Biomedical subjects

Herve Lejeune

Publications and source records attributed to Herve Lejeune.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Sperm deoxyribonucleic acid fragmentation as a prognostic indicator of assisted reproductive technology outcome.

OBJECTIVE: To examine sperm DNA fragmentation in semen used for assisted reproduction procedures to establish this factor's prognostic role in fertilization rate, embryo development, pregnancy rate, and outcome. DESIGN: Prospective study. SETTING: Department of Medicine and Biology of Reproduction of the Edouard Herriot Hospital in Lyon, France. PATIENT(S): 322 couples, divided into 88 cycles of in vitro fertilization (IVF) or 234 cycles of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). INTERVENTION(S): Sperm DNA fragmentation was detected in sperm obtained 2 to 5 months before the ART procedure. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Sperm DNA fragmentation was measured with the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated digoxigenin-dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) technique. RESULT(S): There was a negative statistical correlation between the rate of fragmentation and the semen characteristics. A statistically significant negative relationship was found for sperm DNA fragmentation and fertilization when ICSI and IVF were compared. With ICSI, a statistically significant negative relationship was found between fertilization rate and percentage of sperm DNA fragmentation (DNA fragmentation index, or DFI). The risk of nontransfer due to blocked embryo development increased when the DFI exceeded 15% (18.2% for ICSI vs 4.2% for IVF) with an odds ratio of 5.05. The miscarriage risk increased fourfold when the DFI exceeded 15% (37.5% for ICSI vs 8.8% for IVF). CONCLUSION(S): Sperm DNA fragmentation measured 2 to 5 months before the assisted reproduction procedure was a prognostic indicator of the fertilization, pregnancy, and miscarriage rates and the pregnancy outcome.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

Decrease of both stem cell factor and clusterin mRNA levels in testicular biopsies of azoospermic patients with constitutive or idiopathic but not acquired spermatogenic failure.

BACKGROUND: Sertoli cells nurse germ cells during spermatogenesis, and alterations of Sertoli cell functions have been suggested in cases of spermatogenic failures. METHODS: In this work, we measured stem cell factor (SCF) and clusterin mRNA levels, by quantitative RT-PCR, in RNA extracted from testicular biopsies of 49 azoospermic patients classified according to testicular histology as having normal spermatogenesis or spermatogenic failure. RESULTS: When related to the percentage of Sertoli cells counted on a histological section of a neighbouring tissue sample, SCF and clusterin mRNA levels were significantly lower in the 'spermatogenic failure' group compared with the control group (P = 0.0297 and P = 0.0043, respectively). These levels were also significantly lower in the cases of 'constitutive' (cryptorchidism and Yq microdeletion) and 'idiopathic' spermatogenic failures when compared with the control group; conversely, they were not significantly decreased in the group with 'acquired spermatogenic failure' (orchitis, testicular traumatism, chemoradiotherapy and varicocele). CONCLUSIONS: These data further demonstrate an alteration of Sertoli cell functions in some human spermatogenic failures and suggest that a lack of Sertoli cell maturation may be involved in cases of constitutive or idiopathic spermatogenic failures.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

X-linked sex-determining region Y box 3 (SOX3) gene mutations are uncommon in men with idiopathic oligoazoospermic infertility.

The X-linked sex-determining region Y box 3 (SOX3) gene is expressed in the developing gonads and brain. Sox3-null mice developed according to genetic sex, but the hemizygous null males were hypogonadal, with extensive Sertoli cell vacuo-lization, loss of germ cells, and reduced sperm count. We hypothesized that SOX3 mutations might occur in a subset of infertility patients. Genomic DNA samples from 56 infertile men with idiopathic oligo-azoospermia were screened for SOX3 mutations. Three nucleotide substitutions (609 T-->C, 732 A-->C, and 978 G-->A) were identified, none of which altered the amino acid sequence, suggesting that they are polymorphic variants. The 609 T-->C substitution was in the HMG box, and the two other substitutions were identified within the polyalanine repeat regions. Three patients had 609 T-->C, 2 patients had 609 T-->C and 732 A-->C, and one had 978 G-->A. These data indicate that mutations in the SOX3 gene are not a common cause of male infertility.

Adenine↗