Strawberry Notch 1 (SBNO1) promotes proliferation of spermatogonial stem cells via the noncanonical Wnt pathway in mice / 亚洲男科学杂志(英文版)

While it is known that spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) initiate the production of male germ cells, the mechanisms of SSC self-renewal, proliferation, and differentiation remain poorly understood. We have previously identified Strawberry Notch 1 (SBNO1), a vertebrate strawberry notch family protein, in the proteome profile for mouse SSC maturation and differentiation, revealing SBNO1 is associated with neonatal testicular development. To explore further the location and function of SBNO1 in the testes, we performed Sbno1 gene knockdown in mice to study the effects of SBNO1 on neonatal testicular and SSC development. Our results revealed that SBNO1 is required for neonatal testicular and SSC development in mice. Particularly, in vitro Sbno1 gene knockdown with morpholino oligonucleotides caused a reduction of SSCs and inactivation of the noncanonical Wnt pathway, through Jun N-terminal kinases. Our study suggests SBNO1 maintains SSCs by promoting the noncanonical Wnt pathway.

Analysis of UU,CT, NG and MG in Infertile Women and Comparison of Different Detection Methods / 现代检验医学杂志

Objective To analyze the distribution of pathogens in the genital tract of infertile female,and comparing traditional methods with simultaneous amplification and testing (SAT) in the detection of UU,CT,NG and MG.Methods 467 female infertility patients were selected from the reproductive center of Suzhou Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University between June and September 2016 to analyze the distribution of UU,CT,MG and NG.The age was between 20 to 48 years old (mean 31.52±6.83 years old).352 cases of female patients with assisted reproductive technology were selected,aged from 21 to 46 years old (mean 30.67±6.67 years old).The swabs were tested by traditional methods or SAT.The sensitivity and specificity of the methods in detecting the pathogens were evaluated according to the experimental results.Results Among the 467 infertile women,the number of UU positive cases was the highest,the positive rate was 62.53％ (292/467),the positive rate of CT was 1.93％ (9/467) and the positive rate of NG was 0.21％ (1/467),and the positive rate of MG was 1.71％ (8/467).UU infection rate was higher in infertile women than normal control group 23.81％ (25/105) (x2 =52.01,P＜0.01).352 cases of female patients with assisted reproductive technology were selected for further analysis.For UU detection,the positive rate of swab samples detected by liquid culture was 48.9％,while the positive rate detected by SAT was 63.9％.Obviously the positive rate of SAT was higher than that of liquid culture.Swab culture and SAT results were analyzed by paired x2 test (x2 =41.93,P＜0.01).The positive rate of CT SAT was 1.71％,and the positive rate of CT-latex method was 0.28 ％.There was significant difference between CT latex method and SAT (Fisher exact probabilistic method statistical analysis,P＜0.005),which indicated that SAT method had a higher sensitivity.The positive rate (1.7 ％) and sensitivity (100％) of SAT were also higher than that of traditional method.Conclusion UU was the most common pathogen in female reproductive tract pathogens,followed by CT and MG.The SAT method has higher sensitivity than the conventional method in detecting of UU and CT.

Sperm chromatin structure assay versus sperm chromatin dispersion test in detecting sperm DNA integrity and correlation of sperm DNA fragmentation with semen parameters / 中华男科学杂志

Objective@#Sperm DNA fragmentation (SDF) is widely used to predict male infertility and the methods of detecting SDF are varied. This study aimed to compare two methods of SDF detection and investigate the correlation between SDF and sperm quality.@*METHODS@#Using sperm chromatin structure assay (SCSA) and sperm chromatin dispersion test (SCD), we detected SDF in 108 semen samples collected in the Center of Reproduction and Genetics of Suzhou Municipal Hospital. We compared the results of the two methods and analyzed the correlations of SDF routine semen parameters, sperm morphology and the age of the patients.@*RESULTS@#A significant consistency was found in the SDF index (DFI) between the two methods (P<0.01). The DFI was correlated negatively with sperm motility, the percentage of progressively motile sperm, and that of morphologically normal sperm (P <0.01), but positively with the teratozoospermia index (P <0.01 in SCSA and P <0.05 in SCD). The DFI measured by SCSA showed a significantly positive correlation with the patients' age (P <0.01), but not that obtained by SCD.@*CONCLUSIONS@#The results of both SCSA and SCD play an important role in predicting sperm quality. As a clinical index, the DFI has a predictive value for male infertility. However, the results of different detecting methods vary widely, which calls for further studies on their standardization.

Ultrastructural observation of morphologically abnormal sperm: Advances in studies and application / 中华男科学杂志

Sperm ultrastructural abnormalities are often associated with sperm motility, the integrity of genetic material, and the fertilization potential. The investigation of sperm ultrastructural abnormalities is based on the evolution of microscopy techniques. In his paper, we review the improvement of the microscopy techniques and the ultrastructure of several specific morphological defects and he apoptotic spermatogenic cells in order to expound the significance of sperm ultrastructural observation in clinical practice. We deem it necessary to analyze the sperm ultrastructure before exploring the pathology and adopting assisted reproductive technology for some special patients with teratozoospermia.

Relationship of sperm morphology with the outcomes of in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the application value of normal sperm morphology on the outcomes of classic in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>This study included 659 infertile couples admitted to our center for IVF-ET. Based on the percentage of morphologically normal sperm (MNS), we divided the patients into groups A (n = 112, MNS < 2%), B (n = 180, MNS > or = 2 - < 4%), C (n = 74, MNS > or = 4 - < 5%), and D (n = 293, MNS > or = 5%), and compared the rates of fertilization, normal fertilization, embryos obtained, biochemical pregnancy, clinical pregnancy, implantation, and live birth among different groups.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The mean fertilization rate was significantly higher in groups C (71.90%) and D (72.89%) than in A (57.97%) and B (63.29%) (P < 0.05), with no remarkable differences either between A and B (P > 0.05) or between C and D (P > 0.05). The normal fertilization rate was also significantly higher in group D (57.16%) than in A (46.52%) and B (50.89%) (both P < 0.05) as well as in C (54.67%) than in A (P < 0.05). The rate of embryos obtained, too, was markedly higher in group D (55.62%) than in B (45.75%) (P < 0.05), but none with remarkable difference from other groups (all P > 0.05). There were no statistically significant differences among the four groups in the rates of biochemical pregnancy, clinical pregnancy, implantation, abortion, and live birth (all P > 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The rate of MNS had some influence on IVF-ET, and 5% MNS exhibited a higher value than 4% MNS in predicting the outcomes of IVF.</p>

Dysplasia of the fibrous sheath in human sperm: an update / 中华男科学杂志

The ultrastructural abnormalities of human sperm flagella can cause sperm movement disorders. Dysplasia of the fibrous sheath (DFS) is an autosomal recessive genetic disease. The affected sperm in 95-100% of the patients display short, thick and irregular tails. Transmission electron microscopy can be used to confirm the diagnosis, which reveals gross abnormal flagella, with hypertrophy and hyperplasia of the fibrous sheath, without orderly disposition in longitudinal columns and transversal ribs. The axoneme shows variable distortion or almost complete obliteration. Microtubular doublets may exhibit partial or total lack of dynein arms. The genetic etiology of DFS is not yet clear. DFS does not affect the rates of fertilization and clinical pregnancy in ICSI, but due attention should be paid to the genetic risks in the offspring of the patient.

The value of histopathologic examination of testis tissue from testicular sperm aspiration / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate histopathologic examination of the testis tissue from testicular sperm aspiration (TESA).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We analyzed the results of inverted microscopy and histopathologic examination of 96 samples of testis tissue from TESA, and compared the accuracy of the two methods in detecting sperm in the testis tissue.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Among the 11 cases in which sperm was found by inverted microscopy, 9 were confirmed by histopathologic examination, and among the 57 cases in which sperm was not detected by inverted microscopy, 11 (19.3%) were found with sperm by histopathologic examination. Histopathologically, the cases in which sperm was not found by inverted microscopy included Sertoli-cell-only syndrome (n = 34), maturation arrest (n = 12) and hypospermatogenesis (n = 11).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Histopathologic examination may reveal sperm in the TESA testis tissue proved to be sperm-absent by microscopy, and thus offer valuable information for a second testicular sperm retrieval.</p>

Analysis of GJB2 gene and mitochondrial DNA A1555G mutations in 16 families with non-syndromic hearing loss / 中华医学遗传学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To screen for genetic mutations in families featuring non-syndromic hearing loss.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Sixteen families with non-syndromic hearing loss were interviewed to identify medical histories by a questionnaire. Audiological and neurological examinations were conducted for all families. Coding regions of GJB2 and 12S rRNA genes were amplified and sequenced.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Of the 17 patients with sensorineural hearing loss, 3 were homozygous mutation for GJB2 235 delC, 1 was 235 delC heterozygous mutation, 1 was 235 delC+299_300 delAT compound heterozygous mutation, and 6 were 79G>A+341G>A heterozygosis in cis mutation. No 1555A>G mutation of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) was found in the 16 families.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The incidence of mtDNA 12S rRNA 1555A>G mutation in Jiangsu province may be lower than the average across China. Mutations of GJB2 genes may account for as much as 64.7% of non-syndromic hearing loss in this study. Screening for such mutations and genetic counseling may play an important role in the prevention of hereditary hearing loss.</p>