Correlation between viral infections in male semen and infertility: a literature review.

Infertility affects approximately one-sixth of couples globally, with the incidence of male infertility steadily increasing. However, our understanding of the impact of viral infections on fertility remains limited. This review consolidates findings from previous studies, outlining 40 viruses identified in human semen and summarizing their key characteristics, modes of transmission, and their effects on both the reproductive and endocrine systems. Furthermore, it elucidates potential pathogenic mechanisms and treatment prospects of viruses strongly associated with male infertility. This synthesis will enhance our comprehension of how viral infections influence male reproductive health, offering valuable insights for future research as well as the diagnosis and treatment of infectious infertility.

lncRNA TUG1 promotes endometrial fibrosis and inflammation by sponging miR-590-5p to regulate Fasl in intrauterine adhesions.

Intrauterine adhesion (IUA) is one of the most common reproductive system diseases in women worldwide. The role of lncRNAs in multiple diseases has been confirmed, but the role and mechanism of lncRNA taurine upregulated gene 1 (TUG1) in the progression of IUA need to be elucidated further. Here, we found that lncRNA TUG1 was upregulated in the endometrial tissues of IUA and TGF-ß1-treated human embryonic stem cells (hESCs). Moreover, lncRNA TUG1-silenced alleviated TGF-ß1-induced the proliferation and migration abilities of hESCs and enhanced inflammatory cytokines secretion in vitro. In vivo experiments showed that inhibition of lncRNA TUG1 promoted endometrium regeneration in IUA rats through downregulating inflammatory response and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process. Mechanistically, lncRNA TUG1 suppression attenuated EMT process and inflammation through competitively binding miR-590-5p to downregulate Fasl expression. Collectively, our findings provide vital theoretical evidence for explaining the mechanisms of the lncRNA TUG1/miR-590-5p/Fasl axis in the progression of IUA, and may provide a new biomarker for the treatment of IUA patients.

Analysis of pregnancy outcome after anastomosis of oviduct and its influencing factors.

BACKGROUND: This study aims to investigate the influencing factors of pregnancy after laparoscopic oviduct anastomosis. METHODS: The data of 156 cases of laparoscopic oviduct anastomosis in our hospital were analyzed. RESULTS: The pregnancy rate decreased with age (P < 0.005). The pregnancy rate after six years of anastomosis was higher in those with ligation (P < 0.005). The postoperative pregnancy rate significantly increased in subjects with oviduct lengths of > 7 cm (P < 0.01). The pregnancy rate of isthmus end-to-end anastomosis was higher (P < 0.005). The pregnancy rate after bilateral tubal recanalization was higher than that after unilateral tubal recanalization (P < 0.005). The pregnancy rate after laparoscopic tubal ligation and laparoscopic anastomosis was higher than that of open tubal ligation and laparoscopic anastomosis (P < 0.005). CONCLUSION: The pregnancy rate after laparoscopic oviduct anastomosis is higher in subjects below 35 years old, with a ligation duration of < 6 years, and a length of oviduct of > 7 cm, and those who underwent isthmus anastomosis and laparoscopic oviduct ligation and recanalization.

Effect of the population heterogeneity on growth behavior and its estimation.

Different types of the Logistic model are constructed based on a simple assumption that the microbial populations are all composed of homogeneous members and consequently, the condition of design for the initial value of these models has to be rather limited in the case of N(t(0))=N(0). Therefore, these models cannot distinguish the dynamic behavior of the populations possessing the same N(0) from heterogeneous phases. In fact, only a certain ratio of the cells in a population is dividing at any moment during growth progress, termed as theta, and thus, dN/dt not only depends on N, but also on theta. So theta is a necessary element for the condition design of the initial value. Unfortunately, this idea has long been neglected in widely used growth models. However, combining together the two factors (N(0) and theta) into the initial value often leads to the complexity in the mathematical solution. This difficulty can be overcome by using instantaneous rates (V(inst)) to express growth progress. Previous studies in our laboratory suggested that the V(inst) curve of the bacterial populations all showed a Guassian function shape and thus, the different growth phases can be reasonably distinguished. In the present study, the Gaussian distribution function was transformed approximately into an analytical form (Y(i)=alpha(e)[-0.5(x(i)-x(0)/b)(2)]) that can be conveniently used to evaluate the growth parameters and in this way the intrinsic growth behavior of a bacterial species growing in heterogeneous phases can be estimated. In addition, a new method has been proposed, in this case, the lag period and the double time for a bacterial population can also be reasonably evaluated. This approach proposed could thus be expected to reveal important insight of bacterial population growth. Some aspects in modeling population growth are also discussed.