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Numerous studies have revealed severe damage to male fertility from severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) infection, raising concerns about the potential adverse impact on reproductive function of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) vaccine developed based on the virus. Interestingly, there are several researchers who have studied the impact of the COVID‐19 mRNA vaccine since then but have come up with conflicting results. As a near‐ideal candidate for mass immunization programs, inactivated SARS‐CoV‐2 vaccine has been widely used in many countries, particularly in less wealthy nations. However, little is known about its effect on male fertility. Here, we conducted a retrospective cohort study at a single large center for reproductive medicine in China between December 2021 and August 2022. Five hundred and nineteen fertile men with no history of laboratory‐confirmed COVID‐19 were included and categorized into four groups based on their vaccination status: unvaccinated group (n = 168), one‐dose vaccinated group (n = 8), fully vaccinated group (n = 183), and booster group (n = 160). All of them underwent a semen analysis and most had serum sex hormone levels tested. There were no significant differences in all semen parameters and sex hormone levels between the unvaccinated group and either vaccinated group. To account for possible vaccination‐to‐test interval‐specific changes, sub‐analyses were performed for two interval groups: ≤90 and >90 days. As expected, most of the semen parameters and sex hormone levels remained unchanged between the control and vaccinated groups. However, participants in vaccinated group (≤90 days) have decreased total sperm motility and increased follicle‐stimulating hormone level compared with the ones in unvaccinated group. Moreover, some trends similar to those found during COVID‐19 infection and recovery were observed in our study. Fortunately, all values are within the normal range. In addition, vaccinated participants reported few adverse reactions. No special medical intervention was required, and no serious adverse reactions happened. Our study suggests that inactivated SARS‐CoV‐2 vaccination does not impair male fertility, possibly due to the low frequency of adverse effects. This information reassures young male population who got this vaccine worldwide, and helps guide future vaccination efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been over 4 years since the coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). As an effective response to coronavirus disease 2019, the SARS-CoV-2 vaccines have been widely used around the world. However, couples who are planning to conceive naturally or by assisted reproductive technology (ART) are concerned about the impact of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines on pregnancy and offspring safety. Furthermore, in the initial stage of the epidemic, opinions among physicians and healthcare providers on whether ART patients should be immunized are divided due to the lack of data regarding the impact of the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine on ART. This is not the first, nor will it be the last time humans confront pandemics. It is time to summarize the experience about the effect of the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine on the outcomes of ART, which can provide a reference for the future. This paper reviewed relevant research, and significant adverse effects of the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine on the outcome of ART have not been observed. Considering the increased risk of serious complications in pregnant women infected with SARS-CoV-2, timely vaccination may be a wiser choice., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2024 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Objective: To explore the genetic basis for a case of Lamb-Shaffer syndrome., Methods: Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood samples and subjected to whole exome sequencing(WES). Suspected variant was verified by Sanger sequencing., Results: The patients was found to harbor a heterozygous c.1495delA(p.Thr499Glnfs*5) frameshift variant of the SOX5 gene by WES. Sanger sequencing confirmed that the same variant was a de novo variant. Based on the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics guidelines, c.1495delA(p.Thr499Glnfs*5) variant of the SOX5 gene was predicted to be pathogenic (PVS1+PS2+PM2)., Conclusion: The c.1495delA(p.Thr499Glnfs*5) variant of the SOX5 gene probably underlies the Lamb-Shaffer syndrome in this patient.

Summary: What is already known about this topic? The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic potentially affected prenatal care quality and maternal and fetal outcomes globally., What is added by this report? During COVID-19 pandemic period, the rates of caesarean sections (CS) and preterm birth for uninfected pregnant women increased slightly in areas that were relatively severely impacted by the pandemic in China. The overall number of prenatal examinations did not dramatically decrease, while the eligible examinations significantly decreased in Hubei Province., What are the implications for public health practice? Routine prenatal examinations had been well maintained during the pandemic period in China. In the future, in-time prenatal examinations should be provided to improve the quality of screening and management of high-risk pregnancy under pandemic-affected circumstances. Psychological counseling and transfer treatment channels should be strengthened for pregnant women during lockdown period., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest:All authors declared to have no conflicts of interest., (Copyright and License information: Editorial Office of CCDCW, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention 2021.)

Purpose: The purpose of the study is to identify the Cancer Stem Cells (CSCs) and to determine their expression profiles in different pathological stages of liver cancer by using multiple markers Methods: In this study, the expression profiles of CD133 and CD13, along with those of stem cell markers Oct4 and SOX2, were analyzed using immunohistochemistry and immunoblotting to clarify the character of CSCs in different stages of liver cancer., Results: CD133 liver cancer cells were injected into mice, and the tissues were processed for histology. The histological data revealed the progression of liver cancer. Immunohistochemical analysis showed the strong expression of CD133 in metastatic cancer. In contrast, the expression of CD13 in both primary and metastatic liver cancer was found to be very strong. Interestingly, the expression levels of Oct4 and SOX2 were found to be upregulated in primary tumors, but, in the metastatic stage, their expression was downregulated. The immunoblot analysis also confirmed the same result., Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate that tumor-suppressor proteins Oct4 and SOX2 have a prominent expression profile in the primary stage of cancer, but, in the metastatic stage, their expression is downregulated, leading to the failure to prevent metastatic cancer.