International Journal of Reproductive BioMedicine (IJRM)

The relationship between maternal vitamin D levels and osteopenia development in preterm infants: A cross-sectional study

Razieh Sadat Tabatabaei — 2025-01-01

Background: Osteopenia of prematurity (OP) is characterized by reduced bone mineral content, and vitamin D deficiency may worsen OP by affecting bone metabolism.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the correlation between maternal vitamin D levels and biochemical markers related to OP. Materials and Methods: This analytical cross-sectional study, conducted at Shahid Sadoughi hospital, Yazd, Iran, from June 2022 to September 2023, included 49 pregnant women and their preterm infants. Based on the serum alkaline phosphatase and phosphorus levels of the infants at birth and 4 wk after birth, they were divided into osteopenic and non-osteopenic groups. Maternal and neonatal vitamin D and calcium levels were then compared between these groups.

Results: The mean maternal vitamin D level was 24.9 ± 15.09 ng/ml, with 36% showing deficiency. 11 neonates at 4 wk exhibited osteopenia based on phosphorus and serum alkaline phosphatase levels. Those with osteopenia had significantly lower vitamin D (p = 0.032) and calcium levels compared to non-osteopenic neonates (p = 0.043), although maternal vitamin D mean was not a significant risk factor for OP (p = 0.313).

Conclusion: The results suggest that maternal vitamin D levels do not have a significant association with the incidence of osteopenia in neonates, as the mean maternal vitamin D concentration was not identified as a risk factor for this condition. Therefore, it is recommended that future research should investigate alternative factors that may contribute to the development of osteopenia in preterm infants

Improving reproductive outcomes in frozen embryo transfer over fresh embryo transfer in women with endometrioma: A historical cohort study

Parisa Pirooznia — 2025-01-01

Background: Endometrioma, a common manifestation of endometriosis, often indicates the severity of the disease. In vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (ET) are key therapeutic strategies for infertility associated with endometriosis. However, the optimal type of ET (frozen or fresh) and its impact on pregnancy success rates remain debated, with limited studies available.

Objective: This historical cohort study aimed to compare fertility and neonatal outcomes, focusing on live birth rate (LBR), clinical pregnancy, and implantation rates in women with endometrioma-associated infertility, between fresh and frozen embryo transfer (FET).

Materials and Methods: In this historical cohort study, the medical records (files) of 289 women diagnosed with endometrioma-related infertility, who underwent in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection treatment at Royan Institute, Tehran, Iran between March 2016–2021 were reviewed. Ultimately, 200 files that met the established criteria were selected for review. The extracted data was then compared between groups: FET (n = 121) and fresh ET (n = 79).

Results: No significant differences were observed between the groups in terms of demographic characteristics and endometrioma size. The only significant difference in fertility outcomes was the LBR, which was 36.4% for the FET group compared to 22.8% for the fresh ET group (p = 0.04). No significant differences were observed in neonatal outcomes between the groups. Overall, our study suggests that FET may lead to higher LBRs in women diagnosed with endometrioma.

Conclusion: Our study suggests that FET may lead to higher LBRs in women diagnosed with endometrioma.

Effects of L-carnitine and pentoxifylline on long-term preservation of the human sperms: An experimental study

Elham Aliabadi — 2025-01-01

Background: In infertility clinics, long-time preserving high-quality spermatozoa is a challenging problem.

Objective: The present study aimed to prolong preserving of the human spermatozoa by adding pentoxifylline (PT) and L-carnitine (LC) without using high-cost freezing techniques. Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, semen samples of 26 normozoospermia men aged between 28–34 yr, were firstly prepared using the swim-up technique, and each sample was divided into the following 3 aliquots: untreated control group, the LC, and PT-treated groups. The samples were stored for up to 12 days at 4–6°C, and sperm motility was assessed. The percentages of the sperms with double-stranded DNA, apoptotic, and acrosomal interacted sperms were evaluated by sperm chromatin structure assay, AnnexinV-PI staining, and peanut agglutinin, respectively.

Results: On day 7, 26.83% ± 4.26 of sperms were motile in the PT group which was significantly more than LC (6.67% ± 0.61) and control (0.83 ± 0.17) groups (p < 0.001). At day 12, while all sperms lost their motility in LC and control groups, adding PT led to 3.17% ± 0.47 sperms remaining motile (p < 0.001). Moreover, on day 12, the percent of apoptotic sperms in the PT-treated group (8% ± 0.20) was significantly lower than in LC-treated group (5.9% ± 0.28, p = 0.03). None of the additives positively affected the number of sperms with double-stranded DNA (p > 0.05). LC could also maintain acrosomal integrity over a storage time of up to 12 days.

Conclusion: Despite PT’s improved sperm motility, LC was more efficient in preventing apoptosis and acrosomal reactions. However, DNA was resistant to denaturation regardless of the treatments.

Protective effects of resveratrol on the expression of catalase, glutathione peroxidase, and superoxide dismutase genes in the ovary and their activity in the serum of rats exposed to lead acetate: An experimental study

Mohammad Karimian — 2025-01-01

Background: Lead (Pb) could be toxic to the female reproductive system, and resveratrol (Res) may overcome this toxicity.

Objective: To investigate the Res impact on the catalase (Cat), glutathione peroxidase (Gpx), and superoxide dismutase (Sod) gene expression in the ovary and on the Cat and Gpx enzyme activity in the serum of rats exposed to lead acetate.

Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, 33 female Wistar rats (8–10 wk, 180–200 gr) were divided into 6 groups: a control group (normal saline), a Res group (40 mg/kg), and a Pb group (lead acetate 30 mg/kg). 3 additional groups received lead acetate (30 mg/kg) with Res at 20, 40, and 80 mg/kg for 21 days. Gene expression of Cat, Gpx, and Sod was measured via qPCR, and serum Cat and Gpx activity was assessed using standard methods. Bioinformatics tools were used to evaluate Res effects on gene and protein function.

Results: Lead acetate significantly downregulates Cat, Gpx, and Sod gene expression, but Res significantly upregulates gene expression, especially at doses of 40 mg/kg for Cat, 20 mg/kg and 40 mg/kg for Gpx, and 80 mg/kg for Sod. Cat and Gpx enzyme activity increased and decreased in the lead acetate group, respectively. However, Res in all doses decreased only the Cat enzyme activity. Bioinformatics analysis indicates that Res can interact with the promoter regions and cavities of all 3 enzymes.

Conclusion: Pb can dysregulate the expression and activity of the studied enzymes. However, the impact of Res is influenced by the dose, with 40 mg/kg frequently being the most effective.

Vimentin as a contributing factor in SARS-CoV-2-induced orchitis on postmortem testicular autopsy of COVID-19 cases: A case-control study

Soheila Akaberi-Nasrabadi — 2025-01-01

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was identified in China in late December 2019 and led to a pandemic that resulted in millions of confirmed cases and deaths. The causative agent, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), uses distinct receptors and co-receptors to enter host cells. Vimentin has emerged as a potential co-receptor for SARS-CoV-2 due to the high level of vimentin expression in testis tissue.

Objective: The present study investigated the link between vimentin expression level and SARS-CoV-2-induced orchitis.

Materials and Methods: In this case-control study, testis autopsy samples were collected immediately after the death of both COVID-19 cases and a control group that included individuals who died due to accidental causes. Gene expression and immunohistochemical assays were conducted to evaluate the level of vimentin expression, cell proliferation, and leukocyte infiltration.

Results: A significant expression of vimentin and infiltration of immune cells (CD68+, CD38+, and CD138+) in the testicular tissue of COVID-19 cases, along with extensive immunoglobulin G precipitation and reduced inhibin expression (p = 0.001) were observed. Additionally, gene expression analysis revealed increased expression of vimentin and decreased expression of the proliferation markers Ki67 and proliferating cell nuclear antigen, suggesting that SARS-CoV-2 may disrupt spermatogenesis through immune responses and the arrest of cell proliferation.

Conclusion: There may be a strong link between vimentin expression and COVID-19-induced orchitis. Further studies are needed to confirm these findings. Considering some limitations, vimentin can be used as a biomarker option for testicular damage following COVID-19-induced orchitis.

Evaluation of utilization of amplified blastocoel fluid DNA gel electrophoresis band intensity as an additional minimally invasive approach in embryo selection: A cross-sectional study

Fattaneh Khajehoseini — 2025-01-01

Background: Embryo selection for transfer is critical in assisted reproduction. The presence of DNA in the blastocoel cavity of human blastocysts is assumed to be a consequence of common preimplantation chromosomal abnormalities.

Objective: This study examined the relationship between the amount of blastocoel fluid (BF) DNA and the band intensity of amplified BF-DNA in gel electrophoresis, considering the influence of ploidy status.

Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study categorizes blastocysts into 2 groups based on the array comparative genomic hybridization results by trophectoderm biopsy -the euploid and aneuploid group. After morphological scoring, a biopsy of BF was performed for whole genome amplification, followed by an assessment of band intensity and BF-DNA quantification. The relationship between BF-DNA levels, band intensity, and ploidy status were analyzed.

Results: The level of BF-DNA was higher in the aneuploid group compared to the euploid group, but the difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.2). We observed that the band intensity was affected by the ploidy status of the embryos, although this difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.059). Notably, electrophoresis band of all embryos with chromosomal loss was strong. No correlation was observed between embryo morphology and chromosomal ploidy (p = 0.8).

Conclusion: Our findings indicate that BF-DNA band intensity on agarose gel is not currently applicable for preimplantation embryo selection. It seems that embryos with chromosomal loss are more prone to DNA release to BF. The disrelation between embryo morphology and ploidy status represents the necessity of minimally invasive embryo screening methods based on ploidy status.

The association between the amount of fetal fraction in cell-free DNA testing and adverse pregnancy outcomes: A cohort study

Maryam Aryavand — 2025-01-01

Background: Noninvasive perinatal testing is a new method of screening for aneuploidy called cell-free DNA (cfDNA). Fetal fraction (FF) plays a crucial role in assessing the reliability of aneuploidy detection through noninvasive perinatal testing.

Objective: We aimed to investigate the association between the amount of FF in cfDNA testing and adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Materials and Methods: This cohort study was conducted on 619 singleton pregnant women who were candidates for cfDNA testing and were referred to the perinatology clinics of Shariati hospital and Arash Women’s hospital, both affiliated with Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran from March 2019 to June 2020. The FF was extracted from the cfDNA test results, and the participants were followed until delivery.

Results: A total of 619 singleton pregnant women with a mean ± SD age and FF of 34.4 ± 4.85 and 8.39 ± 3.95, respectively, participated in the study. A significant association between maternal age and FF was not found (p = 0.12). A lower FF was associated with a rise in the incidence of gestational diabetes mellitus (p = 0.02) and a higher FF was associated with a rise in the incidence of fetal growth restriction (p < 0.001). However, high or low FF was not associated with pre-eclampsia, premature rupture of membranes, birth weight, or delivery time. No significant association was found between FF and multiple of the median of pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A and free β-human chorionic gonadotropin.

Conclusion: The amount of FF may be considered a predictor of certain adverse pregnancy outcomes. Therefore, maternity care should be performed more carefully for women with high or low FF.

Outcomes of antibiotic therapy and transvaginal ultrasound-guided efficacy of transvaginal ultrasound-guided drainage in treating tubo-ovarian abscesses: Three case reports

Zahra Heidar — 2025-01-01

Background: To introduce minimally invasive methods for the successful treatment of tubo-ovarian abscesses (TOAs), an antibiotic regimen was considered the first line of treatment. However, in some cases, this approach fails, and another intervention (laparotomy or minimally guidance drainage) is required.

Case Presentations: 3 women with a history of long-time infertility, all of them were candidates for in vitro fertilization referred to the obstetrics and gynecology department with similar manifestations. For these 3 cases (30–40 yr) the first approach was a broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy. In 2 cases the last step in treatment was transvaginal ultrasound guidance drainage, and in one case laparotomy was done after antibiotic regimen failure; however, in all of 3 cases the best results were seen in transvaginal ultrasound guidance drainage.

Conclusion: Patients who have ovarian endometrioma and undergo an assisted reproductive technology cycle, as well as ovum pick up, increase the possibility of TOA occurrence in them. The use of transvaginal ultrasound guidance drainage approach for the treatment of TOA in selective cases, in addition to broad-spectrum antibiotics in patients might reduce their need for invasive treatment with laparotomy.