Factors associated with anxiety and depression in men undergoing fertility investigations: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Infertility is a real public health issue because of its medical, socio-cultural, and financial impact. It does also have heavy psychological consequences on both partners. This study aimed to assess levels of anxiety and depression among men undergoing infertility investigation and to identify their associated factors.

Evaluation of the angiogenic factors sFlt-1, PlGF, and the sFlt-1/PlGF ratio in preeclampsia and associated features.

Problem: Soluble Fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFLT-1) and placental growth factor (PlGF) were previously reported to play a key role in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia (PE). We tested the link between altered PlGF and sFLT-1 levels, and their ratio (sFlt-1/PlGF) with PE and PE-associated featured in Tunisian PE cases and age- and BMI-matched normotensive women.

Method Of Study: Peripheral blood specimens from 88 women with PE, and 60 control women were tested for PlGF and sFLT by commercially available ELISA.

Deleterious impact of COVID-19 pandemic: Male fertility was not out of the bag.

Background: The emergence and the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) induced by the SARS-CoV-2 virus has multiple consequences in all countries around the world. Male germ cells of infertile patients which are shown to be vulnerable to many environmental conditions, could be particularly vulnerable to such an exceptional pandemic situation. We aimed through the current study to investigate the potential variations in sperm quality of infertile patients during the COVID-19 pandemic in Tunisia.

Complicated COVID-19 in pregnancy, maternal and neonatal outcomes: a case report.

The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has exposed vulnerable populations, including pregnant women, to an unprecedented public health crisis. According to recent data, pregnancy in COVID-19 patients is associated with increased hospitalization, admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) and intubation. It has been suggested that pregnancy induced immune responses and cardiorespiratory changes can exaggerate the course of the COVID-19.

Pro-inflammatory cytokines and microRNAs in male infertility.

Background: Male infertility is a problem that affects 10-15% of men of reproductive age. In particular, gametogenesis is a complex process in which inflammation may play a central role through the secretion of cytokines and the expression of microRNAs. We assessed the potential role of proinflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1α) and microRNAs (miR-146a-5p, miR-34a-5p and miR-23a-3p) in the seminal plasma of infertile men compared to controls, evaluating their correlation with seminal and biochemical parameters.

Teratozoospermia: Its association with sperm DNA defects, apoptotic alterations, and oxidative stress.

This study was carried out to evaluate the level of nuclear sperm DNA damage in men with isolated polymorphic teratozoospermia and examining its relationship with apoptosis and oxidative stress. A total of 89 subjects were divided into two groups: men with isolated teratozoospermia (n = 69) and men with normal semen parameters (n = 20) as controls. Sperm DNA breaks were determined by using acridine orange staining.

Novel association between apoptotic sperm biomarkers with seminal biochemical parameters and acetylcholinesterase activity in patients with teratozoospermia.

Objective: We aimed to determine whether the dysfunction of physiological apoptosis and specific seminal biochemical parameters could be associated with male infertility and sperm morphological defects.

Study Design: Ejaculated sperm samples from sixty patients with isolated teratozoospermia and thirty fertile donors were analyzed. The proportion of both viable and dead spermatozoa expressing activated caspases was detected by fluorescence microscopy through the use of different specific carboxyfluorescein-labeled caspase inhibitors FLICA.

The association between iron, calcium, and oxidative stress in seminal plasma and sperm quality.

The present study aimed to determine the level of iron and calcium in the seminal plasma of men with different fertility potentials and to examine its relationship with oxidative stress. Seventy-nine sub-fertile patients with asthenoteratozoospermia (AT), n 27; teratoleucozoospermia (TL), n 20; teratozoospermia (Terato), n 32; and 29 healthy donors were included. The ability of spermatozoa to produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) was evaluated by using nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT) staining.

Investigation on the origin of sperm morphological defects: oxidative attacks, chromatin immaturity, and DNA fragmentation.

DNA fragmentation can be deleterious on spermatozoon morphology but the pathogenesis of teratozoospermia associated with DNA breaks is not fully understood, even if oxidative attacks and defects in chromatin maturation are hypothesized. Therefore, this study is one of the first to clarify on the underlying hypothesizes behind such observations. The objectives of our study were to assess the role of oxidative attacks in DNA damage pathogenesis in ejaculated spermatozoa from patients with isolated teratozoospermia.

The effect of titanium dioxide nanoparticles on neuroinflammation response in rat brain.

Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO NPs) are widely used for their whiteness and opacity in several applications such as food colorants, drug additives, biomedical ceramic, and implanted biomaterials. Research on the neurobiological response to orally administered TiO NPs is still limited. In our study, we investigate the effects of anatase TiO NPs on the brain of Wistar rats after oral intake.

Phoenix dactylifera L. sap enhances wound healing in Wistar rats: Phytochemical and histological assessment.

The sap of the date palm "Lagmi" is a clear liquid, rich in sugars and minerals, with a pleasant flavour. Folk remedies based on the use of "Lagmi" for wound healing are still practiced. However, no studies investigated the relevance of "Lagmi" for wound healing.

Toxicopathic changes and genotoxic effects in liver of rat following exposure to diazinon.

In general, people may come in contact with mixtures of insecticides through domestic use, consumption of contaminated food or drinks, and/or living close to treated areas. We analyzed the toxic effects of diazinon on histological structure of liver and hematological parameters in male rats. DNA-damaging potential of diazinon was also investigated using the comet assay in blood cells and the micronucleus test in bone marrow.

Histopathological and genotoxic effects of chlorpyrifos in rats.

This study aims to investigate the effects of chlorpyrifos's sub-acute exposure on male rats. Two groups with six animals each were orally treated, respectively, with 3.1 mg/kg b w and 6.

Macrozoospermia: screening for the homozygous c.144delC mutation in AURKC gene in infertile men and estimation of its heterozygosity frequency in the Tunisian population.

Purpose: Macrozoospermia is a rare condition of male infertility characterized by the presence of close to 100 % large-headed multiflagellar spermatozoa. The homozygous mutation (c.144delC) in aurora kinase C gene (AURKC) has been identified as the most frequent mutation causing macrozoospermia in North African patients.

DNA fragmentation status in patients with necrozoospermia.

The aim of this study was to determine if a relationship exists between the levels of sperm DNA fragmentation and necrospermia in infertile men. Semen samples obtained from 70 men consulting for infertility evaluation were analyzed according to World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. Patients were subdivided into three groups according to the percentage of necrotic spermatozoa: normozoospermia (<30%; n = 20), moderate necrozoospermia (50-80%; n = 30), and severe necrozoospermia (>80%; n = 20).

Cytogenetic and molecular aspects of absolute teratozoospermia: comparison between polymorphic and monomorphic forms.

Objective: To compare the results of cytogenetic and molecular analysis between absolute polymorphic and monomorphic teratozoospermia.

Methods: The semen samples from patients with polymorphic teratozoospermia (n = 20), globozoospermia (n = 8), or macrocephalic sperm head syndrome (n = 12), and healthy fertile men (n = 20) were analyzed according to the World Health Organization criteria. The constitutional blood karyotype of the patients was performed on cultured lymphocytes, according to standard techniques.

Semen parameters and sperm DNA fragmentation as causes of recurrent pregnancy loss.

Objectives: To evaluate and compare standard sperm parameters, and sperm DNA fragmentation in seminal ejaculates from men whose partners had a history of recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) and in a control group of men who had recently established their fertility.

Methods: Semen samples from 31 patients with a history of recurrent pregnancy loss and 20 men with proven fertility were analyzed according to World Health Organization guidelines. Sperm DNA fragmentation was detected by the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling assay.

Chromosomal segregation in spermatozoa of five Robertsonian translocation carriers t(13;14).

Purpose: To analyse the segregation of a Robertsonian translocation t(13;14) in five male carriers, and to verify a possible inter-chromosomal effect (ICE) of the Robertsonian translocation on chromosomes 18, X, and Y.

Methods: The spermatozoa of these patients (n = 5) and of 15 donors with normal semen parameters and 46,XY karyotype were analysed using triple colour FISH with locus specific probes for chromosomes 13, 14, and 21 and by triple colour FISH for chromosomes X, Y, and 18.

Results: The frequency of balanced spermatozoa resulting from alternate segregation varied between 62.

Analysis of sperm aneuploidies and DNA fragmentation in patients with globozoospermia or with abnormal acrosomes.

Objectives: To evaluate the levels of DNA fragmentation and aneuploidy rate in ejaculated sperm of men with globozoospermia and men with a predominance of abnormal acrosomes.

Methods: The semen samples obtained from 2 globozoospermic men, 8 patients with a predominance of abnormal acrosomes, and 20 fertile men were analyzed using the fluorescence in situ hybridization and the terminal desoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate biotin nick-end labeling assay. Dual fluorescence in situ hybridization for chromosomes 8 and 12, and triple fluorescence in situ hybridization for chromosomes X, Y, and 18 were performed.

The effects of male aging on semen quality, sperm DNA fragmentation and chromosomal abnormalities in an infertile population.

Purpose: To investigate the effects of male aging on semen quality, DNA fragmentation and chromosomal abnormalities in the spermatozoa of infertile patients and fertile men.

Methods: Semen samples of 140 infertile patients (24-76 years) and 50 men with proven fertility (25-65 years) were analyzed according to WHO guidelines. DNA fragmentation was detected by TUNEL assay, while aneuploidy was assessed by FISH.