Lipidomics random forest algorithm of seminal plasma is a promising method for enhancing the diagnosis of necrozoospermia.

BACKGROUND: Despite the clear clinical diagnostic criteria for necrozoospermia in andrology, the fundamental mechanisms underlying it remain elusive. This study aims to profile the lipid composition in seminal plasma systematically and to ascertain the potential of lipid biomarkers in the accurate diagnosis of necrozoospermia. It also evaluates the efficacy of a lipidomics-based random forest algorithm model in identifying necrozoospermia. METHODS: Seminal plasma samples were collected from patients diagnosed with necrozoospermia (n = 28) and normozoospermia (n = 28). Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) was used to perform lipidomic analysis and identify the underlying biomarkers. A lipid functional enrichment analysis was conducted using the LION lipid ontology database. The top 100 differentially significant lipids were subjected to lipid biomarker examination through random forest machine learning model. RESULTS: Lipidomic analysis identified 46 lipid classes comprising 1267 lipid metabolites in seminal plasma. The top five enriched lipid functions as follows: fatty acid (FA) with ≤ 18 carbons, FA with 16-18 carbons, monounsaturated FA, FA with 18 carbons, and FA with 16 carbons. The top 100 differentially significant lipids were subjected to machine learning analysis and identified 20 feature lipids. The random forest model identified lipids with an area under the curve > 0.8, including LPE(20:4) and TG(4:0_14:1_16:0). CONCLUSIONS: LPE(20:4) and TG(4:0_14:1_16:0), were identified as differential lipids for necrozoospermia. Seminal plasma lipidomic analysis could provide valuable biochemical information for the diagnosis of necrozoospermia, and its combination with conventional sperm analysis may improve the accuracy and reliability of the diagnosis.

Novel homozygous mutations in TXNDC15 causing Meckel syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Meckel syndrome (MKS) is the most severe form of an autosomal recessive ciliopathy and is clinically characterized by occipital encephalocele, severely polycystic kidneys, and postaxial polydactyly (toes). The association of TXNDC15-related MKS has been reported. We report the case of a homozygous mutation in the TXNDC15 gene, causing MKS14 in the Chinese population. METHODS: The fetal skin tissue and parental peripheral blood were retained for whole-exome sequencing and Sanger sequencing, which investigated the potential pathogenic variants associated with MKS. RESULTS: The fetus was homozygous for a mutation in the TXNDC15 gene (NM_024715.3), specifically c.560delA (p.Asn187llefsTer4), and both parents were heterozygous for this mutation. CONCLUSION: Our study identified a new mutation that adds to the mutational landscape of MKS, which provide a basis for genetic counseling and the selection of reproductive options.

Metabonomic analysis of seminal plasma in necrozoospermia patients based on liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry.

Background: In the pathological study of necrozoospermia-a form of sperm mortality-the underlying metabolic mechanism remains unclear. Thus, the aim of this study was to characterize metabolic alterations in the seminal plasma of necrozoospermic patients and to provide insights into the etiology of the disease. Methods: Seminal plasma samples were collected from patients diagnosed with necrozoospermia (n=28) as well as normozoospermia (n=37). The samples were analyzed using nontargeted metabolomics based on liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). The raw data were subjected to multivariate analysis to identify metabolites correlated with necrozoospermia. Differential metabolites were subjected to pathway analysis using MetaboAnalyst. Results: The results of the metabolomic analysis showed that there were 194 differential metabolites between the two groups; 129 metabolites were upregulated and 65 metabolites were downregulated. Among the differential metabolites, the top ten differential metabolites were choline, benzaldehyde, pyrazinamide, 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide, and dihydrothymine. The following differential metabolite pathways were identified, and the top five metabolite pathways were arachidonic acid metabolism, steroid hormone biosynthesis, alanine aspartate and glutamate metabolism, bile secretion, and prostate cancer. Conclusions: The elevation of choline and 2-hydroxyglutarate levels in seminal plasma was an important finding, and the results also indicate that abnormalities in arachidonic acid metabolism and glutamate metabolism were an underlying pathological mechanism of necrozoospermia.

Amelioration of intestinal barrier function and reduction of blood lead level in adult women with recurrent spontaneous abortion by a novel product of dietary fiber mixture, Holofood.

BACKGROUND: The elevated circulating toxins secondary to the impairment of intestinal barrier integrity commonly elicit a chronic inflammatory response and finally contribute to multiple diseases. These toxins, including bacterial by-products and heavy metals, are the potent risk factors for the development of recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA). Preclinical evidence suggests that several dietary fibers can restore intestinal barrier function and decrease the accumulation of heavy metals. However, it is uncertain whether treatment with a newly developed blend of dietary fibers product (Holofood) benefits patients with RSA. METHODS: In this trial, we enrolled 70 adult women with RSA, who were randomly assigned into the experiment group and the control group in a 2:1 ratio. Upon the basis of conventional therapy, subjects in the experiment group (n = 48) received 8 weeks oral administration with Holofood three times daily at a dose of 10 g each time. Subjects without Holofood consumption were set as the control (n = 22). Blood samples were collected for the determinations of metabolic parameters, heavy mental lead, and the indices related to intestinal barrier integrity (D-lactate, bacterial endotoxin, and diamine oxidase activity). RESULTS: The reduction amplitude in blood lead from baseline to week 8 was 40.50 ± 54.28 (µg/L) in the experiment group as compared with 13.35 ± 36.81 (µg/L) in the control group (P = 0.037). The decreased level of serum D-lactate from baseline to week 8 was 5.58 ± 6.09 (mg/L) in the experiment group as compared with - 2.38 ± 8.90 (mg/L, P < 0.0001) in the control group. The change in serum DAO activity from baseline to week 8 was 3.26 ± 2.23 (U/L) in the experiment group as compared with - 1.24 ± 2.22 (U/L, P < 0.0001) in the control group. Participants who received Holofood had a greater decline in blood endotoxin from baseline to week 8 than those in the control group. Moreover, by comparing with the self-baseline, Holofood consumption significantly decreased the blood levels of lead, D-lactate, bacterial endotoxin, and DAO activity. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that Holofood affords a clinically relevant improvements in blood lead level and intestinal barrier dysfunction in patients with RSA.

Compound heterozygous mutations in PMFBP1 cause acephalic spermatozoa syndrome: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Acephalic spermatozoa syndrome (ASS) is an extremely rare form of severe teratozoospermia, where in most of the sperm either appear to lack heads or have disconnected or poorly connected heads and tails. CASE SUMMARY: We reported the case of a male patient with secondary infertility whose sperm showed typical ASS upon morphological analysis. Whole-exome sequencing was performed on the patient's peripheral blood, which revealed two heterozygous variants of the PMFBP1 gene: PMFBP1c.414+1G>T (p.?) and PMFBP1c.393del (p.C132Afs*3). CONCLUSION: It is speculated that the compound homozygous mutation of PMFBP1 may be the cause of ASS. We conducted a literature review in order to provide the basis for genetic counseling and clinical diagnosis of patients with ASS.

A case of prenatal diagnosis of 16q24.3 microdeletion KBG syndrome and review of the literature.

Here we report a case of a 16q24.3 microdeletion KBG syndrome (KBGS) in a fetus. The absence of a well-defined phenotype poses a challenge for genetic diagnosis. This report demonstrated that the high-risk chromosome 21 trisomy could be the first manifestation of KBGS, as observed in this case.

[Application of single-sperm sequencing technology in preimplantation genetic testing for men with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the value of single-sperm sequencing technology in preimplantation genetic testing. METHODS: Haplotypes were constructed by single-sperm isolation combined with single-sperm sequencing for a patient with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) caused by de novo mutation of the PKD1 gene c.3815T>G. 50. Single-sperm samples were isolated by mechanical braking, whole-genome amplification was performed, and mutation loci and their 187 upstream and downstream single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) were designed. The amplified products were verified for determination of the chromosome haplotypes carrying or not carrying pathogenic mutations. The embryos carrying pathogenic mutations were identified in 7 embryonic trophectoderm cell biopsy samples by high-throughput sequencing after whole-genome amplification. Available blastocysts were selected for embryo transfer, and amniotic fluid samples were collected at 18 weeks of gestation to determine whether the fetuses carried pathogenic mutations. RESULTS: A total of 30 SNPs were identified by single-sperm sequencing, and haplotypes were successfully constructed. Preimplantation haplotype analysis indicated that 5 embryos carried pathogenic mutations and 2 did not. mid-gestation amniotic fluid genetic testing revealed no PKD1 gene c.3815T>G mutation in the fetuses. CONCLUSION: SNPs can be identified by single-sperm sequencing in males carrying de novo pathogenic mutation, and haplotypes can be constructed by linkage analysis for preimplantation genetic testing of embryos.

[Sperm DNA integrity of infertile males with hepatitis B virus infection].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate sperm DNA integrity in male infertility patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. METHODS: This study included 90 infertile men with HBV infection (group A), 82 infertile men without HBV infection (group B) and 70 normal fertile men (group C). We detected sperm DNA integrity among the subjects, including DNA fragmentation index (DFI) and high DNA stainability (HDS), by sperm chromatin structure assay (SCSA), and compared them among the three groups. RESULTS: DFI was higher in group A ([28.17 +/- 13.06]%) than in B ([26.64 +/- 9.79]%) and C ([15.67 +/- 4.73]%), significantly higher in A and B than in C (P < 0.05) but with no significant difference between A and B (P > 0.05). HDS was higher in group A ([10.83 +/- 5.601]%) than in B ([9.04 +/- 3.48]%) and C ([8.04-2.25]%), with significant difference between A and C (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Sperm DNA integrity of infertile males is significantly different from that of normal fertile men, and infertility with HBV infection further impairs sperm DNA, which is manifested by abnormal sperm nuclear maturity.