Category Archives: Human Reproduction

State health officials are warning residents to protect themselves from mosquito bites as more cases of West Nile virus crop up across the state.

On Wednesday, a Newton woman was recovering from West Nile the fourth confirmed human infection in Massachusetts. While mosquitoes detected with eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) have fallen off slightly, detection of West Nile is on the rise, according to an official at the Department of Public Health.

So far this season, four people have been infected with West Nile, and one with EEE, according to state health officials.

West Nile cases are also on the rise nationally, according to a Department of Public Health official. In Massachusetts, state health officials have found infected mosquitoes in 93 communities.

"Over the last three weeks or so, West Nile has been dramatically increasing," said Dr. Catherine Brown, state public health veterinarian. "It is very high."

Brown said the "bad news" is the number of communities with West Nile-infected mosquitoes could be much higher some communities are not tested. Only communities that are a part of one of the nine mosquito control projects test.

"What this tells us is there is a lot of West Nile everywhere," Brown said. "At this point, people should consider that West Nile virus is present throughout the state."

West Nile virus was first found in Massachusetts in 2000. There were bad outbreaks in 2002-2003, with 22 and 18 human infection cases respectively. Since then, the number of cases hasnt hit those levels, according to Brown.

The summers high temperatures and dry conditions created ideal conditions for mosquito-borne infections.

"The heat, not only does it speed up mosquito reproduction, it also speeds up the virus multiplication. The mosquitoes infect the birds; the birds infect more mosquitoes," Brown said. "That whole cycle between the birds and the mosquitoes is called virus amplification."

Read more:
Mass. health official says West Nile virus all over the state

STUDY QUESTION

Is the presence of nuclear vacuoles really a negative parameter?

SUMMARY ANSWER

As sperm vacuoles are associated with acrosomal and capacitation status, they appear to be a reflection of normal sperm physiology.

WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY

The selection of sperm under a high magnification has been proposed as a strategy to increase the success rates of ICSI, through a better selection of sperm for injection. The presence of vacuoles on the sperm head is said to be a negative parameter.

STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION

We incubated processed sperm for 90 min with two strong inducers of acrosome reaction (AR), i.e. hyaluronic acid (HA) and follicular fluid (FF) and studied the evolution of nuclear vacuoles, sperm morphology and chromatin compaction.

PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS

We tested the effect of incubating sperm samples with HA and FF for 90 min at 37°C on nuclear vacuoles.

MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE

Both HA and FF strongly induce AR after 90 min, without significantly modifying sperm nuclear condensation and morphology (Bartoov's criteria). We simultaneously observed a highly significant decrease in the presence of vacuoles.

LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION

This is a descriptive study based on in vitro manipulations.

WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS

Although intracytoplasmic morphologically selected sperm injection may be of benefit for couples with specific treatment indications, the results of this study make it difficult to justify its large-scale application.

STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S)

Funding was granted by Laboratoire d'Eylau, Unilabs.

Source:
http://humrep.oxfordjournals.org/rss/current.xml

STUDY QUESTION

Is there an association between sex chromosome disomy and semen concentration, motility and morphology?

SUMMARY ANSWER

Higher rates of XY disomy were associated with a significant increase in abnormal semen parameters, particularly low semen concentration.

WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY

Although some prior studies have shown associations between sperm chromosomal abnormalities and reduced semen quality, results of others are inconsistent. Definitive findings have been limited by small sample sizes and lack of adjustment for potential confounders.

STUDY DESIGN, SIZE AND DURATION

Cross-sectional study of men from subfertile couples presenting at the Massachusetts General Hospital Fertility Clinic from January 2000 to May 2003.

PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS

With a sample of 192 men, multiprobe fluorescence in situ hybridization for chromosomes X, Y and 18 was used to determine XX, YY, XY and total sex chromosome disomy in sperm nuclei. Sperm concentration and motility were measured using computer-assisted sperm analysis; morphology was scored using strict criteria. Logistic regression models were used to evaluate the odds of abnormal semen parameters [as defined by World Health Organization (WHO)] as a function of sperm sex chromosome disomy.

MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE

The median percentage disomy was 0.3 for XX and YY, 0.9 for XY and 1.6 for total sex chromosome disomy. Men who had abnormalities in all three semen parameters had significantly higher median rates of XX, XY and total sex chromosome disomy than controls with normal semen parameters (0.43 versus 0.25%, 1.36 versus 0.87% and 2.37 versus 1.52%, respectively, all P< 0.05). In logistic regression models, each 0.1% increase in XY disomy was associated with a 7% increase (odds ratio: 1.07, 95% confidence interval: 1.02–1.13) in the odds of having below normal semen concentration (<20 million/ml) after adjustment for age, smoking status and abstinence time. Increases in XX, YY and total sex chromosome disomy were not associated with an increase in the odds of a man having abnormal semen parameters. In addition, autosomal chromosome disomy (1818) was not associated with abnormal semen parameters.

LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION

A potential limitation of this study, as well as those currently in the published literature, is that it is cross-sectional. Cross-sectional analyses by nature do not lend themselves to inference about directionality for any observed associations; therefore, we cannot determine which variable is the cause and which one is the effect. Additionally, the use of WHO cutoff criteria for dichotomizing semen parameters may not fully define fertility status; however, in this study, fertility status was not an outcome we were attempting to assess.

WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS

This is the largest study to date seeking to understand the association between sperm sex chromosome disomy and semen parameters, and the first to use multivariate modeling to understand this relationship. The findings are similar to those in the published literature and highlight the need for mechanistic studies to better characterize the interrelationships between sex chromosome disomy and standard indices of sperm health.

STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S)

This work was supported by grants from NIOSH (T42 OH008416) and NIEHS (R01 ES009718, P30 ES000002 and R01 ES017457). The authors declare no competing interests. At the time this work was conducted and the initial manuscript written, MEM was affiliated with the Environmental Health Department at the Harvard School of Public Health. Currently, MEM is employed by Millennium: The Takeda Oncology Company.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

N/A.

Source:
http://humrep.oxfordjournals.org/rss/current.xml

STUDY QUESTION

Is there an association between high levels of sperm DNA damage and miscarriage?

SUMMARY ANSWER

Miscarriage rates are positively correlated with sperm DNA damage levels.

WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY

Most ejaculates contain a subpopulation of sperm with DNA damage, also referred to as DNA fragmentation, in the form of double or single-strand breaks which have been induced in the DNA prior to or following ejaculation. This DNA damage may be particularly elevated in some subfertile men, hence several studies have examined the link between sperm DNA damage levels and conception and miscarriage rates.

STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION

A systematic review and meta-analysis of studies which examined the effect of sperm DNA damage on miscarriage rates was performed. Searches were conducted on MEDLINE, EMBASE and the Cochrane Library without any language restrictions from database inception to January 2012.

PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS

We used the terms ‘DNA damage’ or ‘DNA fragmentation’ combined with ‘miscarriage’, ‘abortion’ or ‘pregnancy’ to generate a set of relevant citations. Data extraction was performed by two reviewers. Study quality was assessed using the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale. Meta-analysis of relative risks of miscarriage was performed with a random effects model. Subgroup analyses were performed by the type of DNA damage test, whether the sperm examined were prepared or from raw semen and for pregnancies resulting from IVF or ICSI treatment.

MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE

We identified 16 cohort studies (2969 couples), 14 of which were prospective. Eight studies used acridine orange-based assays, six the TUNEL assay and two the COMET assay. Meta-analysis showed a significant increase in miscarriage in patients with high DNA damage compared with those with low DNA damage [risk ratio (RR) = 2.16 (1.54, 3.03), P < 0.00001)]. A subgroup analysis showed that the miscarriage association is strongest for the TUNEL assay (RR = 3.94 (2.45, 6.32), P < 0.00001).

LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION

There is some variation in study characteristics, including the use of different assays and different thresholds for DNA damage and the definition of pregnancy loss.

WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS

The use of methods which select sperm without DNA damage for use in assisted conception treatment may reduce the risk of miscarriage. This finding indicates that assays detecting DNA damage could be considered in those suffering from recurrent pregnancy loss. Further research is necessary to study the mechanisms of DNA damage and the potential therapeutic effects of antioxidant therapy.

STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S)

None.

Source:
http://humrep.oxfordjournals.org/rss/current.xml

STUDY QUESTION

Are different dietary patterns associated with semen parameters in young men?

STUDY ANSWER

The consumption of a Prudent dietary pattern was significantly associated with higher progressive sperm motility and unrelated to sperm concentration and morphology. The consumption of a Western dietary pattern was unrelated to conventional semen quality parameters.

WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY

Over the past decades there has been evidence of a concomitant decline in sperm and diet quality. Yet whether diet composition influences semen quality remains largely unexplored.

STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION

The Rochester Young Men's Study (n= 188) was a cross-sectional study conducted between 2009 and 2010 at the University of Rochester.

PARTICIPANTS, SETTING, METHODS

Men aged 18–22 years were included in this analysis. Diet was assessed via food frequency questionnaire and dietary patterns were identified by factor analysis. Linear regression was used to analyze the relation between diet patterns and conventional semen quality parameters (sperm concentration, progressive motility and morphology) adjusting for abstinence time, multivitamin use, race, smoking status, BMI, recruitment period, moderate-to-intense exercise and total calorie intake.

RESULTS

Two dietary patterns were identified by factor analysis. The ‘Western’ pattern was characterized by high intake of red and processed meat, refined grains, pizza, snacks, high-energy drinks and sweets. The ‘Prudent’ pattern was characterized by high intake of fish, chicken, fruit, vegetables, legumes and whole grains. The Prudent pattern was positively associated with percent progressively motile sperm in multivariate models (P-trend = 0.04). Men in the highest quartile of the Prudent diet had 11.3% (95% CI 1.3, 21.3) higher % progressively motile sperm compared with men in the lowest quartile. The Prudent pattern was unrelated to sperm concentration and morphology. The Western pattern was not associated with any semen parameter.

LIMITATIONS

This was a cross-sectional and observational study, which limited our ability to determine causality of diet on semen quality parameters.

WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS

Our findings support the suggestion that a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, chicken, fish and whole grains may be an inexpensive and safe way to improve at least one measure of semen quality.

STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTERESTS

The authors are supported by NIH grant T32DK007703-16 and P30DK46200 and European Union DEER Grant 212844. The authors have no competing interests to declare.

Source:
http://humrep.oxfordjournals.org/rss/current.xml

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to prospectively examine families created using surrogacy over a 10-year period in the UK with respect to intending parents' and children's relationship with the surrogate mother, parents' decisions over disclosure and children's understanding of the nature of their conception.

METHODS

Semi-structured interviews were administered by trained researchers to intending mothers, intending fathers and children on four occasions over a 10-year period. Forty-two families (19 with a genetic surrogate mother) participated when the child was 1-year old and by age 10 years, 33 families remained in the study. Data were collected on the frequency of contact with the surrogate mother, relationship with the surrogate, disclosure of surrogacy to the child and the child's understanding of their surrogacy birth.

RESULTS

Frequency of contact between surrogacy families and their surrogate mother decreased over time, particularly for families whose surrogate was a previously unknown genetic carrier (P < 0.001) (i.e. where they had met through a third party and the surrogate mother's egg was used to conceive the child). Most families reported harmonious relationships with their surrogate mother. At age 10 years, 19 (90%) children who had been informed of the nature of their conception had a good understanding of this and 13 of the 14 children who were in contact with their surrogate reported that they liked her.

CONCLUSIONS

Surrogacy families maintained good relationships with the surrogate mother over time. Children felt positive about their surrogate mother and their surrogacy birth. The sample size of this study was small and further, larger investigations are needed before firm conclusions can be drawn.

Source:
http://humrep.oxfordjournals.org/rss/current.xml