Impact of skeletal maturation on bone metabolism biomarkers and bone mineral density in healthy Brazilian male adolescents

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Intracytoplasmic morphologically selected sperm injection benefits for patients with oligoasthenozoospermia according to the 2010 World Health Organization reference values

The comparison between the outcomes of intracytoplasmic morphologically selected sperm injection performed in couples with male factor infertility according to the World Health Organization guidelines from 1999 and 2010 was the objective of this study. Our results suggest that the sperm selection under high magnification results in improved treatment outcomes in patients with oligoasthenoteratozoospermia, according to the new World Health Organization guidelines. (Fertil Steril (R) 2011;95:2711-4. (C)2011 by American Society for Reproductive Medicine.)

Evaluation of N-acetilglucosaminidase and myeloperoxidase activity in patients with endometriosis-related infertility undergoing intracytoplasmic sperm injection

Aim: Inflammation is as an important factor in ovulation with the active participation of leucocytes and their inflammatory mediators. The present study was performed to compare the activity of the inflammatory enzymes myeloperoxidase (MPO) and N-acetylglucosaminidase (NAG) in patients with endometriosis-related infertility and in normally ovulating women undergoing intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).Material and Methods: This prospective study included infertile women undergoing ICSI treatment. These women were divided into two groups: endometriosis anovulation (n = 18) and normally ovulating (n = 20). NAG and MPO activity was evaluated colorimetrically in serum and in follicular fluids obtained at the time of oocyte retrieval.Results: There was a significant correlation between the serum and follicular fluid activities of NAG and MPO (tau = 0.256, P = 0.025; and tau = -0.234, P = 0.041; respectively). Both serum and follicular fluid NAG activities were higher in patients with endometriosis compared to the control group (P < 0.001). MPO follicular fluid activity was lower in patients with endometriosis compared to normally ovulating women (P = 0.016).Conclusion: Infertile patients with endometriosis show a distinct pattern of serum and follicular fluid macrophage/neutrophil activation compared to normally ovulating women undergoing ICSI, which may reflect the role of immune and inflammatory alterations in endometriosis-related infertility.

Pregnancy outcomes in women with repeated implantation failures after intracytoplasmic morphologically selected sperm injection (IMSI)

Background: The purpose of this study was to compare laboratory and clinical outcomes of intracytoplasmic morphologically selected sperm injection (IMSI) and conventional intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) in couples with repeated implantation failures.Methods: A total of 200 couples with at least two prior unsuccessful ICSI cycles were enrolled: 100 couples were submitted to IMSI and 100 were submitted to routine ICSI. For IMSI, spermatozoa were selected at 8400x magnification using an inverted microscope equipped with Nomarski (differential interference contrast) optics. For conventional ICSI, spermatozoa were selected at 400x magnification. Clinical outcomes were evaluated between the two groups.Results: Study patients were comparable in age, number of treatment failures, aetiology of infertility, percentage of normal form assessed by MSOME (motile sperm organelle morphology examination), semen parameters, total number of oocytes collected, number of mature oocytes collected, total number of embryos transferred and number of high-quality embryos transferred. No statistically significant differences between the two groups were observed with regard to rates of fertilisation, implantation and pregnancy/cycle. Although not statistically significant, rates of miscarriage (IMSI:15.3% vs ICSI:31.7%), ongoing pregnancy (IMSI:22% vs ICSI:13%) and live births (IMSI:21% vs ICSI:12%) showed a trend towards better outcomes in the IMSI group. In addition, analysis of subpopulations with or without male factor showed similar results.Conclusions: Our results suggest that IMSI does not provide a significant improvement in clinical outcome compared to ICSI, at least in couples with repeated implantation failures after conventional ICSI. However, it should be noted that there were clear trends for lower miscarriage rates (approximate to 50% reduced) and higher rates of ongoing pregnancy and live births (both nearly doubled) within the IMSI group. Further confirmation as well as randomized large-scale trials are needed to confirm the beneficial effects of IMSI in couples with poor reproductive prognoses.

Vitamin C partially attenuates male reproductive deficits in hyperglycemic rats

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Glutamate-induced obesity leads to decreased sperm reserves and acceleration of transit time in the epididymis of adult male rats

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Alcohol screening instruments in elderly male: a population-based survey in metropolitan São Paulo, Brazil

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Infiltrating CD8(+) T lymphocytes, natural killer cells, and expression of IL-10 and TGF-beta 1 in chemically induced neoplasms in male Wistar rats

The present study aimed to estimate the number of CD8(+) T and natural killer (NK) infiltrating cells and the expression of interleukin-10 (IL-10) and transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-beta1) in chemically induced neoplasms in an initiation-promotion bioassay for carcinogenesis. Male Wistar rats were treated with N-nitrosodiethylamine, N-methyl-N-nitrosourea, N-butyl-N-(4-hydroxybutyl) nitrosamine, dihydroxy-di-N-propylnitrosamine, and 1,2-dimethylhydrazine for 4 weeks. Two groups were subsequently exposed through diet to phenobarbital (0.05%) or 2-acetylaminofluorene (0.01%) for 25 weeks. An untreated group was used as a control. Immune cells and cytokines were immunohistochemically evaluated in neoplasms and in surrounding normal tissues at the liver, kidneys, lung, and small and large intestines. When compared to the respective normal tissues, an increased number of NK cells was verified infiltrating the colon, lung, and kidney neoplasms, while the number of CD8+ T cells decreased in the intestine and lung neoplasms. Expression of IL-10 was found mainly in kidney tumors. TGF-beta1 was expressed mainly in the liver and kidneys tumors. The results indicate that the differential occurrence of immune cells between neoplastic and normal tissues could be dependent upon tumor microenvironment.

Effects of Diuron [3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea] on the urinary bladder of male Wistar rats

Diuron (3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea) is a substituted urea herbicide widely used on agricultural crops such as soy, cotton and sugar cane. In a previous long-term study this herbicide exerted carcinogenic activity on the urinary bladder mucosa of male Wistar rats. In general, the genotoxic and mutagenic potentials of Diuron are considered to be negative. The present study aimed to evaluate the mode of action of Diuron on the urinary bladder mucosa of male Wistar rats. Six-week old male Wistar rats were fed pelleted Nuvilab diet mixed with Diuron at 125, 500 and 2500 ppm. As a positive control, 8.3% sodium saccharin (NaS) was fed in the diet. Preceding the sacrifice of the animals at the 20th week, urinary pH was measured and the genotoxic potential of Diuron was evaluated by the comet assay. Histological urothelial lesions in the urinary bladder and in the renal pelvis mucosa, cell proliferation/apoptosis evaluations, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of the urinary bladder mucosa were also performed. No DNA changes were found in urothelial or peripheral blood cells, and urinary pH was comparable to controls in all Diuron groups. In the urinary bladder urothelium, the incidence of simple hyperplasia (SH) by light microscopy was significantly increased (7/10; p < 0.005) in the 2500 ppm Diuron group but not at the lower doses. By SEM, three of five animals treated with 2500 ppm Diuron showed urothelial cell necrosis and hyperplasia. In the renal pelvis, the incidence of SH was significantly increased in the Diuron 500 and 2500 ppm and in the NaS 8.3% groups. Cell proliferation was significantly increased in the Diuron 2500 ppm, (p < 0.05) and NaS 8.3% (p < 0.05) groups. The results indicate that a high dietary concentration of Diuron is associated with urothelial necrosis and continuous regenerative cell proliferation that leads to urothelial hyperplasia. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V.. All rights reserved.

Coffee and Caffeine Protect against Liver Injury Induced by Thioacetamide in Male Wistar Rats

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

EFFECTS of DIURON on MALE RAT REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS: A DEVELOPMENTAL and POSTNATAL STUDY

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Diuron exposure induces systemic and organ-specific toxicity following acute and sub-chronic exposure in male Wistar rats

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Probiotic Enterococcus faecium CRL 183 inhibit chemically induced colon cancer in male Wistar rats

Several animal studies have shown that supplementation with specific strains of lactic acid bacteria could prevent the establishment, growth, and metastasis of transplantable and chemically induced tumors. The goal of this study was to determine the effect of Enterococcus faecium CRL 183 on the incidence of colorectal tumors induced experimentally by dimethylhydrazine (DMH). We used thirty 4-week old male Wistar rat. The animals belonging to the DMH groups were injected s.c 20 mg/kg body weight of 1,2 dimethylhydrazine and 1 mM EDTA (pH 6.5), in a weekly dose, for 14 weeks. Three groups were used: (1) Control (not initiated); (2) Initiated with DMH; (3) Initiated with DMH + intake of E. faecium CRL 183. At the end of the 42nd week, all the animals were euthanized; the colons were removed and analyzed histologically. All the groups were compared histologically and IL-4, IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha cytokines. The control group did not develop pre-neoplastic lesions. The E. faecium CRL 183-DMH group showed a 50% inhibition in incidence in average number of tumors (P < 0.001), reduced the formation of ACF (P < 0.001), the lowest number of adenocarcinoma being found in this group (P < 0.001) and enhanced the immune response by increasing IL-4, IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha (P < 0.001) when compared with the DMH group.