Videos for embryology teaching, power and weakness of an innovative tool.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Difficulties are encountered in embryology learning such as imagining embryo modifications in three-dimensions and time. We provided an experimentation to evaluate if short videos during magisterial lecture could increase the quality and the efficiency of embryology teaching. METHODS: The study was conducted amongst students in first year of medical studies in France. It is an intense and highly competitive year at the end of which students can engage in medical or paramedical specialties depending on their rank. In a first step, pre-implantation embryo development and microscopic videos of in vitro Fertilization were presented during a course of medical ethics. Three months later, students gave their opinion on this presentation in a satisfaction survey using a Likert scale. In a second step (the two following years), similar videos were integrated in the regular embryology lectures and the results of the subsequent embryology test were analyzed. RESULTS: In the first step, students declared that movies could increase their interest in embryology and significantly help to the comprehension and memorization of embryologic processes. In the second step, we found that students answered better to the video-related questions of the test even if globally in the first year, results were weaker compared to previous years. DISCUSSION: The effects of movies in pedagogy are discussed, especially the accelerated rhythm imposed by this medium. Adverse consequences could be balanced by traditional drawing. CONCLUSIONS: The association of complementary pedagogic methods like movies and drawing could allow an optimization of embryo teaching.

[Culture conditions for gametes and embryos: Which culture medium? Which impact on newborn?] / Conditions de culture pour les gamètes et embryons : quels milieux de culture ? et quelle incidence sur le nouveau-né ?

Many studies have examined the impact of cell/embryo culture media on the development of human embryo during IVF process, but few studies have followed up and compared the effects of these culture media on the developmental outcome of children conceived by IVF. As recurrent experimental evidence from animal studies suggests potential long-term effects of embryo culture media on the health outcome of IVF-conceived children, more studies are needed to clarify the role of the culture media and mechanisms underlying such effects. In human, however, the effects of culture media are difficult to pinpoint due to complications stem from both the influence of maternal nutrition during the gestational period and the parental genetic. Based on a simple review of the literature integrating animal experimentations and human clinic studies, we suggest that the composition of culture medium should be considered beyond the character of unique or sequential medium, corresponding to "let embryo choose" or "back to nature" respectively. Instead, we suggest that the main components of embryo culture media should be considered from the point of view of metabolic consequences and potential epigenetic effects. Given that energetic metabolites can regulate epigenetic machinery, we hypothesize that metabolic abnormalities linked to morphological abnormalities could reveal epigenetic defects in embryos.

Diagnosis of primary ciliary dyskinesia: When and how?

INTRODUCTION: Primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) is a rare congenital disorder involving permanent ubiquitous structural and/or functional ciliary abnormalities. METHODS: A single-center retrospective study included 56 cases of PCD (respiratory form) out of a cohort of 280 patients with suspected PCD. The main features of history-taking and clinical examination were analyzed, to formulate a pragmatic diagnostic procedure, easy to implement in clinical practice. RESULTS: Chronic respiratory tract infectious symptoms are sensitive but non-specific for the diagnosis of PCD. Nasal brushing for phase-contrast microscopy study of ciliary morphology and activity proved to be a fast, easy, non-invasive, cost-effective and age-independent diagnostic method. In doubtful cases, depending on local availability, further tests are indicated: nasal nitric oxide level, electronic microscopy, genetic study and cell culture. CONCLUSIONS: In suspected PCD, there being no gold standard method of screening and early diagnosis, nasal brushing with ciliary study is contributive, alongside numerous other complementary tests, on condition that the clinician is experienced and results are interpreted in the light of clinical examination and history-taking.

[Complications of pregnancy after oocyte donation]. / Pathologies des grossesses issues de don d'ovocytes.

Oocyte donation is a remarkably effective method of treatment even in difficult cases, which encourages couples. However the data in literature express an increased risk of complications in pregnancies particularly for older women. Maternal-fetal outcome is fortunately usually favorable. Medical teams must respect the autonomy of informed couples, but also be able to deny access to oocyte donation when age is exceeded or where there are risk factors.

Optimal management of extreme oligozoospermia by an appropriate cryopreservation programme.

BACKGROUND: Severe oligozoospermia is characterized by sperm count fluctuations that may result in insufficient quantities of motile sperm for ICSI on the day of oocyte retrieval, thus necessitating testicular biopsy. To avoid this, we proposed that patients, with transient azoospermia or repeatedly low sperm counts, make a safety pool of frozen spermatozoa before ICSI attempts. METHODS: Seventy cryptozoospermic (<10(3) spermatozoa/ml) and 46 oligozoospermic patients (10(3)-10(5)/ml) were included. Although all oligozoospermic patients succeeded in sperm banking, only 44 of 70 cryptozoospermic patients were successful. Others underwent testicular extraction of spermatozoa. The ICSI results for frozen sperm from cryptozoospermic patients were compared with those obtained with fresh sperm from a group of normal patients (>10(5) spermatozoa/ml). RESULTS: In this prospective matched, controlled study, five cryptozoospermic, but no oligozoospermic, patients failed to produce sperm on the ICSI day, and frozen sperm was used instead. Although fertilization and pregnancy rates (per attempt) using fresh (49% and 5/44, respectively) and frozen sperm (54% and one-fifth, respectively) were similar for this cryptozoospermic group, the results for fresh sperm were significantly lower when compared with the control group (66% and 16/43, P < 0.0001, P < 0.001, respectively). In contrast, results for the oligospermic and control groups were similar. CONCLUSIONS: Banking of ejaculated sperm is helpful for cryptozoospermic patients.

Seminal haploid cell detection by flow cytometry in non-obstructive azoospermia: a good predictive parameter for testicular sperm extraction.

BACKGROUND: Testicular sperm extraction (TESE) associated with ICSI gives patients suffering from non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA) the possibility of becoming a father. The success rate of TESE based on sperm recovery is approximately 50%, and the commonly used non-invasive parameters are not predictive enough. Only the invasive testis biopsy has a good prognostic value. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic value of the detection of seminal haploid cells by flow cytometry (FCM) in order to avoid unnecessary testicular biopsy. METHODS: For 37 NOA patients undergoing testicular biopsy, we measured testis size, serum FSH and inhibin B levels and carried out seminal cytology, seminal FCM analysis and histological examination. RESULTS: Sperm were found in 18 biopsies. These results were correlated with cytology, FCM analysis and the histological examination. FCM was more sensitive than cytology (100 versus 59%) but less specific (67 versus 83.5%) whereas the histological observation of complete spermatogenesis appeared to be less sensitive (50%) but more specific (100%). CONCLUSION: Detection of seminal haploid cells by FCM appears to be an interesting non-invasive technique which can predict TESE results and improve the management of NOA patients.

[Proacrosin, an acrosomal marker for the detection of spermatogenic cells in ejaculates from azoospermic men]. / La proacrosine, un marqueur acrosomal pour la détection des cellules spermatiques dans le sperme éjaculé de patients azoospermes.

Between January 2003 and April 2004, a prospective study was performed on ejaculates from non-obstructive azoospermic men (n = 95), for the identification of spermatogenic cells using an immunohistochemical labeling for proacrosin. 48.4% of ejaculates (46/95) displayed labeled spermatogenic cells. A 38/95 (40%) of men had testicular sperm extraction (TESE) followed by intracytoplasmic sperm injection (i.c.s.i.). Testicular spermatozoa were extracted from 21 men (52.5%). The sensitivity of detecting spermatogenic cells is 66.7% in predicting the presence of testicular spermatozoa, and its specificity is 76.5%. Compared to histopathological diagnostic testicular biopsy, the detection of spermatogenic cells using proacrosin immunohistochemical method offers a predictive parameter for successful TESE. The immunohistochemical method for proacrosin has the advantages of simplicity and low cost. It could be used to predict spermatogenesis from non-obstructive azoospermic men. Further evaluation is required with extensive results to improve sensitivity and specificity.