This study was supported by the Medical Scientific Research Plan Project of Anhui Provincial Department of Health (13ZC014) and the Natural Science Foundation of Anhui Higher Education Institutions (KJ2013Z132).

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Toll‑like receptors (TLRs) are expressed in human bone marrow‑derived mesenchymal stromal cells (BM‑MSCs). The activation of TLRs is important in the proliferation, differ-entiation, migration and hematopoiesis‑supporting functions of BM‑MSCs. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are involved in various biological functions by mediating mRNA degradation or inhibiting the translation of target genes. Our previous study confirmed that TLRs regulate the migration ability of BM‑MSCs. It was also identified that multiple miRNAs were regulated by TLRs. In view of this, it was hypothesized that TLR‑regulated miRNAs may be important in regulating the migration of BM‑MSCs. The migration ability of BM‑MSCs was evaluated following transfection of the cells with the mimics or antagonists of miRNA (miR)‑27b, miR‑146a, miR‑155 and miR‑154. miR‑155 significantly inhibited cell migration. Myosin light chain kinase (MYLK) was identified as the direct target of miR‑155 in BM‑MSCs, which was further investigated using the luciferase reporter assay. However, miR‑155 did not affect the expression of upstream proteins of the RhoA pathway controlling the activity of MYLK, suggesting that miR‑155 directly suppressed the expression of MYLK without affecting the RhoA pathway. These results may facilitate the development and clinical use of BM‑MSCs in terms of their migration.

Background: Thin endometrium is known to adversely affect reproductive performance. There is no agreement about a consensus treatment on thin endometrium. Tamoxifen(TAM) has a positive effect on endometrium when used as ovulation induction agent. Little information is available regarding its use in patients with thin endometrium during frozen-thaw embryo transfer (FET) cycles. This study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of TAM on women with thin endometrium in frozen-thaw embryo transfer cycles. Methods: A total of 345 thin endometrium women were retrospectively analyzed during their FET cycles. Among them 190 received TAM protocol (TAM 20 mg per day for 5 days) and 155 hormone replacement therapy (HRT) protocol (estradiol val­erate 6 mg/d for 14 to 21days). Endometrial thickness and pregnancy outcome were compared between the two groups. Result(s): The endometrial thickness in TAM group was significantly higher compared with HRT group. The clinical pregnancy rate, implantation rate, ongoing pregnancy rate and live birth rate were significantly higher in TAM group than HRT group. Conclusion(s): In patients of recurrent thin endometrium, tamoxifen treatment in endometrium preparation may be a successful alternative approach

Objective: To investigate whether live birth rate (LBR) following frozen-thawed embryo transfer in tamoxifen -stimulated cycles (T-FET) differs from hormone replacement treatment FET (HRT-FET) in women with thin endometrium. Design: Retrospective cohort study. Setting: Tertiary-care academic medical center. Participant(s): A total of 671 patients with thin endometrium who fulfilled the inclusion criteria were involved in the period from January 2016 till February 2019. Methods In the group of T-FET, 20 mg TAM per day was giving from day 5 of the menstrual cycle for 5 days. Day-3 ET was performed four days after ovulation while blastocyst transfer was performed six days after ovulation. In the group of HRT-FET, estradiol val¬erate was taken 6 mg/d from menstrual cycle day 2-3. 12 to 14 days later progesterone 40 -60 mg/d was given. Embryo transfer was performed 3 or 5 days later for day-3 embryos or blastocysts respectively. Main Outcome Measure(s): LBR per embryo transfer was the primary outcome. The secondary end points included ongoing and clinical pregnancy rate, cancellation rate, endometrial thickness and pregnancy loss rate. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to adjust for potential confounders. Result(s): LBR was significantly higher in T-FET group than HRT-FET group. Moreover, the clinical and ongoing pregnancy rate also higher in the T-FET group than in the HRT-FET group. Conclusion(s): In patients with thin endometrium undergoing FET, tamoxifen use for endometrial preparation was associated with higher LBR compared with HRT cycles. Funding: No external funding was used.

Embryo selection is a key point of in vitro fertilization (IVF). The most commonly used method for embryo selection is morphological assessment. However, it is sometimes inaccurate. Follicular fluid (FF) contains a complex mixture of proteins that are essential for follicle development and oocyte maturation. Analyzing human FF proteomic profiles and identifying predictive biomarkers might be helpful for evaluating embryo quality. A total of 22 human FF samples were collected from 19 infertile women who underwent IVF/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) treatment between October 2021 and November 2021. FFs were grouped into two categories on the basis of the day 3 embryo quality, grade Ⅰ or Ⅱ in the hqFF group and grade Ⅲ in the nhqFF group. FF was analyzed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS). The key differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were validated by parallel reaction monitoring (PRM). Differentially expressed proteins were further analyzed using DAVID software. A total of 558 proteins were identified, of which 50 proteins were differentially expressed inthe hqFF vs. nhqFF group, including 32 upregulated proteins (>1.20-fold, P<0.05) and 18 downregulated proteins (<0.67-fold, P<0.05). Bioinformatics analyses showed that the upregulated DEPs were enriched in components of the coagulation and complement systems and negative regulation of peptidase activity, while the downregulated DEPs were enriched in molecular function of extracellular matrix structural and constituent collagen binding. Our results suggested that a number of protein biomarkers in FF were associated with embryo quality. It may help develop an effective and noninvasive method for embryo selection.

Background: Cumulative live birth rate (CLBR) becomes a comprehensive and meaningful indictor of the success of IVF nowadays. Frozen-embryo transfer (FET) was associated with a higher rate of live birth and a lower risk of the ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) patients. Progestin-primed ovarian stimulation (PPOS) is a new ovarian stimulation protocol in which oral progestin been used to prevent premature luteinizing hormone (LH) surges during ovarian stimulation. The purpose of the current study is to investigate the CLBR of an in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycle in women with PCOS following PPOS protocol compared with gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) antagonist protocol.Methods: It is a retrospective study. The first IVF cycle of 666 PCOS women were included. Ovarian stimulations were performed with PPOS or GnRH antagonist protocol. All patients included in the analysis had either delivered a baby or had used all their embryos of their first stimulated cycle. The patients were followed for 2–7 years until February 2020.Result(s): The CLBR were similar in the PPOS and GnRH antagonist group (64% vs 60.1%, P = 0.748). Logistic regression analyses showed treatment protocol (PPOS vs GnRH antagonist) did not show any significant correlation with the CLBR (adjusted OR: 0.898; 95% CI: 0.583-1.384, P=0.627). No statistically significant differences were found in the live birth rates per embryo transfer (41.3% vs. 38.4%) in the study group and controls.Conclusion(s): The results of this study showed that both the live birth rate per embryo transfer and the cumulative live birth rate were similar between PPOS and GnRH antagonist group. PPOS protocol is efficient in the controlled ovarian stimulation of patients with PCOS.