Category Archives: Human Reproduction

BACKGROUND

The aim of this study was to investigate the appropriate measures for diagnosing and treating perineal endometriosis (PEM) with anal sphincter involvement.

METHODS

Between January 1992 and April 2011, the clinical features, diagnosis and management of 31 patients who were diagnosed with PEM with anal sphincter involvement at the Peking Union Medical College Hospital were retrospectively analyzed using their clinical records. A range of 6–78 months of outpatient follow-up after surgery were conducted for these 31 patients but was extended by telephone interviews with 29 patients conducted in December 2011.

RESULTS

All 31 patients had a history of vaginal delivery. The level of serum CA₁₂₅ was elevated in only 2 (6.5%) cases. All cases received surgical treatment, which included narrow excision (NE, close to the edge of the endometrioma) with primary sphincteroplasty (PSp) for 30 cases and incomplete excision (IE) for 1 case. Of the 30 cases in the NE group, 20 (66.7%) received hormone therapy preoperatively. Up until December 2011, there was one recurrence (3.6%) of PEM in the NE group. PEM relapse occurred in the IE patient 6 years after the initial IE surgery. Perineal abscesses were found in one patient post-operatively. No complaint of dyspareunia and no fecal incontinence episodes were observed during follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS

Based on our own experience, NE and PSp may be indicated for the treatment of PEM with anal sphincter involvement.

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

BACKGROUND

Animal experiments have suggested that a high intraperitoneal pressure (IPP) might adversely affect the surgical peritoneal environment. The present experimental study investigates the impact of IPP of a CO₂ pneumoperitoneum on human peritoneum.

METHODS

Patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery were subjected to either low (8 mmHg) or standard (12 mmHg) IPP. Normal peritoneum was collected from the parietal wall at the beginning of surgery and every 60 min thereafter. Expression levels of 168 genes that encode extracellular matrix proteins, adhesion molecules or inflammatory cytokine signaling molecules were measured in peritoneal tissues using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based assay panels. Human peritoneal mesothelial cells (HPMCs) and human peritoneal fibroblasts (HPFBs) were incubated in a CO₂ insufflation chamber for 1 h at 12 or 8 mmHg. Hyaluronan (HA) synthesis and mRNA expression levels of hyaluronic acid synthases (HAS) and hyaluronidases (Hyal) in HPMCs and HPFBs were measured at 0, 4, 8, 12, 24 and 48 h after CO₂ gas exposure by ELISA and real-time PCR, respectively.

RESULTS

Expression levels of connective tissue growth factor (CTGF), matrix metalloproteinase-9, E-selectin, chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 2 (CXCL-2), Hyal-1 and Hyal-2 were significantly higher and those of HAS-1, HAS-3, thrombospondin-2 (TSP-2) and interleukin-10 were significantly lower in the 12 mmHg group compared with the 8 mmHg group. HA synthesis was significantly lower in the 12 mmHg group compared with the 8 mmHg group in HPMCs and HPFBs throughout the time course.

CONCLUSIONS

A low IPP (8 mmHg) may be better than the standard IPP (12 mmHg) to minimize the adverse impact on the surgical peritoneal environment during a CO₂ pneumoperitoneum.

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

ScienceDaily (May 24, 2012) A new study has revealed previously undiscovered genetic variants that influence fertility in men. The findings, published by Cell Press on May 24th in the American Journal of Human Genetics, shed much-needed light on human reproduction and might provide answers for countless men suffering from infertility.

Despite its high incidence, infertility remains a sensitive topic. Some of the stigma surrounding infertility arises from a lack of known scientific causes. In fact, nearly a quarter of reported infertility cases remain unexplained. Research regarding the genetics of fertility has come primarily from studies involving infertile subjects. "Such studies have not been able to identify genes or pathways contributing to variation in natural human fertility," remarks Carole Ober, the lead author of the study. This is because numerous non-genetic factors, such as alcohol and tobacco use, certain medications, and disease history, can contribute to infertility.

Ober and her graduate student, Glm Kosova, at the University of Chicago have taken a different approach. By studying a founder population, the Hutterites, Ober's research maximizes genetic influences and minimizes non-genetic ones. The Hutterites are a branch of Anabaptists who conscribe to a common set of religious and social beliefs. "Hutterites [forbid] contraception and uniformly desire large families, providing an outstanding population in which to study the genetics of normal human fertility," explains Ober. Rather than studying infertile subjects, the team included Hutterite men who had one or more child, and it took both family size and birth rate into consideration.

The study uncovered more than 40 genetic regions that influence fertility in Hutterite men. Nine of these regions were additionally found to impact sperm quality in non-Hutterites. These regions harbor genes involved in several essential biological processes, including protein regulation, nucleotide binding, and immunity, and shed light on the complexity of human fertility. Ultimately, says Ober, further studies might find that mutations in these genes underlie some of the currently unexplained cases of male infertility.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Cell Press, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Original post:
Male fertility genes discovered

Public release date: 23-May-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Germn Arroyo Moreno arroyo@ugr.es 34-958-243-180 University of Granada

University of Granada researchers have developed a 3D imaging system that scans 3D models of historical buildings using data obtained from an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)an aircraft without a human pilot onboard. This is the first 3D imaging system to combine the use of UAVs, image-based 3D modeling technologies, and virtual representation of models to produce a realistic modeling of 3D objects from images.

The endpoint of this project is to obtain a 3D model of a historical building faade as a cathedralwithout any human intervention and at a lower cost than other technologies currently available (as 3D scanners). To date, UAVs have been used in many research fields, as they are fast and they can overfly abrupt areas, avoid large obstacles and provide information from multiple sensors.

No Scaffolding or Cranes

While UAVs autonomy is limited, they can descend for an operator to change the battery (an operation requiring just a few seconds), and then resume its task. This way, the object can be scanned in record time without the need for scaffolding or cranes.

As regards 3D-digitalization technologies, they can provide a realistic modeling of 3D objects from images obtained from sensors, stereoscopic cameras, multiple geolocated images obtained from different angles, etc. Finally, virtual reality technologies produce realistc high-quality 3D images (similar to those on 3D movies).

The multiple applications of this technology are evident, as they offer an autonomous device that in just some minutes can scan a faade with as much or a higher precision than 3D scanners. It is noteworthy that this device can get close to the object up to a few inches to obtain the smallest and unreachable details.

This project focused on faade 3D imaging is intended to prove the applicability of this new technology to any type of architectural model: buildings, monuments, etc. What these objects have in common is that digitalization is performed in vertical parameters and that objects are geolocalized.

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See more here:
A new imaging system produces 3-D models of monuments using unmanned aircraft

Most starting running backs in the NFL are black and most CEOs of Fortune 500 companies are white. Men dominate in the economic and political worlds and women excel at child rearing and caring for the home...

These and many other patterns of difference and inequality between sexes and races are just a part of human nature, right?

Wrong.

There are many myths about human nature. Luckily, we have data from across the social and biological sciences that bust some of the worst ones. Two of the most pernicious, and erroneous, myths are about race and sex:

Race: Humans are divided into biological races (black, white, Asian, etc.).

Sex: Men and women are truly different in behavior, desires, and internal wiring.

Why should we care that myths of race and sex are so resilient, in spite of their inaccuracy? Because they matter in our daily lives.

While race is not biology, racism can certainly affect our biology. Racial social structures, from access to health care to one's own racialized self-image, can impact the ways our bodies and immune systems develop. This means that race, while not a biological unit, can have important biological implications and significant societal impacts. So what do we know about human biological diversity?

There is substantial biological variation within and between the thousands of human populations on the planet, but population race. These patterns of variation are shaped by culture, language, ecology, history, and geography. The vast majority of social and biological scientists recognize that race is not an accurate or productive way to describe modern human biological variation. However, race in the USA is a cultural construct that affects our social realities, and racial inequality (racism) can affect individuals' biology.

There are no genetic sequences ("genes") unique to blacks or whites or Asians. There is more genetic variation in populations from the continent of Africa than exists in ALL populations from outside of Africa (the rest of the world) combined! There is no neurological patterning that distinguishes races from one another, nor are there patterns in muscle development and structure, digestive tracts, hand-eye coordination, or any other such measures. Dark or light skin tells us only about a person's amount of ancestry relative to the equator, not anything about the specific population(s) they might be descended from.

More:
Agustin Fuentes: Sex and Race Might Not Be What You Think: Two Things You Need to Know About Human Nature

Public release date: 16-May-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Christine Bauquis christine@eshre.eu 32-022-636-464 European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology

The world's leading event in reproductive medicine is less than two months away. The field is one of the most exciting in journalism - and ESHRE's annual meeting one of the best sources of news and feature material. This year's event in Istanbul promises to be as scientifically and clinically strong as ever.

More than 8000 of the world's leading experts in reproduction are expected this year. More than 1700 abstracts of new research were submitted for selection, and the very best of them, selected by an independent scientific committee, will be presented in public for the very first time in Istanbul.

ESHRE welcomes journalists to the meeting, and a serviced press room with support materials, wifi connection and daily press conferences will be available. Registration is free to bona fide journalists on presentation of official press credentials.

ESHRE's media policy requires accreditation with a recognised press card or commissioning letter from an editor confirming the assignment. Before seeking registration, you should check ESHRE's media policy, which is accessible at http://www.eshre.eu/ESHRE/page.aspx/1553.

Registration in advance is recommended, but journalists may register on site provided that press credentials are provided with a formally recognised press card and/or a commissioning letter from a recognised media organisation. Business cards are not acceptable.

The official congress language is English, although press releases will be available in English and Turkish. There are no simultaneous translations.

You can download the registration form at http://www.eshre.eu/ESHRE/page.aspx/1553. Once completed, you can fax or email it with a scanned copy of your press credentials to:

Christine Bauquis ESHRE Communications Co-ordinator Fax: +32 (0) 2 269 56 00 Email: christine@eshre.eu Tel: +32 (0) 2 263 64 64 Mobile: +32 (0) 499 25 80 46

The rest is here:
European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology 28th Annual Meeting -- Istanbul