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Faa G, Manchia M, Fanos V. Assisted Reproductive Technologies: A New Player in the Foetal Programming of Childhood and Adult Diseases? Pediatr Rep 2024; 16:329-338. [PMID: 38804372 PMCID: PMC11130896 DOI: 10.3390/pediatric16020029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2024] [Revised: 04/19/2024] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Assisted reproductive technology (ART) is an emerging field in medicine that incorporates complex procedures and has profound ethical, moral, social, religious, and economic implications not just for the individuals who have access to this method but also for society. In this narrative review, we summarise multiple aspects of ART procedures and the possible consequences on the mother and newborn. Moreover, we provide an overview of the possible long-term consequences of ART procedures on the health of newborns, although longitudinal evidence is particularly scant. Users should be informed that ART procedures are not risk-free to prepare them for the possible negative outcomes that may occur in the perinatal period or even in childhood and adulthood. Indeed, risk estimates point to increased liability for major nonchromosomal birth defects; cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, and urogenital (in male newborns) defects; and any other birth defects. Less certainty is present for the risk of neuropsychiatric sequelae in children conceived through ART. Thus, its application should be accompanied by adequate counselling and psychological support, possibly integrated into specific multidisciplinary clinical programmes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gavino Faa
- Department of Medical Sciences and Public Health, University of Cagliari, Monserrato, 09042 Cagliari, Italy;
- Department of Biology, College of Science and Technology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA
| | - Mirko Manchia
- Department of Pharmacology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada
- Unit of Psychiatry, Department of Medical Sciences and Public Health, University of Cagliari, 09124 Cagliari, Italy
| | - Vassilios Fanos
- Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, AOU Cagliari and Department of Surgical Sciences, University of Cagliari, Monserrato, 09042 Cagliari, Italy;
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Weinerman R. Growth differences after fresh and frozen embryo transfers: When do they begin? Fertil Steril 2021; 116:75-76. [PMID: 34016434 DOI: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2021.04.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2021] [Accepted: 04/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Rachel Weinerman
- Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, Beachwood, Ohio
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Glucose and glycerol temperature-pressure correlations for the design of cryopreservation protocols in an isochoric system at subfreezing temperature. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2021; 559:42-47. [PMID: 33933991 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2021.04.084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2021] [Accepted: 04/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
There is growing interest in the use of isochoric (constant volume) freezing for cryopreservation of biological matter. The goal of this study is to generate fundamental experimental data on the pressure temperature relation during the freezing of an isochoric system of aqueous solutions of two compounds, glucose and glycerol. Glucose and glycerol are commonly used as cryoprotectants in conventional isobaric (constant pressure) cryopreservation protocols. Earlier studies have shown that the increase in pressure during isochoric freezing is detrimental to biological matter and limits the range of temperatures in which isochoric freezing can be used for preservation to temperatures corresponding to pressures below 40 MPa. In physiological saline solution this pressure corresponds to a temperature of - 4 °C. Our new experimental data shows that the addition of 2 M glycerol to the saline solution lowers the temperature at which the isochoric freezing pressure is 40 MPa to -11 °C, 3 M glycerol to - 16.5 °C, and 4 M glycerol to - 24.5 °C, thereby substantially expending the range of temperatures in which cryopreservation by isochoric freezing can be practiced.
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Bernabò N, Valbonetti L, Raspa M, Fontana A, Palestini P, Botto L, Paoletti R, Fray M, Allen S, Machado-Simoes J, Ramal-Sanchez M, Pilato S, Scavizzi F, Barboni B. Graphene Oxide Improves in vitro Fertilization in Mice With No Impact on Embryo Development and Preserves the Membrane Microdomains Architecture. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2020; 8:629. [PMID: 32612987 PMCID: PMC7308453 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2020.00629] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2020] [Accepted: 05/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
During the latest years, human infertility worsened all over the world and is nowadays reputed as a global public health issue. As a consequence, the adoption of Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ARTs) such as In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) is undergoing an impressive increase. In this context, one of the most promising strategies is the innovative adoption of extra-physiological materials for advanced sperm preparation methods. Here, by using a murine model, the addition of Graphene Oxide (GO) at a specific concentration has demonstrated to increase the spermatozoa fertilizing ability in an IVF assay, finding that 0.5 μg/ml GO addition to sperm suspensions before IVF is able to increase both the number of fertilized oocytes and embryos created with a healthy offspring given by Embryo Transplantation (ET). In addition, GO treatment has been found more effective than that carried out with methyl-β-cyclodextrin, which represents the gold standard in promoting in vitro fertility of mice spermatozoa. Subsequent biochemical characterization of its interaction with male gametes has been additionally performed. As a result, it was found that GO exerts its positive effect by extracting cholesterol from membranes, without affecting the integrity of microdomains and thus preserving the sperm functions. In conclusion, GO improves IVF outcomes in vitro and in vivo, defining new perspectives for innovative strategies in the treatment of human infertility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicola Bernabò
- Faculty of Bioscience and Technology for Food, Agriculture and Environment, University of Teramo, Teramo, Italy
- National Research Council – Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Rome, Italy
| | - Luca Valbonetti
- Faculty of Bioscience and Technology for Food, Agriculture and Environment, University of Teramo, Teramo, Italy
- National Research Council – Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Rome, Italy
| | - Marcello Raspa
- National Research Council – Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Rome, Italy
| | - Antonella Fontana
- Department of Pharmacy, D’Annunzio University of Chieti–Pescara, Chieti, Italy
| | - Paola Palestini
- School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, Monza, Italy
| | - Laura Botto
- School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, Monza, Italy
| | | | | | | | - Juliana Machado-Simoes
- Faculty of Bioscience and Technology for Food, Agriculture and Environment, University of Teramo, Teramo, Italy
| | - Marina Ramal-Sanchez
- Faculty of Bioscience and Technology for Food, Agriculture and Environment, University of Teramo, Teramo, Italy
| | - Serena Pilato
- Department of Pharmacy, D’Annunzio University of Chieti–Pescara, Chieti, Italy
| | - Ferdinando Scavizzi
- National Research Council – Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Rome, Italy
| | - Barbara Barboni
- Faculty of Bioscience and Technology for Food, Agriculture and Environment, University of Teramo, Teramo, Italy
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Horibe Y, Nakabayashi K, Arai M, Okamura K, Hashimoto K, Matsui H, Hata K. Comprehensive analysis of whole genome methylation in mouse blastocysts cultured with four different constituents following in vitro fertilization. MIDDLE EAST FERTILITY SOCIETY JOURNAL 2020. [DOI: 10.1186/s43043-019-0012-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Background
With the development of assisted reproductive technology (ART), diseases believed to be caused by ART have begun to be identified as imprinted disease. However, no conclusion has been reached. So we sought to determine whether ART procedures disturb gene methylation and whether imprinted genes alone are selectively disturbed. To examine whether the constituents of the culture medium contribute to the changes in methylation, we used a mouse model to conduct IVF and comprehensively analyzed 5′–C–phosphate–G–3′ (CpG) by reduced representation bisulfite sequencing (RRBS) using a second-generation sequencer to determine changes in methylation using four types of culture media with different amino acid constituents.
Results
We cultured ova to the blastocyst stage in a mouse model in culture media with four different amino acid constituents. Each culture medium included (1) KSOM culture medium (NoAA), (2) KSOM media + essential amino acids (EAAs), (3) KSOM medium + non-essential amino acids (NEAAs), or (4) KSOM medium + EAAs + NEAAs (AllAA) analyzed by reduced representation bisulfite sequencing. The results showed that (1) there were many regions that maintained hypermethylation with NEAAs, (2) there was little effect of demethylation on reprogramming in the 5′UTR and promoter regions, and (3) specific changes were observed in imprinted genes such as Nnat and Nespas.
Conclusions
Compared with EAAs, NEAAs could protect genes from demethylation caused by reprogramming. On the imprinted genes, methylation of the promoter region of H19 was decreased by NEAAs, suggesting that specific genes were prone to changes in methylation. It was suggested that these changes could provide similar results in humans. Further studies are needed to understand how changes in methylation may affect gene expression profiles.
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Eravuchira PJ, Mirsky SK, Barnea I, Levi M, Balberg M, Shaked NT. Individual sperm selection by microfluidics integrated with interferometric phase microscopy. Methods 2018; 136:152-159. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ymeth.2017.09.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2017] [Revised: 09/19/2017] [Accepted: 09/20/2017] [Indexed: 10/18/2022] Open
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Dow K. 'The men who made the breakthrough': How the British press represented Patrick Steptoe and Robert Edwards in 1978. REPRODUCTIVE BIOMEDICINE & SOCIETY ONLINE 2017; 4:59-67. [PMID: 29774267 PMCID: PMC5952836 DOI: 10.1016/j.rbms.2017.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2016] [Revised: 05/25/2017] [Accepted: 07/31/2017] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
This article examines how the British press represented Patrick Steptoe and Robert Edwards in the story of the birth of the first 'test-tube baby', Louise Brown. In 1978, the British press represented the birth of Louise Brown as both a success and a source of hope. The main pairs of protagonists in this story were Steptoe and Edwards and Lesley and John Brown, who metonymically represented British science and infertile couples, respectively. In the dominant 'success' narrative of the birth of Louise Brown as depicted in the British press in 1978, Edwards and Steptoe seemed to embody 'British' values of industriousness, perseverance, altruism, ingenuity and teamwork. Thus, their success was simultaneously a British success. With Louise Brown's birth, in-vitro fertilization came to stand for the potential happiness of infertile people and a bright future for British science and industry.
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Duncan FE, Derman B, Woodruff TK. A small field for fertile science: the low visibility of reproductive science in high impact journals. J Assist Reprod Genet 2014; 31:511-20. [PMID: 24652516 DOI: 10.1007/s10815-014-0205-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2013] [Accepted: 02/27/2014] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE Our success as a field and as individuals in reproductive science and medicine relies on our ability to produce high quality work that has broad visibility and impact. A common metric for assessing such success is the quantity of publications that are published in journals with high impact factors. It is unclear, however, how frequently work related to reproductive science and medicine actually appears in what are considered the highest impact journals. METHODS To address this gap in knowledge, we first determined how the field of reproductive biology in general compared to other research areas in terms of composite journal impact factor. Second, using a targeted search approach in the PubMed database, we examined the relationship between a journal's impact factor and the number of reproductive research articles published per journal issue. RESULTS We found that compared to other major scientific disciplines, our field lacks journals with impact factors above 4. In addition, primary original research articles on reproduction-irrespective of male or female search terms-do not appear often in high impact journals. Instead, there is an increased percentage of secondary reproductive literature in high impact journals compared to topic-specific journals of lower impact. CONCLUSIONS There are likely several explanations for why reproductive science and medicine has low visibility, including the field's small relative size, its lack of a specific disease and associated strong advocacy, and its surrounding social, ethical, and political unease. Nevertheless, there are concrete actions we can take to minimize the role of impact factor in our evaluation while simultaneously increasing influence through global awareness of the importance and need for reproductive research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca E Duncan
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, 303 E. Superior Street, Lurie 10-250, Chicago, IL, USA
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Abstract
Assisted reproductive technologies enable subfertile couples to have children. But there are health risks attached for both mothers and children that need to be properly understood and managed.
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Yanagimachi R. Fertilization studies and assisted fertilization in mammals: their development and future. J Reprod Dev 2012; 58:25-32. [PMID: 22450281 DOI: 10.1262/jrd.11-015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Studies of mammalian fertilization progressed very slowly in the beginning because of difficulties in obtaining a large quantity of fully mature eggs at one time. With progression of techniques to collect and handle eggs and spermatozoa, research in mammalian fertilization advanced rapidly. Today, far more papers are published on mammalian gametes and fertilization than those of all other animals combined. The development of assisted fertilization and related technologies revolutionized basic research as well as human reproductive medicine and animal husbandry. Reproduction is fundamental to human and animal lives. The author lists a few subjects of his personal interest for further development of basic and applied research of gametes and fertilization. Each reader will probably have more exciting subjects of future investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryuzo Yanagimachi
- Department of Anatomy, Biochemistry and Physiology, Institute for Biogenesis Research, University of Hawaii Medical School, Honolulu, Hawaii 96822, USA.
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Biggers JD. IVF and embryo transfer: historical origin and development. Reprod Biomed Online 2012; 25:118-27. [PMID: 22695311 DOI: 10.1016/j.rbmo.2012.04.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2012] [Revised: 04/24/2012] [Accepted: 04/24/2012] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
IVF and embryo transfer for the treatment of human infertility has now resulted in the birth of over 4 million babies. The technique did not arise as a quantum event but was built on the efforts of many earlier workers in the fields of reproductive endocrinology and development. One should remember the famous saying of Isaac Newton: 'If I have seen further than most, it is because I have stood on the shoulder's of giants'. Ethical and moral issues have always arisen when investigators study early mammalian development, particularly human development. This paper documents these earlier studies and also draws attention to the ethical and moral arguments that inevitably arose.
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Affiliation(s)
- John D Biggers
- Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
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Zhao Y, Brezina P, Hsu CC, Garcia J, Brinsden PR, Wallach E. In vitro fertilization: Four decades of reflections and promises. Biochim Biophys Acta Gen Subj 2011; 1810:843-52. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbagen.2011.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2011] [Revised: 05/03/2011] [Accepted: 05/04/2011] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
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The Milestone of The Research on Assisted Reproductive Technology: The Interpretation of 2010 Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine. PROG BIOCHEM BIOPHYS 2010. [DOI: 10.3724/sp.j.1206.2010.00516] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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Johnson MH, Franklin SB, Cottingham M, Hopwood N. Why the Medical Research Council refused Robert Edwards and Patrick Steptoe support for research on human conception in 1971. Hum Reprod 2010; 25:2157-74. [PMID: 20657027 PMCID: PMC2922998 DOI: 10.1093/humrep/deq155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2010] [Accepted: 05/26/2010] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND In 1971, Cambridge physiologist Robert Edwards and Oldham gynaecologist Patrick Steptoe applied to the UK Medical Research Council (MRC) for long-term support for a programme of scientific and clinical 'Studies on Human Reproduction'. The MRC, then the major British funder of medical research, declined support on ethical grounds and maintained this policy throughout the 1970s. The work continued with private money, leading to the birth of Louise Brown in 1978 and transforming research in obstetrics, gynaecology and human embryology. METHODS The MRC decision has been criticized, but the processes by which it was reached have yet to be explored. Here, we present an archive-based analysis of the MRC decision. RESULTS We find evidence of initial support for Edwards and Steptoe, including from within the MRC, which invited the applicants to join its new directly funded Clinical Research Centre at Northwick Park Hospital. They declined the offer, preferring long-term grant support at the University of Cambridge, and so exposed the project to competitive funding mode. Referees and the Clinical Research Board saw the institutional set-up in Cambridge as problematic with respect to clinical facilities and patient management; gave infertility a low priority compared with population control; assessed interventions as purely experimental rather than potential treatments, and so set the bar for safety high; feared fatal abnormalities and so wanted primate experiments first; and were antagonized by the applicants' high media profile. The rejection set MRC policy on IVF for 8 years, until, after the birth of just two healthy babies, the Council rapidly converted to enthusiastic support. CONCLUSIONS This analysis enriches our view of a crucial decision, highlights institutional opportunities and constraints and provides insight into the then dominant attitudes of reproductive scientists and clinicians towards human conception research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin H Johnson
- Anatomy School and Trophoblast Research Centre, Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, Anatomy School, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3DY, UK.
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Franklin S. 'Crook' pipettes: embryonic emigrations from agriculture to reproductive biomedicine. STUDIES IN HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHY OF BIOLOGICAL AND BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES 2007; 38:358-73. [PMID: 17543836 DOI: 10.1016/j.shpsc.2007.03.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
While cloning, stem cells, and regenerative medicine are often imagined in a futurial idiom--as expectations, hype, hope and promises--this article approaches the remaking of genealogy in such contexts from a historical route. Through a series of somewhat disparate historical connections linking Australian sheep to the development of clinical IVF and the cloning of Dolly at the Roslin Institute in Scotland in 1996, this article explores the linkages through which agriculture, embryology, and reproductive biomedicine are thickly intertwined. Key to this examination is not only the history of experimental sheep breeding, and its somewhat unexpectedly genealogical connections to (Australian) national identity ('wool in the veins'), but also the re-emergence of a distinctive frontier ethos in the context of assisted conception, and later human embryonic stem cell derivation. I have set this scene of genealogical interconnection against the criss-crossing traffic between Britain and Australia, and the wool trade, to emphasise the importance of global, as well as local, connections in the bloodlines of animals such as Dolly. In sum, this article examines the idea of the 'biological frontier' by exploring its histories as a means to offset the assumption that this frequently encountered idiom describes a future that is, or must be, by definition, unknown and unknowable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Franklin
- BIOS Centre, Department of Sociology, London School of Economics, Houghton Street, London, UK.
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