The role of follicular anti-Mullerian hormone in women undergoing IVF/ICSI with regard to size, oocyte presence, sociodemographic parameters, treatment variables, and other hormones and vitamins

AIMS

The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between follicular anti-Mullerian hormone (fAMH) regarding follicle size, the presence of an oocyte, sociodemographic parameters, and other hormones and vitamins in follicular fluid.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This prospective exploratory cohort study included 376 follicles from 61 women undergoing IVF/ICSI cycles. The size of each follicle was measured individually, and they were divided into a large and a small group according to their size. The presence of oocytes was detected on the day of oocyte retrieval. Sociodemographic factors were documented during the course of preliminary testing. Then, other parameters of patients' serum and follicular fluid were measured.

RESULTS

Small follicles contained a significantly higher concentration of fAMH than large ones did. We showed that the presence of an oocyte in a follicle is associated with a significantly higher fAMH level than in those without one (p < .001). There exists a significant but weak correlation between fAMH and the sociodemographic parameter of patients' age (r = -0.11, p < .001). We did not find a correlation with the patients' BMI (r = 0.03, p < .006). We also investigated the connections between fAMH and other parameters, such as vitamin D (r = -0.13, p < .001), LH (r = 0.35, p < .001)), and progesterone (r = -0.21, p < .001) in follicular fluid.

CONCLUSIONS

This knowledge can be useful for the future development of reproductive medicine. Our results can provide an important building block for this matter.

Mutations in a conserved enteroviral RNA oligonucleotide sequence affect positive strand viral RNA synthesis

We showed earlier that a transition mutation U234C, located within the completely conserved 5 nucleotide (nt) tract 5'-CGUUA (nt232-236) in the 5' non-translated region (NTR) of the coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) genome, attenuated CVB3 cardiovirulence in mice. To further explore the role of the sequence, we induced two single and one double transversion mutations in the conserved 5mer in a cardiovirulent CVB3 genome. The mutated sites partially or totally reverted to parental wild-type when progeny viruses were passaged at 37 degrees C, but remained stable when transfection and subsequent passages were performed at 33.5 degrees C. Viral replication in cell culture was attenuated at 37 degrees C or 39.5 degrees C relative to replication at 33.5 degrees C. While Western blot analysis demonstrated the level of protein translation consistent with virus replication, the ratios of positive to negative strand viral RNA at 37 degrees C in murine cells demonstrated a 2-5 fold diminution from those measured at 33.5 degrees C. Mutant CVB3 strains failed to replicate productively when inoculated into mice. The biological data are consistent with an hypothesis that proposes a lesion with primary effects at the level of positive strand viral RNA synthesis that results in attenuation of viral replication at physiologic temperature.