In vitro maturation of human oocytes using culture in alginate matrix

Introduction: In vitro maturation (IVM) infertility treatment in women with infertility problems - for example, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) or ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) reduces the amount of gonadotrophin medications, thereby reducing the cost of treatment. This study aimed to investigate the effect of alginate three-dimensional culture on maturity of immature human oocytes and the amount of 8-cell embryos produced by sperm injection to oocyte cytoplasm (ICSI).Materials and methods: This experimental study was conducted in Mahdieh Infertility Research Center from 2015 to 2017.  A total of 70 immature oocytes from the female ovary to candidate for fertilization were selected and divided into two control and experimental groups. In the control group, the basic culture medium (TCM199, FSH 0/75, FBS10 %) and in the experimental group, the basic culture medium with the alginate was used. Then, the mmature oocytes were fertilized by ICSI and 8-cell embryos was evaluated by reverse microscope. Quantitative data was analyzed using the ANOVA statistical method and SPSS software at significant level of a P<0.05.Results: The amount of maturity of immature oocytes to MII metaphase stage and the arrival of the embryos to the 8-cell significantly increased in alginate group compared to the control group (P<0.001).Conclusion: Results demonstrated that alginate can increase the maturity of immature human oocytes and also increases the rate of embryos reaching the 8-cell stage.

Expression of Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase in Testicular Cells of Men with Obstructive Azoospermia; a Case-Control Study

Introduction: Obstructive azoospermia is one of the causes of post-testicular infertility in men and previous studies have reported inconsistent levels of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) enzyme in these patients. Accordingly, the present study aimed to provide further evidence on the expression of eNOS enzyme in patients with azoospermia. Materials and Methods: In this case-control study, 10 patients, who were diagnosed with azoospermia and were referred to the infertility center for treatment or diagnosis, and 7 healthy fertile men were recruited. An informed written consent was obtained from included subjects and they underwent testicular biopsies. Samples were assessed via immunohistochemical methods to determine their levels of eNOS expression. Results: Both leydig and sertoli cells were found to express eNOS, while this enzyme was not expressed in normal germinal cells. The only significant difference between the two groups was the level of eNOS expression in sertoli cells which was found to be higher in patients with obstructive azoospermia compared to the control group (P<0.001). Conclusion: According to the results of this study, sertoli cells and their interactions with germinal cells of seminiferous tubule might play an important role in sperm quality and a subsequent successful fertilization

marital satisfaction according to spouse’s smoking status

Introduction: One of the key aspects of mental health is one’s overall health and lifestyle. Longitudinal studies have shown that dissatisfaction with life causes long-term health damage and increases mortality, suicide tendency, unintentional injuries, disability at work, and diseases such as those of cardiovascular nature. Amongst all forms of satisfaction, that of marital is of utmost importance. On a separate note, inhalation of cigarette smoke exposes passive smokers to many chemical and toxic carcinogens, and it can negatively affect the non-smokers present. Furthermore, in psychiatric counseling sessions, many women report that they hate smoking. If we can show that inhaling cigarette smoke in men can have an impact on marital satisfaction, it can increase the consistency of family foundations and have positive effects on the health and spirit of family members by informing families. Methods: In this study, 200 housewives, who had smoking husbands that smoked at home, were subjected to pre-determined conditions, alongside 200 housewives who had non-smoking husbands and were therefore not exposed to smoking by their husbands at home. They were divided into two groups and were assessed by Marital Conflict Questionnaire (MCQ). For a closer look at the level of marital satisfaction, the questionnaire results were divided into three subgroups which were marked as low, moderate, and good. Results: After calculating the total score of the questionnaire and statistical analysis, the results showed a higher rate of marital satisfaction in women who had non-smoking husbands compared to those who had smoking husbands and this difference was considered significant at P-value <0.001. Conclusion: Inhaling cigarette smoke in men in the family environment may seem to make a good impression on the smokers, but as the results of our study suggest, it also has adverse effects on marital satisfaction

The study of detecting sperm in testis biopsy in men with severe oligospermia and azoospermia by two methods of wet prep cytologic and classic histopathologic

Background: Many azoospermic patients with non obstructive azoospermia (NOA) are candidate for testicular sperm extraction (TESE) and in vitro fertilization. Because sperm might be present in some but not all parts of the testes of such men, multiple sampling of testicular tissue are usually necessary to increase the probability of sperm finding. Sperm finding can be done by two methods: 1) classic histopathology and 2) wet smear. Objective: Comparative study of pathology and wet smear methods for discovering sperm in testis biopsy of azoospermic men. Materials and Methods: We prospectively studied 67 consecutive infertile men who referred to Fatemieh Hospital, Hamedan, Iran between April 2002 and September 2004. All patients were either azoospermic or severely oligozoospermic. They underwent intraoperative wet prep cytological examinations of testis biopsy material and then specimens were permanently fixed for pathologic examination too. Results: Among the 67 testes that underwent wet prep cytological examination, 44 (65.7%) were positive and 23 (34.3%) had no sperm in their wet smear. On the permanent pathologic sections, 19 (28.4%) were positive and 48 (71.6%) cases were with no sperm in their sections. Among all the individuals 18 (26.8%) were negative in both studies, while 14 (20.8%) had minimum 1 sperm in their smears in both examinations. The positive cases in wet prep cytological examination were significantly more than the cases in the permanent histopathologic sections (p-value=0.000). Conclusion: It seems that wet prep cytological examination is more reliable than permanent histopathologic sections in detecting sperm in testis biopsy of azoospermic men

Anti-mullerian hormon level and polycystic ovarian syndrome diagnosis

Background: Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrinopathy that accompanied with long term complications. The early diagnosis of this syndrome can prevent it. Objective: The aim was to determine the role of anti-mullerian hormon (AMH) in PCOS diagnosis and to find cut off level of it. Materials and Methods: In this cross sectional study, 117 women between 20-40 years old were participated in two groups: 60 PCOS women (based on Rotterdam criteria consensus) as the case group and 57 normal ovulatory women as the control group. In day 2-4 of cycle, transvaginal sonography was performed and serum hormonal level of AMH, luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), estradiol (E2), testosterone, fasting blood sugar (FBS), thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), and prolactin (PRL) were measured in all of participants. For all of them score of hirsutism (base on Freeman-Galloway scoring) was determined. Results: There were statistically significant in irregular pattern of menstruation, AMH and FSH level, and presence of hirsutism between two groups. But regarding mean of age, body mass index, plasma level of PRL, TSH, LH, Testosterone, FBS, and E2 differences were not significant. Construction by ROC curve present 3.15 ng/ml as AMH cut off with 70.37% sensitivity and 77.36% specificity in order to PCOS diagnosis. Conclusion: AMH with cut off level of 3.15 ng/ml with sensitivity 70.37% and specificity 77.36% could use for early diagnosis of PCOS patients