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Advanced Techniques in Reproductive Medicine Research 2.0
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Advanced Techniques in Reproductive Medicine Research 2.0

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Biology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2023) | Viewed by 7451

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Lorella Pascolo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute for Maternal and Child Health, IRCCS Burlo Garofolo, 34137 Trieste, Italy
Interests: elementomics; iron-dyshomeostasis diseases; reproductive toxicology; endometriosis; nanomedicine; asbestos and nano-toxicology; membrane transport mechanisms; advanced imaging techniques
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Giuseppe Ricci

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Institute for Maternal and Child Health, IRCCS Burlo Garofolo, 34137 Trieste, Italy
2. Department of Medicine, Surgery and Health Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy
Interests: reproductive medicine; endometriosis; assisted reproduction techniques; reproductive biology; infertility diagnostics; fertility preservation; oncofertility
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Over the last 30 years, reproductive medicine has witnessed extraordinary scientific advances for infertility treatments, from in vitro fertilization (IVF) and successful embryo implantations to cryopreservation of gametes and embryos as well as ovary tissue cryopreservation for young cancer patients. Further advances are expected, since maintaining the reproductive health of individuals is nowadays of increased prominence, because many factors in industrialized countries seem to have resulted in an augmented incidence of infertility also among the young population. Meanwhile, research in reproductive medicine is becoming a multidisciplinary field, combining molecular biology techniques with new advanced approaches aimed at investigating the cause of reproductive failure and related diseases, or exploring the development of new diagnostics or therapeutics as well as exceptional challenges like the artificial ovary.

This issue invites research that aims at unravelling the molecular mechanisms underlying female and male human reproduction in addition to the use of unconventional and novel technical approaches that will help to preserve, promote, or restore healthy reproductive function.

We are most interested in technical methods dealing with X-ray techniques, vibrational spectroscopy, molecular imaging, omic technologies, AFM, and other advanced microscopies, as well as avantgarde therapeutic and diagnostic approaches like nanomedicine and nanotechnology, photobiomodulation therapy, microfluidics, and lab-on-chip.

Dr. Lorella Pascolo
Prof. Dr. Giuseppe Ricci
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • preservation of fertility
  • gamete quality
  • advanced techniques
  • ovary tissue
  • reproductive diseases
  • infertility
  • diagnosis and therapy

Related Special Issue

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 7596 KiB  
Article
Morphological and Chemical Investigation of Ovarian Structures in a Bovine Model by Contrast-Enhanced X-ray Imaging and Microscopy
by Alessandra Gianoncelli, Gabriela Sena Souza, George Kourousias, Ernesto Pascotto, Paul Tafforeau, Elena Longo, Regina Cely Barroso, Murielle Salomé, Marco Stebel, Federica Zingaro, Carla Calligaro, Giuseppe Ricci and Lorella Pascolo
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(4), 3545; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24043545 - 10 Feb 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2026
Abstract
An improved understanding of an ovary’s structures is highly desirable to support advances in folliculogenesis knowledge and reproductive medicine, with particular attention to fertility preservation options for prepubertal girls with malignant tumors. Although currently the golden standard for structural analysis is provided by [...] Read more.
An improved understanding of an ovary’s structures is highly desirable to support advances in folliculogenesis knowledge and reproductive medicine, with particular attention to fertility preservation options for prepubertal girls with malignant tumors. Although currently the golden standard for structural analysis is provided by combining histological sections, staining, and visible 2D microscopic inspection, synchrotron radiation phase-contrast microtomography is becoming a new challenge for three-dimensional studies at micrometric resolution. To this aim, the proper use of contrast agents can improve the visualization of internal structures in ovary tissues, which normally present a low radiopacity. In this study, we report a comparison of four staining protocols, based on iodine or tungsten containing agents, applied to bovine ovarian tissues fixed in Bouin’s solution. The microtomography (microCT) analyses at two synchrotron facilities under different set-ups were performed at different energies in order to maximize the image contrast. While tungsten-based agents allow large structures to be well identified, Iodine ones better highlight smaller features, especially when acquired above the K-edge energy of the specific metal. Further scans performed at lower energy where the setup was optimized for overall quality and sensitivity from phase-contrast still provided highly resolved visualization of follicular and intrafollicular structures at different maturation stages, independent of the staining protocol. The analyses were complemented by X-ray Fluorescence mapping on 2D sections, showing that the tungsten-based agent has a higher penetration in this type of tissues. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Techniques in Reproductive Medicine Research 2.0)
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15 pages, 2141 KiB  
Article
Definition and Quantification of Three-Dimensional Imaging Targets to Phenotype Pre-Eclampsia Subtypes: An Exploratory Study
by Sammy Hermans, Jacob Pilon, Dennis Eschweiler, Johannes Stegmaier, Carmen A. H. Severens–Rijvers, Salwan Al-Nasiry, Marc van Zandvoort and Dimitrios Kapsokalyvas
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(4), 3240; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24043240 - 7 Feb 2023
Viewed by 1653
Abstract
Pre-eclampsia is a severe placenta-related complication of pregnancy with limited early diagnostic and therapeutic options. Aetiological knowledge is controversial, and there is no universal consensus on what constitutes the early and late phenotypes of pre-eclampsia. Phenotyping of native placental three-dimensional (3D) morphology offers [...] Read more.
Pre-eclampsia is a severe placenta-related complication of pregnancy with limited early diagnostic and therapeutic options. Aetiological knowledge is controversial, and there is no universal consensus on what constitutes the early and late phenotypes of pre-eclampsia. Phenotyping of native placental three-dimensional (3D) morphology offers a novel approach to improve our understanding of the structural placental abnormalities in pre-eclampsia. Healthy and pre-eclamptic placental tissues were imaged with multiphoton microscopy (MPM). Imaging based on inherent signal (collagen, and cytoplasm) and fluorescent staining (nuclei, and blood vessels) enabled the visualization of placental villous tissue with subcellular resolution. Images were analysed with a combination of open source (FIJI, VMTK, Stardist, MATLAB, DBSCAN), and commercially (MATLAB) available software. Trophoblast organization, 3D-villous tree structure, syncytial knots, fibrosis, and 3D-vascular networks were identified as quantifiable imaging targets. Preliminary data indicate increased syncytial knot density with characteristic elongated shape, higher occurrence of paddle-like villous sprouts, abnormal villous volume-to-surface ratio, and decreased vascular density in pre-eclampsia compared to control placentas. The preliminary data presented indicate the potential of quantifying 3D microscopic images for identifying different morphological features and phenotyping pre-eclampsia in placental villous tissue. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Techniques in Reproductive Medicine Research 2.0)
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11 pages, 1963 KiB  
Article
Automatic Evaluation for Bioengineering of Human Artificial Ovary: A Model for Fertility Preservation for Prepubertal Female Patients with a Malignant Tumor
by Wanxue Wang, Cheng Pei, Evgenia Isachenko, Yang Zhou, Mengying Wang, Gohar Rahimi, Wensheng Liu, Peter Mallmann and Vladimir Isachenko
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(20), 12419; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms232012419 - 17 Oct 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2071
Abstract
Introduction: The in vitro culture of primordial follicles is the only available option for preserving fertility in prepubertal girls with malignant tumors. The cultivation of primordial follicles in scaffolds as artificial ovaries is a promising approach for this. Methods: Dissociated follicles were placed [...] Read more.
Introduction: The in vitro culture of primordial follicles is the only available option for preserving fertility in prepubertal girls with malignant tumors. The cultivation of primordial follicles in scaffolds as artificial ovaries is a promising approach for this. Methods: Dissociated follicles were placed into an artificial ovarian scaffold composed of fibrinogen and thrombin. The follicles were cultured in a dish dedicated to live cell imaging and observed for growth using immunofluorescence and development via optical microscopy. The morphology of the follicles in the scaffold was three-dimensionally reconstructed using the Imaris software. Growth and development were also quantified. Results: The morphology of artificial ovaries began to degrade over time. Within approximately 7 days, primordial follicles were activated and grew into secondary follicles. A comparison of optical and confocal microscopy results revealed the superior detection of live cells using confocal microscopy. The three-dimensional reconstruction of the confocal microscopy data enabled the automatic enumeration and evaluation of the overall morphology of many follicles. Conclusions: The novel artificial ovary-enabled primordial follicles to enter the growth cycle after activation and grow into secondary follicles. The use of a fibrin scaffold as a carrier preserves the developmental potential of primordial germ cells and is a potentially effective method for preserving fertility in prepubertal girls. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Techniques in Reproductive Medicine Research 2.0)
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Review

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14 pages, 1129 KiB  
Review
Pregnancy by Oocyte Donation: Reviewing Fetal–Maternal Risks and Complications
by Erica Silvestris, Easter Anna Petracca, Michele Mongelli, Francesca Arezzo, Vera Loizzi, Maria Gaetani, Pierpaolo Nicolì, Gianluca Raffaello Damiani and Gennaro Cormio
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(18), 13945; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms241813945 - 11 Sep 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1027
Abstract
Oocyte donation (OD) has greatly improved over the last three decades, becoming a preferred practice of assisted reproductive technology (ART) for infertile women wishing for motherhood. Through OD, indeed, it has become possible to overcome the physiological limitation due to the ovarian reserve [...] Read more.
Oocyte donation (OD) has greatly improved over the last three decades, becoming a preferred practice of assisted reproductive technology (ART) for infertile women wishing for motherhood. Through OD, indeed, it has become possible to overcome the physiological limitation due to the ovarian reserve (OR) exhaustion as well as the poor gamete reliability which parallels the increasing age of women. However, despite the great scientific contribution related to the success of OD in the field of infertility, this practice seems to be associated with a higher rate of major risky events during pregnancy as recurrent miscarriage, infections and placental diseases including gestational hypertension, pre-eclampsia and post-partum hemorrhage, as well as several maternal–fetal complications due to gametes manipulation and immune system interaction. Here, we will revisit this questioned topic since a number of studies in the medical literature focus on the successful aspects of the OD procedure in terms of pregnancy rate without, however, neglecting the risks and complications potentially linked to external manipulation or heterologous implantation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Techniques in Reproductive Medicine Research 2.0)
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