The effects of gibberellin on human sperm motility.

Gibberellin, a plant growth regulator, is widely used to increase the shelf life and quality of fruits and vegetables. In this study, human semen samples were exposed to different concentrations of gibberellin, which reduced spermatozoa motility . Gibberellin exposure also increased levels of reactive oxygen species and the protein levels of apoptosis markers in human sperm.

[Toxicological characteristics of plant growth regulators and their impact on male reproductive health].

Plant growth regulators (PGRs) have similar physiological and biological effects to those of plant hormones, and therefore are used widely in agroforestry. The residues of PGRs in agricultural products are seriously detrimental to human health because they have been found with hepatotoxicity, nephrotoxicity, genotoxicity, neurotoxicity, even carcinogenicity and teratogenicity. Furthermore, PGRs are suspected to disrupt the function of human and animal reproductive systems.

Nicotine exposure impairs germ cell development in human fetal ovaries cultured .

In the present paper, we found that human fetal ovaries (at ~16 weeks) express the transcripts for several subunits of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR). Exposure to the drug resulted in the marked increase of apoptosis in the ovaries in a time and dose-dependent manner. Evidence that adverse nicotine effects are potentially due to an increased level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and consequent DNA damage, both in the ovarian somatic cells and germ cells, are reported.

Outcomes of neonates born following transfers of frozen-thawed cleavage-stage embryos with blastomere loss: a prospective, multicenter, cohort study.

Background: Despite limited information on neonatal safety, the transfer of frozen-thawed cleavage-stage embryos with blastomere loss is common in women undergoing in vitro fertilization. We aimed to evaluate the pregnancy outcomes and safety of frozen-thawed cleavage-stage embryos with blastomere loss.

Methods: This prospective, multicenter, cohort study included all frozen-thawed cleavage-stage embryo transfer (FET) cycles between 2002 and 2012.

Starvation during pregnancy impairs fetal oogenesis and folliculogenesis in offspring in the mouse.

Although it is becoming increasingly evident that maternal starvation during pregnancy can have permanent effects on a range of physiological processes in the offspring, scant information is available about the consequence of such condition for oogenesis and hence for lifetime reproductive success of progeny in mammals. In the present study, we address this topic by starving pregnant mice at the time of ovarian differentiation (12.5 days post coitum (dpc)) for three consecutive days and analyzed the consequence first on the survival of the fetal oocytes and their capability to progress throughout the stages of meiotic prophase I (MPI) and then on the postnatal folliculogenesis of the offspring.

Ochratoxin A exposure decreased sperm motility via the AMPK and PTEN signaling pathways.

Ochratoxin A (OTA), a common mycotoxin found in nature, has been implicated as effecting the function of male reproductive systems. OTA exposure has been shown to decrease sperm production and quality, however, the underlying mechanisms remain unknown. In the current investigation boar sperm exposed to 10 and 100μM OTA in vitro for 24h resulted in significantly decreased motility, in the 100μM OTA treatment group when compared with the control group.

[Hysteroscopy for early abortion after IVF-ET: clinical analysis of 84 cases].

Objective: To evaluate the results of hysteroscopy in early abortion patients after in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer (IVF-ET).

Methods: We analyzed the hysteroscopy results of 84 early abortion patients after IVF-ET, treated their intrauterine diseases under the hysteroscopy, and observed the pregnancy outcomes of retransfer.

Results: Intrauterine diseases were found in 58 (69.

Impact of antiovarian antibodies (AOA) on ovarian responsiveness in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer.

Objective: This study was to investigate the effects of antiovarian antibodies (AOA) on ovarian responsiveness in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF/ET).

Methods: 233 infertility women younger than 36 years undergone IVF/ET because of single salpingemphraxis were attended in the study, whose fast blood was taken to detect serum AOA by ELISA. Among them there were 35 women with serum AOA positive composed the study group and the other with serum AOA negative composed the control.

[Autoimmune disorders affect the in vitro fertilization outcome in infertile women].

Objective: To analyze the effect of autoimmune disorders on the outcome of in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET) in infertile women.

Methods: A total of 236 infertile women underwent IVF-ET, including 34 with antiphospholipid antibody (APA) positive, 33 anti-trophoblast antibody (ATA) positive, 35 anti-hCG antibody (hCGAb) positive, 32 anti-endometrium antibody (EmAb) positive, and 102 with antibodies negative that comprised the control group. Those with two or more antibodies positive were excluded in this study.