Current Updates on Involvement of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in Semen Analysis.

Background and Objectives: Infertility rates and the number of couples undergoing reproductive care have both increased substantially during the last few decades. Semen analysis is a crucial step in both the diagnosis and the treatment of male infertility. The accuracy of semen analysis results remains quite poor despite years of practice and advancements. Artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms, which can analyze and synthesize large amounts of data, can address the unique challenges involved in semen analysis due to the high objectivity of current methodologies. This review addresses recent AI advancements in semen analysis. Materials and Methods: A systematic literature search was performed in the PubMed database. Non-English articles and studies not related to humans were excluded. We extracted data related to AI algorithms or models used to evaluate semen parameters from the original studies, excluding abstracts, case reports, and meeting reports. Results: Of the 306 articles identified, 225 articles were rejected in the preliminary screening. The evaluation of the full texts of the remaining 81 publications resulted in the exclusion of another 48 articles, with a final inclusion of 33 original articles in this review. Conclusions: AI and machine learning are becoming increasingly popular in biomedical applications. The examination and selection of sperm by andrologists and embryologists may benefit greatly from using these algorithms. Furthermore, when bigger and more reliable datasets become accessible for training, these algorithms may improve over time.

A Scientometric Evaluation of COVID-19 and Male Reproductive Research.

The COVID-19 pandemic due to the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus showed acute and prolonged effects on human health. In addition, over the past four years, there has been a tremendous surge in COVID-19-related scientific publications, as shown by bibliometric and scientometric studies. However, such analysis of the scientific literature is lacking in the area of male reproduction. The current scientometric study analyzes publication characteristics of articles related to male reproduction and COVID-19 infection. We used the Scopus database to analyze scientometric data (the number of publications, journals, countries, type of documents, and subject area) related to COVID-19 and male reproductive research. Our literature search identified 345 articles related to COVID-19 and male reproductive research. Most of the articles were published in the USA (n = 72), Italy (n = 55), and China (n = 51). Such research was mainly focused around medicine (57.1%), followed by biochemistry, genetics, and molecular biology (25.7%). Also, in the area of male reproduction, only 37.1% (n = 128) of the articles contributed towards original research, whereas 52.8% (n = 182) were review articles and editorials focusing more on sexual dysfunction than infertility. Such a small number of studies published on COVID-19-related effects on male reproduction warrants a significant increase in research, which is required to decipher the mechanism(s) underlying SARS-CoV-2 infection-associated impairment of male reproductive function.

Impact of Oxidative Stress on Embryogenesis and Fetal Development.

Multiple cellular processes are regulated by oxygen radicals or reactive oxygen species (ROS) where they play crucial roles as primary or secondary messengers, particularly during cell proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis. Embryogenesis and organogenesis encompass all these processes; therefore, their role during these crucial life events cannot be ignored, more so when there is an imbalance in redox homeostasis. Perturbed redox homeostasis is responsible for damaging the biomolecules such as lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids resulting in leaky membrane, altered protein, enzyme function, and DNA damage which have adverse impact on the embryo and fetal development. In this article, we attempt to summarize the available data in literature for an in-depth understanding of redox regulation during development that may help in optimizing the pregnancy outcome both under natural and assisted conditions.