| 1. |
- Hambiliki, F., et al.
(författare)
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Glycoprotein 130 promotes human blastocyst development in vitro
- 2013
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Ingår i: Fertility and Sterility. - : Elsevier BV. - 0015-0282 .- 1556-5653. ; 99:6, s. 1592-U444
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective: To investigate the efficacy of leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) and/or glycoprotein 130 Design: Laboratory study. Setting: University hospital-based IVF clinic. Patient(s): A total of 164 frozen embryos that survived thawing were cultured in media supplemented Intervention(s): Morphological development was evaluated by light microscopy. Protein expression Main Outcome Measure(s): Embryo development and protein content. Result(s): Addition of gp130 to culture media improved blastocyst formation (73% vs. 43%). Addition of Conclusion(s): Glycoprotein 130, but not LIF, seems to be beneficial for preimplantation embryo
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| 2. |
- Jensen, Pernille Linnert, et al.
(författare)
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Proteomic Analysis of Human Blastocoel Fluid and Blastocyst Cells
- 2013
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Ingår i: Stem Cells and Development. - : Mary Ann Liebert Inc. - 1547-3287 .- 1557-8534. ; 22:7, s. 1126-1135
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) are derived from the inner cell mass (ICM) of the blastocyst and can differentiate into any cell type in the human body. These cells hold a great potential for regenerative medicine, but in order to obtain enough cells needed for medical treatment, culture is required on a large scale. In the undifferentiated state, hESCs appear to possess an unlimited potential for proliferation but optimal, defined and safe culture conditions remains a challenge. The aim of the present study was to identify proteins in the natural environment of undifferentiated hESCs, namely the blastocoel fluid, which is in contact with all the cells in the blastocyst, including hESCs. Fifty-three surplus human blastocysts were donated after informed consent and blastocoel fluid was isolated by micromanipulation. Using highly sensitive nano high pressure liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry, 286 proteins were identified in the blastocoel fluid and 1307 proteins in the corresponding cells of the blastocyst. Forty-two were previously uncharacterized proteins - eight of these originated from the blastocoel fluid. Furthermore, several heat shock proteins (Hsp27, Hsp60, Hsc70 and Hsp90) were identified in blastocoel fluid together with zona pellucida proteins (ZP2-4), Vitamin D binding protein and Retinol binding protein. Proteins that regulate ciliary assembly and function were also identified, including Bardet-biedl syndrome protein 7. This study has identified numerous proteins which cells from the ICM of the human blastocyst are exposed to via the blastocoel fluid. These results can be an inspiration for the development of improved culture conditions for hESCs.
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| 3. |
- Kushnir, Mark M., et al.
(författare)
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Exploratory study of the association of steroid profiles in stimulated ovarian follicular fluid with outcomes of IVF treatment
- 2016
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Ingår i: Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0960-0760 .- 1879-1220. ; 162, s. 126-133
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Steroid concentrations in stimulated follicular fluid (sFF) samples have been linked to the quality of oocytes used in IVF treatments. Most of the published studies focused on evaluating the association of the IVF outcomes with only a few of the steroids, measured by immunoassays (IA). We performed a treatment outcome, prospective cohort study using stimulated FF sampled from 14 infertile women undergoing IVF treatment; single oocyte was used per IVF cycle. Fourteen endogenous steroids were analyzed in 22 ovarian follicle aspirations, which corresponded to the embryos used in the IVF. Ten oocytes were associated with live birth (LB) and 12 with no pregnancy (NP). Steroids were analyzed using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) methods. Differences in distribution of concentrations in association with the pregnancy outcome (LB or NP), and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves analysis were performed for the entire cohort and for within-women data. The predominant androgen and estrogen in stimulated sFF were androstenedione (A4) and estradiol (E2), respectively. Lower concentrations of pregnenolone (Pr), lower ratios of A4/ dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), testosterone (Te)/DHEA, and greater ratios of E2/Te, and estrone/A4 were observed in sFF samples associated with LB. Among the oocytes associated with NP, in four out of 12 samples total concentration of androgens was above the distribution of the concentrations in the oocytes corresponding to the LB group. Observations of the study indicated increased consumption of precursors and increased biosynthesis of estrogens in the follicles associated with LB. Our data suggest that potentially steroid profiles in sFF obtained during oocyte retrieval may serve as biomarkers for selection of the best embryo to transfer after IVF.
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| 4. |
- Lindgren, Karin E, 1984-, et al.
(författare)
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Histidine-rich glycoprotein derived peptides affect endometrial angiogenesis in vitro but has no effect on embryo development
- 2016
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Ingår i: Systems biology in reproductive medicine. - : Taylor & Francis Group. - 1939-6376 .- 1939-6368. ; 62:3, s. 192-200
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Histidine-rich glycoprotein (HRG) is an abundant plasma protein involved in multiple biological processes including immunology, vascularisation, and coagulation. These processes are of importance in regulating embryo development and implantation. A specific polymorphism in the HRG gene, HRG C633T, has an impact on various aspects of fertility, such as oocyte quality, endometrial receptivity, and possibly the capacity of the embryo itself to implant. To further examine the potential role of the HRG C633T polymorphism in regulating endometrial angiogenesis and on embryo development, two HRG peptides were constructed. These HRG peptides correspond to the amino acids 169-203 of the protein which, in turn, reflects the C633T polymorphism in the gene. The HRG proline or serine peptides were added to cultures of primary human endometrial endothelial (HEE) cells and to human embryos in vitro. The HRG peptides inhibited vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) induced proliferation and migration and promoted tube formation of HEE cells. The embryos were monitored using a time-lapse system (EmbryoScope®). Except for a prolonged time from first cleavage after thawing to development of the morula, no difference in embryo morphokinetics or embryo quality was noted in human embryos cultured in the presence of the HRG proline peptide. Taken together, these results suggest that treatment with a specific HRG peptide might prime the endometrium for implantation and be beneficial for adequate placentation. However, addition of a specific HRG proline peptide to human embryos has no beneficial effects in terms of embryo development.ABBREVIATIONS: HRG: histidine-rich glycoprotein; HEE: human endometrial endothelial; VEGF: vascular endothelial growth factor; TSP: thrombospondin; SNP; single nucleotide polymorphism; IVF: in vitro fertilization; CLESH-1: CD36 LIMPII Emp structural homology domain-1; ECM: endothelial cell medium; FBS: fetal bovine serum; cDNA: complementary DNA.
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| 5. |
- Läänelaid, Siret, et al.
(författare)
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Physical and Sedentary Activities in Association with Reproductive Outcomes among Couples Seeking Infertility Treatment : A Prospective Cohort Study
- 2021
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Ingår i: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. - : MDPI. - 1661-7827 .- 1660-4601. ; 18:5
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the association of physical activity (PA) with assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatment and pregnancy outcomes among couples seeking infertility treatment.Methods: This prospective cohort study was carried out among 128 infertile individuals (64 couples), entering the infertility clinic for ART procedures. Baseline PA (before entering any treatment) was assessed using accelerometry for both women and men. For every couple the infertility treatment outcomes were recordedResults: The couples that required invasive ART procedures such as in vitro fertilization (IVF) or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) spent less time in vigorous PA (-73 min/week per couple, woman + man) than those couples who became spontaneously pregnant after entering the study (p = 0.001). We observed no significant associations between the time spent in physical activities and positive pregnancy test or live birth.Conclusions: Our results do not support a positive nor negative relation between the time the couples spent in physical activities and the chances of getting pregnant or having a baby among patients seeking infertility treatment. However, couples undergoing invasive ART procedures did less vigorous PA than couples that became spontaneously pregnant, suggesting that PA may interfere with their reproductive health.
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| 6. |
- Murto, Tiina, et al.
(författare)
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Folic acid supplementation and IVF pregnancy outcome in women with unexplained infertility
- 2014
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Ingår i: Reproductive BioMedicine Online. - : Elsevier. - 1472-6483 .- 1472-6491. ; 28:6, s. 766-772
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Folic acid supplements are commonly used by infertile women and lead to a positive folate status. However, the effect of folic acid supplements on pregnancy outcome in women with unexplained infertility has not been well investigated. This study evaluated folic acid supplement use and folate status in women with unexplained infertility in relation to pregnancy outcome. In addition, use of folic acid supplements and folate status were compared between women with unexplained infertility and fertile, nonpregnant control women. Women with unexplained infertility used significantly more folic acid supplements and had higher median total folic acid intake from supplements compared with fertile control women (both P < 0.001). Women with unexplained infertility also had significantly higher median plasma folate and lower median plasma homocysteine concentrations than fertile women (both P < 0.001), but folic acid supplementation or folate status were not related to pregnancy outcome in women with unexplained infertility. In conclusion, folic acid supplementation or good folate status did not have a positive effect on pregnancy outcome following infertility treatment in women with unexplained infertility.
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| 7. |
- Salih Joelsson, Lana, et al.
(författare)
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Investigating the effect of lifestyle risk factors upon the number of aspirated and mature oocytes in in vitro fertilization cycles : interaction with antral follicle count
- 2019
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Ingår i: PLOS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 14:8
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- There is evidence demonstrating that certain lifestyle factors have a detrimental effect on fertility. Since such factors often coexist, possible synergistic effects merit further investigation. Thus we aimed to examine the cumulative impact of lifestyle factors on in vitro fertilization (IVF) early reproductive treatment outcomes and their interaction with measures of ovarian reserve. Materials and methods By following women who were starting their first fresh IVF cycle in 2 cohorts, the "Lifestyle study cohort" (hypothesis generating cohort, n = 242) and the "UppSTART study" (validation cohort, n = 432) in Sweden, we identified two significant risk factors acting independently, smoking and BMI, and then further assessed their cumulative effects. Results Women with both these risk factors had an Incidence Rate Ratio (IRR) of 0.75 [(95% CI 0.61-0.94)] regarding the number of aspirated oocytes compared to women without these risk factors. Concerning the proportion of mature oocytes in relation to the total number of aspirated oocytes, the interaction between BMI and Antral Follicle Count (AFC) was significant (p-value 0.045): the lower the value of AFC, the more harmful the effect of BMI with the outcome. Conclusions Data shows that there is an individual as well as a cumulative effect of smoking and BMI on the number of aspirated and mature oocytes in fresh IVF treatment cycles. AFC might modify associations between BMI and the proportion of mature oocytes in relation to the total number of aspirated oocytes. These results highlight the importance of lifestyle factors on IVF early reproductive outcomes and provide additional evidence for the importance of preconception guidance for the optimization of IVF cycle outcome.
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| 8. |
- Salih Joelsson, Lana
(författare)
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Lifestyle and Reproductive Health among Women prior to Conception
- 2018
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Health and lifestyle is of great importance when women intend to become pregnant, as well as during pregnancy. It is crucial that people seeking for infertility are aware of which lifestyle changes they can undertake to enhance the likelihood of treatment success. The overall aim of this project was to investigate the extent to which women comply with recommendations for lifestyle changes during the time they try to conceive and during early pregnancy and the impact of lifestyle risk factors on treatment results in sub-fertile women. Lifestyle factors and mental health at baseline and lifestyle changes women made while they were trying to conceive were assessed by a study-specific questionnaire. Both pregnant women and non-pregnant sub-fertile women in the mid-Sweden region were included. The level of pregnancy planning was associated with planning behavior. Only one-third of all pregnant women took folic acid one month prior to conception, 17% used tobacco daily and 11% used alcohol weekly three months before conception. In the sub-fertile non-pregnant women cohort, 13.2% used tobacco daily, 13.6% drank more than three cups of coffee per day, and 11.6% consumed more than two glasses of alcohol weekly. Among sub-fertile women, one-third were overweight or obese. Pregnant women who conceived with Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) reported lower rates of anxiety and depression symptoms compared to sub-fertile women. They also showed no difference in depression and anxiety symptoms compared to women who conceived naturally. Among sub-fertile women undergoing their first IVF treatment cycle, an independent as well as a cumulative effect of smoking and BMI on the number of aspirated oocytes and the proportion of mature oocytes was observed, especially among women with low ovarian reserve. In conclusion, approximately half of the women in our studies retained habits with negative effects on fertility. This is worrying because the harmful consequences of negative lifestyle factors are well established. These negative lifestyle factors are easy to detect and adjust at an early stage in the assessment process and might allow for optimization of fertility treatment and pregnancy outcomes.
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| 9. |
- Sun, Wei, 1981-, et al.
(författare)
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N-glycans of Human Protein C Inhibitor : Tissue-Specific Expression and Function
- 2011
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Ingår i: PLOS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 6:12, s. e29011-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Protein C inhibitor (PCI) is a serpin type of serine protease inhibitor that is found in many tissues and fluids in human, including blood plasma, seminal plasma and urine. This inhibitor displays an unusually broad protease specificity compared with other serpins. Previous studies have shown that the N-glycan(s) and the NH(2)-terminus affect some blood-related functions of PCI. In this study, we have for the first time determined the N-glycan profile of seminal plasma PCI, by mass spectrometry. The N-glycan structures differed markedly compared with those of both blood-derived and urinary PCI, providing evidence that the N-glycans of PCI are expressed in a tissue-specific manner. The most abundant structure (m/z 2592.9) had a composition of Fuc(3)Hex(5)HexNAc(4), consistent with a core fucosylated bi-antennary glycan with terminal Lewis x. A major serine protease in semen, prostate specific antigen (PSA), was used to evaluate the effects of N-glycans and the NH(2)-terminus on a PCI function related to the reproductive tract. Second-order rate constants for PSA inhibition by PCI were 4.3 +/- 0.2 and 4.1 +/- 0.5 M(-1) s(-1) for the natural full-length PCI and a form lacking six amino acids at the NH(2)-terminus, respectively, whereas these constants were 4.8 +/- 0.1 and 29 +/- 7 M(-1) s(-1) for the corresponding PNGase F-treated forms. The 7-8-fold higher rate constants obtained when both the N-glycans and the NH(2-)terminus had been removed suggest that these structures jointly affect the rate of PSA inhibition, presumably by together hindering conformational changes of PCI required to bind to the catalytic pocket of PSA.
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| 10. |
- Wånggren, Kjell, 1954-, et al.
(författare)
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Attitudes toward embryo donation among staff at in vitro fertilization clinics
- 2014
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Ingår i: Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica. - : Wiley. - 0001-6349 .- 1600-0412. ; 93:8, s. 765-770
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- OBJECTIVE: To examine attitudes towards embryo donation among staff at in vitro fertilization clinics in Sweden.DESIGN: Descriptive questionnaire study.SETTING: University-based in vitro fertilization clinic.SAMPLE: Study participants were the staff at all in vitro fertilization clinics in Sweden.METHODS: A questionnaire with questions regarding different aspects of embryo donation was sent to the 338 healthcare professionals working at Swedish in vitro fertilization clinics.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Attitudes towards embryo donation.RESULTS: A total of 207 persons (61%) responded to the questionnaire. A majority of the respondents (77%) considered that embryo donation to infertile couples should be permitted in Sweden. Most respondents (76%), and especially the men (96%), stated that it should be possible to donate surplus embryos for research. Forty-two percent of the respondents agreed with embryo donation to single women. A majority of respondents stated that special requirements with regard to the recipient's age, medical condition and criminal background should potentially be considered. The women stated that there should be special demands made concerning recipients' tobacco (48%) and alcohol abuse (92%). A majority considered that donors should be anonymous to the recipients (66%), but not to the child (9%).CONCLUSIONS: Swedish in vitro fertilization staff have positive attitudes concerning embryo donation to infertile couples and also the use of surplus embryos for research.
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