Oncofertility and Fertility Preservation for Women with Gynecological Malignancies: Where Do We Stand Today?

Oncofertility is a growing medical and research field that includes two main areas: oncology and reproductive medicine. Nowadays, the percentage of patients surviving cancer has exponentially increased, leading to the need for intervention for fertility preservation in both men and women. Specifically, gynecological malignancies in women pose an additional layer of complexity due to the reproductive organs being affected.

An Update on Physiopathological Roles of Akt in the ReprodAKTive Mammalian Ovary.

The phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt pathway is a key signaling cascade responsible for the regulation of cell survival, proliferation, and metabolism in the ovarian microenvironment. The optimal finetuning of this pathway is essential for physiological processes concerning oogenesis, folliculogenesis, oocyte maturation, and embryo development. The dysregulation of PI3K/Akt can impair molecular and structural mechanisms that will lead to follicle atresia, or the inability of embryos to reach later stages of development.

Sperm plasma membrane ion transporters and male fertility potential: A perspective under the prism of cryopreservation.

Intracellular calcium homeostasis plays a crucial role in spermatozoa by regulating physiological functions associated with sperm quality and male fertility potential. Intracellular calcium fine balance in the sperm cytoplasm is strictly dependent on sperm surface channels including the CatSper channel. CatSpers' role is to ensure the influx of extracellular calcium, while intracellular pH alkalinization serves as a stimulus for the activation of several channels, including CatSper.

Circulating Tumor DNA in the Management of Early-Stage Breast Cancer.

Liquid biopsies refer to the isolation and analysis of tumor-derived biological material from body fluids, most commonly blood, in order to provide clinically valuable information for the management of cancer patients. Their non-invasive nature allows to overcome the limitations of tissue biopsy and complement the latter in guiding therapeutic decision-making. In the past years, several studies have demonstrated that circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) detection can be used in the clinical setting to improve patient prognosis and monitor therapy response, especially in metastatic cancers.

Repeated Rounds of Gonadotropin Stimulation Induce Imbalance in the Antioxidant Machinery and Activation of Pro-Survival Proteins in Mouse Oviducts.

Controlled ovarian stimulation (COS) through gonadotropin administration has become a common procedure in assisted reproductive technologies. COS's drawback is the formation of an unbalanced hormonal and molecular environment that could alter several cellular mechanisms. On this basis, we detected the presence of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) fragmentation, antioxidant enzymes (catalase; superoxide dismutases 1 and 2, SOD-1 and -2; glutathione peroxidase 1, GPx1) and apoptotic (Bcl-2-associated X protein, Bax; cleaved caspases 3 and 7; phosphorylated (p)-heat shock protein 27, p-HSP27) and cell-cycle-related proteins (p-p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase, p-p38 MAPK; p-MAPK activated protein kinase 2, p-MAPKAPK2; p-stress-activated protein kinase/Jun amino-terminal kinase, p-SAPK/JNK; p-c-Jun) in the oviducts of unstimulated (Ctr) and repeatedly hyperstimulated (eight rounds, 8R) mice.

A comprehensive review and update on human fertility cryopreservation methods and tools.

The broad conceptualization of fertility preservation and restoration has become already a major concern in the modern western world since a large number of individuals often face it in the everyday life. Driven by different health conditions and/or social reasons, a variety of patients currently rely on routinely and non-routinely applied assisted reproductive technologies, and mostly on the possibility to cryopreserve gametes and/or gonadal tissues for expanding their reproductive lifespan. This review embraces the data present in human-focused literature regarding the up-to-date methodologies and tools contemporarily applied in IVF laboratories' clinical setting of the oocyte, sperm, and embryo cryopreservation and explores the latest news and issues related to the optimization of methods used in ovarian and testicular tissue cryopreservation.

Ultrastructural Evaluation of the Human Oocyte at the Germinal Vesicle Stage during the Application of Assisted Reproductive Technologies.

After its discovery in 1825 by the physiologist J.E. Purkinje, the human germinal vesicle (GV) attracted the interest of scientists.

In vivo and in vitro postovulatory aging: when time works against oocyte quality?

In mammalian species an optimal fertilization window during which successful fertilization occurs. In the majority of mammals estrus marks ovulation time and coincident with mating, thereby allowing the synchronized meeting in the fallopian tubes, between freshly ejaculated sperm and freshly ovulated oocytes. Conversely, women do not show natural visual signs of ovulation such that fertilization can occur hours later involving an aged oocyte and freshly ejaculated spermatozoa.

Commercial oral hygiene products and implant collar surfaces: Scanning electron microscopy observations.

Background: The use of medicated mouthwashes and gels in the home care maintenance of dental implants is controversial due to the possibility of residue deposition on the implant collar. The aim of this in vitro study was to analyse, by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), the amount of residues on dental implant collars treated with various commercial home dental care products.

Methods: Gel and mouthwash products were tested on 10 implants.

Pre-Implantation Mouse Embryos Cultured In Vitro under Different Oxygen Concentrations Show Altered Ultrastructures.

Assisted Reproductive Technologies routinely utilize different culture media and oxygen (O) concentrations to culture human embryos. Overall, embryos cultured under physiological O tension (5%) have improved development compared to embryos cultured under atmospheric O conditions (20%). The mechanisms responsible for this remain unclear.

The effect of low and ultra-low oxygen tensions on mammalian embryo culture and development in experimental and clinical IVF.

Unlabelled: Over the last forty years, many trials have been performed using mammalian embryo cultures with reduced oxygen tension (O) to encourage proper embryo development and increase the success rate for fertilization (IVF) outcome. Even if the use of atmospheric O (20%) affects embryo development and intracellular redox balance, the use of low (5% O, physiologic) and ultra-low (close or less to 5% O) O applied to embryo culture is still under debate. Numerous studies in various mammalian species have shown that embryo development improves when culturing embryos under low O, although culture conditions are not the only factors involved in the success of IVF.

Repeated hyperstimulation affects the ultrastructure of mouse fallopian tube epithelium.

Controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH) is routinary used in assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) to increase the yields of mature oocytes. The possibility that patients with a history of failures or poor-responders may develop side-effects following these treatments is still debated. Epidemiological studies reported controversial results about pregnancy outcome and the risk of developing gynecological cancers.

The impact of sperm DNA fragmentation on ICSI outcome in cases of donated oocytes.

Purpose: The aim of this study is to evaluate the sperm DNA fragmentation index (DFI) in oocyte donation cycles and correlate it with the sperm parameters, the male characteristics, the embryo quality and the outcome of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).

Methods: A total of 150 couples participating in an oocyte donation program were included in the study. Sperm samples were assessed by conventional sperm analysis.

Mancozeb impairs the ultrastructure of mouse granulosa cells in a dose-dependent manner.

Mancozeb, an ethylene bis-dithiocarbamate, is widely used as a fungicide and exerts reproductive toxicity in vivo and in vitro in mouse oocytes by altering spindle morphology and impairing the ability to fertilize. Mancozeb also induces a premalignant status in mouse granulosa cells (GCs) cultured in vitro, as indicated by decreased p53 expression and tenuous oxidative stress. However, the presence and extent of ultrastructural alterations induced by mancozeb on GCs in vitro have not yet been reported.