Vitamin D levels in couples undergoing in vitro fertilization treatment: lack of association with embryo quality or pregnancy rates.

Objective: To investigate the potential impact of vitamin D (VD) serum levels on couples going through in vitro fertilization treatment in terms of embryo quality and pregnancy rates.

Design: A retrospective cohort study.

Setting: A private human reproduction center.

Vitamin D and follicular recruitment in the in vitro fertilization cycle.

Objective: Vitamin D (VD) is a fat-soluble steroid hormone, synthesized by the skin, most known for its role in bone mineral balance. Vitamin D receptors (VDR) are also found in the female reproductive system, but their role remains unclear. The objective of this study was to analyze the relationship between serum vitamin D levels and the number of oocytes retrieved after ovarian stimulation.

Metabolomic analysis of follicular fluid from women with Hashimoto thyroiditis.

Hashimoto thyroiditis is an autoimmune disease characterized by hypothyroidism and a high level of anti-thyroid autoantibodies. It has shown to negatively impact female fertility; however, the mechanisms are unclear. Ovarian follicular fluid appears to be the key to understanding how Hashimoto thyroiditis affecst fertility.

Immunostaining of βA-Activin and Follistatin Is Decreased in HPV(+) Cervical Pre-Neoplastic and Neoplastic Lesions.

The activin-follistatin system regulates several cellular processes, including differentiation and tumorigenesis. We hypothesized that the immunostaining of βA-activin and follistatin varies in neoplastic cervical lesions. Cervical paraffin-embedded tissues from 162 patients sorted in control ( = 15), cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) grade 1 ( = 38), CIN2 ( = 37), CIN3 ( = 39), and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC; = 33) groups were examined for βA-activin and follistatin immunostaining.

Combined effects of intermittent fasting with swimming-based high intensity intermittent exercise training in Wistar rats.

High caloric intake and physical inactivity are known precursors to the development of several chronic metabolic diseases. For obesity and sedentarism, High Intensity Intermittent Exercise (HIIE) and Intermittent Fasting (IF) have emerged as individual strategies to attenuate their negative effects by improving metabolism. To study their combined effects, Wistar male rats (n = 74, 60 days old) were divided into four groups: Sedentary Control (C), swimming-based HIIE only (HIIE), Intermittent Fasting only (IF), and swimming-based HIIE associated with Intermittent Fasting (HIIE/IF).

Randomized prospective study comparing conventional In Vitro Fertilization technique to Intravaginal Culture with the INVOCELL™ device for 3 and 5 days.

Objective: The objective was to analyse and compare the formation and quality of the embryos developed using conventional in vitro fertilization (IVF) and IVC techniques with an INVOCell™ device.

Methods: Two groups were formed, with eight couples in each, one in culture for three days (D3) and another in culture for five days (D5), using intravaginal culture technique with an INVOcell device and a conventional in vitro fertilization technique.

Results: Embryo formation in Group D5 showed 46.

Yerba mate consumption by ovariectomized rats alters white adipose tissue.

Introduction: Menopause and post-menopause are characterized by low levels of estrogen that can be associated with the emergence of metabolic diseases. While hormone replacement therapy can alleviate many symptoms, it can also exacerbate other diseases such as breast cancer. In the search for natural alternatives, Ilex paraguariensis (Yerba Mate) has been identified as a potential therapy for the onset of obesity.

Infection and disruption of placental multidrug resistance (MDR) transporters: Implications for fetal drug exposure.

P-glycoprotein (P-gp, encoded by the ABCB1 gene) and breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP/ABCG2) are efflux multidrug resistance (MDR) transporters localized at the syncytiotrophoblast barrier of the placenta and protect the conceptus from drug and toxin exposure throughout pregnancy. Infection is an important modulator of MDR expression and function. This review comprehensively examines the effect of infection on the MDR transporters, P-gp and BCRP in the placenta.

Mid-pregnancy poly(I:C) viral mimic disrupts placental ABC transporter expression and leads to long-term offspring motor and cognitive dysfunction.

Limited information is available about the effect of mid-pregnancy viral infections on the placental expression of efflux transporters and offspring behavior. We hypothesized that maternal exposure to polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid [poly(I:C)], a synthetic double-stranded RNA viral mimic, would impair placental cell turnover, the expression of selected ABC transporters and adult offspring behavior. C57BL/6 mice were administered poly(I:C) (10 mg/Kg;ip) or vehicle at gestational day (GD) 13.

Low Inflammatory Stimulus Increases D2 Activity and Modulates Thyroid Hormone Metabolism during Myogenesis In Vitro.

Thyroid hormone (TH) signaling controls muscle progenitor cells differentiation. However, inflammation can alter muscle TH signaling by modulating the expression of TH transporters (, receptors (), and deiodinase enzymes ( and ). Thus, a proinflammatory environment could affect myogenesis.

Cylindrospermopsin Disrupts Estrous Cycle and Increases Spermatogenesis in Mice.

Cylindrospermopsin (CYN) is a water-soluble cyanotoxin that has been linked to several cases of poisoning in the world. In vitro studies have shown that CYN acts as an endocrine disruptor by inhibiting progesterone synthesis in primary cell cultures of women, showing estrogenic activity. However, in vivo assessment of CYN in the female and male reproductive systems remains unknown.

Gaps in the knowledge of thyroid hormones and placental biology†.

Thyroid hormones (THs) are required for the growth and development of the fetus, stimulating anabolism, and oxygen consumption from the early stages of pregnancy to the period of fetal differentiation close to delivery. Maternal changes in the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis are also well known. In contrast, several open questions remain regarding the relationships between the placenta and the maternal and fetal TH systems.

Sepsis Disrupts Mitochondrial Function and Diaphragm Morphology.

Background: The diaphragm is the primary muscle of inspiration, and its dysfunction is frequent during sepsis. However, the mechanisms associated with sepsis and diaphragm dysfunction are not well understood. In this study, we evaluated the morphophysiological changes of the mitochondrial diaphragm 5 days after sepsis induction.

Altered Umbilical Cord Blood Nutrient Levels, Placental Cell Turnover and Transporter Expression in Human Term Pregnancies Conceived by Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI).

Assisted reproductive technologies (ART) may increase risk for abnormal placental development, preterm delivery and low birthweight. We investigated placental morphology, transporter expression and paired maternal/umbilical fasting blood nutrient levels in human term pregnancies conceived naturally ( = 10) or by intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI; = 11). Maternal and umbilical vein blood from singleton term (>37 weeks) C-section pregnancies were assessed for levels of free amino acids, glucose, free fatty acids (FFA), cholesterol, high density lipoprotein (HDL), low density lipoprotein (LDL), very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) and triglycerides.

Effect of Sublethal Prenatal Endotoxaemia on Murine Placental Transport Systems and Lipid Homeostasis.

Infection alters the expression of transporters that mediate the placental exchange of xenobiotics, lipids and cytokines. We hypothesized that lipopolysaccharide (LPS) modifies the expression of placental transport systems and lipid homeostasis. LPS (150 μg/kg; i.

ZIKV Disrupts Placental Ultrastructure and Drug Transporter Expression in Mice.

Congenital Zika virus (ZIKV) infection can induce fetal brain abnormalities. Here, we investigated whether maternal ZIKV infection affects placental physiology and metabolic transport potential and impacts the fetal outcome, regardless of viral presence in the fetus at term. Low (10 PFU-ZIKV; low ZIKV) and high (5x10 PFU-ZIKV; high ZIKV) virus titers were injected into immunocompetent (ICompetent C57BL/6) and immunocompromised (ICompromised A129) mice at gestational day (GD) 12.

Breast cancer resistance protein (Bcrp/Abcg2) is selectively modulated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in the mouse yolk sac.

Bacterial infection alters placental ABC transporters expression. These transporters provide fetal protection against circulating xenobiotics and environmental toxins present in maternal blood. We hypothesized that lipopolysaccharide (LPS-bacterial mimic) alters the yolk sac morphology and expression of key ABC transporters in a gestational-age dependent manner.

Malaria in pregnancy regulates P-glycoprotein (P-gp/Abcb1a) and ABCA1 efflux transporters in the Mouse Visceral Yolk Sac.

Malaria in pregnancy (MiP) induces intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) and preterm labour (PTL). However, its effects on yolk sac morphology and function are largely unexplored. We hypothesized that MiP modifies yolk sac morphology and efflux transport potential by modulating ABC efflux transporters.

Estradiol and Progesterone Levels are Related to Redox Status in the Follicular Fluid During Fertilization.

Studies have reported a possible association between the levels of oxidative stress biomarkers in follicular fluid (FF) and infertility treatment outcomes. FF analysis can provide important information about oocyte quality. This study aimed to evaluate the possible correlation between oxidative stress biomarker and intrafollicular hormone levels and clinical and laboratory parameters in women during controlled ovarian stimulation.

Sepsis Impairs Thyroid Hormone Signaling and Mitochondrial Function in the Mouse Diaphragm.

Sepsis can cause the nonthyroidal illness syndrome (NTIS), resulting in perturbed thyroid hormone (TH) signaling and reduced thyroxine (T4) levels. TH is a major regulator of muscle function, via its influence on mitochondria. This study aimed at evaluating the relationship between TH signaling, mitochondrial function, and the antioxidant defense system in the diaphragms of septic mice.

Breast Cancer Resistance Protein (BCRP/) Inhibits Extra Villous Trophoblast Migration: The Impact of Bacterial and Viral Infection.

Extravillous trophoblasts (EVT) migration into the decidua is critical for establishing placental perfusion and when dysregulated, may lead to pre-eclampsia (PE) and intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). The breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP; encoded by ) regulates the fusion of cytotrophoblasts into syncytiotrophoblasts and protects the fetus from maternally derived xenobiotics. Information about BCRP function in EVTs is limited, however placental exposure to bacterial/viral infection leads to BCRP downregulation in syncitiotrophoblasts.

Dysregulation of placental ABC transporters in a murine model of malaria-induced preterm labor.

Malaria in Pregnancy (MiP) is characterized by placental accumulation of Plasmodium-infected erythrocytes, intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) and preterm delivery (PTD). Placental ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters mediate the efflux of nutrients, cytokines and xenobiotics. The expression and activity of these transporters are highly responsive to infection.