Human sperm proteome reveals the effect of environmental borne seminal polyaromatic hydrocarbons exposome in etiology of idiopathic male factor infertility.

Introduction: Polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are considered as redox active environmental toxicants inducing oxidative stress (OS) mediated injury to cells. Oxidative predominance is reported in 30%-80% of idiopathic male infertility (IMI) patients. Hence, this work aims to unravel correlation, if any, between seminal PAH exposome and sperm function in IMI patients through a proteomic approach. Methods: Seminal PAH exposome was analyzed in 43 fertile donors and 60 IMI patients by HPLC and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was applied to find out the cut-off limits. Spermatozoa proteome was analyzed by label free liquid chromatography mass spectroscopy (LC-MS/MS) followed by molecular pathway analysis using bioinformatic tools. Validation of key proteins' expression and protein oxidative modifications were analyzed by western blot. Results and discussion: Of the 16 standards toxic PAH, 13 were detected in semen. Impact of the different PAHs on fertility are Anthracene < benzo (a) pyrene < benzo [b] fluoranthene < Fluoranthene < benzo (a) anthracene

Comparative proteome profiling of seminal components reveal impaired immune cell signalling as paternal contributors in recurrent pregnancy loss patients.

PROBLEM: Recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) is usually evaluated from a women's perspective, however, recent evidence implies involvement of male factors as paternally expressed genes predominate placenta. During fertilization, prior to implantation the immune system purposefully produces early pregnancy factors with potent immunomodulatory properties for adaptation to antigenically dissimilar embryo. Therefore, it is hypothesized that paternal immunological factors play a role in RPL. METHOD OF STUDY: Comparative proteome profiling (label free liquid chromatography mass spectroscopy: LC-MS/MS) of the seminal extracellular vesicles (SEVs), extracellular vesicle free seminal plasma (EVF-SP) and spermatozoa was carried out in semen of RPL patients (n = 21) and fertile donors (n = 21). This was followed by pathway and protein-protein interaction analysis, and validation of key proteins' expression (western blot). RESULTS: A total of 68, 28 and 49 differentially expressed proteins in SEVs, EVF-SP and spermatozoa of RPL patients, respectively, were found to be involved in inflammatory response, immune cell signalling and apoptosis. In SEVs, underexpressed GDF-15 and overexpressed C3 imply distorted maternal immune response to paternal antigens leading to impaired decidualization. Dysregulated TGFß signalling in EVF-SP surmises defective modulation of inflammatory response and induction of immune tolerance to seminal antigens in the female reproductive tract through generation of regulatory T cells. Retained histone variants in spermatozoa construe defective expression of early paternal genes, while underexpressed PTN may inflict defective angiogenesis resulting in expulsion of decidua. CONCLUSIONS: Impaired modulation of immune response and improper placental development due to altered cytokine levels in seminal components may be the contributing paternal factors in RPL.

TRPV1 channel in spermatozoa is a molecular target for ROS-mediated sperm dysfunction and differentially expressed in both natural and ART pregnancy failure.

Bi-directional crosstalk between Ca2+ signaling and ROS modulates physiological processes as a part of a regulatory circuit including sperm function. The role of transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) in this regard cannot be undermined. This is the first report demonstrating the Ca2+-sensitive TRPV1 channel to be under-expressed in spermatozoa of subfertile men, idiopathic infertile men, and normozoospermic infertile males with high ROS (idiopathic infertility and unilateral varicocele). To study the effect of TRPV1 in determining the fertility outcome, we compared the expression profile of TRPV1 in spermatozoa of male partners who achieved pregnancy by natural conception (NC+, n = 10), IVF (IVF+, n = 23), or ICSI (ICSI +, n = 9) and their respective counterparts with failed pregnancy NC (n = 7), IVF (n = 23), or ICSI (n = 10), by both immunocytochemistry and flow-cytometry. Reduced expression of TRPV1 in sperm of IVF ± and ICSI ± men with respect to that NC+ men imply its role in mediating successful fertilization. Unsuccessful pregnancy outcome with an underexpression of TRPV1 in sperm of NC-/IVF-/ICSI-men suggests its role in conception and maintenance of pregnancy. Since ROS is regarded as one of the major contributors to sperm dysfunction, the effect of H2O2 +/- TRPV1 modulators (RTX/iRTX) on acrosomal reaction and calcium influx was evaluated to confirm TRPV1 as a redox sensor in human sperm. A significant increment in the percentage of acrosome reacted spermatozoa along with augmented Ca2+-influx was observed after H2O2 treatment, both in the presence or absence of TRPV1 agonist resiniferatoxin (RTX). The effect was attenuated by the TRPV1 antagonist iodoresiniferatoxin (iRTX), indicating the involvement of TRPV1 in mediating H2O2 response. Enhancement of motility and triggering of acrosomal reaction post TRPV1 activation suggested that disruption of these signaling cascades in vivo, possibly due to down-regulation of TRPV1 in these subfertile males. Bioinformatic analysis of the crosstalk between TRPV1 with fertility candidate proteins (reported to influence IVF outcome) revealed cell death and survival, cellular compromise, and embryonic development to be the primary networks affected by anomalous TRPV1 expression. We therefore postulate that TRPV1 can act as a redox sensor, and its expression in spermatozoa may serve as a fertility marker.

Paternal factors in recurrent pregnancy loss: an insight through analysis of non-synonymous single-nucleotide polymorphism in human testis-specific chaperone HSPA2 gene.

Heat shock protein A2 (HSPA2) is a testis-specific molecular chaperone of the 70 kDa heat shock protein (HSP70) family and reported to play a key role in spermatogenesis as well as in the remodelling of the sperm surface during capacitation. It is established that mice lacking HSPA2 gene are infertile and spermatozoa that fail to interact with the zona pellucida of the oocyte consistently lack HSPA2 protein expression. However, its role in post fertilization events is not fully understood. Owing to the importance of HSPA2 in male reproduction, the present study is undertaken to reveal the association between genetic mutation and phenotypic variation in recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) patients through an in silico prediction analysis. In this study, we used different computational tools and servers such as SIFT, PolyPhen2, PROVEAN, nsSNPAnalyzer, and SNPs & GO to analyse the functional consequences of the nsSNPs in human HSPA2 gene. The most damaging amino acid variants generated were subjected to I-Mutant 2.0 and ConSurf. Post-translational modifications such as phosphorylation mediated by these deleterious nsSNPs were analysed using NetPhos 2.0, and gene-gene interaction study was conducted using GeneMANIA. Finally, in-depth studies of the nsSNPs were studied through Project HOPE. The findings of the study revealed 18 nsSNPs to be deleterious using a combinatorial bioinformatic approach. Further functional analysis suggests that screening of nsSNP variants of HSPA2 that tend to be conserved and has potential to undergo phosphorylation at critical positions (rs764410231, rs200951589, rs756852956) may be useful for predicting outcome in altered reproductive outcome. The physicochemical alterations and its impact on the structural and functional conformity were determined by Project HOPE. Gene-gene interaction depicts its close association with antioxidant enzyme (SOD1) strongly supporting an inefficient oxidative scavenging regulatory mechanism in the spermatozoa of RPL patients as reported earlier. The present study has thus identified high-risk deleterious nsSNPs of HSPA2 gene and would be beneficial in the diagnosis and prognosis of the paternal effects in RPL patients.

Osseous metaplasia of the endometrium: A multicenter retrospective study.

OBJECTIVE: To describe clinical and demographic characteristics, ultrasound appearance, and hysteroscopic outcomes of patients with endometrial osseous metaplasia. STUDY DESIGN: We conducted a multicenter retrospective study. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of all consecutive patients who were referred for hysteroscopy at fourteen institutions in Venezuela, Spain, Morocco, India, Ukraine, Argentina, the United States, and Italy between 1994 and 2018. We identified and included all patients who had a diagnosis of osseous metaplasia at the pathologic report, and data were retrieved from the medical records. RESULTS: Between January 1st, 1994, and December 31st, 2018, 63 patients out of a total of 419,673 women who underwent hysteroscopy had a diagnosis of osseous metaplasia (0.015%). Most patients were 31-40 years old (53.7%), were Caucasian or Hispanic (95.5%), and had at least one previous pregnancy (86.9%). Forty-one out of 63 patients (65.1%) had at least one miscarriage before the index hysteroscopy. Dysmenorrhea, abnormal uterine bleeding, and infertility were reported by 34.9%, 27.0%, and 23.8% of patients. 14.3% of women were asymptomatic. Preoperative transvaginal ultrasound was available and identified a hyperechoic area of variable size with posterior acoustic shadowing in all cases. Hysteroscopy was successful without complications in all 63 cases. Follow-up data were available in 30.2% of patients: 69.2% of patients were infertile, and 44.4% of them conceived and achieved a live birth; all other symptoms improved after hysteroscopic treatment in all patients. CONCLUSIONS: Osseous metaplasia appears associated with multiple unspecific gynecologic symptoms without the predominant role of infertility, as previously suggested. Although endometrial osseous metaplasia is rare, gynecologists should consider this pathologic condition when the characteristic ultrasound appearance is detected, being hysteroscopic treatment effective.

Paternal contributors in recurrent pregnancy loss: Cues from comparative proteome profiling of seminal extracellular vesicles.

Recent evidence entail paternal factors as plausible contributors in spontaneous recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL). Seminal extracellular vesicles secreted from cells of male reproductive tract carry regulatory proteins and RNAs. They are proposed to regulate sperm maturation and function while their fusion to endometrial stromal cells helps in decidualization. Nevertheless, the mechanism(s) involved in these processes are poorly understood. This study aims at elucidating the molecular basis of paternal contribution by comparative proteomics (label-free LC-MS/MS) of isolated seminal extracellular vesicles from fertile men and partners of patients with RPL (n = 21 per group). Bioinformatics analysis revealed the identified differentially expressed proteins to be involved in DNA replication, recombination and repair, gene expression, cellular assembly and organization, cell death, and survival. Major disease pathways affected were identified as developmental, hereditary, and immunological disorders. Of the three identified hub genes regulating the above disease pathways, two (HNRNPC and HNRNPU) are overexpressed while RUVBL1 is underexpressed along with over expression of HIST1H1C, DDX1, surmising defective chromatin packaging, and histone removal in spermatozoa resulting in improper expression in paternal genes thereby leading to abnormal embryo development. Besides, alteration in GSTP1 expression points oxidative predominance in RPL group. Differential expression of C3, C4a/C4b, CFB, and GDF 15 may be involved in altered maternal immune response to paternal antigens resulting in impaired decidualization.

A Case-Control Study Identifying the Frequency and Spectrum of Chromosomal Anomalies and Variants in a Cohort of 1000 Couples with a Known History of Recurrent Pregnancy Loss in the Eastern Region of India.

BACKGROUND: Recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) is a common occurrence that affects up to 15% of couples in their reproductive years. In both males and females with RPL and infertility, chromosomal abnormalities play a significant impact. AIM: The study was designed to examine the involvement of chromosomal anomalies and the frequency of certain chromosomal variants persistent among couples experiencing RPL. SETTING AND DESIGN: This case-control study was conducted on 1000 couples from January 2015 to September 2020 in the state of Odisha, India, strictly adhering to principles of Helsinki Declaration (1975). The study was performed at the School of Biotechnology, KIIT University in collaboration with inDNA Life Sciences Private Limited. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cohort of 1148 individuals with a history of RPL were selected for the study and they were screened with respect to fertile controls for the presence of any chromosomal anomaly using G-banding, nucleolar organizing region (NOR)-banding and fluorescence in situ hybridisation wherever necessary. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: The connection between distinct polymorphic variations and the occurrence of RPL was assessed using Fisher's exact test. Significant was defined as a P ≤ 0.005. RESULTS: One hundred and thirty-four individuals were found to harbor chromosomal anomalies. This study elucidates that along with balanced chromosomal translocations, the involvement of polymorphic variants also plays a significant role in cases of RPL. CONCLUSION: The cumulative occurrence of chromosomal anomalies and variants across our cohort of 1148 individuals indicates that the chromosomal assessment of all couples experiencing RPL must be performed by all the clinicians. This study aids us in identifying chromosomal polymorphisms as major players of RPL in addition to novel chromosomal translocations.

Proteomic Signatures in Spermatozoa Reveal the Role of Paternal Factors in Recurrent Pregnancy Loss.

PURPOSE: To identify the paternal factors responsible for aberrant embryo development leading to loss of foetus in recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) through proteomic analysis of ejaculated spermatozoa. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This prospective study consisted of male partners of RPL patients (n=16) experienced with two or more consecutive unexplained miscarriages and with no female factor abnormality as revealed by gynaecologic investigation including karyotyping and age matched fertile healthy volunteers (n=20). All samples were collected during 2013 to 2015 after getting institutional ethical approval and written consent from the participants. Seminal ejaculates were collected by masturbation after 2 to 3 days of sexual abstinence and analyzed according to World Health Organization 5th criteria 2010. Two-dimensional difference gel electrophoresis followed by mass spectrophotometric analysis was used to identify differentially expressed proteins (DEPs). Western blotting was used for validation of the key proteins. RESULTS: The data identified 36 protein spots to be differentially expressed by more than 2-fold change with p<0.05 considered as significant. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight/mass spectrometry identified GPx4, JIP4, ZN248 to be overexpressed while HSPA2, GSTM5, TF3C1, CC74A was underexpressed in RPL group. Western blot analysis confirmed the differential expression of key redox associated proteins GPx4 and HSPA2 in the RPL group. Functional analysis revealed the involvement of key biological processes that includes spermatogenesis, response to oxidative stress, protein folding and metabolic process. CONCLUSIONS: The present study provides a snapshot of the altered protein expression levels consistent with the potential involvement of the sperm chromatin landscape in early embryonic development.

Quantitative proteomics decodes clusterin as a critical regulator of paternal factors responsible for impaired compensatory metabolic reprogramming in recurrent pregnancy loss.

Recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) is a perplexing problem experienced with two or more consecutive miscarriages wherein the cause remains unexplained in >50% of cases. However, despite several evidences of involvement of paternal factors on early embryogenesis and placental development, its contribution towards RPL has been largely unexplored. There is augmented lipid peroxidation, protein carbonylation, thionylation and enhanced histone retention in spermatozoa of RPL patients. Differentially expressed proteins in the spermatozoa of RPL patients may contribute towards aberrant embryo development and pregnancy loss. The present study comprised of male partners of RPL patients (n = 16) with the absence of any female factor abnormality and age-matched fertile healthy donors (n = 20). Pooled sperm samples from each group were subjected to high-throughput liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrophotometry (LC-MS/MS) and subsequent bioinformatic analysis that identifies key proteins to be differentially expressed (DEPs). A total of 23 DEPs were identified with ≥2.0 fold change were considered to be significant. A key finding of the study was clusterin (CLUS), a predominant oxidative stress protein that takes part in an array of pre- and post-fertilisation molecular processes, found to be underexpressed as it was confirmed by Western blot analysis. This pilot study supports contributions of paternal oxidative predominance in RPL and encourages further investigation.

First-line ovulation induction for polycystic ovary syndrome: an individual participant data meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most frequent cause of anovulatory infertility. In women with PCOS, effective ovulation induction serves as an important first-line treatment for anovulatory infertility. Individual participant data (IPD) meta-analysis is considered as the gold standard for evidence synthesis which provides accurate assessments of outcomes from primary randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and allows additional analyses for time-to-event outcomes. It also facilitates treatment-covariate interaction analyses and therefore offers an opportunity for personalised medicine. OBJECTIVE AND RATIONALE: We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of different ovulation induction agents, in particular letrozole alone and clomiphene citrate (CC) plus metformin, as compared to CC alone, as the first-line choice for ovulation induction in women with PCOS and infertility, and to explore interactions between treatment and participant-level baseline characteristics. SEARCH METHODS: We searched electronic databases including MEDLINE, EMBASE and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials up to 20 December 2018. We included RCTs comparing the following interventions with each other or placebo/no treatment in women with PCOS and infertility: CC, metformin, CC plus metformin, letrozole, gonadotrophin and tamoxifen. We excluded studies on treatment-resistant women. The primary outcome was live birth. We contacted the investigators of eligible RCTs to share the IPD and performed IPD meta-analyses. We assessed the risk of bias by using the Cochrane risk of bias tool for RCTs. OUTCOMES: IPD of 20 RCTs including 3962 women with PCOS were obtained. Six RCTs compared letrozole and CC in 1284 women. Compared with CC, letrozole improved live birth rates (3 RCTs, 1043 women, risk ratio [RR] 1.43, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.17-1.75, moderate-certainty evidence) and clinical pregnancy rates (6 RCTs, 1284 women, RR 1.45, 95% CI 1.23-1.70, moderate-certainty evidence) and reduced time-to-pregnancy (6 RCTs, 1235 women, hazard ratio [HR] 1.72, 95% CI 1.38-2.15, moderate-certainty evidence). Meta-analyses of effect modifications showed a positive interaction between baseline serum total testosterone levels and treatment effects on live birth (interaction RR 1.29, 95% CI 1.01-1.65). Eight RCTs compared CC plus metformin to CC alone in 1039 women. Compared with CC alone, CC plus metformin might improve clinical pregnancy rates (8 RCTs, 1039 women, RR 1.18, 95% CI 1.00-1.39, low-certainty evidence) and might reduce time-to-pregnancy (7 RCTs, 898 women, HR 1.25, 95% CI 1.00-1.57, low-certainty evidence), but there was insufficient evidence of a difference on live birth rates (5 RCTs, 907 women, RR 1.08, 95% CI 0.87-1.35, low-certainty evidence). Meta-analyses of effect modifications showed a positive interaction between baseline insulin levels and treatment effects on live birth in the comparison between CC plus metformin and CC (interaction RR 1.03, 95% CI 1.01-1.06). WIDER IMPLICATIONS: In women with PCOS, letrozole improves live birth and clinical pregnancy rates and reduces time-to-pregnancy compared to CC and therefore can be recommended as the preferred first-line treatment for women with PCOS and infertility. CC plus metformin may increase clinical pregnancy and may reduce time-to-pregnancy compared to CC alone, while there is insufficient evidence of a difference on live birth. Treatment effects of letrozole are influenced by baseline serum levels of total testosterone, while those of CC plus metformin are affected by baseline serum levels of insulin. These interactions between treatments and biomarkers on hyperandrogenaemia and insulin resistance provide further insights into a personalised approach for the management of anovulatory infertility related to PCOS.

Racial and ethnic differences in the prevalence of metabolic syndrome and its components of metabolic syndrome in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: a regional cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Polycystic ovary syndrome is a heterogeneous disorder and its presentation varies with race and ethnicity. Reproductive-age women with polycystic ovary syndrome are at increased risk of metabolic syndrome; however, it is not clear if prevalence of metabolic syndrome and clustering of its components differs based on race and ethnicity. Moreover, the majority of these women do not undergo routine screening for metabolic syndrome. OBJECTIVE: We sought to compare the prevalence of metabolic syndrome and clustering of its components in women with polycystic ovary syndrome in the United States with women in India, Brazil, Finland, and Norway. STUDY DESIGN: This is a cross-sectional study performed in 1089 women with polycystic ovary syndrome from 1999 through 2016 in 5 outpatient clinics in the United States, India, Brazil, Finland, and Norway. Polycystic ovary syndrome was defined by the Rotterdam criteria. Main outcome measures were: metabolic syndrome prevalence, blood pressure, body mass index, fasting high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, fasting triglycerides, and fasting glucose. Data from all sites were reevaluated for appropriate application of diagnostic criteria for polycystic ovary syndrome, identification of polycystic ovary syndrome phenotype, and complete metabolic workup. The US White women with polycystic ovary syndrome were used as the referent group. Logistic regression models were used to evaluate associations between race and metabolic syndrome prevalence and its components and to adjust for potential confounders, including age and body mass index. RESULTS: The median age of the entire cohort was 28 years. Women from India had the highest mean Ferriman-Gallwey score for clinical hyperandrogenism (15.6 ± 6.5, P < .001). The age-adjusted odds ratio for metabolic syndrome was highest in US Black women at 4.52 (95% confidence interval, 2.46-8.35) compared with US White women. When adjusted for age and body mass index, the prevalence was similar in the 2 groups. Significantly more Black women met body mass index and blood pressure criteria (P < .001), and fewer met fasting triglycerides criteria (P < .05). The age- and body mass index-adjusted prevalence of metabolic syndrome was highest in Indian women (odds ratio, 6.53; 95% confidence interval, 3.47-12.30) with abnormalities in glucose and fasting high-density lipoprotein cholesterol criterion and in Norwegian women (odds ratio, 2.16; 95% confidence interval, 1.17-3.98) with abnormalities in blood pressure, glucose, and fasting high-density lipoprotein cholesterol criterion. The Brazilian and Finnish cohorts had similar prevalence of metabolic syndrome and its components compared to US White women. CONCLUSION: Despite a unifying diagnosis of polycystic ovary syndrome, there are significant differences in the prevalence of metabolic syndrome and clustering of its components based on race and ethnicity, which may reflect contributions from both racial and environmental factors. Our findings indicate the prevalence of metabolic syndrome components varies in women with polycystic ovary syndrome, such that compared to White women from the United States, Black US women had the highest prevalence, whereas women from India and Norway had a higher prevalence of metabolic syndrome independent of obesity. The differences in clustering of components of metabolic syndrome based on ethnicity highlight the need to routinely perform complete metabolic screening to identify specific targets for cardiovascular risk reduction strategies in these reproductive-age women.

TRPV4 is endogenously expressed in vertebrate spermatozoa and regulates intracellular calcium in human sperm.

Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid sub-type 4 (TRPV4) is a non-selective cationic channel involved in regulation of temperature, osmolality and different ligand-dependent Ca(2+)-influx. Recently, we have demonstrated that TRPV4 is conserved in all vertebrates. Now we demonstrate that TRPV4 is endogenously expressed in all vertebrate sperm cells ranging from fish to mammals. In human sperm, TRPV4 is present as N-glycosylated protein and its activation induces Ca(2+)-influx. Its expression and localization differs in swim-up and swim-down cells suggesting that TRPV4 is an important determining factor for sperm motility. We demonstrate that pharmacological activation or inhibition of TRPV4 regulates Ca(2+)-wave propagation from head to tail. Such findings may have wide application in male fertility-infertility, contraception and conservation of endangered species as well.

Histone retention, protein carbonylation, and lipid peroxidation in spermatozoa: Possible role in recurrent pregnancy loss.

Contribution from a defective paternal genome has been attributed to be an important cause for spontaneous recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL). Increased oxidative stress results in decreased detoxification and is a cause for damage to chromatin, proteins, and membrane lipids. The present study aimed to explore if there is a significant relationship between retained histones due to defective packaging of DNA in spermatozoa and oxidative stress. RPL patients (n=16) with a history of ≥2 embryo losses before the 20th week of gestation and no female factor abnormality, and fertile healthy volunteers (n=20) as controls were included in the study. A significant difference in the levels of protein carbonylation and lipid peroxidation together with an increased retention of histones in the experimental groups was noticed. Histone carrying sites for oxidative modification such as arginine and lysine might be responsible for disturbing the paternal epigenomic control during early stages of embryonic differentiation leading to abortion.

Clomiphene citrate, metformin or a combination of both as the first line ovulation induction drug for Asian Indian women with polycystic ovarian syndrome: A randomized controlled trial.

AIM: To compare clomiphene citrate (CC), metformin or the combination of CC and metformin as the first line ovulation induction drug in Asian Indian women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). METHODS: One hundred and five newly diagnosed, treatment naive PCOS women were recruited. They were randomized into any of the three groups: Group I (CC 50-150 mg/day), Group II (metformin 1700 mg/day), and Group III (CC + metformin in similar dosage to Groups I and II). Patients underwent follicular monitoring and advice on timed intercourse. The study period was 6 months, or till pregnant, or till CC resistant. Primary outcome studied was live birth rate (LBR). Secondary outcomes were ovulation rate, pregnancy rate, and early pregnancy loss rate. RESULTS: There was no significant difference among the groups in baseline characteristics and biochemical parameters. LBR was 41.6%, 37.5%, and 28.1%, respectively in Groups III, II, and I. Group III (CC + metformin) had the highest ovulation (83.3%), pregnancy (50%), and LBRs (41.6%). Group II (metformin) was as good as Group I (CC) in all the outcomes. CC + metformin (Group III) had statistically significantly higher ovulation rate as compared to CC alone (Group I) (P = 0.03; odds ratio: 95% confidence interval: 3.888 [1.08-13.997]). CONCLUSION: Thus, our study shows that metformin was as good as CC in terms of "LBR" and the combination of CC and metformin gave the highest ovulation and LBR.

Anthropometric, clinical, and metabolic comparisons of the four Rotterdam PCOS phenotypes: A prospective study of PCOS women.

AIMS: 1. To study the distribution of various Rotterdam classified phenotypes of polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) women, in our population. 2. To compare the four phenotypes with respect to anthropometric, clinical, and metabolic parameters. 3. To report the prevalence of insulin resistance (IR) and metabolic syndrome in these women. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: Private practice, Prospective cross-sectional comparative study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Women attending gynecology outpatient with the primary complains of irregular menses and/or infertility were evaluated. Each of them underwent detailed clinical examination, transvaginal sonography, and biochemical and hormonal assays. Four hundred and ten women with a clinical diagnosis of PCOS based on Rotterdam criteria were included in the study. The four phenotypes were 1) PCO complete, that is oligo/anovulation (O) + polycystic ovaries (P) + hyperandrogenism (H) 2) P + O, 3) P + H, and 4) O + H. All women were also evaluated for metabolic syndrome (American Heart Association/National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (AHA/NHLBI), modified Adult Treatment Panel (ATP) III 2005 guidelines) and IR (homeostatic model assessment-IR (HOMA-IR)). STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 18. RESULTS: Largest group was PCOS complete (65.6%) followed by P + O (22.2%); H + O (11.2%); and P + H (0.9%). Overall prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 35.07%. Hyperandrogenic phenotyptes; H + O (50%) and P + H + O (37.04%), had significantly higher prevalence of metabolic syndrome than normoandrogenic P + O phenotype (10%) (P ≤ 0.001). Body mass index (BMI) ≥ 25 (P = 0.0004; odds ratio (OR) = 3.07 (1.6574-5.7108, 95% CI)), waist circumference (WC) ≥ 80 cm (P = 0.001; OR = 3.68 (1.6807-8.0737, 95% CI)) and family history of diabetes (P = 0.019; OR 1.82 (1.1008-3.0194, 95% CI)), were strongly associated with the presence of metabolic syndrome. The overall prevalence of IR in PCOS women was 30.44% (HOMA-IR cutoff ≥ 3.8) and 34.94% (HOMA-IR cutoff ≥ 3.5). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of metabolic syndrome and IR was 35.07 and 30.44%, respectively. The hyperandrogenic phenotypes have significantly higher metabolic morbidity compared to normoandrgenic phenotype. BMI > 25, WC ≥ 80 cm, and family history of diabetes carry the highest risk for developing metabolic syndrome.

Current evidence supporting "letrozole" for ovulation induction.

Aromatase inhibitor "letrozole" was first introduced as a potential ovulation induction (OI) drug almost a decade back. Large number of studies has been published using letrozole for OI: In polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) women, clomiphene citrate (CC) resistant women, for intrauterine insemination and also in various protocols of mild stimulation for in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (IVF/ICSI). Letrozole appears to be a good option, with its oral route of administration, cost, shorter half-life and negligible side effects. However, the verdict on efficacy and safety of letrozole is still uncertain. This review explores the current scientific data supporting letrozole for OI.

Assisted reproduction in polycystic ovarian disease: A multicentric trial in India.

AIM: The aim of this study is to compare ovarian response, oocyte, embryo quality, ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome incidence, and pregnancy rates in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and non-PCOS group. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a prospective observational study on PCOS carried out in seven assisted reproduction centers in India between August 2008 and July 2010, as part of trial under the Indian Society of Assisted Reproduction. A total of 192 women (77 in the PCOS group and 115 in the non- PCOS group) undergoing in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection were included. All women had long protocol and recombinant follicle-stimulating hormone stimulation. ANALYSIS: The mean number of follicles and oocytes was higher in PCOS group compared with non-PCOS, being 27.2 (±8.8) and 13.6 (±5.3); 15.9 (±6.3) and 10.9 (±6.2), respectively. The recovery rates of oocytes and mature oocytes per follicle were less in the PCOS group which was 64% and 61.1%, respectively as opposed to 80.3% and 74.5%, respectively in non-PCOS group. The total numbers of top-quality embryos were less in the PCOS group. CONCLUSION: In PCOS women though the number of follicles was more, recovery of mature oocytes, top-quality embryos was less. Pregnancy rates were comparable in both groups.

Clomiphene citrate or letrozole as first-line ovulation induction drug in infertile PCOS women: A prospective randomized trial.

OBJECTIVE: To compare Letrozole (5 mg) and clomiphene citrate (100 mg) as first line ovulation induction drug in infertile PCOS women. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective Randomised trial. SETTING: A Tertiary level infertility centre. PATIENTS: 103 infertile PCOS women. INTERVENTIONS: Treatment naïve infertile PCOS women were randomised to treatment with 5 mg letrozole (51 patients) or 100 mg clomiphene citrate (52 patients) daily starting day 2 to day 6 of menstrual cycle. Timed intercourse or Intra Uterine Insemination (IUI) was advised 24 to 36 hours after Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG) injection. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Ovulation rate, mono or multi follicular rate, days to ovulation, endometrial thickness, serum progesterone, serum estrogen, pregnancy rate, miscarriage rate. RESULTS: The mean age, Body Mass Index (BMI), duration of infertility in both Clomiphene Citrate (CC) and Letrozole groups were similar.Ovulation rate was 73.08% in letrozole group and 60.78% in CC, which was not statistically significant (P=0.398). There was no statistically significant difference between Endometrial thickness (CC 7.61 ±1.96, Let 7.65 ± 2.10), Sr E2 on day of HCG (CC 178.3 ± 94.15, Let 162.09 ± 73.24), Days to ovulation (CC 14.2 ± 3.41; Let 13.13 ± 2.99) and Sr P4 on D21 (CC 10.58 ± 6.65; Let 11.86 ± 6.51). Monofolliculo genesis (CC 54.84, Let 79.49 %, P=0.027) and Pregnancy rate (CC 7.84%, Let 21.56% P=0.0125) were statistically significantly higher in letrozole group. CONCLUSION: Our study shows that letrozole has excellent pregnancy rates compared to clomiphene citrate. Letrozole should be considered at par with clomiphene citrate as first line drug for ovulation induction in infertile PCOS women.

Primary abdominal pregnancy following intra-uterine insemination.

Primary abdominal pregnancy is an extremely rare type of extrauterine pregnancy. It has been reported from many unusual intra-abdominal sites. We report a case of primary abdominal pregnancy following intra-uterine insemination (not reported earlier to our knowledge). Implanted on the anterior surface of the uterus possibly related to an endometriotic foci. Early diagnosis enabled laparoscopic management of this case.

Superantigen-like effects of a Candida albicans polypeptide.

The amino terminal sequence of the Candida albicans cell wall protein Int1 exhibited partial identity with the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II binding site of the Mycoplasma arthritidis superantigen MAM. Int1-positive C. albicans blastospores activated human T lymphocytes and expanded Vbeta subsets 2, 3, and/or 14; Int1-negative strains were inactive. Release of interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) but not of tumor necrosis factor-alpha or interleukin-6 was Int1 dependent; interleukin-4 and interleukin-10 were not detected. T lymphocyte activation, Vbeta expansion, and IFN-gamma release were associated with a soluble polypeptide that encompassed the first 263 amino acids of Int1 (Pep(263)). Monoclonal antibody 163.5, which recognizes an Int1 epitope that overlaps the region of identity with MAM, significantly inhibited these activities when triggered by Int1-positive blastospores or Pep(263) but not by staphylococcal enterotoxin B. Histidine(263) was required. Pep(263) bound to T lymphocytes and MHC class II and was detected in the urine of a patient with C. albicans fungemia. These studies identify a candidal protein that displays superantigen-like activities.