In search of candidate genes critically expressed in the human endometrium during the window of implantation.

Background: In this prospective randomized blinded clinical trial, we examined gene expression profiles of the human endometrium during the early and mid-luteal phases of the natural cycle.

Methods: An endometrial biopsy was performed on day 16 (LH +3) or on day 21 (LH +8), followed by RNA extraction and microarray analysis using an Affymetrix HG-U95A microchip. Data analysis was carried out using pairwise multiple group comparison with the significance analysis of microarrays (SAM) software.

Strategies for fertility preservation in female and male cancer survivors.

Improved survival rates and quality of life following modern cancer treatment have resulted in a growing number of patients requesting maintenance of reproductive capacity, both before and after completion of treatment. Several established options are currently available. In men, sperm banking should be offered as soon as the diagnosis of any malignant disease is established, irrespective of the expected cryosurvival rate.

Female sexual dysfunction and use of hormone therapy in postmenopausal women.

Sexual dysfunction is a common problem for women of all ages and remains an important aspect of women's health following menopause. For postmenopausal women, the evaluation and management of sexual dysfunction differs from that of younger women because the etiology is often linked to the diminished levels of sex hormones. Female sexual function is highly complex and deeply influenced by nonhormonal factors such as emotional intimacy and culture.

Nature of telomere dimers and chromosome looping in human spermatozoa.

Specific and well-organized chromosome architecture in human sperm cells is supported by the prominent interactions between centromeres and between telomeres. The telomere-telomere interactions result in telomere dimers that are positioned at the nuclear periphery. It is unknown whether composition of sperm telomere dimers is random or specific.

Follicular phase serum levels of luteinizing hormone do not influence delivery rates in in vitro fertilization cycles down-regulated with a gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist and stimulated with recombinant follicle-stimulating hormone.

Objective: To assess the value of serum LH measurements in early and late follicular phase as predictors of ovarian response and IVF outcome in patients treated with recombinant FSH with GnRH agonist (GnRH-a) pituitary down-regulation.

Design: Retrospective cohort analysis.

Setting: Institutional.

Endometrial microstructure after long-term use of a 91-day extended-cycle oral contraceptive regimen.

Objective: To assess the effect on the endometrial microstructure of an extended-cycle oral contraceptive (OC) regimen containing ethinyl estradiol (EE) and levonorgestrel (LNG).

Methodology: Subjects received up to four cycles of a 91-day extended-cycle OC regimen (84 consecutive days of monophasic 30 microg EE/150 microg LNG followed by 7 days of placebo). Endometrial biopsies were performed prior to the initiation and at the completion of therapy.

Gene expression profiles and structural/functional features of the peri-implantation endometrium in natural and gonadotropin-stimulated cycles.

It has been speculated that controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH), as performed during in vitro fertilization therapy, may negatively affect embryo implantation. The objective of this prospective and randomized study was to investigate gene expression profiles of the human endometrium during the window of implantation of gonadotropin-stimulated COH cycles compared with temporally matched natural cycles (d 21). Analysis was performed with high-density oligonucleotide microarrays.

Novel human testis-specific histone H2B encoded by the interrupted gene on the X chromosome.

Testis-specific histones are synthesized and accumulated at specific stages of mammalian spermatogenesis. Their proposed functions range from facilitation of the replacement of somatic histones by protamines to epigenetic control of gene transcription. Several testis histone variants were characterized in mouse and rat; however, few are known in humans.

Somatic cell apoptosis markers and pathways in human ejaculated sperm: potential utility as indicators of sperm quality.

In this study we extended earlier work to determine whether sperm respond to somatic cell apoptotic stimuli and whether apoptotic phenotypes are significant indicators of human sperm quality. We evaluated ejaculated sperm from fertile donors and subfertile patients following purification of fractions of high and low motility. In unstimulated conditions, caspase enzymatic activity was higher in motile fractions from subfertile patients than in donors, and was higher in low motility fractions from both groups.

Effects of mifepristone on vascular endothelial growth factor and thrombospondin-1 mRNA in Ishikawa cells: implication for the endometrial effects of mifepristone.

Mifepristone has been used for both medical termination of pregnancy and emergency contraception. Mifepristone may have both an antiovulatory activity and an antiproliferative effect on the endometrium. We have evaluated the effect of mifepristone on vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1) using Ishikawa cells in vitro.

Results of in vitro fertilization in patients with endometriomas: is surgical removal beneficial?

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of endometriomas on clinical pregnancy rates of in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer.

Study Design: Infertile patients with endometriosis who underwent in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer were divided into group 1 patients who had a history of ovarian endometriomas and group 2 patients who did not. The patients in group 1 were further divided into group 1A who had their endometriomas removed by laparoscopic ovarian cystectomy before the start of in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer and group 1B who underwent in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer with the presence of endometriomas.

Male germline-specific histones in mouse and man.

In mice and humans, the production of male gametes is a result of a complex multistep process of stem cell differentiation. The final product, the mature spermatozoon, is designed for the safe delivery of a haploid copy of the paternal genetic information to the oocyte in a structural state suitable for zygote formation and embryogenesis. A remarkable structural reorganization of chromosomes in germline cells during mammalian spermatogenesis has been characterized.

Estrogen down-regulates GnRH gene expression in human placental cytotrophoblast cells.

This study aims at investigating and characterizing GnRH gene expression and regulation in human placental cytotrophoblasts by estradiol. RT-PCR analysis demonstrates that the cytotrophoblasts expressed the pro-GnRH gene. PCR with two pairs of oligonucleotide primers generated doublets 870 bases apart at the expected molecular weights, indicating that the upstream and downstream transcriptional start sites of the GnRH gene were utilized and that transcripts with and without intron I were both produced.

Non-random positioning of chromosomes in human sperm nuclei.

In human spermatozoa, the arrangement of chromosomes is non-random. Characteristic features are association of centromeres in the interior chromocenter and peripheral location of telomeres. In this paper, we have investigated the highest level of order in DNA packing in sperm--absolute and relative intranuclear chromosome positioning.

Hormone therapy and endometrial angiogenesis.

Irregular endometrial bleeding occurs in up to 60% of hormone therapy (HT) users and leads to discontinuation of therapy in up to one-third of these women. Aberrant endometrial angiogenesis has been implicated as a cause of abnormal endometrial bleeding. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1) are two well-characterized angiogenic modulators that play critical roles in endometrial angiogenesis.

Total quality improvement in the IVF laboratory: choosing indicators of quality.

The purpose of this paper is to describe a programme of total quality improvement (TQI) within the IVF laboratory and to provide specific examples of indicators that could be used in such a TQI programme. Although TQI is sometimes confused with quality control (QC) and quality assurance (QA), there are major differences between the three quality plans: (i) QC is an activity designed to ensure that a specific element within the laboratory is functioning correctly; (ii) QA is a comprehensive programme designed to looks at a laboratory as a whole and to identify problems or errors that exist in an attempt to improve the entire process; (iii) TQI is also a comprehensive monitoring process designed not only to detect and eliminate problems, but also to enhance a laboratory's performance by exploring innovation and developing flexibility and effectiveness in all processes. Indicators used in a TQI plan should be objective, relevant to the laboratory, and measure a broad range of specific events or aspects of treatment that reflect the quality of care.

Biochemical and functional characterization of the human zona pellucida.

A successful interaction between spermatozoa and the zona pellucida is critical for fertilization. This biological step reflects multiple sperm functions, including the acquisition and completion of capacitation, recognition and binding to specific zona pellucida receptors, and induction of the physiological acrosome reaction. The recognition of carbohydrate sequences by complimentary receptors has been demonstrated in gamete interaction in different animal species.

Effect of tibolone and its metabolites on vascular endothelial growth factor isoforms 121 and 165 and thrombospondin-1 mRNA in Ishikawa cells.

Objective: To compare the mRNA expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) 121 and 165 isoforms and thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1) after incubation with tibolone and tibolone metabolites 3alpha-hydroxytibolone, 3beta-hydroxytibolone, Delta4-tibolone, and 17beta-estradiol (E2) in cultured Ishikawa cells.

Design: Ishikawa cells (immortalized from a well-differentiated human adenocarcinoma cell line) were cultured in vitro to confluence. Tibolone, 3alpha-hydroxytibolone, 3beta-hydroxytibolone, Delta4-tibolone and E2 at concentrations of 1.

Effects of levonorgestrel, medroxyprogesterone acetate, norethindrone, and 17beta-estradiol on vascular endothelial growth factor isomers 121 and 165 in Ishikawa cells.

Objective: To determine the effect of 17beta-E(2), levonorgestrel, medroxyprogesterone acetate, and norethindrone on the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) isoforms 121 and 165 in Ishikawa cells in vitro.

Design: Prospective basic research study.

Setting: Basic research laboratory.

Presence and significance of somatic cell apoptosis markers in human ejaculated spermatozoa.

Ejaculated spermatozoa, particularly in infertile men, have been shown to display morphological and biochemical features that are typical of an apoptotic phenotype in somatic cells. Deregulation of apoptosis is known to play roles in a number of disease processes, but roles for apoptosis in ejaculated spermatozoa and male infertility are poorly defined or have not been studied. Preliminary data demonstrated that populations of ejaculated spermatozoa express: (i) various degrees of plasma membrane translocation of phosphatidylserine and DNA fragmentation; and (ii) active caspase-3, the main executor of apoptosis in somatic cells, with an apparent exclusive cellular location to the mid-piece.

Pathophysiology of oligoasthenoteratozoospermia: are we improving in the diagnosis?

Male infertility is one of the most common identifiable causes of human reproductive failure. Although considerable progress has been made toward understanding sperm physiology and the biology of gamete interaction, still more work is needed to achieve objectivity and standardization of some of the andrological diagnostic methods used in the clinical setting. More information is needed to definitively establish which tests are more accurate predictors of sperm performance and how they correlate with pregnancy potential following in-vivo and in-vitro interventions.

Factors associated with an optimal pregnancy outcome in an oocyte donation program.

Purpose: To identify donor and recipient variables that may have a significant impact on pregnancy outcome in order to optimize results of an oocyte donation program.

Method: Retrospective analysis through a Generalized Estimating Equation (GEE) approach to clustered and binary clustered data, linear mixed effects model, scatter plot smoothing functions, and receiving operator characteristics (ROC) curves.

Setting: University-based center.

Percutaneous 17beta-estradiol gel for the treatment of vasomotor symptoms in postmenopausal women.

Objective: To determine the efficacy and tolerability of two strengths of percutaneous 17beta-estradiol in a hydroalcoholic gel and placebo in controlling vasomotor symptoms of menopause.

Design: A total of 221 postmenopausal women were assigned randomly to treatment with percutaneous 17beta-estradiol gel 1.25 g (containing 0.

Application of traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of infertility.

The philosophy and practice of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) have been evolving for thousands of years in China, Japan and other Asian countries. TCM is now generating popular interest worldwide for reproductive health care and disease prevention, including applications for treating infertility and improving sexual function. This review focuses on the application of TCM for infertility patients, and provides a critical reflection on the efficacy and safety of selected Chinese herbal formulas.