However, it is still unclear whether morphological quality on Day 3 is associated with pregnancy outcomes of the euploid blastocyst. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION This retrospective cohort study comprised 1275 patients who received single euploid blastocyst transfer between January 2016 and August 2021 at a tertiary teaching hospital. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS Patients were grouped into two groups according to the morphological grading on Day 3 of transferred blastocysts: high-quality (HQ, including Grades I and II) Day 3 embryos and low-quality (LQ, Grade III) Day 3 embryos. The primary outcomes were CPR and LBR. Interactions of development days (Day 5 and Day 6) and morphological quality (high- and low-quality) of blastocysts with morphological quality of Day 3 embryos on pregnancy outcomes were tested in the stratified analysis and logistic regression models. The multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to investigate the independent effect of the morphological quality of Day 3 embryos on pregnancy outcomes after adjusting for potentially confounding factors. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE The CPR and LBR of the HQ Day 3 embryos group were statistically higher than those of the LQ Day 3 embryos group (CPR: 59.73% versus 49.70%, respectively, P  =   0.015; LBR: 49.73% versus 41.21%, respectively, P  =   0.041). The development days of blastocysts did not exhibit a multiplicative interaction with the morphological quality of Day 3 embryos on the CPR (P for interaction = 0.648) and LBR (P for interaction = 0.925). The morphological quality of blastocysts exhibits a multiplicative interaction with the morphological quality of Day 3 embryos on the CPR (P for interaction = 0.020) and LBR (P for interaction = 0.012). After adjusting for potential confounders, the HQ Day 3 embryo group was positively associated with the CPR (adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 2.10, 95% CI: 1.31–3.36, P  =   0.002) and LBR (aOR: 1.97, 95% CI: 1.20–3.25, P  =   0.008) of LQ blastocysts. However, the morphological quality on Day 3 was not significantly associated with the CPR (aOR: 0.95, 95% CI: 0.58–1.55, P  =   0.835) and LBR (aOR: 0.86, 95% CI: 0.53–1.40, P  =   0.550) of HQ blastocysts. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION Selection and confounding bias introduced by the retrospective design cannot be completely eliminated in this study, although multivariable logistic analysis was conducted to adjust for potential confounders. Also, some subgroups had small sample sizes, which may reduce statistical power. Moreover, participants in our study only received single euploid blastocyst transfer, and whether the results could apply to blastocysts with unknown ploidy status is unclear. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS This study found that the morphological quality on Day 3 was significantly associated with the CPR and LBR of LQ blastocysts; Therefore, when only LQ euploid blastocysts are available for transfer, blastocysts derived from HQ Day 3 embryos are recommended. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S) No external funding was obtained. The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER N/A. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dynamically responsive materials with chromotropic properties have received increasing attention in flexible pressure sensing due to their intuitive nature in the information transfer process. Here, inspired by the biological dynamic regulation of structural color in nature, a robust biomimetic mechanochromic photonic ionogel is ingeniously constructed. The photonic ionogel undergoes continuous and regular structural color changes under compression and outputs stable optical signals, possessing excellent linear pressure responsiveness and stability. The photonic ionogel exhibits sensitive changes in structural color and reflection wavelength via adjusting the lattice spacing of the 3D photonic crystal (mechanochromic sensitivity: 2.21 nm per %, Δλ > 150 nm). Furthermore, the good compatibility between ionogel and PC microspheres endows photonic ionogel with good linear pressure responsiveness (R2 ≈ 0.984). Meanwhile, ionic liquid (IL) and the covalent cross-linking network of robust polyurethane elastomer provide photonic ionogel with a wide temperature tolerance range (Tg ≈ −49.5 °C, initial decomposition temperature of 301 °C) and mechanical durability (5000 cycles of compression). This work demonstrates promising applications not only in flexible pressure sensing but also in advanced visual interaction devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Providing feasible preimplantation genetic testing strategies for monogenic disorders (PGT-M) for prevention and control of genetic cancers. Methods: Inclusion of families with a specific pathogenic mutation or a clear family history of genetic cancers. Identification of the distribution of hereditary cancer-related mutations in families through genetic testing. After a series of assisted reproductive measures such as down-regulation, stimulation, egg retrieval, and in vitro fertilization, a biopsy of trophectoderm cells from a blastocyst was performed for single-cell level whole-genome amplification (WGA). Then, the detection of chromosomal aneuploidies was performed by karyomapping. Construction of a haplotype-based linkage analysis to determine whether the embryo carries the mutation. Meanwhile, we performed CNV testing. Finally, embryos can be selected for transfer, and the results will be verified in 18–22 weeks after pregnancy. Results: Six couples with a total of 7 cycles were included in our study. Except for cycle 1 of case 5 which did not result in a transferable embryo, the remaining 6 cycles produced transferable embryos and had a successful pregnancy. Four couples have had amniotic fluid tests to confirm that the fetus does not carry the mutation, while 1 couple was not tested due to insufficient pregnancy weeks. And the remaining couples had to induce labor due to fetal megacystis during pregnancy. Conclusion: Our strategy has been proven to be feasible. It can effectively prevent transmission of hereditary cancer-related mutations to offspring during the prenatal stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ferrofluids are novel functional materials that have extensively been exploited in fluid-based management and control systems, and thus underlying the dynamic interactions between ferrofluid and solid under various conditions is rather essential. Herein, we report an experimental investigation on the impingement of millimeter-sized ferrofluid droplets on superamphiphobic surfaces. Comparing to droplet impact under no magnetic field, the employment of a non-uniform vertical magnetic field does not change the types of impact phenomena but alters their transitional boundaries and affects droplet dynamic behaviors. At low We , the magnetic force couples with hydrodynamic forces to slightly enlarge the upper threshold for complete rebound, while the enhanced droplet–surface adhesion prolongs the contact time and decreases the restitution coefficient of bouncing droplets; at intermediate We , the promoting effect of the magnetic field on partial rebound was also identified due to the strong droplet–surface adhesion and the additional magnetic force; at high We , a decrease in the damping coefficient and spring constant of the post-impact droplet oscillations emerges if a magnetic field is applied, which is attributed to the volume and shape effects and well explained by simple scaling analyses. We also demonstrate that upward jets are still stimulated in ferrofluid droplet impacts, but they follow scaling laws distinct from simple liquids. Regardless of whether a magnetic field is applied, ferrofluid droplet spreading is mainly dominated by capillary and inertial forces, and such a conclusion can only be drawn when the characteristic length scale for droplet inertia is correctly chosen for data analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Currently, owing to the limitations of high-throughput sequencing depth and the allele dropout caused by the whole-genome amplification, detection of chromosomal variants in embryos with CNVs <5 Mb is unsatisfactory at the single-cell level using only conventional sequencing methods. Therefore, here we aimed to use a strategy of preimplantation genetic testing for monogenic (PGT-M) to compensate for the shortcomings of conventional sequencing methods. The purpose of this study is to report the effectiveness of haplotype linkage analysis by karyomapping for preimplantation diagnosis microdeletion diseases. Methods: Six couples carrying chromosomal microdeletions associated with X-linked ichthyosis were recruited, and all couples entered the PGT process. Multiple displacement amplification (MDA) method was used to amplify the whole-genome DNA of trophectoderm cells. Then karyomapping based on single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) was used for haplotype linkage analysis to detect alleles carrying microdeletions, and CNVs of embryos were identified to determine euploid identity. Amniotic fluid tests were performed in the second trimester to verify the PGT-M results. Results: All couples were tested for chromosomal microdeletions, with deletion fragments ranging in size from 1.60 to 1.73 Mb, and one partner in each couple did not carry the microdeletion. Three couples successfully underwent PGT-M assisted conception and obtained healthy live births. Conclusion: This study shows that haplotype linkage analysis by karyomapping could effectively detect the carrier status of embryos with microdeletions at the single-cell level. This approach may be applied to the preimplantation diagnosis of various chromosomal microvariation diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flexible self‐healing thermal management devices are increasingly in demand due to their high flexibility, low driving voltage, and excellent stability of thermal property. In this paper, the design of mechanochromic self‐healing thermal management devices is reported based on photonic vitrimer through self‐healing dynamic covalent bond. A series of new photonic vitrimers i first prepared by dynamic disulfide covalent bond and PS@SiO2 photonic crystals. The resulting photonic vitrimer exhibits bright structural colors, large tensile strain (>1000%), high mechanical strength (>10 MPa) and self‐healing ability (>95% efficiency). More importantly, the structural color remains constant after 10000 stretching/releasing cycles, demonstrating excellent mechanical stability, creep‐resistance, and durability. Taking advantage of the above features, a novel mechanochromic flexible wireless thermal management (MFW) device is developed by semi‐embedding the photonic vitrimer in a thermally conductive carbon nanotube film and then integrating it with a Bluetooth module and a control chip. Interestingly, the MFW device exhibits mechanochromic property, fast thermal response, low driving voltage (103 °C, at 3 V), and precise temperature control. Notably, the device even remains electrothermal performance (105 °C) after self‐healing. This work provides new insight into the self‐healing photonic materials, and the device shows promising applications in wearable electronics, vitro physiotherapy, and personal heating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growing interest in mimicry of biological skins greatly promotes the birth of high‐performance artificial skins. Chameleon skins can actively transform environmental information into bioelectrical and color‐change signals simultaneously through manipulating ion transduction and photonic nanostructures. Here, inspired by chameleon skins, a novel biomimetic chromotropic photonic‐ionic skin (PI‐skin) capable of outputting synergistic electrical and optical signals under strain with robust adhesion, stability, and resilience is ingeniously constructed. The PI‐skin exhibits sensitive structural color change synchronized with electrical response via adjusting the lattice spacing of the photonic crystal (mechanochromic sensitivity: 1.89 nm per %, Δλ > 150 nm). Notably, the polyzwitterionic network provides abundant electrostatic interactions, endowing the PI‐skin with excellent adhesion, environmental tolerance, and outstanding mechanical stability (>10 000 continuous cycles). Meanwhile, the high loading of ionic liquid (IL) weakens the electrostatic interaction between the polyzwitterionic molecular chains, leading to high resilience. The PI‐skin is finally applied to construct a visually interactive wearable device, realizing precise human motion monitoring, remote communication, and visual localization of pressure distribution. This work not only expands design ideas for the construction of advanced biomimetic I‐skins but also provides a general optical platform for high‐level visual interactive devices and smart wearable electronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The integration of invisible photonic patterns into specific micro/nanostructures provides a new way to construct stimuli‐responsive optical anti‐counterfeiting devices. Herein, an innovative strategy for constructing highly invisible patterns in the solvent‐responsive double‐inverse‐opal (DIO) films by the thermal treatment is proposed. The masked area retains the responsive DIO structure, but the exposed area loses the periodic ordered array, which results in different optical responses of the pattern and background to the solvent. Due to the special structure, the scattering effect derived from the randomly distributed polystyrene microspheres within the pores of the inverse‐opal backbone in both the masked area and the exposed area makes the resultant film sample present a pale color, and the encrypted pattern is highly invisible in normal conditions. Interestingly, the hidden pattern can be quickly revealed by ethanol response, showing a large color contrast. Furthermore, reversible bilayer DIO films with multiple hidden patterns for advanced anti‐counterfeiting materials are prepared. Importantly, the as‐prepared film sample can reveal different patterns on the front and back sides in decryption, and simultaneously the overlapping part of the patterns can achieve color mixing based on the bilayer structure, thereby showing great potential in information encryption and anti‐counterfeiting fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Janus structure offers materials unique functionalities which are difficult to achieve otherwise with isotropic counterpart, opening up new avenues in diverse application fields. Here, a series of novel photonic Janus carbon fibers (PJCFs) with structural color gradient and excellent mechanical stability are reported by introducing 1D photonic layers with a gradient of periodicity. By virtue of the unique photonic architecture, the PJCFs exhibit a multiple and continuous variation of structural color (i.e., structural color gradient) in a full spectrum. By controlling the thickness of periodic layer, a series of PJCFs with vivid and tunable structural colors ranging from blue, green, orange, to violet‐red can be obtained. Furthermore, their gradient structural colors remain constant after reciprocating rubbing and laundering, showing outstanding mechanical robustness. Notably, benefiting from the inherent electrothermal property and flexibility of CFs, the PJCFs display stable Joule heating performance even under deformation. As proof‐of‐concept, the PJCFs are further integrated with wireless transmission system to construct a multicolored, wirelessly controlled thermal management device, realizing remote and precise temperature manipulation via Bluetooth. This work provides not only a new platform for achieving distinct structural color gradient of CFs, but also a promising strategy toward next‐generation multicolored personal healthcare devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Oocyte maturation arrest is a disease that produces immature oocytes and cannot be mature after culturing in vitro , which leads to female primary infertility. We aimed to summarize nine representative patients in our center to retrospectively analyze the genetic variants and clinical characteristics of oocyte maturation arrest. Methods: This study examined and analyzed nine families with oocyte maturation arrest. Whole-exome sequencing (WES) of the probands was performed to detect the pathogenic variants. Sanger sequencing verified the WES findings in patients and available parents. ExAC database was used to search the variant frequency. The variants were assessed by pathogenicity and conservational property prediction analysis and according to the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG). Phenotypes of oocytes were evaluated by a light microscopy, and the phenotype-genotype correlation was also evaluated. Results: Nine pathogenic variants in five genes were detected in nine patients, of which three were novel variants, including PATL2 [c.1374A > G (p. Ile458Met)] and [1289-1291del TCC (p. Leu430del)] and ZP2 [c.1543C > T (p. Pro515Ser)]. Nine variants were predicted to be pathogenic, resulting in different types of oocyte maturation arrest and clinical phenotypes. Conclusion: Three novel pathogenic variants were identified, enabling the expansion of the gene variant spectrum. The related pathogenic mutations of the PATL2 , TUBB8 , and ZP1∼3 genes were highly suggestive of being causative of oocyte maturation arrest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To investigate whether the endometrial thickness change ratio from the progesterone administration day to the blastocyst transfer day is associated with pregnancy outcomes in a single frozen-thawed euploid blastocyst transfer cycle. Methods: All patients used natural cycles with luteal support for endometrial preparation and selected a single euploid blastocyst for transfer after a biopsy for preimplantation genetic testing. The endometrial thickness was measured by transvaginal ultrasound on the progesterone administration day and the transfer day, the change in endometrial thickness was measured, and the endometrial thickness change ratio was calculated. According to the change rate of endometrial thickness, the patients were divided into three groups: the endometrial thickness compaction group, endometrial thickness non-change group and endometrial thickness expansion group. Among them, the endometrial thickness non-change and expansion groups were combined into the endometrial thickness noncompaction group. Results: Ultrasound images of the endometrium in 219 frozen-thawed euploid blastocyst transfer cycles were evaluated. The clinical pregnancy rate increased with the increase in endometrial thickness change ratio, while the miscarriage rate and live birth rate were comparable among the groups. The multiple logistic regression results showed that in the fully adjusted model a higher endometrial thickness change ratio (per 10%) was associated with a higher clinical pregnancy rate (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.29; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.01–1.64; P =.040). Similarly, when the patients were divided into three groups according to the change rate of endometrial thickness, the endometrial thickness noncompaction group had a significant positive effect on the clinical pregnancy rate compared with the endometrial thickness compaction group after adjusting for all covariates. Conclusions: In frozen-thawed euploid blastocyst transfer cycles in which the endometrium was prepared by natural cycles with luteal support, the clinical pregnancy rate was higher in cycles without endometrial compaction after progesterone administration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Calcium is a crucial factor in regulating the biological behavior of cells. The imbalance of calcium homeostasis in cytoplasm will cause abnormal behavior of cells and the occurrence of diseases. In intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) cycle, the dysfunction of oocyte activation caused by insufficient release of Ca2+ from endoplasmic reticulum is one of the main reasons for repeated fertilization failure. Calcium ionophore (A23187) is a highly selective calcium ionophore, which can form stable complex with Ca2+ and pass through the cell membrane at will, effectively increasing intracellular Ca2+ levels. It has been reported that calcium ionophore (A23187) can activate oocytes and obtain normal embryos. However, there are few studies on unfertilized oocytes after calcium ionophore (A23187) rescue activation in ICSI cycle. The purpose of this study was to analyze the effects of calcium ionophore (A23187) rescue activation on the activation of unfertilized oocytes, embryonic development potential, embryonic development timing and chromosomal aneuploidy, and to compare and analyze the clinical data of patients with calcium ionophore (A23187) activation in clinical application. The results showed that a certain proportion of high-quality blastocysts with normal karyotype could be obtained after calcium ionophore (A23187) rescue activation of unfertilized oocytes, and it did not have a significant effect on the timing of embryo development. In clinical practice, direct activation with calcium ionophore (A23187) after ICSI was better than rescue activation the next day. In conclusions, the studies on the effectiveness and safety of calcium ionophore (A23187) rescue activation for oocytes with ICSI fertilization failure can enable some patients to obtain usable, high-quality embryos during the first ICSI cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long noncoding RNA PVT1 is involved in the progression of female gynecological cancers. However, the role of PVT1 in ovarian granulosa cell apoptosis‐mediated premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) remains unclear. This study aims to elucidate the role of PVT1 in ovarian granulosa cell apoptosis‐mediated POI. The expression of PVT1 was compared between ovarian tissues from POI patients and normal controls. The methylation level in the PVT1 promoter region was detected by methylation‐specific polymerase chain reaction. The interaction between PVT1 and forkhead box class O3A (Foxo3a) was confirmed by RNA pull‐down and RNA immunoprecipitation assays. Granulosa cell apoptosis was detected using flow cytometry. The effect of PVT1 on transcription activity of Foxo3a was detected by luciferase reporter assay. The expression of PVT1 was low in the POI ovarian tissues compared with the controls, and such a low expression was related to the hypermethylation of the PVT1 promoter. PVT1 was localized in both the cytoplasm and the nucleus of granulosa cells. We determined that PVT1 could bind with Foxo3a and that downregulating PVT1 by small interfering RNAs inhibited Foxo3a phosphorylation by promoting SCP4‐mediated Foxo3a dephosphorylation, resulting in an increase in Foxo3a transcription activity. Moreover, downregulating PVT1 promoted granulosa cell apoptosis by increasing the Foxo3a protein levels. An in vivo experiment showed that the injection of PVT1 overexpressing vectors restored the ovarian function in POI mice. Hypermethylation‐induced downregulation of PVT1 promotes granulosa cell apoptosis in POI by inhibiting Foxo3a phosphorylation and increases the Foxo3a transcription activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Study Question: Are blastocyst culture and cryopreservation in ART associated with chromosomal abnormalities in miscarried products of conception (POC)?Summary Answer: Frozen blastocyst transfer in women aged 35 years or older and frozen embryo transfer (ET) (including both cleavage-stage embryo and blastocyst) in women aged <35 years are associated with decreased frequencies of embryonic chromosomal abnormalities in miscarried POC.What Is Known Already: Blastocyst culture and embryo cryopreservation have been previously associated with favorable ART treatment outcomes and widely applied in clinical practice. However, the association between these embryo manipulation procedures and embryonic chromosomal abnormalities has not been evaluated to the best of our knowledge.Study Design, Size, Duration: This retrospective study included a total of 720 patients who underwent IVF/ICSI, and the retained POC were obtained. A single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-based chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA) of all miscarried conceptuses was performed.Participants/materials, Setting, Methods: This study was based on the Clinical Reproductive Medicine Management System/Electronic Medical Record Cohort Database (CCRM/EMRCD) at our center. In total, 720 miscarried POCs were collected from patients undergoing ART (including fresh cleavage-stage ET, fresh blastocyst transfer, frozen cleavage-stage ET and frozen blastocyst transfer), and the incidences and profiles of cytogenetic abnormalities in the miscarried conceptuses were measured via SNP-based CMA.Main Results and the Role Of Chance: The chromosomal abnormality rate in POC varied from 33.7% to 66.7% among the different ET strategies. In the patients aged ≥35 years, frozen blastocyst transfer was significantly associated with a lower incidence of chromosomal aberrations in the POCs (adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 0.171 (95% CI: 0.040-0.738); P = 0.018) than fresh blastocyst transfer. In the patients aged <35 years, frozen ET was significantly associated with a lower incidence of chromosomal aberrations than fresh ET in both cleavage-stage ET cycles and blastocyst transfers cycles (aOR: 0.545 (0.338-0.879), P = 0.013; and aOR: 0.357 (0.175-0.730), P = 0.005, respectively). Trisomy was the most frequent abnormal embryonic karyotype in the different ET strategies, and its frequency significantly differed among strategies (P < 0.05).Limitations, Reasons For Caution: This study was retrospectively designed, and we cannot draw any definite conclusions from our results regarding the adequate safety of embryo cryopreservation in ongoing pregnancy.Wider Implications Of the Findings: To our knowledge, this is the first study assessing the associations of ET strategies with the probability of miscarriage associated with embryonic chromosomal abnormalities. However, the underlying mechanism of these associations is unknown; this study may promote research concerning ET strategies and promote comprehensive consultations and recommendations for patients.Study Funding/competing Interest(s): This work was supported by the Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No.81571409), Science and Technology Research Project of Henan (Grant No. 172102310009) and Medical Science and Technology Research Project of Henan (Grant No. 201701005). The authors declare no competing interests.Trial Registration Number: N/A. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vitrimers, with their unique dynamic covalent bonds, possess attractive self‐healability and mechanical robustness, providing an intriguing opportunity to construct functional soft materials. However, their potential for function recovery, especially optical function, is underexplored. Harnessing the synergistic effect of photonic crystals and vitrimers, a novel photonic vitrimer with light regulating and self‐healing capabilities is presented. The resulting photonic vitrimer exhibits a large tensile strain (>1000%), high toughness (21.2 kJ m−3), bright structural color, and mechanochromism. Notably, the structural color remains constant even after 10 000 stretching/releasing cycles, showing superior mechanical stability, creep‐resistance, and excellent durability. More importantly, the exchange of dynamic covalent bonds imparts the photonic vitrimer with a self‐healing ability (>95% efficiency), enabling the recovery of its optical function. Benefiting from the above merits, the photonic vitrimer has been successfully used as a sensor for human motion detection, which demonstrates visualized interactive sensibility even after self‐repairing. This material design provides a general strategy for optical functionalization of vitrimers. The photonic vitrimer elastomers present great potential as resilient functional soft materials for diverse flexible devices and a novel optical platform for soft robotics, smart wearable devices, and human‐machine interaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Autosomal dominant hereditary polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is the most common inherited kidney disease that causes end‐stage renal disease and kidney failure. Preimplantation genetic testing for monogenic (PGT‐M) can effectively prevent the transmission of genetic diseases from parents to the offspring before pregnancy. However, PGT‐M currently adopts the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) linkage analysis for embryo's pathogenic gene carrying status and linkage analysis requires proband of the family. Here we report a new PGT‐M strategy using single sperm SNP linkage analysis for male patient with sporadic ADPKD caused by de novo PKD1 mutation. We recruited five couples with male patient with ADPKD caused by de novo PKD1 mutation, and 39 embryos from six PGT‐M cycles were detected. The five couples had at least one embryo that does not carry the PKD1 mutation. Within these five couples, the accuracy of carrier status of embryos was confirmed by amniotic fluid gene detection of two couples and two couples successfully delivered healthy fetuses. Therefore, the new PGT‐M strategy of using single sperm SNP linkage analysis was proved to be feasible and effective for male patient with ADPKD caused by de novo PKD1 mutation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mechanical nondiscoloring and antistretching photonic crystal (PC) films, especially those with stable structure colors during deformation, have great potential applications in wearable display devices, decoration, and packaging. Here, PC films with antistretching and invariant structural colors during deformation were prepared, by combining Zn2+ coordinated elastic material and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) with polystyrene@silica (PS@SiO2) colloidal crystals. The PC films release energy by forming local fractures at a microscopic level during the straining process but the lattice spacing and effective refractive index of the local array do not change. According to the Bragg law, the structure color remains unchanged. The introduction of HPMC gave the PC films excellent tensile properties, and the maximum tensile strength reached 10 MPa. And after 100 times of stretching, bending and compression cycles, the structural color remained unchanged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human sperm acrosome membrane-associated protein 1 (hSAMP32) plays an important role in the acrosome reaction, sperm–egg primary binding, secondary binding and fusion processes. However, its spatial structural and in vivo antifertility function remain unknown. In this study, we first analysed the physical and chemical characteristics and antigenic epitopes of immunised mice using bioinformatics. Then, we constructed the prokaryotic expression vector pcDNA3.1-hSAMP32 to immunise BALB/c mice in vivo. IgG antibodies in the serum were detected, and the litter size of female mice and the number of the hamster eggs penetrated were counted. hSAMP32 was found to contain six hydrophilic regions and a signal peptide beginning at amino acid position 29. The transmembrane region of hSAMP32 was located within amino acids 217–239 with α-helices and random coil structures. We predicted five antigenic epitopes. The molecular weight of hSAMP32 was 59 kDa. Moreover, the results of in vivo studies revealed that 56 days after the first immunisation, the litter size was significantly smaller for female pcDNA-3.1(+)-hSAMP32-immunised (mean ± s.d. 4.33 ± 1.21) than control mice (9.50 ± 0.55), indicating that the immunocontraception vaccine had an antifertility effect. This experiment presents a theoretical and experimental basis for in-depth study of the hSAMP32 mechanism within the sperm-egg fusing process and for the screening of antigenic epitopes with immunocontraceptive properties. To control rapid population growth, a safe, effective, convenient and reversible contraception method based on sperm antigens needs to be developed. As a testis-specific antigen, human sperm acrosome membrane-associated protein 1 (hSAMP32) contains several transmembrane regions and five antigenic epitopes. We found that the pcDNA-3.1(+)-hSAMP32 immunocontraception vaccine has antifertility effects in BALB/c mice, and may be a potential candidate for an immunocontraceptive vaccine. hSAMP32may warrant further investigation as a new target antigen for immunocontraceptive control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the increasing human mortality caused by natural disasters and traffic accidents, the development of smart traffic warning systems is urgent. The first smart indicator for traffic warning based on bilayer photonic crystals with both selective retroreflection and response reflection optical properties is developed. The wettability‐controlled reflection evaluates the risk of landslides and warns drivers to slow down, while the retroreflection simultaneously displays iridescent vivid structural colors to observers at different viewing directions relative to the illumination direction and informs drivers the approaching of the accident blackspot. The mechanism involves diffractions in the periodic nanostructures and uses the wettability of vertical surfaces to realize the spectral diversity of reflectance. Moreover, colorful flickering structural colors based on the rotational periodic diffraction and angle dependence of the retroreflection are designed for speed limits warning. It demonstrates an energy‐efficient, smart, and tunable multi‐functionalized bilayer photonic crystal that is especially suitable for nighttime traffic warning, advertisement, and periodic warning display applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditionally, chromosomal polymorphisms (CPMs) are normal genetic variants in individuals with no phenotypic variations. However, some studies have shown that CPM is related to reproductive diseases. We explored the influence of CPM on embryonic development and molecular karyotype in chromosomal translocation (CT) patients undergoing preimplantation genetic testing (PGT) between February 2013 and May 2019. Twenty-six cases with CPM and 56 controls with normal chromosomes were included. Furthermore, a 1:4 match pair analysis by female age included 39 cases with CTCPM and 185 controls with CT. There was no statistical difference in fertilization rate (78.48% vs. 78.33%), cleavage rate on Day 3 (90.32% vs. 89.16%), blastocyst rate (60.00% vs. 60.80%), and the high-quality blastocyst rate (36.31% vs. 35.22%) between CPM and normal chromosomes. The high-quality blastocyst rate of CTCPM was significantly lower than that for CT (26.78% vs. 38.89%). Moreover, there was no statistical difference in fertilization rate (70.65% vs. 70.37%), cleavage rate on Day 3 (88.67% vs. 89.53%), and blastocyst rate (48.48% vs. 53.17%) between CTCPM and CT. In addition, one CTCPM spouse had a lower high-quality blastocyst rate, especially of males with CTCPM. Abnormal embryo rates of CTCPM were significantly higher than those for CT (78.64% vs. 68.93%). Abnormal embryo rates were higher in both CTCPM and CPM paternal carriers with CT partners, respectively. For CT, CTCPM may have an impact on the high-quality blastocyst rate and embryonic molecular karyotype, especially in male patients. Patients with CTCPM are relatively rare, but this population would benefit from being explored using a larger sample size. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The study aimed to investigate the relationship between elevated maternal body mass index (BMI) and foetal chromosomal aberrations by performing single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array-based genetic testing on products of conception (POC). Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the data for 1068 assisted reproductive technology (ART)-conceived POC originated from 1068 patients with early spontaneous miscarriage. First, all types of chromosomal abnormalities were defined. Then, the baseline characteristics, including maternal age, BMI, thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), gestational age, fertilization method, reasons for fertility treatment, embryo transfer (ET) cycle, stage of embryo development and the embryo morphology grade, were compared between chromosomally normal and abnormal POC groups. Finally, a multivariate logistic regression model was used to analyse various factors affecting the foetal chromosomal abnormality rate. Results: The SNP array results showed that 45.3% (484/1068) of POC were chromosomally normal and that 54.7% (584/1068) of POC presented chromosomal abnormalities. Of these 584 chromosomally abnormal POC, 388 (66.4%) were trisomy, 42 (7.2%) had a monosomy, 68 (11.6%) were found with segmental aneuploidy, 46 (7.9%) were mosaic, 28 (4.8%) were identified as polyploidy and 12 (2.1%) were euploid samples with uniparental disomy (UPD). Multivariate logistic regression results showed that the risk of miscarrying chromosomally abnormal POC increased 1.424-fold in women with normal BMI compared to women with an elevated BMI (≥ 25 kg/m2) (OR = 1.424, 95% CI = 1.074–1.888, p = 0.014). Conclusion: Women with an elevated BMI (≥ 25 kg/m2) are more likely to miscarry chromosomally normal POC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies have shown that early-follicular phase long-acting gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist long protocol (EFLL), a popular controlled ovarian hyperstimulation protocol widely used in China, leads to higher rates of implantation and clinical pregnancy, as well as lower rates of spontaneous abortion and ectopic pregnancy in patients undergoing in vitro fertilization treatment. However, the impact of EFLL on euploid embryos and its underlying mechanisms remain unclear. To address these gaps of knowledge, we conducted a retrospective comparative study of 310 preimplantation genetic testing (PGT) cycles with a total of 1,541 embryos using the EFLL protocol or midluteal short-acting GnRH agonist long protocol (MLSL). Patients were matched by PGT subtype [aneuploidies (PGT-A) vs. PGT for chromosomal structural rearrangements (PGT-SR)], age (±2 years), and body mass index (±1 kg/m2). For PGT-A, there was no significant difference in the number of euploid embryos (1.80 ± 1.47 for EFLL vs. 1.84 ± 2.03 for MLSL, p > 0.05) or the rate of euploidy (44.6 vs. 36.9%, p > 0.05). For PGT-SR, the number of euploid embryos in the EFLL group was significantly higher than that in the MLSL group (1.76 ± 1.54 vs. 1.21 ± 1.24, p < 0.05). A higher euploidy rate was also observed with the EFLL protocol compared with that obtained in MLSL (31.9 vs. 25.7%), although the difference was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). Compared with the MLSL protocol, more euploid embryos were achieved when using the EFLL protocol in PGT-SR, demonstrating the value in PGT-SR. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first one to compare embryonic outcomes between EFLL and MLSL, providing key insights into the clinical application of EFLL in PGT cycles. In the light of the limited sample size of our study, we recommend that these questions be explored using a larger prospective study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To assess whether preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy with next generation sequencing (NGS) outweighs single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array in improving clinical outcomes.Methods: A retrospective analysis of the clinical outcomes of patients who underwent PGT-A treatment in a single center from January 2013 to December 2017.A total of 1418 couples who underwent PGT-A treatment were enrolled, of which 805 couples used NGS for PGT-A, while the remaining 613 couples used SNP array for PGT-A. Clinical pregnancy rate, miscarriage rate and healthy baby rate were compared between the MALBAC-NGS-PGT-A and MDA-SNP-PGT-A groups.Results: After testing karyotypes of 5771 biopsied blastocysts, 32.2% (1861/5771) were identified as chromosomally normal, while 67.8% were chromosomally abnormal. In terms of clinical outcomes, women in the MALBAC-NGS-PGT-A group had a significantly higher clinical pregnancy rate (50.5% vs 41.7%, p = 0.002) and healthy baby rate (39.6% vs 31.4%, p = 0.003), and a lower miscarriage rate (15.5% vs 22.8%, p = 0.036).Conclusion: This is the largest study reporting the extensive application of NGS-based PGT-A, whilst comparing the clinical outcomes of MALBAC-NGS-PGT-A and MDA-SNP-PGT-A. The results provide greater evidence supporting the wider use of NGS in PGT-A, not only for its lower cost but also for its improved clinical outcomes compared to SNP-based PGT-A. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The blastocyst morphology provided valuable roles for predicting pregnancy and live birth, but was still not fully understood for evaluating miscarriage. The aim of this study was to explore the association between blastocyst morphologic evaluation and first trimester miscarriage combined with karyotype of miscarried conceptus. Methods: This retrospective cohort study included a total of 2873 clinical pregnancy cycles with single blastocyst transfer performed from January 2013 to April 2019. Chromosome karyotype of miscarried conceptus was analyzed via single nucleotide polymorphism array analysis. Miscarriage and karyotype of miscarried conceptus associated with blastocyst morphology were analyzed by chi-square and logistic regression analysis. Results: A total of 354 (12.3%) cycles resulted in first trimester miscarriage. Miscarriage rates increased with trophectoderm (TE) grade from A to C (P = 0.012), while three morphologic parameters (blastocoele expansion degree, inner cell mass (ICM) and TE) showed no statistical significance with miscarriage after multivariable analysis. The rate of aneuploidy was 47.7% (83 of 174) in total miscarried conceptuses. For euploid miscarriages, the grade B of ICM occupied a higher proportion compared with aneuploidy, with OR of 2.474, (95% CI, 1.311–4.699), P = 0.005. Conclusions: Chromosomal aberration of embryo is an important genetic factor for first trimester miscarriage, and the quality of ICM is a potential indicator for euploid miscarriage. Blastocysts with grade A of ICM should be given priority during single blastocyst transfer to reduce potential miscarriage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Smart interactive electronic devices can dynamically respond to and visualize environmental stimuli. Inspired by the rapid color changes of natural creatures, an interactive electronic fiber sensor with high stretchability and tunable coloration is presented. It is based on an ingenious multi‐sheath design on a piezoresistive electronic fiber coupled with a mechanochromic photonic crystal microtubule. It has the unique capabilities of sensing and visualizing its deformation simultaneously, by reconstructing conductive paths and regulating the lattice spacing of the photonic sheath. In particular, it exhibits dynamic color switching spanning the full visible region (from red to blue), fast optical/electrical response (≈80 ms), and a large working range (0–200%), allowing its application as a user‐interactive sensor for dynamically monitoring large joint movements and muscle microvibrations of the human body in real time. This investigation provides a general platform for emerging interactive devices, which are promising for applications in wearable electronics, human–machine interactions, and intelligent robots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Balanced complex chromosome rearrangements (BCCR) are balanced chromosomal structural aberrations that involve two or more chromosomes and at least three breakpoints. It is very rare in the population. The objective is to explore the difference of influence of three types of BCCR on early embryonic development and molecular karyotype. Results: Twelve couples were recruited including four couples of three-way rearrangements carriers (group A), three couples of double two-way translocations carriers (group B) and five couples of exceptional CCR carriers (group C). A total of 243 oocytes were retrievedin the seventeen preimplantation genetic testing (PGT) cycles, and 207 of these were available for fertilization. After intracytoplasmic sperm injection, 181oocytes normally fertilized. The rates of embryos forming on day3 in three groups were 87.88, 97.78 and77.14%, which was significantly different (P = 0.01). Compared with group B, the rate of embryo formation was statistically significantly lower in group C (P = 0.01). Furthermore, the rates of high-quality blastocysts in three group were 14.71, 48.15 and 62.96%, respectively, which was significantly different (P = 0.00). Compared with group B andC, the rate of high-quality blastocysts in group A was statistically significantly lower (P = 0.00;P = 0.00). Comprehensive chromosome analysis was performed on 83 embryos, including 75 trophectodermcellsand 8 blastomeres. Except 7 embryos failed to amplify, 9.01%embryos were diagnosed as euploidy, and 90.91% were diagnosed as abnormal. As for group A, the euploid embryo rate was 10.71%and the abnormal embryo rate was 89.29%. In group B,the euploid embryo rate was 3.85%, the abnormal embryo rate was 96.15%. The euploid embryo rate was 13.04%, the abnormal embryo rate was 86.96% in group C. There were no significant differences among the three groups (P = 0.55). Conclusions: The lowest rate of high quality blastocysts has been for three-way rearrangements and the lowest rate of euploidy has been for double two-way translocations, although no significant difference. Different types of BCCR maybe have little effect on the embryonic molecular karyotype. The difference of influence of BCCR on early embryonic developmentandmolecular karyotypeshould be further studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The preimplantation genetic testing for monogenic defects (PGT-M) is a beneficial strategy for the patients suffering from a Mendelian disease, which could protect their offspring from inheriting the disease. The purpose of this study is to report the effectiveness of PGT-M based on karyomapping for three cases of dynamic mutation diseases with trinucleotide repeat expansion. Methods: PGT-M was carried out on three couples, whose family members were diagnosed with Huntington's disease or spinocerebellar ataxias 2 or 12. The whole genome amplification was obtained using the multiple displacement amplification (MDA) method. Then, karyomapping was performed to detect the allele that is carrying the trinucleotide repeat expansion using single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) linkage analyses, and the copy number variations (CNVs) of the embryos were also identified. Prenatal diagnosis was performed to validate the accuracy of PGT-M. Results: PGT-M was successfully performed on the three couples, and they accepted the transfers of euploid blastocysts without the relevant pathogenic allele. The clinical pregnancies were acquired and the prenatal diagnosis of the three families confirmed the effectiveness of karyomapping. The three born babies were healthy and free of the pathogenic alleles HTT, ATXN2, or PPP2R2B corresponding to Huntington's disease, spinocerebellar ataxias 2 or 12, respectively. Conclusion: This study shows that karyomapping is a highly powerful and efficient approach for dynamic mutation detection in preimplantation embryos. In this work, we first report the birth of healthy babies that are free of the pathogenic gene for dynamic mutation diseases in patients receiving PGT-M by karyomapping. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, wearable and stretchable electronic devices have attracted great research interest and effort due to their promising applications in electronic skin, wearable health monitoring, human–machine interactions and so on. However, it still remains a great challenge to fabricate highly stretchable and wearable devices with excellent breathability, mechanical robustness and laundering durability. Herein, we fabricated a highly stretchable and breathable textile strain sensor based on conductive polyester fabric (CPF) with weft-knitted structure by chemically growing conductive and transparent Al-doped ZnO (AZO) element via atomic layer deposition (ALD). The CPF strain sensor demonstrates captivating performance, including high stretchability (up to 130%) and long-term stability (3000 cycles), as well as a distinct negative resistance variation with increasing strain owing to its weft-knitted structure. Most importantly, due to the formation of chemical interactions between textiles and AZO films during ALD process, the CPF strain sensor exhibits excellent mechanical robustness and laundering durability under reciprocating rubbing (50 kPa load pressure, 30 cycles), washing (500 r/min for 10 cycles, 200 min) and light fastness (accelerated light aging test for 7 days), thus allowing the fabrication of breathable and comfortable wearable sensor without elastomer encapsulation. Based on its admirable performances, the CPF strain sensor can be easily knitted or sewed on garments or attached on human skin directly for tracking both large and subtle human motions, revealing its numerous prospects in wearable electronics, intelligent robotics and other fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Single-material flexible actuators that can produce non-uniform deformation in response to external stimuli have attracted considerable interests due to their facile fabrication process and excellent actuation behavior. However, the recognition of actuation state with easily perceived and detectable signal is still a challenge. In this paper, we report an actuator behavior of single-material inverse opal photonic crystal films, which are in response to a variety of solvents based on swelling/de-swelling process. The actuator exhibits improved responsiveness due to the enhanced mass transport of solvent molecules in periodic inverse opal with macroporous structure. Especially, peaks in reflective spectra and corresponding structure colors are obviously changed, providing a simple and effective optical technology for optical recognition of micro-locomotion. Based on the above characteristics, we demonstrate the potential applications of this photonic crystal actuator as solvent-driven gripper, walking device and rolling motor, showing great promise in advanced soft robot for many important intelligent areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a novel flexible and robust dual-network supramolecular elastic film with solvent resistance and brilliant structural colors was prepared by combining a Zn2+-crosslinked supramolecular elastic film with polystyrene@silica (PS@SiO2) colloidal crystals. This structurally colored supramolecular elastic material consisted of a covalent support network formed by three different monomers and a Zn2+-crosslinked polyacrylic acid (PAA) coordination network, which provided high mechanical strength and flexibility. The tensile and compression stress of this structural color reached 3.26 MPa at a strain of 187% and a pressure of 300 N. The reflectance wavelength of the structural color film remained unchanged after loading–unloading cycles and compression cycles. The structural color film could be bent and unfolded without heating or the application of an external stimulus. Moreover, the structural color film exhibited resistance to solvents in saturated organic vapors and remained color invariant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Utilizing biomass materials to construct photonic bandgap materials has attracted increasing attention due to their environmental friendliness. In this work, we introduced biodegradable cellulose acetate to the interstice of hollow silica 3D photonic crystals (PCs) for building hollow silica opals/cellulose acetate nanocomposite films. In the films, the hollow silica 3D PCs offered well-ordered arrays for producing structural colors. Cellulose acetate with excellent film forming ability served as a matrix endowing the PCs frameworks with mechanical stability, including flexibility, robust tensile strength and the ability of repetitive bending. The prepared colored composite films possessed high transparency and can work as anti-counterfeiting labels for banknotes when patterned by a facile mask method. Compared with other reported PCs which are responsive to external stimuli in the field of anti-counterfeiting, these films have the advantage of quick color-transparency switching just by changing the viewing angle. Except for application in security materials, the colored composite films also showed potential as package materials due to their biodegradability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-performance one-dimensional photonic crystal coatings that sustain vivid structural colors under a variety of harsh mechanical conditions are fabricated using atomic layer deposition (ALD). By facilely controlling the thickness of the periodic layer, a series of photonic coatings with vivid structural colors ranging from purple, green, yellow, orange to red are obtained. By utilizing surface chemical adsorption and reaction characteristics of ALD process, these photonic crystal coatings exhibit high hardness, brightness, good substrate adhesion and strong mechanical robustness under cyclic tape peels (929 N m−1 adhesion strength, 100 times) and rubbing (50 kPa load pressure, 100 times), respectively. More importantly, they can even withstand high-speed jet impact (at least 20 m s−1, 30 min), particle erosion (200 rpm, 20 min), as well as continuous light irradiation. Given such impressive characteristics, these photonic crystal coatings would find promising applications in our daily life such as in consumer electronics, textiles, the automobile industry, and pigments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shape memory photonic crystals (SMPCs), which integrate two distinct scientific areas of photonic crystals and shape-memory polymers, have great potential in advanced optical devices, sensing and displays. Despite recent progress in SMPCs, the contact-stimuli during recovery limit their practical application. Herein, a new type of near-infrared laser-responsive SMPCs is reported. These SMPCs exhibit high optical reversibility, excellent stability, and the direct-pressure-induced programming and near-infrared laser (980 nm)-triggered recovery capabilities, due to the presence of polyurethane units, reversible plastic deformation and the photothermal effect. By taking advantage of these characteristics, various rewritable and stable photonic patterns can be created by imprinting lithography and near-infrared laser writing. Particularly, the photonic membrane exhibits two-way rewritable capability through which the photonic patterns can be created twice in one write/erase cycle. Given the striking color changes associated with the reversible photonic microstructure transitions during programming and recovery, this work provides a facile and versatile platform for multifunctional sensing, displays, and anti-counterfeiting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work presents the fabrication of rewritable and highly stable photonic patterns with high spatial resolution and applications in data storage and display panels, based on direct-pressure-programmed polyethylene glycol diacrylate (PEGDA) and polyurethane acrylate (TAPU) copolymer shape memory photonic crystals (SMPCs). Because of the existence of cross-linked polyurethane units and reversible plastic strain on the nanoscale, PEGDA-co-TAPU SMPCs exhibit high optical reversibility, excellent stability, and direct pressure-induced programming ability at room temperature. By taking advantage of these characteristics, various rewritable and highly stable photonic patterns are accurately fabricated at high resolution via imprinting lithography under ambient conditions. Notably, multiple optical microarray patterns can be created by sequential imprinting. These created photonic patterns are used as novel optically readable media for optical data storage and display panels by designing macro/microstructures. The SMPCs provide a new optical platform for the fabrication of rewritable and highly stable photonic patterns. Meanwhile, we anticipate that these photonic patterns could be further extended to the development of reusable photonic devices and sensors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Upon fertilization, drastic chromatin reorganization occurs during preimplantation development [1]. However, the global chromatin landscape and its molecular dynamics in this period remain largely unexplored in humans. Here we investigate chromatin states in human preimplantation development using an improved assay for transposase-accessible chromatin with high-throughput sequencing (ATAC-seq) [2]. We find widespread accessible chromatin regions in early human embryos that overlap extensively with putative cis-regulatory sequences and transposable elements. Integrative analyses show both conservation and divergence in regulatory circuitry between human and mouse early development, and between human pluripotency in vivo and human embryonic stem cells. In addition, we find widespread open chromatin regions before zygotic genome activation (ZGA). The accessible chromatin loci are readily found at CpG-rich promoters. Unexpectedly, many others reside in distal regions that overlap with DNA hypomethylated domains in human oocytes and are enriched for transcription factor-binding sites. A large portion of these regions then become inaccessible after ZGA in a transcription-dependent manner. Notably, such extensive chromatin reorganization during ZGA is conserved in mice and correlates with the reprogramming of the non-canonical histone mark H3K4me3, which is uniquely linked to genome silencing [3]- [5]. Taken together, these data not only reveal a conserved principle that underlies the chromatin transition during mammalian ZGA, but also help to advance our understanding of epigenetic reprogramming during human early development and in vitro fertilization. By applying an optimized ATAC-seq protocol to human early embryos, distinct accessible chromatin landscapes are found before and after zygotic genome activation, revealing a marked epigenetic transition during zygotic genome activation and putative regulatory elements wiring human early development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interleukins are a group of immunomodulatory proteins that mediate a variety of immune reactions in the human body. To investigate the association between interleukin gene polymorphisms and recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL), we reviewed 21 studies from MEDLINE, EMBASE, OVID SP and PubMed to evaluate RPL-related interleukin gene polymorphisms. Meta-analysis was performed on 12 of the polymorphisms, and a review included the others. Our integrated results indicated that IL-1β (-511C/T) (P = 0.02, 95% CI 0.77[0.62,0.96]), IL-6 (-634C/G) (P<0.001, 95% CI 2.91[2.01,4.22]), IL-10 (-1082G/A, –819T/C) (P = 0.01, 95% CI 0.80[0.67,0.96]; P<0.01, 95% CI 0.66[0.49,0.89]), and IL-18 (-137G/C, -105G/A) (P<0.01, 95% CI 1.69[1.24,2.31]; P = <0.01, 95% CI 1.41[1.17,1.70]) consistently associated with RPL after meta-analysis. IL-17A rs2275913 and IL-17F rs763780, IL-21 rs2055979 and rs13143866, IL-1β (-31C/T), IL-6 (-2954G/C), and IL-10 (-536A/G) were reported only once as having a significant association with RPL. The potential mechanism underlying miscarriage and these polymorphisms and future research directions are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: We reviewed the influence of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) supplementation in patients with poor ovarian response (POR) undergoing in vitro fertilization or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (IVF/ICSI). Methods: We searched Embase, MEDLINE, PubMed, and the Cochrane Library (1980-2015) for relevant papers and used the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale scoring system to evaluate study quality. Dichotomous data were expressed as pooled relative risk (RR) estimates with fixed or random effect models. Continuous variables were expressed as the weighted mean difference (WMD). All data were analyzed using Revman Software v. 5 and are shown with 95 % confidence intervals (CI). Results: Twenty-one studies met the inclusion criteria. DHEA pretreatment increased the clinical pregnancy rate (RR 1.53, 95 % CI 1.25-1.86), live birth rate (RR 1.87, 95 % CI 1.22-2.88), implantation rate (RR 1.56, 95 % CI 1.20-2.01), and antral follicle count (WMD 0.4, 95 % CI 0.14 to 0.66) while reducing miscarriages (RR 0.50, 95 % CI 0.27-0.90). After subgroup analysis, oocyte numbers and anti-Müllerian hormone levels were also enhanced after DHEA treatment. However, the endometrial thickness and estradiol levels on the day of injecting hCG to induce ovulation were similar between the DHEA supplementation groups and controls. Conclusions: Based on the limited available evidence, DHEA supplementation seems to improve ovarian reserves and IVF/ICSI outcome in patients with POR. Further research is required to clarify the effect of DHEA exposure in assisted reproduction technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The PI-skin allows to construct a visually interactive wearable device with remote control capability, realizing remote and precise human motion monitoring and visual localization of pressure distribution. Biomimetic Chromotropic Photonic-Ionic Skin with Robust Resilience, Adhesion, and Stability (Adv. Funct. Keywords: interactive sensing; ionogels; photonic-ionic skins; structural color EN interactive sensing ionogels photonic-ionic skins structural color 1 1 1 08/18/22 20220815 NES 220815 B Photonic-Ionic Skin b In article number 2204467, inspired by chameleon skins, Wenbin Niu and co-workers report a novel biomimetic photonic-ionic skin capable of outputting synergistic electrical and optical signals with robust resilience, adhesion, and stability. [Extracted from the article]

The synthesis, surface ligand stripping, and infrared optoelectronic device application of NaYF4:Yb,Er–MoS2 nanocomposites are reported. NaYF4:Yb,Er–MoS2 film shows an unusual negative infrared photoresponse after SOCl2/DMF treatment, which exhibits more than two times the photoresponsivity of pure NaYF4:Yb,Er, showing great potential for the development of novel infrared optoelectronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]