Depeng Zhao

Shenzhen Maternity and Child Healthcare Hospital · Reproductive Medicine

IMPACT STATEMENT What is already known on this subject? Low birth weight (LBW) is associated with adverse perinatal outcomes and neonatal disease and death. The aim of this study was to investigate the factors affecting low birth weight infants in a developed region in China. What the results of this study add? According to this study, the incidenc...

Objective To compare the pregnancy outcome after fresh embryo transfer between GnRH antagonist and GnRH agonist regimens in patients with thin endometrium. Methods This retrospective study included all fresh embryo transfers following GnRH agonist or GnRH antagonist protocols in patients with thin endometrium from 2016 to 2021. The thin endometriu...

Transposable elements (TEs) and transcription factors (TFs) are involved in the precise regulation of gene expression during the preimplantation stage. Activation of TEs is a key event for mammalian embryonic genome activation and preimplantation early embryonic development. TFs are involved in the regulation of drastic changes in gene expression p...

Background Fetal growth restriction (FGR) is attributed to various maternal, fetal, and placental factors. Trophoblasts participate in the establishment and maintenance of pregnancy from implantation and placentation to providing nutrition to fetus. Studies have reported that impaired trophoblast invasion and proliferation are among factors driving...

Background: A large body of evidence shows that insufficient trophoblast invasion and proliferation contributes to the pathogenesis of fetal growth restriction (FGR). Circular RNAs (circRNAs) were recently recognized to have a part in regulating the trophoblast function. We aim to elucidate the role of circRNAs underlying the development of FGR. Me...

In this study, a novel small molecule estradiol guanidine derivative (Guanidoestradiol, GDT) for female reproductive system targeting and nitric oxide (NO) release has been constructed by conjugating 17 β -estradiol and L-arginine through an esterification reaction. After intraperitoneal administration in female mice, the serum Griess assay and imm...

Background: Platelet-rich thrombosis leads to the occlusion of arteries. Whether the association between platelet count and closure of hemodynamically significant patent ductus arteriosus (hsPDA) exists remains inconclusive. Given that neonatal platelet count is significantly affected by infection, this study aims to evaluate the association of pla...

Previous studies have revealed that transcription factors (TFs) play important roles in biparental (BI) early human embryogenesis. However, the contribution of TFs during early uniparental embryo development is still largely unknown. Here we systematically studied the expression profiles of transcription factors in early embryonic development and r...

Purpose Ovulation induction (OI) using letrozole or human menopausal hormone (hMG) is recently developed for endometrium preparation in frozen embryo transfer (FET) cycles. The purpose of this study is to compare the live birth rate of twin pregnancies between modified natural and OI regimens for endometrium preparation in FET cycles. Study design...

Children show a distinct presentation of COVID‐19, characterized by a lower incidence and mild phenotype, but the reason for this is still unknown. The angiotensin‐converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) functions as the primary cell entry receptor for SARS‐CoV‐2 and is thought to cause distinct clinical features between children and old people. The primary pur...

Background The age-specific definition of low anti-müllerian hormone (AMH) is lacking. This study aims to define an age-specific reference for low AMH and to evaluate the associated outcome in women undergoing IVF treatment. Methods A retrospective study was performed in women receiving IVF treatment at the Shenzhen maternity and child healthcare...

Biomineralization refers to the process of functional minerals biosynthesis in organisms. This study introduced artificial mineralization operations on human oocytes and performed micromorphological and material studies. The folic acid and a cationic polymer were used to achieve in-situ mineralization on zona pellucida surface through CaP precipita...

Introduction: Preeclampsia affects about 10% of twin pregnancies and significantly increases the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes. However, screening models for preeclampsia in twin pregnancies remains elusive. The present study aimed to evaluate the performance of a multi-marker first trimester preeclampsia screening model in low-risk twin preg...

Background: GS-5734 as a novel and promising medicine for COVID-2019, its biological impact on the mammalian reproductive system has not been systematically studied. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of GS-5734 on sperm parameters and spermatogenesis in mice. Materials and Methods: In this study, GS-5734 was synthesized according to...

(Abstracted from Genet Med 2019;21:2293–2302) Noninvasive prenatal screening for aneuploidy using cell-free DNA (cfDNA) has been used since 2011 to identify fetal genetic disorders such as trisomies 13, 18, and 21. However, these tests can give false-positive results or fail all together when other conditions, such as maternal cancer, are present.

Purpose: Multiple chromosomal aneuploidies may be associated with maternal malignancies and can cause failure of noninvasive prenatal screening (NIPS) tests. However, multiple chromosomal aneuploidies show poor specificity and selectivity for diagnosing maternal malignancies. Methods: This multicenter retrospective analysis evaluated 639 pregnan...

Objective: To evaluate the relation between Hb levels and the size of the placental anastomoses. Methods: We performed a retrospective review of all uncomplicated MC twins delivered vaginally at our center from 2002 to 2017. Hb levels at birth and on day 2 were retrieved. All MC placentas were routinely injected with colored dye and high-resolut...

Objectives: To evaluate the incidence of residual anastomoses (RA) after laser therapy for twin-twin transfusion syndrome (TTS) and investigate risk factors for incomplete laser surgery. Material and methods: All available TTS placentas treated with laser at our center between 2002 and 2016 were injected with color dye to assess the presence of...

Objective To investigate the color difference between two placental shares in monochorionic placentas with acute peripartum twin–twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS) and twin anemia–polycythemia sequence (TAPS). Methods We evaluated all digital pictures of TAPS, acute peripartum TTTS and a control group of uncomplicated monochorionic placentas examine...

Introduction: The aim of this study is to evaluate the incidence and causes of intentional fetal and neonatal demise in twin-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS). Material and methods: All TTTS pregnancies managed at our centre between 2000 and 2014 were included. We evaluated incidence and causes of intentional fetal/neonatal demise, defined as ter...

Background The introduction of the Solomon technique for the treatment of twin-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS) increased placental exposure to laser energy. This study aims to identify the impact of power and energy used in laser treatment on placental tissue and pregnancy outcome. Methods Pictures of all dye-injected placentas since the start...

Objective Our objective was to study the differences in haemoglobin (Hb) at birth in dichorionic (DC) versus monochorionic (MC) twins in relation to birth order and mode of delivery. Methods All consecutive DC twin pregnancies and uncomplicated MC twin pregnancies with two live-born twins delivered at our centre were included in this retrospective...

Prenatal stress (PS) inhibits cell proliferation in the hippocampal dentate gyrus (DG), which is related to hippocampal anatomy and function abnormality. The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of magnesium sulfate (MgSO4) on PS-induced cell proliferation suppression in offspring during embryonic stage and postnatal spatial learning. Mg...

Introduction: The type of cord insertion within monochorionic twin pairs could be different. The purpose of study is to evaluate the association of different combinations of placental umbilical cord insertions with birth weight discordance in a large cohort of monochorionic twins. Methods: All consecutive monochorionic placentas from either unco...

Objective: To estimate the incidence of histologic chorioamnionitis and funisitis after fetoscopic laser surgery for the management of twin-twin transfusion syndrome. Methods: A case-control study was performed at the Leiden University Medical Center from 2013 to 2014. All patients with twin-twin transfusion syndrome managed with laser surgery d...

Introduction: Twin-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS) and twin anemia polycythemia sequence (TAPS) are severe complications in monochorionic twin pregnancies associated with high mortality and morbidity risk if left untreated. Both diseases result from imbalanced inter-twin blood transfusion through placental vascular anastomoses. Areas covered: T...

Objective: To investigate the occurrence of early-onset neonatal sepsis (EOS) in twin–twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS) managed with laser surgery. Study design: We performed a prospective cohort study of all consecutive TTTS cases treated with laser surgery (TTTS group) delivered at the Leiden University Medical Center. We recorded the occurrence...

Aim: To determine the differences in hemoglobin (Hb) levels in the first 2 days after birth in uncomplicated monochorionic twins in relation to birth order and mode of delivery. Methods: All consecutive uncomplicated monochorionic pregnancies with two live-born twins delivered at our center were included in this retrospective study. We recorded...

Placental vascular anastomoses in twins lead to a shared circulation and may subsequently enable the development of severe complications such as twin–twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS) and twin anemia–polycythemia sequence (TAPS). The presence of vascular anastomoses has frequently and systematically been studied in monochorionic (MC) placentas, but...

Objective: To determine the color intensity difference between the 2 placental shares in monochorionic placentas with twin anemia-polycythemia sequence (TAPS). Methods: We evaluated all digital pictures of TAPS placentas examined at our center and compared them to a control group of uncomplicated monochorionic placentas. We determined the color...

Vasa previa is a condition in which one or more fetal blood vessels run through the amniotic membranes and cross or run near the external orifice of the uterus. Rupture of membranes can lead to tearing of these vessels and cause acute fetal exsanguination. In monochorionic twin (MC) pregnancies, acute exsanguination in one twin can lead to severe c...

The aim of this study is to evaluate the prevalence of veno-venous (VV) anastomoses in a large cohort of monochorionic (MC) twin placentas with twin-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS) compared to a control group of MC placentas without TTTS. All TTTS placentas not treated with fetoscopic laser surgery (TTTS group) and examined at five international f...

Introduction Twin anemia-polycythemia sequence (TAPS) is a newly described form of chronic twin transfusion. Previous observational studies noted a discordance between birth weight and individual placental share in TAPS. The purpose of this study was to investigate if fetal growth in monochorionic (MC) twins with TAPS is determined by placental sha...

El examen cuidadoso de la placenta y los estudios de inyección son cruciales para comprender las diferencias existentes entre las diversas complicaciones de los embarazos MC. En esta revisión, vamos a describir primero un método preciso y simple de inyección placentaria y, posteriormente, abordaremos las características de una placenta normal en MC...

Numerous studies have demonstrated that prenatal stress disturbs the hippocampal-mediated learning and memory processes in offspring. The underlying mechanisms for this effect, however, remain vague. It is well documented that N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors play a pivotal role in learning and memory, which are related to dynamically traffick...