Effects of Autologous Platelet-Rich Plasma in women with repeated implantation failure undergoing assisted reproduction.

OBJECTIVE: Repeated implantation failure (RIF) is a major challenge in reproductive medicine. On the other hand, there has not yet been established a confirmed outcome regarding the usage of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) in women undergoing intracytoplasmic injection (ICSI) or in-vitro fertilization (IVF); hence, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of the intrauterine infusion of PRP on pregnancy outcomes in women undergoing ICSI. METHODS: In this prospective double-blind clinical trial, 100 women with at least two previous unexplained RIF, who were candidates for frozen-thawed embryo transfer, were allocated into two groups. One subgroup of patients was treated by intrauterine infusion of PRP (0.5CC, contained platelet 4-5 times more than a peripheral blood sample, which was performed 48 hours before blastocyst transfer) and the other subgroup was treated by intrauterine catheterization only. We compared the implantation rates between the two groups. RESULTS: The pregnancy rate was 20% in the intervention subgroup, while in the control subgroup it was 13.33%; therefore, there was a significant statistical difference between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: According to this paper, PRP could be successful in improving the pregnancy outcome in RIF patients, and we highly recommend other studies with larger samples to confirm the PRP therapy efficacy in RIF patients.

Failure in Identity Building as the Main Challenge of Infertility: A Qualitative Study.

BACKGROUND: The approach of considering the psychosocial consequences of infertility has become significant. Psychosocial outcomes of infertility are defined and shaped in the context of the particular social and cultural conditions. Childbearing, and raising a child are considered to be the core of "identity" in many collectivist cultures, and the status provided to individuals with children is accompanied with social acceptance and approval. In such societies, infertile people see their social identity seriously damaged. The purpose of this study was to comprehend the challenge of identity crisis of infertile people in Iran for helping to formulate support programs for policy makers. METHODS: This qualitative study was conducted in 2016-2018, through semi-structured interviews conducted with 40 infertile clients of Avicenna Fertility Center. Data were analyzed by Strauss and Corbin coding paradigm. RESULTS: The core of the phenomenon of psychosocial consequences of infertility was failure in identity building, which included the main categories of prevention from continuity and prevention of forming normative identity. CONCLUSION: Challenge of identity crisis based on the experience of infertile people and the social construction of infertility in their minds affects not only internal, external, personal and structural factors, but it is also a kind of identity search in individuals. Regarding this fact, providing appropriate social services and training the skills needed to rebuild identity of infertile people and their social health will be very effective.

Production and Characterization of Monoclonal Antibodies against Human Prostate Specific Antigen.

BACKGROUND: Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) is an important laboratory marker for diagnosis of prostatic cancer. Thus, development of diagnostic tools specific for PSA plays an important role in screening, monitoring and early diagnosis of prostate cancer. In this paper, the production and characterization of a panel of murine monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against PSA have been presented. METHODS: Balb/c mice were immunized with PSA, which was purified from seminal plasma. Splenocytes of hyperimmunized mice were extracted and fused with Sp2/0 cells. By adding selective HAT medium, hybridoma cells were established and positive clones were selected by ELISA after four times of cloning. The isotypes of produced mAbs were determined by ELISA and then purified from ascitic fluids using Hi-Trap protein G column. The reactivities of the mAbs were examined with the purified PSA and seminal plasma by ELISA and western blot techniques. Furthermore, the reactivities of the mAbs were assessed in Prostate Cancer (PCa), Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) and brain cancer tissues by Immunohistochemistry (IHC). RESULTS: Five anti-PSA mAbs (clones: 2G2-B2, 2F9-F4, 2D6-E8, IgG1/К) and clones (2C8-E9, 2G3-E2, IgG2a/К) were produced and characterized. All mAbs, except 2F9-F4 detected the expression of PSA in PCa and BPH tissues and none of them reacted with PSA in brain cancer tissue in IHC. Besides, all mAbs could detect a protein band around 33 kDa in human seminal plasma in western blot. CONCLUSION: These mAbs can specifically recognize PSA and may serve as a component of PSA diagnostic kit in various biological fluids.