International Journal of Reproductive BioMedicine
Volume:5 Issue: 2, Jan 2007

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a genetically based disorder which reflects multiple potential aetiologies and variable clinical presentations. It is clearly a heterogeneous syndrome, and current proposed diagnostic criteria include a number of disorders with similar phenotypes but radically different aetiologies. The lack of well-defined diagnostic criteria makes identification of PCOS confusing to many clinicians and seriously delayed the clarification of its genetics, aetiology, clinical associations and assessment of treatment. There is no universally accepted clinical definition for PCOS. In this review the genetic causes and diagnosis criteria of PCOS will be discussed.

Division of Human Genetics (DHG) is a referral center for karyotyping and counseling to the couples as well as to the individuals referred with bad obstetric history and infertility.

From 1972 to 2003, overall 1666 couples and 131 female partners with bad obstetric history (BOH) such as; spontaneous abortions, live births with congenital malformations and still born and 73 infertile male partners have been referred for chromosomal analysis.

The chromosomal abnormality was found in 4.4% (83) of the sample studied. Chromosomal abnormality was seen in 56 couples (3.4%), 15 female (11.5%) and 12 male (16.4%) partners. The numerical chromosomal abnormality were seen in 34 (41%) and the structural abnormalities in 49 (59%) cases. The numerical chromosomal abnormalities were associated with sex chromosomes as follows (the number of cases are shown in parenthesis)...

Physalis alkekengi (P. alkekengi)has been used as an abortive plant in Iranian traditional medicine for many years.

To investigate the effects of P.alkekengi on the fertility rate in female rats.

In this experimental study, 40 female albino rats were divided randomly into two groups; group 1/for investigating the implantation sites and group 2/ for investigating the number and weight of neonates. In both groups, treated animals received plant extract at dose of 150 mg/kg on days 1-5 of pregnancy. In group 1, treated animals were euthanized at 7th days of pregnancy and number of implantation sites were counted. In group. ..

Research studies on reproductive mechanism of laboratory animals are essential for further advancement of assisted reproductive techniques (ART). One of these studies includes the assessment of in-vitro development of pre-implantation embryos. The objective was to compare the cleavage rates and morphology of in-vivo formed 2 to 8 cell embryos and blastocysts with in-vitro culture of the same embryos for 24 h.

6-8 weeks old female NMRI mice were superovulated with 8IU pregnant mare's serum gonadotropin (PMSG, ip). Two superovulated animals were caged with one male mouse for mating. Mated mice were killed by cervical dislocation at different time intervals to collect a total of 200 (50/ each) 2, 4, 8, and blastocyst embryos from uterine tubes and horns. Following morphological evaluation and cleavage rates, all embryos were incubated in Whittingham's T6 media+5% BSA for 24 h. Following incubation at 37ºC in 5% CO2, the cleavage rates as well as morphological feature of each embryo was re-evaluated and compared with the original embryos.

The best quality embryos collected from uterine tubes were at 2-cells stage, which were reduced when compared with in-vivo developed 4-8 cells embryos. 88% and 52% of 2 and 8 cells embryos were respectively at grade A stage. 28 embryos out of 50 eight-cell embryos were at grades C and D after incubation. Following in vitro culture, the development of 16%, 24%, 24%, and 40% of the 2, 4, 8 cells, and blastocysts were arrested, respectively. Also, only 2 blastocysts (8%) reached the hatching stage which in comparison with in-vivo blstocysts were increased (P>0.05).

In-vitro culture of the in-vivo formed embryos reduced their cleavage rates and morphology, especially at more advanced stages. Therefore, it becomes necessary to improve the in-vitro culture condition and to transfer the embryos at early stage to consequently improve the implantation rates.

Multiple factors have been suggested for prediction of pregnancy in Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) cycles such as the number of injected oocytes, fertilization rate, embryo morphology and quality of transferred embryos. Predictive value of these factors is important in ICSI outcome.

To evaluate the role of embryo morphology for prediction of pregnancy in ICSI cycles.

This retrospective study was done on 97 patients who were treated by ICSI in Fatemeh Zahra Fertility and Infertility Centre from April 2004 to March 2005. Number of retrieved oocytes, number of injected oocytes, fertilization rate, zygote morphology, rate of cytoplasmic fragmentation, number of four cell transferred embryos, and quality of embryo transfer, as predictors of pregnancy in ICSI cycles were evaluated. The results analysed by T-test, Mann-Whitney U test and Fisher's exact test. Logistic regression was used to estimate the significance of variables in the prediction of pregnancy probability.

Out of 97 patients, 42 cases of pregnancy were detected (Pregnancy rate: 43.3%). The number of four cell transferred embryos was 112 (53.84%) in pregnant group. Pregnancy occurred in 33 (58.9%) patients with at least one good quality zygote. The mean number of four cell transferred embryos and the quality of zygotes had significant difference between pregnant and not pregnant groups (p=0.006 and p=0.000 respectively). In logistic regression analysis, the number of four-cell transferred embryos (p=0.007) and the quality of zygotes (p=0.003) were significant predictors of the pregnancy outcome.

Our results suggest that the number of four-cell transferred embryos with ≤ 15% cytoplasmic fragmentation and zygotes with centralized, apposed and polarized pronuclei in women <38 years old are significant predictors for pregnancy in ICSI cycles.

Since embryonic stem (ES) cells have the dual ability to proliferate indefinitely and differentiate into multiple tissue types, ES cells could potentially provide an unlimited cell supply for human transplantation.

In order to study the differentiation of mouse embryonic stem (mES) cells, they were cultured in suspension by using ES media without Leukemia Inhibitory Factor (LIF) to induce spontaneous differentiation. Cellular morphology of differentiated derivatives was then evaluated.

Undifferentiated mES from our laboratory were cultured in three different settings by using ES media containing 0.1% / 1mM trypsin/EDTA and removing LIF; in the absence of murine embryonic fibroblast (MEF) feeder cells (group 1), in the presence of MEF feeder cells with a density of 0.5×105 cells/ml (group 2), and 0.5×106 cells/ml (group 3). Five days after the initiation of cell culture, and inducing mES cells to form embryoid bodies (EBs), they were removed from dish by centrifugation, and then they were cultured on collagen coated dishes for 20 days. The dishes were fixed and stained by Wright-Gimsa method at the end of the study period.

In group 1, mES cells showed spontaneous differentiation to all derivatives of three germ cells, including: epithelia like, fibroblast like and neron-like cells. In group 2, almost all ES cells were found to be differentiated into granular progenitor cells including hematopoietic cell lineages. In group 3, various morphologies including nerve cell lineages and fibroblastlike cells were detected.

Differentiation of mES cells can be a dose response process, depending on the factors that may be released from MEF feeder layer to ES media in a coculture system. Our results indicated that in the presence of low numbers of MEF cells, mES cells can spontaneously differentiate into hematopoeitic cell lineages.

Fertility is considered as a life conservative phenomenon among married couples which can be obliterated by various conditions affecting both males and females. In the other hand addiction is a problem which increasingly developed among the various populations throughout the world, and there are evidences that addiction may affect the hypothalamous-pituitary-gonadal axis and sexual functions.The precise pharmacological effects of chronic use of opium on serum level of gonadotropins and male sex hormones are not studied extensively. This study was conducted to investigate the changes in these parameters in opium addicted men.

The blood samples from 46 opium addicts and 46 normal men were taken, and the testosterone, LH and FSH levels in serum were measured by radioimmunoassay (RIA) technique using a LKB gamma counter.

The result of this study showed that the serum testosterone in opium addicts were decreased significantly compared to the controls (p<0.01). This reduction was directly proportional to the duration of opium usage. The LH and FSH level in opium addicts showed also significant reduction compared to the controls (p<0.01and p<0.05 respectively)...

The presence of anti-sperm antibodies (ASA) in semen or serum may impair sperm function leading to immunological infertility. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of ASA on the surface of sperm and in circulating blood of infertile couples. In this cross sectional study, we studied 49 couples suffering from infertility for at least one year. Serum ASA (IgG and IgA classes) was examined by indirect SpermMAR test. Also, ASA (IgG and IgA classes) attached to the surface of spermatozoa were tested by direct SpermMAR method in ejaculates from infertile men. ASA were positive in 8% of semen samples (2% IgG, 4% IgA, 2% both IgG and IgA classes). Only in one woman, ASA of the IgG class was found in serum samples. The presence of ASA may impair fertilizing ability and is a serious factor which may prevent the success of various fertilization techniques. ASA assessment should be considered as an essential part of infertility management...