We report the development of a new type of hydrogel in which a cosolvent has been added to the water component. The gel networks are based on the well-known poly(vinyl alcohol)-borate systems (PVA-borate). However, it is shown that the rheological and solubilizing properties of the hydrogels can be modified drastically by the addition of a cosolvent. The studies have focused on 1-propanol as the added liquid, although it is shown that others (propylene carbonate, 1-pentanol, cyclohexanone, and 2-butanol) are amenable to making modified hydrogels as well. In addition to the rheological measurements, the gels have been investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (free water index) and determination of their solubilizing power. Finally, the gels have been applied to clean and oxidized varnish (patina) from the surface of a XVI-XVII century oil-on-wood painting by Ludovico Cardi detto il Cigoli. The mode of cleaning by and removal of the PVA-borate water/1-propanol gel from the painted surface demonstrate several advantages over other gels used in art conservation.

Among the different DNA anomalies that can be present in the male gamete, DNA fragmentation is the most frequent, particularly in infertile subjects. There is now consistent evidence that a sperm containing fragmented DNA can be alive, motile, morphologically normal and able to fertilize an oocyte. There is also evidence that the oocyte is able to repair DNA damage; however, the extent of this repair depends on the type of DNA damage present in the sperm, as well as on the quality of the oocyte. Thus, it is important to understand the possible consequences of sperm DNA fragmentation (SDF) for embryo development, implantation, pregnancy outcome and the health of progeny conceived, both naturally and by assisted reproductive technology (ART). At present, data on the consequences of SDF for reproduction are scarce and, in many ways, inconsistent. The differences in study conclusions might result from the different methods used to detect SDF, the study design and the inclusion criteria. Consequently, it is difficult to decide whether SDF testing should be carried out in fertility assessment and ART. It is clear that there is an urgent need for the standardisation of the methods and for additional clinical studies on the impact of SDF on ART outcomes.

A gel-like, high-viscosity polymeric dispersion (HVPD) based on cross-linked borate, partially hydrolyzed poly(vinyl acetate) (xPVAc, where x is the percent hydrolysis) is described. Unlike hydro-HVPDs prepared from poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and borate, the liquid portion of these materials can be composed of up to 75% of an organic cosolvent because of the influence of residual acetate groups on the polymer backbone. The effects of the degree of hydrolysis, molecular weight, polymer and cross-linker concentrations, and type and amount of organic cosolvent on the rheological and structural properties of the materials are investigated. The stability of the systems is explored through rheological and melting-range studies. (11)B NMR and small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) are used to probe the structure of the dispersions. The addition of an organic liquid to the xPVAc-borate HVPDs results in a drastic increase in the number of cross-linked borate species as well as the agglomeration of the polymer into bundles. These effects result in an increase in the relaxation time and thermal stability of the networks. The ability to make xPVAc-borate HVPDs with very large amounts of and rather different organic liquids, with very different rheological properties that can be controlled easily, opens new possibilities for applications of PVAc-based dispersions.

SUMMARYWe report the results of the first three trials of an external quality control (EQC) programme performed in 71 laboratories executing semen analysis in Tuscany Region (Italy). At the end of the second trial, participants were invited to attend a teaching course illustrating and inviting to adhere to procedures recommended by WHO (V edition). Results of the first three trials of the EQC documented a huge variability in the procedures and the results. The highest variability was found for morphology (CV above 80% for all the trials), followed by count (CV of about 60% for all the trials) and motility (CV below 30% for all the trials). When results of sperm count and morphology were divided according to the used method, mean CV values did not show significant differences. CV for morphology dropped significantly at the third trial for most methods, indicating the usefulness of the teaching course for morphology assessment. Conversely, no differences were observed after the course for motility and for most methods to evaluate count, although CV values were lower at the second and third trial for the laboratories using the Burker cytometer. When results were divided according to tertiles of activity, the lowest mean bias values (difference between each laboratory result and the median value of the results) for count and morphology were observed for laboratories in the third tertile (performing over 200 semen analysis/year). Of interest, mean bias values for concentration dropped significantly at the third trial for low activity laboratories. In conclusion, lack of agreement of results of semen analysis in Tuscany is mainly because of the activity and the experience of the laboratory. Our study points out the importance of participating in EQC programmes and periodical teaching courses as well as the use of WHO recommended standardized procedures to increase precision and to allow the use of WHO reference values.

Objective: To evaluate whether sperm DNA fragmentation (sDF), measured in brighter, dimmer, and total populations, predicts natural conception, and to evaluate the intra-individual variability of sDF. Design: Prospective study. Setting: Outpatient clinic and diagnostic laboratory. Patient(s): A total of 348 unselected patients and 86 proven fertile men. Intervention(s): None. Main Outcome Measure(s): sDF was revealed with the use of terminal deoxynucleotide transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL)/propidium iodide (PI). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were built before and after matching fertile men to patients for age (76:152) or semen parameters (68:136) or both (49:98). Intra-individual variability of sDF was assessed over 2 years. Result(s): Brighter (area under ROC curve [AUC] 0.718 AE 0.54), dimmer (AUC 0.655 AE 0.63), and total (AUC 0.757 AE 0.54) sDF predict male fertility in unmatched and age-or semen parameters-matched subjects. After matching for both age and semen parameters, only brighter (AUC 0.711 AE 0.83) and total (AUC 0.675 AE 0.92) sDF predict male fertility. At high values of total sDF, brighter predicts natural conception better than total sDF. Intra-individual coefficients of variation of sDF were 9.2 AE 8.6% (n ¼ 25), 12.9 AE 12.7% (n ¼ 53), and 14.0 AE 12.6% (n ¼ 70) over, respectively, 100-day and 1-and 2-year periods, appearing to be the most stable of the evaluated semen parameters. Conclusion(s):The predictive power of total sDF partially depends on age and semen parameters, whereas brighter sDF independently predicts natural conception. Therefore, brighter sDF is a fraction of sDF that adds new information to the routine semen analysis. At high levels of sDF, distinguishing the two sperm populations improves the predictive power of sDF. Overall, our results support the idea that TUNEL/PI can be of clinical usefulness in the male fertility workup. (Fertil Steril Ò 2015;104:582-90. Ó2015 by American Society for Reproductive Medicine.)

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