International Journal of Reproductive BioMedicine
Volume:20 Issue: 5, May 2022

Endometriosis pathogenesis is related to the inflammation shown by the secretion of pro-inflammatory mediators. This hypoxia condition can stimulate this condition.

To investigate the effect of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) on the inflammation reaction of endometriosis-induced mice.

The animals were designated into 3 groups: I) the pre-test group, II) the post-test group receiving the HBOT, and III) the post-test group without HBOT. All groups were subjected to induction of endometriosis by xenotransplantation for 15 days. HBOT was given 30 min 3 times a day for 10 days. The evaluation of the HBOT effect was conducted by examining the endometrial tissue. The inflammation level was evaluated using the Klopfleisch semiquantitative scoring system (index remmele scale), whilst the expression of nuclear factor kappa (NFκB) beta was measured by immunohistochemical staining.

The results showed that group I demonstrated the highest level of inflammation degree (9.41 ± 1.99) compared to the post-test groups (group II: 1.60 ± 0.53; group III: 2.42 ± 0.53). The HBOT-groups was found to have the lowest inflammation level compared to the non-HBOT group (p = 0.020). The results demonstrated that HBOT lowered the peritoneal inflammation degree caused by the endometrial lesion in mice. NFκB expression on the post-test groups was significantly decreased, compared to the pre-test group (p ≤ 0.001), with a strong correlation between the NFκB expression and the peritoneal inflammation level (p ≤ 0.001, r = 0.670).

HBOT significantly reduced the inflammation level on the endometrial lesion in mice, involving the NFκB pathway.

The sperm DNA fragmentation index (DFI) is one of the men's reproductive health criteria that affects assisted reproductive technique outcomes. Efforts in obtaining high-quality mature sperms seem to be necessary. Advanced sperm selection techniques (including physiological intracytoplasmic sperm injection [PICSI], zeta potential, microfluidic, etc.) have gained popularity in this regard.

The study aimed to compare the efficacy of zeta potential and PICSI sperm selection in obtaining sperms with better DNA integrity.

In this cross-sectional study, 48 couples were enrolled where the male partner had increased sperm DFI in his ejaculated sample and the female was in normal reproductive health. For each male partner, the semen sample was processed with zeta potential and PICSI techniques, then the sperm DFI of neat semen was compared to zeta and PICSI samples by the sperm chromatin dispersion test.

Data showed that both the zeta potential and PICSI technique decreased sperm DFI in comparison with the neat semen sample (p < 0.001 for both). In addition, there was a statistically significant difference in sperm DFI between the PICSI and zeta potential samples (p < 0.01).

The current study showed that both zeta potential and PICSI could result in sperm with a lower DFI. However, PICSI seems to be superior to zeta potential in this regard.

Early diagnosis and appropriate treatment of endometriosis are vital and may prevent subsequent complications.

To investigate the diagnostic accuracy of transvaginal ultrasound sonography (TVUS) and transrectal ultrasound sonography for detecting endometriosis considering the age and body mass index (BMI).

This was a retrospective cohort study of 119 women scheduled for surgery in a tertiary health care center for clinically suspected endometriosis. Married and virgin women underwent TVUS and transrectal ultrasound sonography, respectively, before laparoscopic excision of endometriotic lesions.

The accuracy of TVUS in the diagnosis of right endometrioma in women with a normal BMI was superior to that in women with a BMI ≥ 30 (95.6% vs. 75.3%; p < 0.001). For the detection of left endometrioma in women with a normal BMI, TVUS demonstrated a sensitivity of 96.9% and a negative predictive value of 92.9%, which was significantly superior to TVUS in women with obesity (sensitivity: 77.4%, negative predictive value: 58.6%). The accuracy of TVUS in the diagnosis of left endometrioma in women under 35 yr was superior to that in women older than 35 yr (93.2% vs. 77.9%; p = 0.04). Similarly, the accuracy of TVUS in the diagnosis of right endometrioma in women under 35 yr was superior to TVUS in women older than 35 yr (86.5% vs. 73.3%; p = 0.04).

Ultrasound can be a useful technique for detecting endometriosis when used adjunctively with the patient’s history and physical findings, especially age and BMI.

Since women spend about one-third of their lifespan in menopause, accurate prediction of the age of natural menopause and its effective parameters are crucial to increase women's life expectancy.

This study aimed to compare the performance of generalized linear models (GLM) and the ordinary least squares (OLS) method in predicting the age of natural menopause in a large population of Iranian women.

This cross-sectional study was conducted using data from the recruitment phase of the Shahedieh Cohort Study, Yazd, Iran. In total, 1251 women who had the experience of natural menopause were included. For modeling natural menopause, the multiple linear regression model was employed using the ordinary least squares method and GLMs. With the help of the Akaike information criterion, root-mean-square error (RMSE), and mean absolute error, the performance of regression models was measured.

The mean age of menopausal women was 49.1 ± 4.7 yr (95% CI: 48.8-49.3) with a median of 50 yr. The analysis showed similar Akaike criterion values for the multiple linear models with the OLS technique and the GLM with the Gaussian family. However, the RMSE and mean absolute error values were much lower in GLM. In all the models, education, history of salpingectomy, diabetes, cardiac ischemic, and depression were significantly associated with menopausal age.

To predict the age of natural menopause in this study, the GLM with the Gaussian family and the log link function with reduced RMSE and mean absolute error can be a good alternative for modeling menopausal age.

Infertility has been a significant problem for couples in recent decades, and the issue can often lie with the male rather than the female.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of fats and minerals intake on semen parameters in infertile men.

This cross-sectional study was performed on 260 infertile men referred to Isfahan Infertility Clinic, Isfahan, Iran in the summer of 2018. Semen parameters regarding sperm concentration, total motility, normal morphology, and sperm volume were considered. To assess dietary intakes, a validated food frequency questionnaire was used.

In the adjusted model, the prevalence of abnormal concentration was 5.23 times higher in the top quartile of calcium intake, compared with the bottom quartile (p = 0.03). Also, the prevalence of abnormal morphology was 68% lower in the third quartile of calcium intake (p = 0.03). Additionally, the prevalence of abnormal concentration was 84% lower in the top quartile of folate intake in comparison to the bottom quartile (p = 0.01) and the prevalence of abnormal morphology was 70% lower in the top quartile of folate intake (p = 0.03). Additionally, the prevalence of abnormal concentration was 72% lower in the top quartile of selenium intake in comparison to the bottom quartile (p = 0.04). Furthermore, in the crude model, the prevalence of abnormal volume was 64% lower in the second quartile of linoleic acid intake rather than the first quartile (p = 0.01).

In conclusion, diets containing higher amounts of folate and selenium, and lower amounts of cholesterol, saturated fatty acid and calcium were associated with more favorable semen quality parameters.

Some previous human and animal studies have supported the idea that KDM3A down-regulation might be the main cause of male infertility, especially in non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA). The regulatory role of micro-RNAs (miRNA) has been investigated in the development of male infertility.

The expression level of hsa-miR-30a-5p in azoospermia was evaluated to reveal its possible association with the etiology of male infertility.

In this case-control study, 30 men with azoospermia (19 of whom had NOA) were selected as the case individuals, and 11 men with obstructive azoospermia (OA) were selected as control individuals. The best miRNA with the strongest ability to target the KDM3A gene was detected via comprehensive bioinformatics analysis. Reverse transcriptase quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to assess the expression level of hsa-miR-30a-5p. After analyzing the data, the expression level of hsa-miR-30a-5p was compared between men with NOA and men with OA.

The findings supported the idea that hsa-miR-30a-5p is the miRNA with the best ability to target the KDM3A transcript. The expression analysis of hsa-miR-30a-5p indicated a significant overexpression (p = 0.04) in men with NOA compared to in men with OA.

Hsa-miR-30a-5p was overexpressed in men with NOA compared to in control individuals. Hsa-miR-30a-5p could target the KDM3A transcript and may suppress its expression.

Congenital cardiovascular malformation is the most common group of birth defects. Fetal echocardiography is highly sensitive and specific in the diagnosis of congenital heart disease in low- and high-risk populations.

This study aimed to assess abnormal findings in fetal echocardiography and maternal disease.

This cross-sectional study was performed on 114 pregnant women referred to Afshar hospital, Yazd, Iran from October 2016 to March 2017. All pregnant women underwent fetal echocardiography through fetal heart screening protocol, which is administered by the international society of ultrasound in obstetrics and gynecology guidelines. Data collected included referral cause, gestational age, maternal age, gravida, and final diagnosis after an accurate fetal echocardiography.

The mean gestational age was 20 wk. The most common referral cause of pregnant women included diabetes (36.8%), fetal arrhythmia (14%), high maternal age (7%), and echogenic focus on ultrasound (6.1%). The most common postpartum findings were normal (68.4%), cardiac abnormalities (17.6%), and arrhythmias (14%). In postnatal echocardiography, the results were consistent with fetal echocardiography except in 2 women.

This study showed that fetal echocardiography can be used in the early diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart diseases.

Total fertilization failure (TFF) is associated with essential mechanistic and cellular events.

The present study is a comprehensive examination of detrimental effects with well-known assays for predicting TFF in conventional in vitro fertilization (IVF) and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) cycles.

Semen parameters of 90 men, including 60 cases who had experienced IVF/ICSI failure and a control group of 30 individuals, were evaluated. Sperm chromatin/DNA quality assessments were done by aniline blue, toluidine blue, chromomycin A3, and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assays. A lipid hydroperoxide (LPO) kit was used to measure the LPO, and JC1 staining was used to evaluate mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP).

There were statistically significant differences found between the IVF, ICSI and control groups by the toluidine blue (p = 0.01), TUNEL (p = 0.02), and chromomycin A3 (p < 0.001) tests, but not by the aniline blue staining. Furthermore, there was a significant difference regarding LPO concentration and high MMP in cases of IVF fertilization failure compared to the control group (p = 0.04, p = 0.02, respectively). The logistic regression model showed that sperm viability was predictive for fertilization failure in the ICSI group. Sperm chromatin and DNA quality assays were not predictors for TFF in either group.

Cellular events such as high DNA fragmentation damage, high levels of reactive oxygen species, and low MMP levels can cause TFF in IVF and ICSI programs. Diagnostic tests, especially in cases with previous fertilization failure, showed significant differences in sperm chromatin and DNA quality between groups but could not predict the risk of TFF.

The authors have been informed of some errors that occurred in the published paper. The errors are listed as:

A paragraph has been added to Materials and Methods section about blinding.
The statistical test which has been used in tables I, II has been changed from chi-square test to Fischer exact test.
The study results were re-analyzed, and some p-values were modified in tables.
The lasst paragraph of discussion section has been removed.


The authors wish to apologize for these errors. The online version of the article has been updated on August 29, 2021, and can be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.29252/ijrm. 15.4.231.