Effect of advanced paternal age on reproductive outcomes in IVF cycles of non-male-factor infertility: a retrospective cohort study / 亚洲男科学杂志(英文版)

Advanced paternal age has been overlooked, and its effect on fertility remains controversial. Previous studies have focused mainly on intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) cycles in men with oligozoospermia. However, few studies have reported on men with semen parameters within reference ranges. Therefore, we conducted a retrospective cohort study analyzing the reproductive outcomes of couples with non-male-factor infertility undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles. In total, 381 cycles included were subgrouped according to paternal age (<35-year-old, 35-39-year-old, or ≥40-year-old), and maternal age was limited to under 35 years. Data on embryo quality and clinical outcomes were analyzed. The results showed that fertilization and high-quality embryo rates were not significantly different (all P > 0.05). The pregnancy rate was not significantly different in the 35-39-year-old group (42.0%; P > 0.05), but was significantly lower in the ≥40-year-old group (26.1%; P < 0.05) than that in the <35-year-old group (40.3%). Similarly, the implantation rate significantly decreased in the ≥40-year-old group (18.8%) compared with that in the <35-year-old group (31.1%) and 35-39-year-old group (30.0%) (both P < 0.05). The live birth rate (30.6%, 21.7%, and 19.6%) was not significantly different across the paternal age subgroups (<35-year-old, 35-39-year-old, and ≥40-year-old, respectively; all P > 0.05), but showed a declining trend. The miscarriage rate significantly increased in the 35-39-year-old group (44.8%) compared with that in the <35-year-old group (21.0%; P < 0.05). No abnormality in newborn birth weight was found. The results indicated that paternal age over 40 years is a key risk factor that influences the assisted reproductive technology success rate even with good semen parameters, although it has no impact on embryo development.

Recombinant soluble receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappaB inhibits parathyroid hormone-induced osteoclastogenesis in vitro / 生理学报

The recent identification of receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappaB ligand (RANKL)/RANK/osteoprotegerin (OPG) cytokine system has led to a new molecular perspective on osteoclast biology and bone homeostasis. Specifically, the interaction between RANKL and RANK is responsible for osteoclast differentiation. In the present study, we evaluated whether soluble RANK (sRANK) could act as an antagonist of RANKL and down-regulate osteoclastogenesis and bone resorption in vitro. The prokaryotic expression vector coding for sRANK was constructed. Then the construct was introduced into E. coli Origami B (DE3) competent cells and recombinant sRANK was successfully produced and purified through affinity chromatography. sRANK reduced osteoclast-like cell (OLC) formation and resorption pit formation induced by parathyroid hormone (PTH) in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, sRANK significantly inhibited PTH-induced mRNA expression of carbonic anhydrase II and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase in murine bone marrow cells as confirmed by using semi-quantitative RT-PCR. The down-regulation was highly correlated with the effect of sRANK on OLC formation from marrow cells. These data demonstrate the anti-resorptive effects of sRANK in vitro and highlight the potential of sRANK as a novel therapeutic approach to bone disorders characterized by enhanced bone resorption.