Modelling and comparing the use of IVF and ICSI in Australia.

Purpose: This study estimates the need of IVF/ICSI in Australia as compared to its actual uptake.

Methods: We created a model estimating for the annual demand for IVF/ICSI in a hypothetical infertile population, using demographic data from medical literature and Australian government databases. For each category of infertility (tubal, severe male, endometriosis, anovulation and unexplained), our estimated need for IVF/ICSI was compared to the actual IVF/ICSI uptake (ANZARD 2019).

The Spiny Mouse-A Menstruating Rodent to Build a Bridge From Bench to Bedside.

Menstruation, the cyclical breakdown of the uterine lining, is arguably one of evolution's most mysterious reproductive strategies. The complexity and rarity of menstruation within the animal kingdom is undoubtedly a leading contributor to our current lack of understanding about menstrual function and disorders. In particular, the molecular and environmental mechanisms that drive menstrual and fertility dysregulation remain ambiguous, owing to the restricted opportunities to study menstruation and model menstrual disorders in species outside the primates.

A remarkable rodent: Regeneration and reproduction in spiny mice (Acomys).

Although certain organisms are chosen and employed to better understand a specific problem in biology (so-called model organisms), sometimes an animal model reveals its' biomedical importance by happenstance. In many ways, the advent of spiny mice (Acomys) as an emerging model to study regeneration and menstruation stands as a case study in scientific pseudoserendipity (Diaz de Chumaceiro, 1995). As we recount in this chapter, the discovery of these phenotypes, while not entirely accidental, was nonetheless unexpected.

Cryopreservation and Flow Cytometric Analysis of Ovarian Tissue in Murray River Rainbowfish, .

Freshwater fish populations are declining with many small, Australian fish species at risk of extinction within the next twenty-years. Cryopreservation of reproductive cells and tissues makes it possible to reproduce individuals from a species even after they are extinct in the wild. We describe the successful cryopreservation of ovarian tissue in the Murray River Rainbowfish, (Order: Atheriniformes).

Good things come to those who mate: analysis of the mating behaviour in the menstruating rodent, Acomys cahirinus.

Background: The Egyptian spiny mouse (Acomys cahirinus) is the only known rodent to exhibit true, human-like menstruation and postpartum ovulation, and is an important new model for reproductive studies. Spiny mice do not produce a visible copulatory plug, and calculation of gestational age is therefore restricted by the need to use mated postpartum dams. The current inefficient method of monitoring until parturition to provide a subsequent estimate of gestational age increases study duration and costs.

Reproductive aging and menopause-like transition in the menstruating spiny mouse (Acomys cahirinus).

Study Question: Does the naturally menstruating spiny mouse go through menopause?

Summary Answer: Our study is the first to show a natural and gradual menopausal transition in a rodent.

What Is Known Already: Age-related depletion of the human ovarian reserve (OvR) leads to menopause, the permanent cessation of menstruation and reproduction. Current rodent models of menopause are inappropriate for inferences of the human condition, as reproductive senescence is abrupt or induced through ovariectomy.

Postpartum ovulation and early pregnancy in the menstruating spiny mouse, Acomys cahirinus.

Egyptian spiny mice are the only known species to have human-like menstruation and a postpartum ovulation. Unfortunately, no endocrine or morphological evidence has been provided for a postpartum ovulation in spiny mice, and while later stages of pregnancy have been well studied, early events including embryo implantation and spiral artery remodelling have not been reported. This study compared the sex steroid endocrinology and reproductive tract morphology of dams at eight timepoints (n = 40) postpartum to determine the timing of ovulation and the timing and invasiveness of embryo implantation in A.

A human-based assisted reproduction protocol for the menstruating spiny mouse, Acomys cahirinus.

The Egyptian or Common spiny mouse (A. cahirinus) is the first rodent species to show human-like menstruation and spontaneous decidualisation. We consider from these, and its other, human-like characteristics that this species will be a more useful and appropriate small animal model for human reproductive studies.

Cryopreservation of testicular tissue from Murray River Rainbowfish, Melanotaenia fluviatilis.

Globally, fish populations are in decline from overfishing, habitat destruction and poor water quality. Recent mass fish deaths in Australia's Murray-Darling Basin highlight the need for improved conservation methods for endangered fish species. Cryopreservation of testicular tissue allows storage of early sperm precursor cells for use in generating new individuals via surrogacy.

Potential treatment of keloid pathogenesis with follistatin 288 by blocking the activin molecular pathway.

Keloids are benign tumours caused by abnormal wound healing driven by increased expression of cytokines, including activin A. This study compared effects of activins on normal and keloid-derived human dermal fibroblasts and investigated a novel treatment for keloids using follistatin. Normal skin and keloid tissue samples from 11 patients were used to develop primary fibroblast cultures, which were compared in terms of their histology and relevant gene (qRT-PCR and RNAseq) and protein (ELISA) expression.

Ageing and ovarian stimulation modulate the relative levels of transcript abundance of oocyte DNA repair genes during the germinal vesicle-metaphase II transition in mice.

Purpose: Oocyte quality and reproductive outcome are negatively affected by advanced maternal age, ovarian stimulation and method of oocyte maturation during assisted reproduction; however, the mechanisms responsible for these associations are not fully understood. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of ageing, ovarian stimulation and in-vitro maturation on the relative levels of transcript abundance of genes associated with DNA repair during the transition of germinal vesicle (GV) to metaphase II (MII) stages of oocyte development.

Methods: The relative levels of transcript abundance of 90 DNA repair-associated genes was compared in GV-stage and MII-stage oocytes from unstimulated and hormone-stimulated ovaries from young (5-8-week-old) and old (42-45-week-old) C57BL6 mice.

Successful sperm cryopreservation in Egyptian spiny mice Acomys cahirinus.

The menstruating Egyptian spiny mouse has recently been proposed as a new animal model for reproductive health research. Unfortunately, little is known about reproduction in males. This study compared several characteristics of sperm function before and after cryopreservation.

New directions in assisted breeding techniques for fish conservation.

Fish populations continue to decline globally, signalling the need for new initiatives to conserve endangered species. Over the past two decades, with advances in our understanding of fish germ line biology, new exsitu management strategies for fish genetics and reproduction have focused on the use of germ line cells. The development of germ cell transplantation techniques for the purposes of propagating fish species, most commonly farmed species such as salmonids, has been gaining interest among conservation scientists as a means of regenerating endangered species.

Female ageing affects the DNA repair capacity of oocytes in IVF using a controlled model of sperm DNA damage in mice.

Study Question: Does female ageing have a negative effect on the DNA repair capacity of oocytes fertilised by spermatozoa with controlled levels of DNA damage?

Summary Answer: Compared to oocytes from younger females, oocytes from older females have a reduced capacity to repair damaged DNA introduced by spermatozoa.

What Is Known Already: The reproductive lifespan in women declines with age predominantly due to poor oocyte quality. This leads to decreased reproductive outcomes for older women undergoing assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatments, compared to young women.

Pseudopregnancy and reproductive cycle synchronisation cannot be induced using conventional methods in the spiny mouse (Acomys cahirinus).

The menstruating spiny mouse is the first rodent identified to exhibit natural spontaneous decidualisation, cyclical endometrial shedding and regeneration. While the spiny mouse shares several primate-like characteristics in its reproductive biology, it has not been established whether pseudopregnancy can be induced or if its cycles can be synchronised as in non-human mammals. Here we describe attempts to induce pseudopregnancy and synchronisation of menstrual cycles (i.

Male ageing is negatively associated with the chance of live birth in IVF/ICSI cycles for idiopathic infertility.

Study Question: Is male age associated with the clinical outcomes of IVF/ICSI cycles for idiopathic infertility after adjustment for female age?

Summary Answer: Male ageing is negatively associated with clinical IVF/ICSI outcomes in couples with idiopathic infertility independent of female age.

What Is Known Already: The effect of male age on the outcomes of infertility treatments is controversial and poorly explored. In contrast, fertility is known to decline significantly with female age beyond the mid-30s, and reduced oocyte quality plays an important role.

The platypus: evolutionary history, biology, and an uncertain future.

The platypus () is one of the world's most evolutionarily distinct mammals, one of five extant species of egg-laying mammals, and the only living species within the family Ornithorhynchidae. Modern platypuses are endemic to eastern mainland Australia, Tasmania, and adjacent King Island, with a small introduced population on Kangaroo Island, South Australia, and are widely distributed in permanent river systems from tropical to alpine environments. Accumulating knowledge and technological advancements have provided insights into many aspects of its evolutionary history and biology but have also raised concern about significant knowledge gaps surrounding distribution, population sizes, and trends.

The transgenerational effects of oocyte mitochondrial supplementation.

Many women suffer from either failed fertilisation or their embryos arrest early during development. Autologous mitochondrial supplementation has been proposed as an assisted reproductive technology to overcome these problems. However, its safety remains to be tested in an animal model to determine if there are transgenerational effects.

Altered exploratory behaviour and increased food intake in the spiny mouse before menstruation: a unique pre-clinical model for examining premenstrual syndrome.

Study Question: Does the newly discovered menstruating spiny mouse exhibit behavioural and metabolic changes in correlation with premenstrual phases of the menstrual cycle?

Summary Answer: This is the first report of cycle variability in the exploratory and interactive behaviour, and food consumption in menstruating spiny mice, and demonstrates that physiological changes are also dependent on within-subject variation.

What Is Known Already: Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is a prominent cyclic disorder that affects millions of women worldwide. More than 70% of women endure symptoms of impending menstruation, such as bloating, abdominal cramping and nausea to some degree.

Tolerance of lamb and mouse oocytes to cryoprotectants during vitrification.

SummaryMouse and lamb oocytes were vitrified with, or exposed to, different cryoprotectants and evaluated for their effects on their survival and developmental competence after in vitro fertilization (IVF) and activation treatments. Control oocytes remained untreated, whilst the remainder were exposed to three different combinations of vitrification solutions [dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) + ethylene glycol (EG), EG only, or propanediol (PROH) + EG] and either vitrified or left unfrozen (exposed groups). Oocytes in the control and vitrified groups underwent IVF and developmental competence was assessed to the blastocyst stage.

Characterization of human-like menstruation in the spiny mouse: comparative studies with the human and induced mouse model.

Study Question: Is the newly discovered menstruating rodent, the spiny mouse, a valid model for studying endometrial morphology and menstruation?

Summary Answer: Our study is the first to demonstrate a primate-like pattern of natural menstruation in a rodent, with decidualization, spiral arteriole remodeling and piece-meal endometrial shedding.

What Is Known Already: The spiny mouse has a naturally occurring menstrual cycle. This unique feature has the potential to reduce the heavy reliance on primates and provide a more appropriate small animal model for menstrual physiology research.

A missing piece: the spiny mouse and the puzzle of menstruating species.

We recently discovered the first known menstruating rodent. With the exception of four bats and the elephant shrew, the common spiny mouse () is the only species outside the primate order to exhibit menses. There are few widely accepted theories on why menstruation developed as the preferred reproductive strategy of these select mammals, all of which reference the evolution of spontaneous decidualisation prior to menstrual shedding.

De novo transcriptome assembly for the spiny mouse (Acomys cahirinus).

Spiny mice of the genus Acomys display several unique physiological traits, including menstruation and scar-free wound healing; characteristics that are exceedingly rare in mammals, and of considerable interest to the scientific community. These unique attributes, and the potential for spiny mice to accurately model human diseases, are driving increased use of this genus in biomedical research, however little genetic information is accessible for this species. This project aimed to generate a draft transcriptome for the Common spiny mouse (Acomys cahirinus).

Follistatin and the Breast Implant Capsule.

Background: Breast capsular contracture remains an elusive problem faced by plastic surgeons and is the leading long-term complication after breast implantation. Follistatin (Fst) is a protein with known anti-inflammatory and antifibrotic properties and has the potential to limit the severity of diseases associated with inflammation and fibrosis such as capsular contracture. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of Fst288 on capsular fibrosis around silicone implants in a mouse model.