https://www.jri.ir/ "Journal of Reproduction & Infertility" is owned, published, and copyrighted by ©2009 Avicenna Research Institute. No parts of this journal may be reproduced in any form or by any means unless properly referenced or sent a notification letter through www.jri.ir en Investigation on effects of pregnant mouse serum on dendritic cell Function using allogeneic MLR model Introduction: Accumulating evidence suggests that the fetus as an allograft is protected by local and systemic modulation of maternal immune responses. It seems that the presence of inhibitory factor(s) in pregnant sera may thus serve as a mechanism for the modulation of maternal immune responses. In this study the effects of normal and pregnant mouse sera on DC function, that is an antigen presenting cell (APC) with a unique ability to induce primary immune responses, were examined by allogeneic MLR. Materials and Methods: Sera were collected from allogeneic pregnant mice in early, mid and late gestation and were stored in -70oC. DCs were isolated from Balb/C mouse spleens by collagenase digestion and separation of low-density cells using nycodenz gradient. The purity of isolated DCs was determined more than 95% by flow cytometric analysis. Isolated DCs were cultured in RPMI containing early, mid and late pregnant mouse sera. These cells were used as stimulator cells in allogeneic MLR after washing and 3000 Rad irradiation. T cells were also were isolated from C57BL/6 mouse lymph nodes by nylon wool method. The final purity of T cells was determined approximately 90% by flow cytometry. The DCs and T cells were co-cultured in allogeneic MLR and cell proliferation was measured by 3H thymidine incorporation. Results: Results showed that sera of early and late pregnancy didn’t have any effect on DC function, in comparison with normal mouse sera, while mid-pregnancy sera suppressed DC stimulation capacity significantly. Conclusion: To our knowledge, this is the first report of the effect of pregnant serum on DC functions. Reduced MLR response in mid-pregnancy may be due to overflow of the locally present suppressor factors such as IL-4, IL-10, TGF-β and PGE-2. https://www.jri.ir/article/154 Effect of vapor phase cryopreservation on acrosome of spermatozoa in fertile and subfertile men Introduction: Acrosome is a cap-like structure which contains several hydrolytic enzymes necessary for acrosome reaction. Generally, acrosome reaction would be important if it occured on the zona pellueida, other wise; the spermatozoa could not penetrate through this layer. On the other hand, freezing- thawing process can damage acrosome membrane and reduce the sperm fertilizing potential. There is little information about the effects of vapor phase cryopreservation on acrosome. The aim of the persent study is to evaluate the effect of vapor phase cryopreservation on acrosome of spermatozoa of subfertile and fertile men. Materials and Methods: In this study, semen samples were collected from subfertile (n=20) and fertile men (n=10) after 48 h abstinence of intercourse. After semen analysis by Semen Analyzer Quality according to WHO criteria, each semen sample was divided into two portions (100 µl each). The first portion was stained with triple staining to show the quality of acrosome and the second portion was stained after vapor phase cryopreservation and thawing. Results were analyzed by paired t-test. Results: Before vapor phase cryopreservation, mean percentage of live spermatozoa with intact acrosome in subfertile men and fertile men were 26±3.64 and 33.37±4.07, respectively, but it decreased following vapor phase cryopreservation-thawing to 11.6±1.82 in subfertile and 9.87±2.97 in fertile men. Conclusion: It is concluded that vapor phase cryopreservation, impairs acrosome structure and causes destruction of acrosome and extrudes acrosomal enzymes in absence of oocyte. Therefore cause reduction of fertility of spermatozoa in fertile and subfertile men. https://www.jri.ir/article/155 The effects of long-term exposure with simulating cell phone waves on gonads of female Balb/C mouse Introduction: Increasing mobile phone use in daily life has caused anxiety on the effects of its waves on the human health. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of cell phone waves on the gonads and reproductive hormones (FSH, LH, Estradiol, progesterone) and mating percentage of female Balb/C mouse. Materials and Methods: At first an experimental mobile phone system was designed, and adult virgin female Mice were exposed to cell phone waves for 40 days (6 hours per day) and their sera were applied for hormone assays of FSH, LH, Estaradiol and progesterone. The size and weight of ovaries were recorded and their structures and ultrastructures were examined by light and transmission electron microscope. Some females were placed in a cage with males of the same strain for mating, then the pregnancy rate was estimated and their off springs were maintained in animal house until puberty. After puberty their ovaries were examined. Results: The results did not show any significant differences in the size and weight of ovaries (p>0.05). Changes of Estradiol were not significant either (p>0.05). However, FSH, LH and progesterone levels did show significant changes (p<0.05). The results of transmission electron microscopy showed changes in ovary and follicles ultrastructures. The percentage of mating showed significant reduction in the test group (p<0.05). Discussion: The results of this work showed cell phone waves caused change of oocyte ultrastructure and significant changes in endocrine system and causes decreased rates of mating. https://www.jri.ir/article/156 Determination of the effective clinical factors on successful infertility treatment using ICSI for spinal cord injured Introduction: Physicians and gynecologists have always attempted to treat the infertility problems of infertile couples. Spinal cord injuries above pelvic region affect male reproductive system and may cause infertility. Iran has one of the most common spinal cord injuries due to the recent war. Unsuccessful treatment of infertile war victims may cause psychological and other problems and it is thus, needed to identify the effect of different factors on successful infertility treatments. Materials and Methods: In this retrospective study, data from 381 infertile couples with male impotency due to spinal cord injury who referred to Koassar Fertility and Impotency Center in Tehran during 2000 till mid 2002, were collected. The data were observed with regard to Urology, Gynecology, and Laboratory for each treatment cycle and period by the professional staff. All the medical terms were recorded to be used in SPSS. Chi-square and multiple logistic regression analysis were used to analyze known predictors of pregnancy and psychological factors and their relationship with treatment outcome. Results: A significant relationship was observed between successful outcome of ICSI: (pregnancy) with infertility duration (P=0.049), percent of injury (P=0.018), type of catheter used (P=0.021), abnormal sperm parameters (P=0.001) and type of infertility (male factor, female factor and unexplained) (P=0.025). Conclusion: Despite the sperm count in spinal cord injured is similar to that in normal men, their sperm motility and morphology is significantly reduced and thus, their infertility treatment success rate is low. The study also showed that the success rate of treatment with ART techniques reduced with duration of infertility. https://www.jri.ir/article/157 Correlation between sonohystrography and hystrosalpingography in the diagnosis of uterus and tubal abnormalities in infertile women Introduction: Due to high prevalence of uterus abnormalities, assessment of uterine and ovarian tubes is important for preliminary management of infertility. Sonohystrography and hystrosalpin-gography are two diagnostic techniques which are widely used for diagnosis of uterus abnormal-ities and tubal pathologies. Since sonohystrography is more convenient (for both patient and radiologist) than hystrosalpingography we decided to study the reliability of the two techniques in accordance to each other, in patients who refer to Rooyan Institute. The main aim of this study was to define the correlation between sonohystrography and hystrosalpingography in the diagno-sis of tubal and uterus abnormalities. Materials and Methods: In a cross-sectional study on 72 infertile females who met the inclu-sion criteria (2001-2003) both hystrosonography and hystrosalpingography were performed and according to the results, the percentage of correlation and Kappa index were calculated. P<0.05 was considered significant. Results: Of the 72 studied patients, 57 had primary infertility. Considering patency of ovarian tubes, the percentage of agreement between the 2 techniques was 92.9% and for uterine cavity this index was 66.67%. The corresponding Kappa indices were 51% and 22%, respectively. Conclusion: The calculated correlations in this study were similar to those found by other researches. However, cost-effectiveness and efficacy of each procedure (Performed separately or combined with each other) remain to be studied. https://www.jri.ir/article/158 Comparison of pregnancy rate following oocyte donation in recipients with and without ovarian function in IVF cycles Introduction: Oocyte donation is a well established method for the treatment of infertility in women. The high success rate of this procedure has led to its wide application in women with ovarian failure or dysfunction at various ages with different etiologies. We decided to study the success rate of IVF cycles following oocyte donation in patients with and without ovarian function. Materials and Methods: In this prospective clinical study, pregnancy rate after using donated oocyte was studied in the two groups between 1999 and 2001 at Royan institute. One group (n=25) suffered from premature ovarian failure (POF) while the other group (n=23) used donated oocytes due to other reasons than POF (Poor ovarian response). While endometrial preparation was performed by intramuscular administration of Estradiol Valerate and progesterone in both groups, the poor responder group received additional injections of GnRH agonist during endometrial preparation. SPSS 11.5 software program was used for data entry and the results were analyzed by t-test, Chi –Square and Mann Whitney tests. P-value <0.05 was considered as the significance level. Results: A total of 48 women were included in this study. Twenty five patients (52.1%) had POF and 23 patients were poor responders. There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in endometrial thickness on transfer day and the number of transferred embryos (P>0.05). Similarly, no significant difference was observed when the pregnancy rate in the POF group (29.2%) was compared with the poor responder group (40.9%). Pregnancy outcome and complications such as multiple pregnancy, preterm labor, IUGR and preeclampcia were not statistically different between the two groups. Conclusion: The pregnancy rate with donated oocyte in patients with and without ovarian function will be similar, if patients receive good endometrial preparation .It seems that quality of donated oocyte is important factor and selection of donors with the best quality of oocyte is recommended in oocyte donation programs. https://www.jri.ir/article/159 A study on the effective factors of unwanted pregnancies in pregnant women of Tehran city Introduction: Unwanted pregnancy is one of the most important public health problem worldwide and causes much stress and unhappiness for the woman and her partner and possibly for the child if the pregnancy continues. As a result it could be a problem for society as a whole. According to the statistics, worldwide 75 million out of 175 million pregnancies are unwanted and 45 millions end up with abortion each year. This study aims to way up the rate of unmet needs (needs for contraception but not using them for a reason) and the causes of them. It also aims to answer to this question, that why women are not able to chronolgically plan their pregnancies and nursing their children. Materials and Methods: This is a cross sectional study that aims to investigate the extent and the causes of unplanned pregnancies, the use of contraceptive methods and the reasons for not using them in order to explore the effective factors of unwanted pregnancies and measuring the rate of unmet needs that all affect on the control of population growth rate in Tehran, Iran. A random sample of 168 pregnant women who attended to the women clinics in Tehran, were interviewed in a period of six months (December 1998 to May 1999), using a questionnaire. The questionnaires were completed by the participants. The data were analysed by Fisher Exact Test, 2, lojestic Regression using SPSS software program and the significance level was based at P<0.05. Results: According to the results, the response rate was 89.28%. Among all of the sampled women 94 (63%) used contraceptions. Out of 150 respondents, 47 (31/3%) had unplanned and 103 (68.7%) had planned pregnancies. Twenty three (49%) of the unplanned pregnant women used contraception and the current pregnancy stemmed from the failure of the contraceptive method they were using. Twenty four (51%) women with unplanned pregnancies said that they did not plan to become pregnant, but for a variety of reasons they were not using contraception. Among demographic variables (women and their partners) the percentage of unwanted pregnancies in women under 20 and above 40 years of age was increased and this relationship showed a tendency to be significant (P=0.056). There was also a significant relationship between the partners education levels and the type of pregnancy (wanted or unwanted, P< 0.05). Moreover, a significant relationship between the number of boys (P<0.01); girls (P<0.0001); previous number of pregnancies (P<0.01) and the current pregnancy being wanted or unwantermd. Conclusion: The low prevalence of contraceptive use in this group indicates the failure of family planning clinics to motivate their target groups in using contraception for preventing unwanted pregnancies. The high prevalence of unwanted pregnancies while using contraceptive methods suggests the need for education to improve women’s knowledge about how and when to use the methods in order to increase their ability to plan their pregnancies. https://www.jri.ir/article/160 Comparison of knowledge, attitude and other related factors to sterilization between sterilization method users and contraceptive methods users in Hamedan city in 2003 Introduction: The main concern about increase in the world's population is the threat of millions of human lives, the majority of whom are women and children. Still 25–50% of the last pregnancies in developing countries are unwanted. The aim of birth control is to decrease unwanted pregnancies and ultimately improving physical and emotional health of women and even children. Sterilization (tubal ligation in women or vasectomy in men) is one of the most reliable contraceptive methods. Various studies have referred to age, marriage age, number of children and religions beliefs as the related factors for selection of sterilization as a contraceptive method. Asian and African studies demonstrate that couples who choose sterilization as a contraceptive method have a positive attitude and those who do not choose it have a negative or neutral attitude toward sterilization. However, knowledge of both groups about sterility is mostly poor. This project aims to identify and compare knowledge, attitude and the related factors which involve with choosing sterilization as a contraceptive method in users of sterilization method and in users of other contraceptive methods, in Hamedan city in 2003. Materials and methods: The descriptive study was performed on 130 couples, including 65 couples who chose sterilization and 65 couples who chose other contraceptive methods, with at least 3 live children. All couples had either referred to Hamedan's hospitals (for sterilization) or to health care centers (to get contraceptives). Information characteristics such as, age, education, race, address, career, number of children, duration of marriage, age of last child, discrepancy between number of children and the desired number of children, reasons for choosing the contraceptive method, related knowledge and attitude, were recorded in the questioner. Statistical methods include chi-square, analysis of variance, correlation coefficient, t-test, Fisher and Kroscal Valis were used. Results: Among the couples, who selected sterilization, 52.3% had a poor knowledge and 78.5% had a positive attitude. Thirty percent of subjects were aware of the rate of reversibility of fertility and 17.5% were aware of the duration of contraception use after vasectomy. Among the eligible couples for sterilization who were using other contraceptive methods, 50.8% had a weak knowledge and 49.3% had neutral attitude. Twenty percent of couples were aware of the rate of reversibility of fertility following sterilization and 13.8% were aware of the duration of using a contraceptive method after vasectomy. There was no significant difference between knowledge of two groups while there was a significant difference between their attitudes (p<0.01). The source of information in 27.7% of women who chose sterilization was the health care centers and that of 16.9% of such men were relatives and friends. Conclusion: Couples with poor knowledge and positive attitude tend to choose sterilization and those who have a neutral attitude do not select it. Education and counseling are highly recommended for both selecting and not selecting sterilization as a contraceptive method. https://www.jri.ir/article/161