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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]

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]

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]

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]