International Journal of Reproductive BioMedicine
Volume:20 Issue: 7, Jul 2022

Fibroblasts from different parts of the human body have been used in cell biology, drug discovery and cell therapy studies. One of the most available sources of human fibroblasts is neonatal foreskin. Not only do these cells have wound-healing applications, but they are also the most popular source for pluripotent stem cell biotechnology. Moreover, several studies have indicated that different sources of fibroblasts display similar features to mesenchymal stem cells.

Generation and establishment of new human foreskin fibroblast cell lines called Yazd human foreskin fibroblasts (YhFFs).

In this lab resources study, the production of 3 YhFF cell lines (YhFF#8, YhFF#17, and YhFF#18) is reported. Their biological features were characterized using immunofluorescence, polymerase chain reaction, and flow-cytometry for mesenchymal markers such as fibronectin, vimentin, CD44, CD73, CD90, CD105, and hematopoietic markers CD34 and CD45.

The YhFF cell lines were passaged more than 40 times and their normal karyotype was checked using G-binding. Similarly to previous reports, the flow cytometry analysis revealed that the YhFF cell lines displayed mesenchymal stromal cell characteristics.

This study will contribute to the development of clinical-grade cell-based products such as micro-vesicles and exosomes for future therapeutic applications in regenerative medicine.

Coronavirus infection has caused widespread concern among mothers and physicians about the health of pregnant women and infants.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical and prenatal findings of pregnant women with coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) virus.

The present study was a descriptive study that was conducted in 6 mother and child care centers. In this study, 81 pregnant women with COVID-19 admitted to centers in the period from March 2020-September 2020 were studied. Clinical and prenatal findings of the pregnant mothers were recorded using a data collection form with details of demographic characteristics and were analyzed.

The gestational age of the affected women was between 4 and 40 wk. 48 deliveries were performed and 25% of deliveries were preterm. Coronavirus infection was the cause of termination of pregnancy in 4 cases. The most common symptoms of women when visiting the medical centers were: dry cough (58.0%), muscle pain and myalgia (56.8%) and fever (51.9%). The most common laboratory findings in the women were: increased C-reactive protein (67.90%), lymphopenia (18.51%), decreased white blood cells (27.16%), and increased liver enzymes (18.51%). Regarding the status of the newborns, out of the 33 neonates examined, 3 neonates were diagnosed with COVID-19.

The most common symptoms of pregnant women with COVID-19 are similar to those of other adults. In relation to neonatal infection, given that a number of the neonates tested positive, there appears to be evidence of vertical transmission, which requires further investigation.

Assisted reproductive technology treatments are stressful procedures, but there are individual differences in the emotional response to them. Differences in response to this stress may be related to the outcome of infertility treatment.

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between coping strategies and infertility self-efficacy with pregnancy outcomes of women undergoing in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection treatment.

This was a prospective cohort study and the 154 infertile women were psychologically evaluated in 2 stages: once before ovarian stimulation and again during embryo transfer. The research measurements used were the revised COPE, the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21) and the Infertility Self-Efficiency Scale.

There was no significant difference between the group of non-pregnant women and the positive pregnancy group in terms of coping strategies (mental rumination, self-blame, active confronting, goal replacement, avoidance) or self-efficacy in either of the 2 stages of ovarian stimulation and embryo transfer. The Mann-Whitney test did not show any statistical difference between the clinically pregnant women and the only laboratory positive pregnant group. Moreover, the self-blame and mental rumination strategies were positively related with anxiety and depression. Conversely, active confronting, goal replacement, avoidance and self-efficacy were associated with decreased depression, anxiety and stress levels.

It can be concluded that there is no relationship between coping strategies and infertility self-efficacy with in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection outcomes. Further research is needed to clarify the effects of other psychological factors on the pregnancy outcomes of assisted reproductive treatment.

Hormone therapy is one of the most effective treatments for menopausal disorders, but it may increase the risk of breast cancer, coronary heart disease, and pulmonary embolism.

The present study investigated the effect of resistance training with and without vitamin D calcium (Ca++) chitosan nanoparticles on apoptosis markers in ovariectomized rats.

42 female Wistar rats were divided into 7 groups (n = 6/each). One group was assigned as the healthy control to show the induction of menopause. The other 6 groups comprised ovariectomized (OVX) animals including: 1) vitamin D + calcium + chitosan + resistance training, 2) saline + estrogen + resistance training, 3) saline + resistance training, 4) vitamin D + calcium + chitosan, 5) saline + estrogen, and 6) OVX + control. 48 hr after the last intervention, the hippocampus tissue was extracted to measure the BCL-2-associated X (BAX), B-cell lymphoma 2 (BCL-2), and caspase-3 gene expression as well as the percentage of dead cells.

OVX rats demonstrated increased BAX gene expression, the ratio of BAX gene expression to BCL-2, caspase-3 gene expression, and percentage of dead cells of hippocampal tissue, but decreased BCL-2 gene expression. Resistance training and vitamin D Ca++ chitosan nanoparticle supplements seemed to reverse these changes.

The combination of resistance training and vitamin D Ca++ chitosan nanoparticle supplements may be considered a non-pharmacological treatment for OVX-induced apoptosis.

Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) has been used as an option for couples with the possibility of having a baby with a genetic disorder. The common method for performing this test involves isolating one cell from day 3 or a few cells from day 5 embryos and performing genetic studies on the cell-extracted DNA. This method is invasive and can cause abortion after implantation in the uterus. Because of this, 2 noninvasive methods for performing a PGD have been studied :PGD using blastocyst fluid and PGD using embryo culture medium.

The aim of this study is to determine the sensitivity of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique to detect Y chromosome using cell-free DNA within culture medium for gender prediction of blastocysts.

In this study, the gender of 30 embryos on day 5 was determined using embryonic DNA extraction from the culture medium, and the PCR technique to evaluate genes sex-determining Region Y and fragile X mental retardation. Then, their accuracy was assessed using ultrasound.

The results of the PCR technique showed that 7 embryos were male, but an ultrasound revealed that 13 were male.

The given results indicated that because of the low amount of DNA extracted from the culture medium, the diagnosis of the existence of the Y chromosome by this method is still not accurate enough for detecting the gender of the embryo.

Chronic heat stress is a risk factor that adversely affects the reproduction system. Inflammation and fibrosis are 2 important response processes to damaged tissues.

This study investigates the association of chronic scrotal heat stress with testicular interstitial inflammation and fibrosis in mice.

For all experiments, 8-10 wk old male Swiss mice (Mus musculus) (20-23 gr) were divided into 3 groups (n = 10/each). The heat stress groups were submerged in a water bath at 37°C and 40°C, while the control group was treated at 25°C. The testicular tissues were performed hematoxylin and eosin staining, picro sirius red staining, and immunohistochemistry for intercellular adhesion molecule-1, fibroblast-specific protein 1, F4/80, collagen I, and Ki-67 staining to determine the testicular interstitial inflammation and fibrosis.

Chronic scrotal heat stress impairs spermatogenesis and reverses testicular histological structure. Heat stress significantly induced increased interstitial cell proliferation and upregulation of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 expression in the interstitial testicular tissue. In the interstitial testicular tissue, the number of F4/80-positive macrophages and the number of fibroblast-specific protein 1-positive fibroblasts were significantly increased in the heat-exposed groups compared to those in the control group. The heat exposed groups strongly increased extracellular matrix collagen accumulation in testicular interstitial tissues.

Heat stress adversely affects the testicular structure and spermatogenesis, causes inflammation, and progresses to testicular interstitial fibrosis.

Declining fertility in a woman of advanced age is associated with a depletion in ovarian reserve as well as declining oocyte and embryo quality. Determining the predictors of embryo quality may assist in stimulation target and cycle prediction. 

This study aims to identify factors affecting embryo quality among women of advanced age receiving intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) cycles.

This prospective cohort study was conducted over a period of 12 months, from January until December 2018, on 734 mature oocytes retrieved from 124 women of advanced age (35-45 yr old) receiving ICSI. The Society of Assisted Reproductive Techniques system was used to determine the morphological grading of embryo quality. The fertilization rate, cleavage rate, and pregnancy rate per cycle were expressed as a percentage per cycle for a total of 76 embryo transfers. Possible predictors of high-quality embryos were evaluated using single and multiple regression tests, with p < 0.05 considered as significant.

Out of the 586 available embryos, 288 (49.15%) high-quality embryos were obtained. The fertilization and cleavage rates were 86.18% and 97.83%, respectively. The total number of retrieved oocytes (R2 = 0.857) and the total available embryos (R2 = 0.857) were closely related to high-quality embryos. 76 embryo transfers were conducted, with 17 successful conceptions (implantation rate = 22.37% per transfer). There were no miscarriages among the pregnancies.

  Increasing the number of collected oocytes and the cleavage rate could increase the chance of obtaining more high-grade embryos. This could increase the success of ICSI among women of advanced age.

Herbal medicine could be effective at treating various illnesses. Hysteroscopy can be as an effective method for assessing the uterus in terms of anatomical, physiological and pathological anomalies.

This study aims to evaluate the effect of evening primrose oil (EPO) on cervical preparation in women candidates for hysteroscopy.

This study was a double-blind, randomized controlled clinical trial including 160 women candidates for diagnostic hysteroscopy who were referred to Al-zahra hospital from August 2019-March 2020. They were divided in 2 groups. Group A received 100 mg EPO as a soft gel capsule 6 hr before the hysterectomy in the posterior vaginal fornix. Group B received a placebo. After receiving the treatment, primary and secondary outcomes were evaluated in gropus.

The average Hegar size in the EPO group was larger than in the control group (p < 0.001, for both). Also, the need for mechanical dilation, the time taken until the first resistance and the time of dilatation completion in the EPO group were significantly less than in the placebo group (p < 0.008 for all). There was also greater ease of dilatation in the EPO group. Side effects such as uterine rupture, false passage, cervical rupture, allergic reaction, abdominal pain, nausea, diarrhea, headache and increase of bowel movements were not reported in any cases.

Based on the findings of the present study, EPO is effective for cervical preparation in women undergoing hysteroscopy.