[Identification and selection of completely immotile but viable spermatozoa for assisted reproductive technology].

Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) remains the most effective method for severe male infertility patients to obtain their genetic offspring. A viable spermatozoon is the prerequisite for initiating fertilization in ICSI. Motility is the primary sign of sperm viability. However, how to select immotile but viable spermatozoa for ICSI on the day of ovum pick-up is critical for ICSI. This review focuses on the techniques for the identification and selection of immotile but viable spermatozoa for assisted reproductive technology.

[Successful pregnancy following laser-assisted selection of viable but immotile spermatozoa for intracytoplasmic sperm injection: A report of 2 cases].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the feasibility and clinical application value of selecting viable spermatozoa by noncontact diode laser. METHODS: We obtained immotile spermatozoa from 2 infertile men with obstructive azoospermia or severe asthenospermia and selected viable spermatozoa using a single laser shot at the sperm tail. Those that responded to the laser shot by a curling reaction of the tail were regarded as presumably viable and used for intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). RESULTS: The mean fertilization rate was 88.89% after ICSI with the laser-selected viable spermatozoa. Both of the embryo transfers resulted in a single pregnancy. CONCLUSION: Noncontact diode laser is a useful alternative for the assessment of sperm viability, which may help to achieve successful pregnancy.

[Effects of IVF versus ICSI on the outcomes of elective blastocyst culture].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effects of different fertilization methods on the outcomes of elective blastocyst culture. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the outcomes of elective blastocyst culture for 1 153 cycles of IVF and 205 cycles of ICSI performed between january 2009 and December 2012. RESULTS: A total number of 14 748 embryos in the IVF group and 2 655 embryos in the ICSI group underwent sequential blastocyst culture, with 7 871 blastocysts formed in the former and 1 210 in the latter. No cycles were canceled for no blastocyst formation in either of the two groups. The rates of quality embryos, blastocyst formation and embryo utilization were significantly higher in the IVF than in the ICSI group (64.77 vs 58.72%, 53.37 vs 45.57%, and 60.06 vs 52.17%, all P < 0.05), but the rates of implantation, clinical pregnancy and abortion showed no significant differences between the two groups (48.94 vs 51.43%, 49.03 vs 52.02%, and 11.69% vs 15.56, all P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: With the same inclusion criteria of selective blastocyst culture, IVF has a lower risk of cycle cancellation due to no blastocyst formation and therefore may effect higher rates of blastocyst formation and embryo utilization than ICSI. Our study suggested that appropriate inclusion criteria of selective blastocyst culture should be laid down according to different fertilization methods.

Flow cytometric and near-infrared Raman spectroscopic investigation of quality in stained, sorted, and frozen-thawed buffalo sperm.

Flow cytometry and Laser Tweezers Raman spectroscopy have been used to investigate Nili-Ravi buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) sperm from different samples (fresh, stained, sorted and frozen-thawed) of the flow-sorting process to optimize sperm sex sorting procedures. During the sorting and freezing-thawing processes, the two detection methods both indicated there were differences in mitochondrial activity and membrane integrity. Moreover, a dispersive-type NIR (Near Infrared Reflection) use of the Raman system resulted in the ability to detect a variety of sperm components, including relative DNA, lipid, carbohydrates and protein contents. The use of the Raman system allowed for PCA (principal components analysis) and DFA (discriminant function analysis) of fresh, stained, sorted and frozen-thawed sperm. The methodology, therefore, allows for distinguishing sperm from different samples (fresh, stained, sorted and frozen-thawed), and demonstrated the great discriminative power of ANN (artificial neural network) classification models for the differentiating sperm from different phases of the flow-sorting process. In conclusion, the damage induced by sperm sorting and freezing-thawing procedures can be quantified, and in the present research it is demonstrated that Raman spectroscopy is a valuable technology for assessing sperm quality.