The association between sociodemographic,hormonal, tubo-ovarian factors and bacterial count in Chlamydia and Mycoplasma infections with infertility

Aim: To determine if there is an association between the Chlamydia and Mycoplasma infections with socio-demographic and clinical factors, and also with infertility. Methods: We conducted a study on 100 infertile married women and 100 control group, and collected data on the socio-demographic, hormonal and tubo-ovarian factors. The results of the endocervical swabs were analyzed for Mycoplasma and Chlamydia infection, the bacterial counts were also determined. Results: The percentage positivity to infection was significantly more among the infertile group compared to the control group, and also significantly more among the age group <30 years old. The positivity for infection with Chlamydia and/or Mycoplasma was significantly correlated with age, history of irregular menstruation, and history of previous abortion. Further sub-analysis of the infertile group showed that positivity to Chlamydia and/or Mycoplasma infection was significantly correlated to hormonal factors, ovarian factors, irregular menstruation, and previous abortion. Regression analysis showed that hormonal, ovarian factors, and irregular menstruation were the most significant factors in the positivity to Chlamydia and Mycoplasma infection. Bacterial count was significantly correlated with age, history of irregular menstruation, and history of previous abortion. Conclusion: Infection to Chlamydia and Mycoplasma is associated to younger age (?30 years old), and occurs in the infertile women. There is an interplay between infection in younger women, irregular menstruation, hormonal, and tubo-ovarian factors with infertility. Bacterial count was significantly correlated with age, history of irregular menstruation, and history of previous abortion.     

Loss of abnormal spindle-like,microcephaly-associated (Aspm) disrupts female folliculogenesis in mice during maturation and aging

The abnormal spindle-like, microcephaly-associated (ASPM) gene is a causative gene of autosomal recessive primary microcephaly (MCPH) 5 in humans, which is characterized by a reduction in brain volume. It was previously reported that truncated Aspm proteins in transgenic mice caused major defects in the germline, a severe reduction in ovary weight and the number of follicles accompanied by reduced fertility. However; it remains unknown whether a loss of Aspm induces abnormal ovarian function, resulting in female infertility. In order to assess the ovary function, we examined vaginal smear cytology from the age of 7 weeks to 100 weeks in CAG-mediated Cre-loxP conditional Aspm^-/- knockout mice and control female mice. In addition, we evaluated the ovarian size, fibrosis ratio and the number of follicles (primordial, primary, secondary, antral and atretic follicles) in mice from 15 weeks to 100 weeks old by image analyses. Mann-Whitney U-test was used for statistical analysis. The size of the ovary was significantly reduced in Aspm knockout mice at 15–20 weeks, 40–50 weeks and 70–80 weeks old compared with the control mice. Furthermore, at all stages, we found a severe decrease in the number of developing follicles at 10–15 weeks, 40–50 weeks and 70–80 weeks old, accompanied by disrupted cyclic changes of vaginal cytology and an aberrant upregulation of Foxo3, Kitl, and Lhcgr in Aspm knockout female. These results suggested that Aspm might play an important role in the folliculogenesis and estrous cyclicity of the postnatal ovary during maturation and aging.     

炔雌醚对雄性长爪沙鼠不育效果及其可逆性

为探讨炔雌醚对雄性长爪沙鼠生殖器官及繁殖的影响,将试鼠随机分为多剂量组、单剂量组和对照组.多剂量组以每次3.5 m/kg·BW(5次/周,2周)、单剂量组以35 mg/kg·BW炔雌醚灌胃.处理后15 d、30 d、60d、90d剖检,观察性腺系数、精子质量和繁殖率等指标,H·E染色观察附睾组织病理学变化.结果表明:与对照相比,炔雌醚处理后15 d、30 d给药组试鼠睾丸、附睾及精囊腺极度萎缩(P＜0.01),精子密度、精子活力和活精子百分率明显下降(P＜0.01),精子畸形率显著上升(P＜0.01),附睾管腔内充满大量发育异常的精子细胞,繁殖率显著下降;与单次给药相比,多次连续给药对试鼠生殖器官影响更严重.处理后60d,除多剂量组附睾外,各组性腺基本恢复至对照水平,单剂量组、多剂量组精子质量及繁殖率与对照仍有极显著差异(P＜0.01).90d后试鼠各项指标及繁殖率均恢复正常,表现为可逆性.结果表明:该药对长爪沙鼠不育效果明显;多次低剂量给药较单次高剂量给药不育效果更好;90d后,炔雌醚对生殖器官和繁殖的影响能够恢复正常.     

达英-35治疗多囊卵巢综合征合并不孕症的疗效及对患者血清FSH、LH、TOS、TAS水平的影响

摘要 目的：研究达英-35治疗多囊卵巢综合征合并不孕症的疗效及对患者血清卵泡刺激素(FSH)、促黄体生成素(LH)、总氧化态(TOS)、抗氧化态(TAS)水平的影响。方法：选取2015年8月至2016年7月我院收治的76例多囊卵巢综合征合并不孕症患者,根据随机数字法分为观察组和对照组,38例每组。对照组使用克罗米芬,观察组在此基础上加以达英-35。比较两组患者临床疗效,治疗前后血清FSH、LH、TOS、TAS水平、卵泡数、卵巢体积、体重指数的变化及不良反应的发生情况。结果：治疗后,观察组临床总有效率显著高于对照组[89.47%(34/38) vs. 60.53%(23/38)](P<0.05);两组患者的血清FSH、LH、TOS水平、卵泡数、卵巢体积、体重指数明显减少较治疗前均显著降低(P<0.05),而血清TAS水平较治疗前显著上升(P<0.05),且观察组的血清FSH、LH、水平明显低于对照组(P<0.05),而血清TAS水平显著高于对照组(P<0.05)。观察组和对照组的不良反应的发生率比较无明显差异(P>0.05)。结论：达英-35治疗多囊卵巢综合征合并不孕症患者能有效提高患者的临床疗效和改善其临床症状,且安全性高,这可能与其有效改善患者血清FSH、LH、TOS、TAS水平有关。     

不孕症女性三维子宫输卵管造影联合阴道二维超声的诊断意义

摘要 目的：探讨不孕症女性三维子宫输卵管造影联合阴道二维超声的诊断意义。方法：2019年3月至2020年10月选择在西安医学院第二附属医院和陕西省人民医院诊治的不孕症女性患者90例,所有患者都给予三维子宫输卵管造影联合阴道二维超声检查,记录成像质量与疼痛情况。以X线子宫输卵管造影为金标准,判断诊断价值。结果：检查过程中三维超声造影患者的疼痛评分高于二维超声,对比差异无统计学意义(P>0.05)。三维超声造影的成像质量优良率为100.0 %（90/90）,高于二维超声的93.3 %（84/90）,对比差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。在90例患者中,三维超声造影判断为卵巢周围组织弥散1级59例,2级16例,3级10例,4级5例。三维子宫输卵管造影联合阴道二维超声判断为输卵管通畅55例,通而不畅25例,阻塞10例。X线子宫输卵管造影判断为输卵管通畅53例,通而不畅26例,阻塞11例,三维子宫输卵管造影联合阴道二维超声诊断的准确性为96.7 %(87/90)。结论：三维子宫输卵管造影联合阴道二维超声在不孕症女性的应用并不会增加患者疼痛,且能提高成像质量,也有利于合理评价与判断患者的输卵管通畅情况。     

Disruption of Ttll5/Stamp Gene (Tubulin Tyrosine Ligase-like Protein 5/SRC-1 and TIF2-associated Modulatory Protein Gene) in Male Mice Causes Sperm Malformation and Infertility

TTLL5/STAMP (tubulin tyrosine ligase-like family member 5) has multiple activities in cells. TTLL5 is one of 13 TTLLs, has polyglutamylation activity, augments the activity of p160 coactivators (SRC-1 and TIF2) in glucocorticoid receptor-regulated gene induction and repression, and displays steroid-independent growth activity with several cell types. To examine TTLL5/STAMP functions in whole animals, mice were prepared with an internal deletion that eliminated several activities of the Stamp gene. This mutation causes both reduced levels of STAMP mRNA and C-terminal truncation of STAMP protein. Homozygous targeted mutant (Stamp^tm/tm) mice appear normal except for marked decreases in male fertility associated with defects in progressive sperm motility. Abnormal axonemal structures with loss of tubulin doublets occur in most Stamp^tm/tm sperm tails in conjunction with substantial reduction in α-tubulin polyglutamylation, which closely correlates with the reduction in mutant STAMP mRNA. The axonemes in other structures appear unaffected. There is no obvious change in the organs for sperm development of WT versus Stamp^tm/tm males despite the levels of WT STAMP mRNA in testes being 20-fold higher than in any other organ examined. This defect in male fertility is unrelated to other Ttll genes or 24 genes previously identified as important for sperm function. Thus, STAMP appears to participate in a unique, tissue-selective TTLL-mediated pathway for α-tubulin polyglutamylation that is required for sperm maturation and motility and may be relevant for male fertility.     

Reduced reproductive function in wild baboons (Papio hamadryas anubis) related to natural consumption of the African black plum (Vitex doniana)

Several authors have suggested that the consumption of plant compounds may have direct effects on wild primate reproductive biology, but no studies have presented physiological evidence of such effects. Here, for two troops of olive baboons (Papio hamadryas anubis) at Gashaka-Gumti National Park, Nigeria, we show major seasonal increases in levels of fecal progesterone metabolites in females, and provide evidence that this is linked to the consumption of natural plant compounds. Increases in fecal progestogen excretion occurred seasonally in all females, in all reproductive states, including lactation. Detailed feeding data on the study animals showed that only one food species is consumed by both troops at the time of observed progestogen peaks, and at no other times of the year: the African black plum, Vitex doniana. Laboratory tests demonstrated the presence of high concentrations of progestogen-like compounds in V. doniana. Together with published findings linking the consumption of a related Vitex species (Vitex agnus castus) to increased progestogen levels in humans, our data suggest that natural consumption of V. doniana was a likely cause of the observed increases in progestogens. Levels of progestogen excretion in the study baboons during periods of V. doniana consumption are higher than those found during pregnancy, and prevent the expression of the sexual swelling, which is associated with ovulatory activity. As consortship and copulatory activity in baboons occur almost exclusively in the presence of a sexual swelling, V. doniana appears to act on cycling females as both a physiological contraceptive (simulating pregnancy in a similar way to some forms of the human contraceptive pill) and a social contraceptive (preventing sexual swelling, thus reducing association and copulation with males). The negative effects of V. doniana on reproduction may be counter-balanced by the wide-range of medicinal properties attributed to plants in this genus. This is the first time that physiological evidence has been presented of direct effects of plant consumption on the reproductive biology of wild primates.     

精子胞浆小滴的发现及研究进展

精子成熟是一个复杂的过程,精子从睾丸向附睾运行过程当中,精子表面的胞浆逐渐脱落,最终精子成熟。各种原因引起的精子表面胞浆滞留最终形成胞浆小滴。胞浆小滴在多种物种中均有发现,与男性不育相关。     

Balanced complex chromosomal rearrangements (BCCR) with at least three chromosomes and three or more breakpoints: report of three new cases

Balanced complex chromosomal rearrangements (BCCR) encompass a heterogeneous group of rare chromosomal aberrations. In this paper, we report three cases of BCCRs. In two the probands were referred for either genetic counseling or prenatal management. One case was ascertained after chromosome analysis performed because of psychiatric manifestations; this was an isolated finding. We also outline the molecular cytogenetic techniques, which were essential in confirming and precisely delineating the BCCRs identified in these patients. In addition the various aspects of genetic counseling for this type of chromosomal rearrangement, highlighting the details particular to each individual case are discussed. We discuss the classification for this type of chromosomal mutation.