Chromosomal aneuploidies and associated rare genetic syndromes involved in male infertility

Background and objectives: Recent investigations have reported more than 70 genetic syndromes involved in male infertility; however, the majority of these syndromes are extremely rare. We aimed to report the most common chromosomal abnormalities and associated rare genetic syndromes in the context of human male infertility. Materials and Methods: We performed a review of published articles considering the most common chromosomal aneuploidies and rare genetic syndromes associated with male infertility on PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus. Results: Chromosomal abnormalities are frequently found in infertile men, with an incidence rate of 2-15%. The chromosomal aberrations include the sex and autosomal chromosome abnormalities, as well as numerical and structural defects in chromosomes. There are various rare genetic syndromes involved in male infertility that are caused by structural and numerical abnormalities in chromosomes. Klinefelter syndrome is the most common type of sex chromosome aneuploidy in infertile males. Besides, Y chromosome microdeletions, particularly in azoospermia factor regions, serve as the second most common genetic cause of impaired spermatogenetic in infertile men. These molecular genetic abnormalities not only can be inherited, but also they may transmit to the next generation through assisted reproductive techniques and result in the birth of boys with higher risk of congenital abnormalities and infertility. Despite the normal secondary male sexual characteristics, some patients are azoospermic or severe oligozoospermic men. Therefore, identification of these molecular genetic factors and rare genetic disorders is essential in men with unexplained infertility. Discussion and conclusion: Since most of molecular genetic abnormalities can be transmitted to the next generation, identification of these rare genetic disorders is crucial for men with unexplained infertility. It is also essential for clinicians and physicians of reproductive medicine and andrologists to initiate genetic evaluation, aneuploidy screening and counseling prior to any therapeutic procedures

Role of Job Stressors on Quality of Life in Nurses

Background and purpose: Job stress is one of the main factors that reduce productivity in organizations and leads to physical and psychological complications in personnel. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between job stressors and quality of life in nurses. Materials and methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was performed in all nurses (n=394) working in Sari Imam Khomini Hospital. In this study, 196 individuals (155 females and 41 males) were selected by stratified random sampling. Expanded Nursing Stress Scale (ENSS) and World Health Organization Quality of Life questionnaire were used to collect the data. Statistical analysis was done in SPSS V20. Results: According to findings, 79% of changes in quality of life were predicted by occupational stressors. There was a significant relationship between quality of life variables and job stressors (P =0.001). Also, the total mean score for quality of life was more favourable in morning shifts (37.77, P<0.001). The results showed that high levels of work-related stress would decrease quality of life and its reduction improves quality of life.  Conclusion: Job stress in respondents had negative effects on some aspects of their quality of life. Therefore, nurse managers should build appropriate relationships with nurses and support them to reduce their physical needs and psychological pressures. Staff participation in making decisions could also be of great benefit in reducing job stress and improve the quality of life of nurses

Total Antioxidant Capacity and Lipid Peroxidation in Semen of Patient with Hyperviscosity

Semen hyperviscosity (SHV) is one of the factors involved in deficiency in sperm function. This research aimed to evaluate seminal plasma total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in infertile patients with hyperviscous and non-hyperviscous semen samples to understand whether hyperviscous semen is associated with oxidative damage in infertile subjects. In this cross sectional study, 59 semen samples were provided by fertile (n=12) individuals as control, infertile patients with normal viscosity (n=25) and infertile patients with hyperviscosity (n=22). After semen parameters examination, semen viscosity was studied by glass pipettes. Seminal plasma TAC and MDA levels were measured by ferric reducing of antioxidant power (FRAP) and thiobarbituric acid reaction (TBAR) methods, respectively. A probability less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant throughout the article. The mean of sperm parameters including: counts, motility and normal morphology in patients with hyperviscosity were significantly lower than those in non-hyperviscosity patients (p<0.05, p<0.01 and p<0.001, respectively). The mean of seminal plasma TAC value in seminal plasma of non-hyperviscosity patients (1710.31 ± 458.67 μmol/l) was significantly (p<0.01) higher than that of hyperviscosity group (1230.25 ± 352 μmol/l). A trend toward a higher mean of seminal plasma MDA value was estimated for hyperviscous group compared with non-hyperviscous (1.01 ± 0.41 nmol/ml vs. 0.94 ± 0.28 nmol/l); however, it was nonsignificant. Hyperviscous semen impairs seminal plasma TAC which is eventually associated with sperm membrane lipid peroxidation