Factors associated with anxiety and depression in men undergoing fertility investigations: a cross-sectional study

Enhancing Male Fertility: The Role of Crocin in Boosting Sperm Motility Through Antioxidant Activity and Mitochondrial Pathways

Excessive production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is a critical factor adversely affecting semen quality, particularly sperm motility. Crocin, a key compound of Crocus Sativus (saffron), is recognized for its antioxidant properties. This study aimed to investigate the potential of crocin to improve in vitro sperm motility in case of asthenozoospermia. Sperm samples from 95 patients with asthenozoospermia were incubated for 3 h at 37°C with varying concentrations of crocin (0, 0.2, 0.5, 1, or 1.5 mM). Sperm motility was assessed using time-lapse video microscopy. Intracellular ROS levels were evaluated through the DCFH-DA assay while ROS-induced damage was quantified through lipid peroxidation and carbonylated proteins levels. Catalase, superoxide dismutase, and glutathione peroxidase were analyzed. Additionally, mitochondrial function was assessed via mitochondrial activity via MTT assay and potential via Rh123 assay. Our findings revealed a significant increase in sperm velocity by 93% (G1) and 91% (G2) and in the distance traveled by motile spermatozoa by 76.5% (G1) and 72.1% (G2) (p < 0.001). ROS levels decreased by 1.5-fold (G1) and 2.4-fold in (G2) (p < 0.001), while malondialdehyde levels dropped twofold (G1) and 3.4-fold (G2) (p < 0.001). Carbonylated protein content decreased by 2.8-fold (G1) and threefold (G2) (p < 0.001). Improvements also included succinate dehydrogenase activity (2.14-fold in G1, 1.85-fold in G2, p < 0.001) and mitochondrial membrane potential (1.7-fold in G1, 1.9-fold in G2, p < 0.001). These findings highlight crocin's potential to enhance sperm motility and reduce oxidative stress in asthenozoospermic samples.

Fertility problems in men carrying chromosome 7 inversion: A retrospective, observational study

Infertility is a worldwide public health issue. Fifty percent of infertile couples are male-only. A number of male infertility etiologies are significantly influenced by chromosomal abnormalities. Clinical manifestations, however, differ according to the presence of aberrant chromosomes and distinct breakpoints. The reproductive effects of inversion are evident in those who carry it. The influence of inverted carriers on male infertility may be explained by the interchromosomal effect, although further research is still needed to determine the precise mechanism. Furthermore, selecting clinical reproductive technology presents difficulties for both physician and patients. The aim of this study is to determine the clinical characteristics of 4 males who have an inversion of chromosome 7, and to investigate the connection between the breakpoints of this chromosome and male infertility. For each patient, cytogenetic and semen analyses were carried out. Using PubMed or Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man, relevant research and genes on breakpoints on chromosome 7 were found. This study includes 4 male infertile patients, all of whom had chromosome 7 inversions. 46,XY,inv(7)(p22q22), 46,XY,inv(7)(p21q11.2), 46,XY,inv(7)(p21q21), and 46,XY,inv(7)(p15q36) were the results of the cytogenetic analysis. Three cases of aberrant semen parameters were detected by semen detection. After a literature search, 21 cases of chromosome 7 inversion carriers were found. These carrier couples have varying reproductive histories. Among the 5 cases where semen parameters are available, 1 is azoospermia and 1 is oligoasthenozoospermia. Five significant genes on chromosome 7 have been linked to male infertility. Changes in semen parameters may be connected to the breakpoints 7q11, 7q21, 7q22, and 7q36. Physicians should take into account the relevant breakpoints when offering genetic counseling to patients who have chromosome 7 inversion.

Prevalence of anxiety symptoms in infertile men: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Infertility in men causes problems in various aspects of their lives, including personal, family and social life. One of the most important of these problems is anxiety. Anxiety in infertile men can affect their health, quality of life, and response to treatment, highlighting the significance of anxiety in these men. Thus, this systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to investigate the prevalence of anxiety symptoms in infertile men.

METHODS

To conduct this review study, two researchers independently searched international databases such as PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of sciences, Scopus, PsyINFO, and the Google scholar search engine in English without considering any time limit until January 2, 2024. Keywords such as "anxiety," "infertility," "prevalence," and "epidemiology" were used, taking into account the specific search method of each database. Using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS), the quality of the articles was evaluated by two researchers independently.

RESULTS

In the systematic part of the study, 27 studies were included, and given the variety of measurement tools (8 different tools) used to investigate anxiety symptoms in infertile men, 24 studies were analyzed in five subgroups of tools. The pooled prevalence of anxiety symptoms in infertile men was 21.37% (95% CI: 15.73-27.02). The lowest and highest prevalence of anxiety in infertile men were related to the Beck anxiety inventory (BAI) and Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS), accounting for 7.08% (95% CI: 3.27-10.90) and 34.90% (95%CI: 28.90-40.90) values respectively. This prevalence was 19.80% (95%CI: 9.01-30.59) for the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), 30.06% (95%CI: 18.59-41.52) for the Spielberger Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-T), and 18.52% (95%CI: 7.76-29.29) for the Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS).

CONCLUSION

The results of this systematic review and meta-analysis indicated that the prevalence of anxiety symptoms in infertile men requires special attention to healthcare planning. The healthcare system of different countries should evaluate the symptoms of anxiety in infertile men and take appropriate measures to reduce them according to the culture of the countries. It is recommended that all infertile couples be assessed for anxiety symptoms using a standardized tool during their initial evaluation.

Predicting Male Infertility Using Artificial Neural Networks: A Review of the Literature

Male infertility is a relevant public health problem, but there is no systematic review of the different machine learning (ML) models and their accuracy so far. The present review aims to comprehensively investigate the use of ML algorithms in predicting male infertility, thus reporting the accuracy of the used models in the prediction of male infertility as a primary outcome. Particular attention will be paid to the use of artificial neural networks (ANNs). A comprehensive literature search was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, and Science Direct between 15 July and 23 October 2023, conducted under the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. We performed a quality assessment of the included studies using the recommended tools suggested for the type of study design adopted. We also made a screening of the Risk of Bias (RoB) associated with the included studies. Thus, 43 relevant publications were included in this review, for a total of 40 different ML models detected. The studies included reported a good quality, even if RoB was not always good for all the types of studies. The included studies reported a median accuracy of 88% in predicting male infertility using ML models. We found only seven studies using ANN models for male infertility prediction, reporting a median accuracy of 84%.