Superoxide dismutase in polycystic ovary syndrome patients undergoing intracytoplasmic sperm injection

PURPOSE: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is associated with oxidative stress (OS) and serum superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity has been reported with mixed results. The objective of this study was to examine the activity of SOD both in the serum and FF from women with PCOS undergoing ICSI, as well as the expression of Cu/Zn-SOD mRNA in the cells recovered from the FF. METHODS: Forty women undergoing an ICSI trial were divided into: group I, included 20 PCOS cases, group II included 20 age-matched controls with tubal factor infertility. Both groups were similarly stimulated. A total of 204 metaphase II (MII) oocytes were aspirated; (108) from PCOS, and (96) from the control group. SOD activities in the serum and FF, as well as Cu/Zn-SOD (SOD1) mRNAs in follicular fluid (FF) cells were analyzed. RESULTS: There was a statistically highly significant decrease (p < 0.001) both in the mean serum SOD (45.56 ± 18.06) and FF SOD activity (42.49 ± 11.46) in PCOS than the control group (77.38 ± 7.82), (74.37 ± 6.15) respectively. The mean relative levels of Cu, Zn SOD mRNAs was significantly lower (p < 0.001) in cells isolated from the FF in PCOS (0.36 ± 0.14) than the control group (0.81 ± 0.15). SOD activity in FF had no effects on fertilization rate (p > 0.05), or embryo quality after intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). CONCLUSION: Although decreased SOD activity in FF has no effect on fertilization rate and/or embryo quality, serum SOD activity could be a clinical parameter for determining systemic oxidative stress in PCOS

Is early intervention using Mansoura-VV uterine compression sutures an effective procedure in the management of primary atonic postpartum hemorrhage? : a prospective study

Abstract Background Postpartum hemorrhage is the leading cause of maternal death, uterine atony accounts for 75-90% of primary postpartum hemorrhage. The efficacy of the Uterine compression suture in the treatment of atonic postpartum hemorrhage is time-tested and can be said to be almost established.The aim of this study was to assess the role of the Mansoura-VV uterine compression suture as an early intervention in the management of primary atonic postpartum hemorrhage. Methods This prospective observational study included 108 women with primary atonic PPH over a period of 44 months. Uterine atony was diagnosed when the uterus was soft and failed to respond to ordinary ecbolics. Early intervention by Mansoura-VV uterine compression sutures was carried out within 15 min of the second dose of ecobolics and before progressing to any further surgical procedure. Results Following the Mansoura-VV uterine compression sutures, uterine bleeding was controlled in all except one patient (107/108 cases; 99.07%) who required additional bilateral uterine vessels ligation. Another case (0.93%) was subjected to re-laparotomy due to intraperitoneal hemorrhage. Packed RBC transfusion was needed in 10 cases (9.25%). Admission to ICU was needed in 9 cases (8.33%) because of associated medical conditions. One week following the procedure, 1 case (0.93%) was diagnosed with haematometra. Conclusion Early intervention in cases of primary atonic PPH using the Mansoura-VV uterine compression sutures is an easy, rapid and effective method in controlling PPH in low resource settings. Trial registration The study was registered at clinicaltrial.gov , Identifiers: NCT03117647 “retrospectively registererd” registered at April 7, 2017

The Association Between Coenzyme Q10 Concentrations in Follicular Fluid with Embryo Morphokinetics and Pregnancy Rate in Assisted Reproductive Techniques

This study seeks to evaluate the association between follicular fluid (FF) coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) levels, embryo morphokinetics, and pregnancy rate. Sixty infertile patients who underwent intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) cycles were included in the study. For each patient, CoQ10 level of the follicular fluid was measured by high-performance liquid chromatography system. After the ICSI of each oocyte, the relationship between the level of CoQ10 content of each follicular fluid, the subsequent embryo quality, and embryo morphokinetics was investigated. The relationship between the level of CoQ10 content of each follicle and optimal time-lapse parameters for the embryos of these follicles including t5, s2, and cc2 was also analyzed. The embryos were further classified into four categories, namely, grades A, B, C, and D, according to morphokinetic parameters using t5-t2 and t5-t3 (cc3). Each follicular fluid analysis was performed for a single oocyte of a single embryo which was transferred to the patients. Additionally, follicular fluid CoQ10 levels and pregnancy rates were evaluated. Follicular fluid CoQ10 levels were significantly higher in grades A and B than grades C and D embryos (p < 0.05). The concentration of CoQ10 levels was significantly higher in the pregnant group (p < 0.05). There was no significant correlation between optimal t5 and s2 morphokinetic parameters and CoQ10 levels. However, CoQ10 levels were significantly higher in follicular fluid of embryos which had optimal cc2 (p < 0.05). High follicular fluid CoQ10 level is associated with optimal embryo morphokinetic parameters and higher pregnancy rates.Wo