Association of DAZ and DAZLA Gene Loci with Spermatogenesis in Patients with Idiopathic Azoospermia and Severe Oligospermia.

Aim: To explore the relationship between DAZ (Deleted in Azoospermia, DAZ) and DAZLA (Deleted in Azoospermia-like autosomal) gene deletion and male idiopathic azoospermia and oligozoospermia. Methods: 80 patients with azoospermia (azoospermia group) and 80 patients with oligozoospermia (oligozoospermia group) who were treated at our hospital from April 2021 to April 2023, and male volunteers who underwent health examinations at our hospital during the same period were selected as the control group, The incidence of DAZ and DAZLA gene locus deletion in three groups of men was detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and the differences of reproductive hormone levels and main semen parameters among the three groups were compared. The azoospermia were stratified according to whether DAZ and DAZLA gene locus deletion occurred. Results: DAZ gene locus deletion rate in azoospermia and oligospermia groups was considerably higher than in the control group (P < .05). The DAZLA gene locus deletion rate in the azoospermia group was apparently higher than that in the oligospermia and control groups (P < .05). The semen volume was compared between azoospermia and oligospermia patients and controls (P > .05). Sperm concentration, sperm survival rate, the proportion of normal morphological sperm, and the proportion of progressive motility sperm in the oligospermia group were lower than those in the control group (P < .05). The levels of serum T (Testosterone, T) and T/LH in the azoospermiaspermia group were lower than those in the control group (P < .05). Serum LH (Luteinizing Hormone) and FSH (Follicular Stimulating Hormone) in azoospermia group and oligospermia group were higher than those in the control group (P < .05). The Serum LH determination value of the azoospermia group is higher than the oligospermia group (P < .05). Serum T/LH in the azoospermia group was lower than in the oligospermia group (P < .05). The serum T and T/LH values in azoospermia male patients with DAZ and DAZLA gene deletion were lower than those without deletion (P < .05). Sperm concentration and survival rate of oligospermatism male patients with DAZ gene deletion were lower than those without deletion (P < .05). Sperm and serum T and T/LH values of oligospermatism male patients with DAZ gene deletion were lower than those without deletion (P < .05). Conclusion: The incidence of DAZ and DAZLA gene locus deletion in male patients with idiopathic azoospermia and oligozoospermia was higher than in normal males. The gene locus deletion was related to decreased androgen level, sperm count and motility.

Serum fructose concentrations are positively correlated with dyslipidaemia in women with polycystic ovary syndrome.

RESEARCH QUESTION: Is there an association between fructose and dislipidaemia in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)? DESIGN: Serum fructose levels were measured in 250 women with PCOS (113 with dislipidaemia, 137 with normolipidaemia) and 460 controls (70 with dislipidaemia, 390 with normolipidaemia). Logistic regression was used to model the relationship between serum fructose levels and dyslipidaemia. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was used to assess the ability of serum fructose levels to predict dislipidaemia in women with PCOS, and PCOS in women with dislipidaemia. RESULTS: Patients with PCOS and dislipidaemia had higher serum fructose levels. Triglycerides, total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol increased with increasing serum fructose quartiles in patients with PCOS, whereas high-density lipoprotein cholesterol decreased (all P < 0.001). Among the lipid metabolism-related indicators, triglycerides were most associated with fructose (R = 0.626, P < 0.001). Serum fructose at a cut-off value of 9.79 pmol/µl had a sensitivity of 83.2% and specificity of 66.4% for predicting dislipidaemia in women with PCOS. Lower serum fructose levels were strongly associated with a decreased risk of dislipidaemia in women with PCOS (P < 0.001; OR 0.067; 95% CI 0.027 to 0.170). Moreover, high fructose levels are predictive of PCOS in women with dislipidaemia, with a better diagnostic performance than the androgens typically used as markers. CONCLUSION: Serum fructose levels are significantly correlated with dislipidaemia in women with PCOS, highlighting the importance of investigating the role of fructose in lipid metabolism of PCOS.

Spatiotemporal processing in photoplethysmography for skin microcirculatory perfusion imaging.

Technological advances in the real-time visualization of cutaneous microcirculation aim to realize benefits including high-resolution imaging, suppressed noise, and robust temporal coherence. Photoplethysmography (PPG), a noninvasive technique that measures single or multiple points of relative blood volume changes in blood vessels under the skin, shows potential as a signal candidate for visualizing blood vessels and tracking blood flow. However, challenges still remain, such as extracting/image reconstruction of the blood vessel/flow signal in a precise frequency window (<0.2 Hz) from a noisy image that is caused by the loss of spatial coherence of the light source in a turbid biological tissue. We attempted to overcome this challenge by adopting a combination of direct-contact-type, lens-less, conformable imagers and singular value decomposition (SVD) in this study. We focused on the numerical analysis of SVD for discriminating the tissue and vein blood flow in PPG for reconstructing blood fluidic images, followed by a complete demonstration of skin microcirculation blood tracking in the vessel visualization process when applying our lens-less, conformable, wearable imagers.

The perinatal outcomes of frozen-thawed blastocyst transfer are better than fresh blastocyst transfer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES: Transfer of cryopreserved-warmed blastocysts is common in the practice of in vitro fertilization. The purpose of the study is to examine the available evidence and determine whether cryopreservation of blastocysts and subsequent frozen blastocyst transfer (BT) result in better outcomes than fresh BT. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Related studies comparing outcomes of in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles between fresh and frozen BTs were retrieved from Medline, Cochrane Central Register of Clinical Trials, EMBASE, DARE, and CINAHL through March 2020. The outcomes of interest were preterm birth, extremely preterm birth, small for gestational age, large for gestational age, low birth weight, extremely low birth weight, caesarean section, perinatal mortality and preeclampsia. The analysis was performed using Rev Man 5.1 software. Risk ratios (RRs) and risk differences were calculated with 95% confidence intervals, to evaluate the results of each outcome. The quality of the referenced studies was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale (NOS) checklists. RESULTS: Nine studies with 42,342 women incorporated in this meta-analysis. The incidence of preterm birth (RR = 0.89, 95% CI: 0.82, 0.97) and small for gestational age (RR = 0.55, 95% CI 0.41-0.74) was low in frozen BT group. There was no significant difference in the risk of low birth weight (RR = 0.89, 95% CI: 0.67, 1.19) and perinatal mortality (RR = 1.47, 95% CI: 0.85, 2.55) between frozen-thawed and fresh BT. Singleton pregnancy after frozen BT was associated with higher large for gestational age (RR = 1.47, 95% CI: 1.37, 1.57), caesarean section rates (RR = 1.24, 95% CI: 1.13, 1.36) and preeclampsia compared with fresh BT (RR = 1.85, 95% CI: 1.22, 2.82). CONCLUSIONS: The frozen BT results in better perinatal outcomes compared with that of fresh BT. Furthermore, comprehensive randomized clinical trials comparing freeze-all with fresh BT cycles are needed to draw sound conclusions.

POSTN Promotes the Proliferation of Spermatogonial Cells by Activating the Wnt/ß-Catenin Signaling Pathway.

The self-renewal of spermatogonial cells (SCs) provides the foundation for life-long spermatogenesis. To date, only a few growth factors have been used for the culture of SCs in vitro, and how to enhance proliferation capacity of SCs in vitro needs further research. This study aimed to explore the effects of periostin (POSTN) on the proliferation of human SCs. GC-1 spg cells were cultured in a medium with POSTN, cell proliferation was evaluated by MTS analysis and EdU assay, and the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway was examined. Thereafter, the proliferations of human SC were detected using immunofluorescence and RT-PCR. In this study, we found that CM secreted by human amniotic mesenchymal stem cells (hAMSCs) could enhance the proliferation capacity of mouse GC-1 spg cells. Label-free mass spectrometry and ELISA analysis demonstrated that high level of POSTN was secreted by hAMSCs. MTS and EdU staining showed that POSTN increased GC-1 spg cell proliferation, whereas CM from POSTN-silenced hAMSCs suppressed cell proliferation capacity. Then POSTN was found to activate the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway to regulate the proliferation of GC-1 spg cells. XAV-939, a Wnt/ß-catenin inhibitor, partially reversed the effects of POSTN on GC-1 spg cell proliferation. We then analyzed human SCs and found that POSTN promoted human SC proliferation in vitro. These findings provide insights regarding the role of POSTN in regulating SC proliferation via the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway and suggest that POSTN may serve as a cytokine for male infertility therapy.

Meiotic chromosome behavior in a human male t(8;15) carrier.

Reciprocal translocation is one of the most common structural chromosomal rearrangements in human beings; it is widely recognized to be associated with male infertility. This association is mainly based on the abnormal chromosome behavior of the translocated chromosomes and sex chromosomes during meiosis prophase I in reciprocal translocation carriers. However, the underlying mechanisms are not completely known. Here we report a reciprocal translocation carrier of t(8;15), who is oligozoospermic due to apoptosis of primary spermatocytes and to premature germ cell desquamation from seminiferous tubules. Further analysis showed abnormal synapsis and recombination frequency in this patient, indicating a connection between chromosome behavior and apoptosis of primary spermatocytes. We also compared these observations with recently reported findings on spermatogenesis defects in reciprocal translocation carriers, and discuss the possible mechanisms underlying both common and unique phenotypes of reciprocal translocations involving different chromosomes with the aim of further understanding the regulation of human spermatogenesis.