Influence of the technological process on the biochemical composition of fresh roe and bottarga from liza ramada and mugil cephalus

Bottarga is a high-priced delicacy with high nutritional value, and, in Italy, bottarga from mullets has been recognized to be a traditional food product. The flathead grey mullet Mugil cephalus and the thinlip grey mullet Liza ramada are the main cultured grey mullets in the Mediterranean Sea. In this study, fresh roe and bottarga from these two species were investigated to evaluate the influence of the technological process and the species on their biochemical composition and health advantages. The 1 h/200 g salting-out step did not increase the levels of NaCl in the bottarga, although it highly decreased the levels of some heavy metals like Cu and Al. Processing of fresh roe in bottarga led to an essential modification of the lipid fraction, following a general series of monousatturated fatty acid (MUFA)> poliunsutturated fatti acid (PUFA) > saturated fatty acid (SAFA) and an increase in both !3 and !6 in Liza ramada. Moreover, bottarga showed higher levels of squalene and cholesterol and an increased Essential Amino Acid/Total Amino Acid ratio (EAA/TAA) in both species. In addition to the nutritional benefits for the consumer, the process proposed in this study may represent a reliable tool for local producers to obtain a final bottarga with both a reproducible biochemical composition and organoleptic characteristics

Effect of vitamin D supplementation on assisted reproduction technology (ART) outcomes and underlying biological mechanisms: protocol of a randomized clinical controlled trial. The "supplementation of vitamin D and reproductive outcome" (SUNDRO) study

Background Vitamin D plays an important role in human physiology and pathology. The receptor for vitamin D regulates 0.5-5% of the human genome. Accordingly, vitamin D insufficiency has been shown to increase the risk of several diseases. In recent years, based on growing evidence, on a role of vitamin D has been also postulated in reproductive health both in animals and humans, especially in female fertility female fertility. In vitro fertilization success was shown to be higher in women with appropriate reserves of vitamin D. However a causal relation has not been demonstrated and randomized controlled trials testing the effectiveness of vitamin D supplementation in IVF are warranted. Methods This is a multicenter randomized double blinded placebo controlled study aimed at determining the benefits of vitamin D [25(OH)D] supplementation in improving clinical pregnancy rate in women undergoing IVF. Eligible women with a serum level of 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] < 30 ng/ml will be randomized. Recruited women will be given the drug (either 600,000 IU of 25(OH) D or placebo in a single oral administration) at the time of randomization. Two centres will participate and the sample size (700 women) is foreseen to be equally distributed between the two. Patients will be treated according to standard IVF protocols. Discussion The primary aim of the study is the cumulative clinical pregnancy rate per oocyte retrieval. Clinical pregnancy is defined as the presence of at least one intrauterine gestational sac with viable foetus at first ultrasound assessment (3 weeks after a positive human chorionic gonadotropin [hCG] assessment). Secondary outcomes include: 1) clinical and embryological variables; 2) oocyte and endometrium quality at a molecular level. To investigate this latter aspect, samples of cumulus cells, follicular and endometrial fluids will be obtained from a subgroup of 50 age-matched good-prognosis cases and controls

Coagulation Status in Women With Endometriosis

Subtle alterations in coagulation and fibrinolysis have been recently reported in patients with endometriosis supporting a potential hypercoagulable status associated with the disease. This cross-sectional study aimed at evaluating some variables of coagulation status and inflammatory markers in women with endometriosis. A total of 314 women who underwent surgery were considered. The case group (n = 169) included patients with a surgical diagnosis of endometriosis, at any stage of disease. The control group (n = 145) included women with a surgical diagnosis of benign gynecologic pathology. No difference was found for thrombin time, International Normalized Ratio (INR), platelet count, neutrophil count, lymphocyte count, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) between women with endometriosis and controls. Conversely, patients with endometriosis had significantly shortened activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) when compared to controls (1.08 \ub1 0.06 and 1.12 \ub1 0.19, respectively; P < .01). In the subgroup analysis, women with ovarian endometriosis had significantly shortened APTT values in comparison to women without this form and women with stage I to II endometriosis had significantly shorter APTT values and higher PLR than those with stage III to IV disease. In multivariate logistic regression analysis, after controlling for potential confounders, a shortened APTT remained associated with the disease. Activated partial thromboplastin time is shorter in women with endometriosis but still in the normal range. The evidence is insufficient to foresee a possible use of APTT as a diagnostic marker and to claim a crucial role of a systemic hypercoagulable state in the origin of the disease. A role of the local coagulation system in the pathogenesis of the disease cannot be excluded

Human Chorionic Gonadotrophin as a Possible Mediator of Leiomyoma Growth during Pregnancy : Molecular Mechanisms

Uterine fibroids are the most common gynecologic benign tumors. Studies supporting a strong pregnancy-related growth of leiomyomas generally claimed a crucial role of sex steroid hormones. However, sex steroids are unlikely the unique actors involved as estrogen and progesterone achieve a pick serum concentration in the last trimester while leiomyomas show a typical increase during the first trimester. Given the rapid exponential raise in serum human Chorionic Gonadotrophin (hCG) at the beginning of gestation, we conducted a review to assess the potential role of hCG in the striking growth of leiomyomas during initial pregnancy. Fibroid growth during initial pregnancy seems to correlate to the similar increase of serum hCG levels until 12 weeks of gestation. The presence of functional Luteinizing Hormone/human Chorionic Gonadotropin (LH/hCG) receptors was demonstrated on leiomyomas. In vitro treatment of leiomyoma cells with hCG determines an up to 500% increase in cell number after three days. Expression of cyclin E and cyclin-dependent kinase 1 was significantly increased in leiomyoma cells by hCG treatment. Moreover, upon binding to the receptor, hCG stimulates prolactin secretion in leiomyoma cells, promoting cell proliferation via the mitogen-activated protein kinase cascade. Fibroid enlargement during initial pregnancy may be regulated by serum hCG

Metabolic responses of clams, Ruditapes decussatus and Ruditapes philippinarum, to short-term exposure to lead and zinc

This study investigated the effects of 48h heavy metal exposure upon the metabolic profiles of Ruditapes decussatus and Ruditapes philippinarum using 1H NMR metabolomics. Both species were exposed to increasing concentrations of lead nitrate (10, 40, 60 and 100μg/L) and zinc chloride (20, 50, 100 and 150μg/L), under laboratory conditions. ICP-OES analysis was further performed on the clams' samples in order to verify the occurrence of heavy metal bioaccumulation. With respect to the controls, the metabolic profiles of treated R. decussatus exhibited higher levels of organic osmolytes and lower contents of free amino acids. An opposite behavior was shown by R. philippinarum. In terms of heavy metal, the exposure effects were more evident in the case of Pb rather than Zn. These findings show that NMR-based metabolomics has the required sensitivity and specificity for the identification of metabolites that can act as sensitive indicators of contaminant-induced stres

Predicting the success of IVF : External validation of the van Loendersloot&apos;s model

STUDY QUESTION Is the predictive model for IVF success proposed by van Loendersloot et al. valid in a different geographical and cultural context? SUMMARY ANSWER The model discriminates well but was less accurate than in the original context where it was developed. WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN Several independent groups have developed models that combine different variables with the aim of estimating the chance of pregnancy with IVF but only four of them have been externally validated. One of these four, the van Loendersloot's model, deserves particular attention and further investigation for at least three reasons; (i) the reported area under the receiver operating characteristics curve (c-statistics) in the temporal validation setting was the highest reported to date (0.68), (ii) the perspective of the model is clinically wise since it includes variables obtained from previous failed cycles, if any, so it can be applied to any women entering an IVF cycle, (iii) the model lacks external validation in a geographically different center. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION Retrospective cohort study of women undergoing oocyte retrieval for IVF between January 2013 and December 2013 at the infertility unit of the Fondazione Ca' Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico of Milan, Italy. Only the first oocyte retrieval cycle performed during the study period was included in the study. Women with previous IVF cycles were excluded if the last one before the study cycle was in another center. The main outcome was the cumulative live birth rate per oocytes retrieval. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS Seven hundred seventy-two women were selected. Variables included in the van Loendersloot's model and the relative weights (beta) were used. The variable resulting from this combination (Y) was transformed into a probability. The discriminatory capacity was assessed using the c-statistics. Calibration was made using a logistic regression that included Y as the unique variable and live birth as the outcome. Data are presented using both the original and the calibrated models. Performance was evaluated correlating the mean predicted chances of live births in the five quintiles and the observed rates. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE Two-hundred-eleven live births (27%) were obtained. The c-statistic was 0.64 (95% CI: 0.61-0.67, P < 0.001). The slope of the linear predictor (calibration slope) expressed as an Odds Ratio was 1.81 (95% CI: 1.46-2.24, P < 0.001), corresponding to a beta of 0.630. The calibration intercept was +0.349 (P = 0.13). While a clear discrepancy exists using the original model, data appear properly distributed with the calibrated model. The Pearson coefficient of the correlation between the mean predicted chances of live births in the five quintiles and the observed rates was 0.99 (P = 0.002). LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION Data were collected retrospectively, thus exposing them to potential inaccuracies. The selection criteria for access to IVF adopted in our center might be too stringent, leading to the exclusion of women with a poor, yet acceptable chance of live birth. Therefore, the validity of the model in women with a very low chance of live birth could not be tested. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS The van Loendersloot's model can be used in other contexts but it is important that it has local calibration. It may help in counseling couples about their chance of success but it cannot be used to exclude treatments. Further research is needed to improve the discriminatory performance of IVF predictive models. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTERESTS None. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER Not applicable

Is endometrioma-associated damage to ovarian reserve progressive? Insights from IVF cycles

OBJECTIVE: The relation between endometriomas and damage to ovarian reserve remains controversial. In this study, we hypothesized that this damage may not be present at the time of endometrioma formation but may conversely gradually develop over time. STUDY DESIGN: To investigate the possibility of a time-related detrimental effect of endometriomas on ovarian reserve, we retrospectively selected 29 women with unilateral cysts who underwent at least two IVF cycles at least 6 months apart and evaluated ovarian responsiveness over time. Women were excluded if they conceived, developed new endometriomas or necessitated new medical or surgical therapies for endometriosis during the interval between the two cycles, RESULTS: The mean\ub1SD of the diameter of the endometriomas was 26\ub18mm. Most women (n=25) had only one endometrioma. In the first cycle, the number of developing follicles in the affected and contralateral intact gonads was 4.9\ub12.5 and 5.9\ub12.4, respectively (p=0.10). In the second cycle, it was 5.0\ub12.9 and 6.0\ub12.8, respectively (p=0.13). The median (Interquartile Range) proportion of follicles developing in the affected ovaries in the first and second cycles was 44% (31-58%) and 44% (35-55%), respectively (p=0.97). Subgroup analyses according to the duration of the time interval between the two assessments, the dimension of the endometriomas and the history of previous surgery for endometriosis did not show subgroups at significant risk of time-related damage. CONCLUSIONS: We failed to observe an endometrioma-related reduction of ovarian responsiveness with time. However, evidence from larger series obtained in women carrying larger cysts and enrolled for longer time period of time are required for a definitive conclusion

Thyroid axis dysregulation during in vitro fertilization in hypothyroid-treated patients

Background: While there is a large body of evidence showing a significant impact of controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH) on thyroid function in euthyroid patients undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF), information on the effect of this treatment on thyroid axis equilibrium in hypothyroid-treated patients is insufficient. The goal of this prospective study was to investigate serum thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) modifications in hypothyroid-treated patients during IVF. Methods: Hypothyroid-treated women selected for IVF between November 2010 and December 2011 were considered for study entry. They were eligible if serum TSH tested the month preceding the IVF cycle was 0.4-2.5 mIU/L. Additional inclusion criteria were as follows: (1) a certified diagnosis of clinical or subclinical hypothyroidism; (2) consumption of at least 25\u3bcg of levothyroxine daily; (3) serum free triiodothyronine and free thyroxine tested the month preceding the IVF cycle within the reference range; (4) no previous IVF cycles; (5) regular menstrual cycles; and (6) day 3 serum follicle-stimulating hormone 0.5ng/mL. Serum TSH was tested at three time points: between day 1 and day 8 of the cycle during the month preceding the start of controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH), at the time of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) administration and at 16 days after hCG administration. Results: Seventy-two women met our selection criteria. The serum levels of TSH at basal assessment, at the time of hCG administration, and at 16 days after hCG administration were 1.7\ub10.7, 2.9\ub11.3, and 3.2\ub11.7 mIU/L, respectively. All pairwise comparisons were statistically significant. Serum TSH exceeded the threshold of 2.5 mIU/L in 46 subjects at the time of hCG administration (64%, [CI: 53-75%]) and in 49 subjects 16 days after hCG administration (68%, [CI: 57-79%]). Conclusions: Serum TSH increased considerably during COH in adequately treated hypothyroid women undergoing IVF. We suggest strictly monitoring these women during IVF cycles and, if necessary, promptly adjusting the levothyroxine dose. This is the most pragmatic approach but, to date, it is not supported by clinical evidence. Further studies aimed at clarifying the most suitable therapeutic strategy are thus warranted