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Cisplatin can lead to infertility due to its negative impact on the uterus and ovaries. This study aimed to explore the effects of Inositol and vitamin C on cisplatin-induced infertility. Forty-eight adult female Wistar rats were divided into eight groups (N = 6) and orally treated for 21 days. The treatments were as follows: negative control (saline), positive control (saline and cisplatin injected into the abdomen on day 15), T1-T3: rats given vitamin C (150 mg/kg), Inositol (420 mg/kg), and vitamin C + Inositol, respectively, along with cisplatin injected into the abdomen on day 15, T4-T6: rats given only vitamin C, Inositol, and vitamin C + Inositol, respectively. Vitamin C and Inositol enhanced cisplatin-induced histopathological improvements in the uterus and ovaries, raising progesterone and estradiol serum levels. Furthermore, the supplements enhanced ESR1 gene expression in the uterus and ovary, reducing uterine and ovarian apoptosis caused by cisplatin through modulation of caspase 3, 8, and Bcl-2 gene levels. These substances decreased ovarian and uterine malondialdehyde levels, boosted total antioxidant capacity and superoxide dismutase, and alleviated oxidative stress. The findings reveal that vitamin C and Inositol shield against cisplatin-related infertility by reducing oxidative stress and apoptosis in the uterus and ovaries., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

The effect of combined levonorgestrel (P) and quinestrol (E) on the fertility of striped field mouse (Apodemus agrarius) has not been evaluated. We performed a series of experiments in both the laboratory and field to assess the effect of P and/or E on the fertility of A. agrarius. In the laboratory, to test the time-dependent anti-fertility effects of P and E, as well as their mixtures, 90 male striped field mice were randomly assigned to 6 treatment groups (n = 60), and a control group (n = 30). Mice in 3 treatment groups were administered 1 of the 3 compounds (1 mg⋅kg - 1 [body weight] EP-1, 0.34 mg⋅kg -1 E, 0.66 mg⋅kg -1 P) for 3 successive days (another half for 7 successive days) via oral gavage; mice were then sacrificed 15 and 45 days after initiating the gavage treatment. Our findings indicated that E and EP-1 treatment, but not P or control treatment, significantly decreased the sperm count in the caudal epididymis, as well as the weight of the testes, epididymides, and seminal vesicles. Additionally, fertile female mice mated with E- and EP-1-treated males produced smaller pups. These data indicate that E and EP-1 can induce infertility in male A. agrarius. In the field, the population density of A. agrarius was significantly influenced by EP-1, and the rodent density in the treatment group was lower than that in the control group. Overall, our results indicate that EP-1 is an effective contraceptive in A. agrarius, a dominant rodent species in the farmland., (© 2021 International Society of Zoological Sciences, Institute of Zoology/Chinese Academy of Sciences and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.)

Purpose: To investigate the association between fertility drugs and tumors of the central nervous system (CNS)., Methods: This cohort study was based on The Danish Infertility Cohort and included 148,016 infertile women living in Denmark (1995-2017). The study cohort was linked to national registers to obtain information on use of specific fertility drugs, cancer diagnoses, covariates, emigration, and vital status. Cox proportional hazard regression models were used to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for all CNS tumors and separately for gliomas, meningiomas and diverse benign tumors of the brain and other parts of the CNS., Results: During a median 11.3 years of follow-up, 328 women were diagnosed with CNS tumors. No marked associations were observed between use of the fertility drugs clomiphene citrate, gonadotropins, gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptor modulators and progesterone and CNS tumors. However, use of human chorionic gonadotropin was associated with a decreased rate of meningiomas (HR 0.49 95% CI 0.28-0.87). No clear associations with CNS tumors were observed according to time since first use or cumulative dose for any of the fertility drugs., Conclusion: No associations between use of most types of fertility drugs and CNS tumors were observed. However, our findings only apply to premenopausal women and additional studies with longer follow-up time are necessary., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.)

Hysterosalpingographies (HSGs) have formed an essential part of the fertility workup for more than a century. More recently, tubal flushing, especially with oil-based contrast, has been shown to significantly improve the natural conception rates. Critically, the mechanism of this fertility-enhancing effect during tubal flushing is still unclear. This article postulates hypotheses, based on published and own research, on the potential mechanisms and root cause of tubal flushing fertility enhancement. Possible explanations for the increased fertility rates, especially with oil-based contrast, are divided into the biochemical and interfacial effects derived from the contrast properties. The biochemical effects may include the immunological response of the endometrium or peritoneum, the impact on the endometrial opioid receptors or the iodine content. The interfacial effects may include improvement of interfacial factors due to the lubricant effect or dislodgement of mucus debris within the Fallopian tubes. Impact Statement What is already known on this subject? Tubal flushing during hysterosalpingographies (HSGs) increases natural conception rates, and using oil-based over water-based contrast increases that effect even further. However, the underlying mechanism of the observed fertility-enhancing effect is still poorly understood. What do the results of this study add? This article postulates different hypotheses on the potential mechanisms and root cause of the fertility enhancement from tubal flushing. What are the implications of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research? We suggest additional research on the different hypotheses, intending to determine which subfertile women will benefit most from tubal flushing using oil-based contrast and at which stage of their subfertility. Furthermore, we suggest research on administering tubal flushing with oil-based contrast, besides in HSG.

Study Question: Are children who were conceived with infertility treatment at an increased risk of developing asthma and atopic conditions?, Summary Answer: Infertility treatment is associated with an elevated risk of asthma and atopic conditions in early and middle childhood, even after adjustment for parental asthma and atopy., What Is Known Already: Asthma and atopic conditions are prevalent in childhood. The development of these conditions may be linked to early life exposures, including the use of infertility treatments., Study Design, Size, Duration: Upstate KIDS is a prospective cohort study of singletons and multiples born between 2008 and 2010. A total of 5034 mothers and 6171 children were enrolled and followed up until 2019, and 2056 children participated in the middle childhood follow-up., Participants/materials, Setting, Methods: Women reported the fertility agents used to become pregnant on a baseline questionnaire. Treatment was categorized as ART (∼22%) use, ovulation induction via oral/injectable medications with or without IUI (OI/IUI, ∼20%), or no treatment (∼58%). Outcomes were assessed by maternal report on questionnaires in early (up to age 3 years, prevalence 9-28%) and middle (7-9 years, prevalence 10-16%) childhood. Weighted Poisson regression models with robust standard errors were used to analyze the risk of atopic outcomes in relation to infertility treatment exposure., Main Results and the Role of Chance: Compared to children conceived without treatment, children conceived with any infertility treatment were at an increased risk of persistent wheeze by age 3 years (relative risk (RR): 1.66; 95% CI: 1.17, 2.33) with adjustments for parental atopy among other risk factors. Around 7-9 years, children conceived with treatment were more likely to have current asthma (RR: 1.30; 95% CI: 0.98, 1.71), eczema (RR: 1.77; 95% CI: 1.25, 2.49) or be prescribed allergy-related medications (RR: 1.45; 95% CI: 1.06, 1.99). Similar effect sizes were found when examining associations by treatment type (i.e. ART versus OI/IUI)., Limitations, Reasons for Caution: Childhood outcomes were based on maternal report and are subject to potential misclassification. There was attrition in this study, which limits the precision of our measures of association., Wider Implications of the Findings: Though future research is needed to clarify the mechanisms involved, our findings support that both ART and OI/IUI influences the development of asthma and atopic conditions in the offspring from an early age., Study Funding/competing Interest(s): This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health's Intramural Research Program at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD; contracts #HHSN275201200005C, #HHSN267200700019C, #HHSN275201400013C, #HHSN275201300026I/27500004, #HHSN275201300023I/27500017). The authors have no relevant conflicts of interest to disclose., Trial Registration Number: N/A., (Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology 2022. This work is written by US Government employees and is in the public domain in the US.)

Blueberry gall midge, Dasineura oxycoccana (Johnson) (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) is a pest in American cranberry, Vaccinium macrocarpon Aiton (Ericales: Ericaceae) and wild blueberry, Vaccinium angustifolium Aiton (Ericales: Ericaceae), and has been observed in areas of high soil and foliar nutrient levels. New management strategies, including fertilization, will need to be altered to sustain wild blueberry production under climate change and, in turn, may impact the occurrence of this pest. The purpose of this study was to measure the effect of diammonium phosphate (DAP) fertilizer application on density of infested stems and the combined effects of fertilizer application with and without infestation on wild blueberry systems. This study was conducted at two field sites in Jonesboro and Washington, ME during 2020 and 2021. Despite increases in habitat availability (blueberry cover) for the gall midge and greater infestation density, wild blueberry production benefited from DAP application. This was shown in the number of buds per stem at both sites, as well as in stem height, flowers, green fruit, blue fruit per stem, and total yield at the Washington site. Foliar nitrogen and phosphorus levels had a significant positive linear relationship with infestation density. Growers applying fertilizers should monitor blueberry gall midge field infestation levels due to our findings that DAP fertilizer impacted infestation density and the interaction of DAP fertilizer with infestation impacted wild blueberry production., (© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Desert and semi-desert plants are often associated with a distinct soil biota under the plants and close to the root system. We aimed to understand if similar effects could be found in the taxonomically isolated desert gymnosperm Welwitschia mirabilis in the Namib Desert, and whether this island effect varied with climate and with gender of plants. We took soil cores adjacent to the plants in environments ranging from extreme desert to arid shrubland, and in nearby control sites between the plants. Soil chemistry was analysed, and deoxyribonucleic acid was extracted and sequenced for the bacterial 16s region. Soil under the plants was richer in organic C, N and moisture. Despite the range of climates, the soil around Welwitschia plants was consistently associated with a particular bacterial community composition that was distinct from samples further away. Compared to unvegetated control patches, bacterial diversity close to the plants was reduced. In the plant-associated soil community, there was a clear gender effect across all sites with a distinct community composition and greater diversity under male plants. It is unclear what differences in the soil environment might be producing these gender-associated differences, which provide an additional dimension to the fertile island effect., (© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of FEMS.)

Heparin-binding proteins (HBP) recognized by a monoclonal antibody (M1) are produced by male accessory sex glands and bind to distinct regions of ejaculated bull sperm. Immunoblots of sperm proteins probed with M1 identified HBP variants of approximately 31-, 24-, and 21.5-kDa that were associated with increased fertility of bulls. The purpose of this study was to identify the 31-kDa HBP known as fertility-associated antigen (FAA). FAA was isolated by heparin-affinity chromatography and reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography near homogeneity. Biochemical characterization indicated that FAA was an unglycosylated, basic protein. FAA protein was detected in seminal vesicle and prostate gland homogenates, and FAA extracted from sperm membranes by treatment with hypertonic media was identical biochemically to seminal fluid-derived FAA. N-terminal sequence analysis of purified FAA yielded a 26 amino acid sequence (L K I X S F N V R S F G E S K K A G F N A M R V I V) with 73% identity to a recently identified human deoxyribonuclease (DNase) I-like protein. Two internal amino acid sequences generated from lys-C digested FAA were 85% and 92% identical to the same DNase I-like protein. In conclusion, we have identified a bovine seminal heparin-binding protein that binds to sperm and is indicative of bull fertility as being similar to the family of DNase I-like proteins. These data demonstrate the presence of a novel DNase I-like protein in bull accessory sex glands and form the groundwork for the identification of a candidate genetic marker for fertility of bulls., (Copyright 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.)

A 30-kDa heparin-binding protein named fertility-associated antigen (FAA) was identified in sperm membranes of beef bulls with greater fertility potential. In a survey of 2,191 beef bulls, 88% had FAA present in sperm membranes (FAA-positive), and 12% were FAA-negative. In the first study, 54 Santa Gertrudis and 51 Santa Cruz bulls were grouped (1 to 14 bulls per group) according to FAA profiles and were bred to 2,403 cows at ratios of 1 bull: 25 cows. Fertility for 14 groups of FAA-positive bulls averaged 88%, whereas three groups of FAA-negative bulls impregnated 79% of the cows. Thus, FAA-positive bulls were nine percentage points more (P < .01) fertile than FAA-negative bulls. In the second study, 2-yr-old Santa Cruz bulls (n = 26) were grouped according to FAA profiles and serving capacity. The fertility of the group of 12 high-serving-capacity, FAA-positive bulls was 87% of 270 cows. The group of six FAA-negative bulls with high serving capacity impregnated 78% of 143 cows. Among the groups of bulls with high serving capacity, FAA-positive bulls were nine percentage points more (P < .05) fertile than FAA-negative bulls. The group of eight FAA-positive bulls with low serving capacity impregnated the least (P < .01) percentage (69%) of 238 cows. Serving capacity of bulls should be considered when optimizing fertility potential. Among bulls with acceptable physical characteristics and serving capacity, determination of FAA profiles in sperm can be used as a tool to identify subfertile bulls.

An investigation was conducted to evaluate the motility and metabolism of human spermatozoa incubated at 37 degrees Celsius for 3 hours in a krebs phosphate Ringer solution containing different concentrations of 17beta-estradiol and tamoxifen. 17beta-estradiol (17beta E2) stimulated significantly the motility of human spermatozoa. The oxidative metabolism and the intracellular ATP concentrations are enhanced with 10-20 mcg/ml of 17beta E2; the lactate production remains unchanged however. Tamoxifen, an antiestrogen, inhibited the motility of spermatozoa, and was toxic at high concentrations. Its effects on the energetic metabolism is dose-dependent; it increases the oxidative metabolism and decreases the lactate production and intracellular ATP at 3 mcg/ml.

Bone marrow scintigraphy with 111In-citrin was used to investigate 55 patients with varying hemoblastoses. The high informative value of the method was shown in extended stages of polycythemia vera, lymphogranulomatosis, multiple myeloma and in leukemia. The method enables assessment of the morphofunctional state of the whole solid mass of the hemopoietic tissue. The data of bone marrow scintigraphy with 111In-citrin can be useful in determination of the disease stage, optimum scheme of its treatment, the therapeutic effectiveness control and prognosis of hemoblastoses.

The author analyzes multiple birth rates in Japan based on data from published vital statistics for the years 1951-1968 and from computer files for 1974-1985. "The higher multiple birth rate since 1974 was attributed to the higher proportion of mothers treated with ovulation-inducing hormones in Japan." (SUMMARY IN ENG), (excerpt)

Scintigraphy of the bone marrow with 111In-citrin was performed in 32 patients with polycythemia vera and 8 controls. The method ensured an objective assessment of bone marrow function in patients with polycythemia vera. A characteristic RP scintigraphic picture corresponded to different clinical stages of the disease. A degree of a decrease in the blood radioactivity within 24 h after i. v. administration of 111In-citrin reflected the summary erythropoietic activity of the bone marrow and could serve as a differential diagnostic criterion in determining a stage of polycythemia vera.

Diagnostic potentialities of the use of a new radiopharmaceutical 111In-citrin were studied to assess the hemopoietic status on the basis of examination of 47 cancer patients after chemotherapy. Bone marrow function was assessed on the basis of the visual RP distribution in the bone marrow and a study of quantitative indices of the agent accumulation in various anatomical regions. The results of the study showed that a decrease in the agent accumulation in the flat pelvic bones was determined in patients with stable hemocytopenia. Hyperfixation of the agent was undetectable in the long tubular bones. Raised accumulation of the indicator in the metaepiphyses of the long tubular bones was observed in parallel with lowered accumulation of the agent in the flat bones in the group of patients without hemocytopenia nearly in half of the cases. The accumulation of RP in the rest of the cases did not differ from that in the control group. The results obtained showed that 111In-citrin accumulation in the bone marrow of the long tubular bones indicating its functional rearrangement and the normal level of the indicator accumulation in the main zones of bone marrow hemopoiesis in cancer patients could serve as a favorable prognostic sign for the assessment of hemopoiesis in subsequent courses of cytostatic therapy.

The effects of tumour inhibitory doses of tretamine (triethylenemelamine), busulphan, and melphalan on the fertility of male rats have been examined. The aromatic nitrogen mustard, melphalan, was inactive, but busulphan has a highly selective action on spermatogenesis which contrasts strikingly with that of tretamine. The main action of tretamine was exerted upon spermatocytes or spermatids, but, with increasing dose, the effects spread to involve a wide range of spermatogenic cells including mature sperm, so that infertility could be induced very rapidly. Busulphan, however, interfered with the development of spermatogonia for several weeks, although other germinal cells were unaffected and continued to develop into mature spermatozoa. This accounted for the continuation of normal fertility for 7 weeks after a dose, before sterility suddenly developed. The antifertility activity of tretamine could be simulated by a variety of other ethyleneimino compounds, potency being greatest in trifunctional and least in monofunctional compounds. The latter were, however, very destructive to the seminiferous epithelium with increasing dose. In the rat, there appeared to be no definite relationship between the ability of alkylating substances to interfere with the activity of normal and pathological proliferating tissues, as represented by the germinal epithelium, haematopoietic, and tumour tissue. Although carcinogenicity was a biological property of alkylating agents, other chemical types of carcinogen did not interfere with fertility.