Can artificial intelligence (AI) improve the efficiency and efficacy of sperm searches in azoospermic samples?
This two-phase proof-of-concept study began with a training phase using eight ...azoospermic patients (>10,000 sperm images) to provide a variety of surgically collected samples for sperm morphology and debris variation to train a convolutional neural network to identify spermatozoa. Second, side-by-side testing was undertaken on two cohorts of non-obstructive azoospermia patient samples: an embryologist versus the AI identifying all the spermatozoa in the still images (cohort 1, n = 4), and a side-by-side test with a simulated clinical deployment of the AI model with an intracytoplasmic sperm injection microscope and the embryologist performing a search with and without the aid of the AI (cohort 2, n = 4).
In cohort 1, the AI model showed an improvement in the time taken to identify all the spermatozoa per field of view (0.02 ± 0.30 × 10–5s versus 36.10 ± 1.18s, P < 0.0001) and improved recall (91.95 ± 0.81% versus 86.52 ± 1.34%, P < 0.001) compared with an embryologist. From a total of 2660 spermatozoa to find in all the samples combined, 1937 were found by an embryologist and 1997 were found by the AI in less than 1000th of the time. In cohort 2, the AI-aided embryologist took significantly less time per droplet (98.90 ± 3.19 s versus 168.7 ± 7.84 s, P < 0.0001) and found 1396 spermatozoa, while 1274 were found without AI, although no significant difference was observed.
AI-powered image analysis has the potential for seamless integration into laboratory workflows, to reduce the time to identify and isolate spermatozoa from surgical sperm samples from hours to minutes, thus increasing success rates from these treatments.
The isolation of sperm cells from background cell populations and debris is an essential step in all assisted reproductive technologies. Conventional techniques for sperm recovery from testicular ...sperm extractions stagnate at the sample processing stage, where it can take several hours to identify viable sperm from a background of collateral cells such as white bloods cells (WBCs), red blood cells (RBCs), epithelial cells (ECs) and in some cases cancer cells. Manual identification of sperm from contaminating cells and debris is a tedious and time-consuming operation that can be suitably addressed through inertial microfluidics. Microfluidics has proven an effective technology for high-quality sperm selection based on motility. However, motility-based selection methods cannot cater for viable, non-motile sperm often present in testicular or epididymal sperm extractions and aspirations. This study demonstrates the use of a 3D printed inertial microfluidic device for the separation of sperm cells from a mixed suspension of WBCs, RBCs, ECs, and leukemic cancer cells. This technology presents a 36-fold time improvement for the recovery of sperm cells (> 96%) by separating sperm, RBCS, WBCs, ECs and cancer cells into tight bands in less than 5 min. Furthermore, microfluidic processing of sperm has no impact on sperm parameters; vitality, motility, morphology, or DNA fragmentation of sperm. Applying inertial microfluidics for non-motile sperm recovery can greatly improve the current processing procedure of testicular sperm extractions, simplifying the fertility outcomes for severe forms of male infertility that warrant the surgery.
Latest solutions in biotechnologies and biosensing targeted cold-active extremozymes. Analysis of acetaldehyde as a relevant quality indicator of wine is one example of application that could benefit ...from using low-temperatures operating catalysts. In search of novel aldehyde dehydrogenases (ALDH) with high stability and activity at low temperatures, the recombinant S2-ALDH from the Antarctic Flavobacterium PL002 was obtained by cloning and expression in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3). Structural and phylogenetic analyses revealed strong protein similarities (95%) with psychrophilic homologs, conserved active residues and structural elements conferring enzyme flexibility. Arrhenius plot revealed a conformational shift at 30 °C, favoring catalysis (low activation energy) at lower temperatures. In addition to a broad substrate specificity with preference for acetaldehyde (Km = 1.88 mM), this enzyme showed a high tolerance for ethanol (15%) and several salts and chelators (an advantage for wine analysis), while being sensitive to mercury (I
= 1.21 µM). The neutral optimal pH (7.5) and the stability up to 40 °C and after lyophilization represent major assets for developing S2-ALDH-based sensors. An enzymatic electrochemical assay was developed for acetaldehyde detection in wines with proven accuracy in comparison with the reference spectrophotometric method, thus evidencing the potential of S2-ALDH as effective biocatalyst for industry and biosensing.
Sperm selection is an essential component of all assisted reproductive treatments (ARTs) and is by far the most neglected step in the ART workflow in regard to technological innovation. Conventional ...sperm selection methodologies typically produce a higher total number of sperm with variable motilities, morphologies, and levels of DNA integrity. Gold-standard techniques, including density gradient centrifugation (DGC) and swim-up (SU), have been shown to induce DNA fragmentation through introducing reactive oxygen species (ROS) during centrifugation. Here, we demonstrate a 3D printed, biologically inspired microfluidic sperm selection device (MSSP) that utilizes multiple methods to simulate a sperms journey toward selection. Sperm are first selected based on their motility and boundary-following behavior and then on their expression of apoptotic markers, yielding over 68% more motile sperm than that of previously reported methods with a lower incidence of DNA fragmentation and apoptosis. Sperm from the MSSP also demonstrated higher motile sperm recovery after cryopreservation than that of SU or neat semen. Experiments were conducted side-by-side against conventional SU methods using human semen (
= 33) and showed over an 85% improvement in DNA integrity with an average 90% reduction in sperm apoptosis. These results that the platform is easy-to-use for sperm selection and mimics the biological function of the female reproductive tract during conception.
Single phase and dense BaTi1−xZrxO3 (BTZ) ceramics (x=0.10, 0.15 and 0.20) were obtained from nanopowders synthesised by the modified Pechini method. The evolution of both Raman spectra and low-field ...dielectric properties against temperature indicated the occurrence of diffuse ferroelectric–paraelectric phase transitions for all the BTZ compositions under investigation. The evolution of first-order reversal curves (FORC) diagrams emphasised the crossover from the ferroelectric towards the relaxor state as the Zr content increased. Lower values of the Curie temperatures than those usually reported earlier in the literature were obtained for all the BTZ samples analysed here. The high-field tunability data completed the low-field and Raman results, showing that by increasing Zr addition, multiple polarisation components with various weights are responsible for the dielectric and ferroelectric properties.
Prostate cancer (PCa) diagnosis is primarily based on prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing and prostate tissue biopsies. However, PSA testing has relatively low specificity, while tissue biopsies ...are highly invasive and have relatively low sensitivity at early stages of PCa. As an alternative, we developed a technique of liquid biopsy, based on isolation of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from seminal fluid (SF). The recovery of PCa cells from SF was demonstrated using PCa cell lines, achieving an efficiency and throughput as high as 89% (±3.8%) and 1.7 mL min−1, respectively, while 99% (±0.7%) of sperm cells were disposed of. The introduced approach was further tested in a clinical setting by collecting and processing SF samples of PCa patients. The yield of isolated CTCs measured as high as 613 cells per SF sample in comparison with that of 6 cells from SF of healthy donors, holding significant promise for PCa diagnosis. The correlation analysis of the isolated CTC numbers with the standard prognostic parameters such as Gleason score and PSA serum level showed correlation coefficient values at 0.40 and 0.73, respectively. Taken together, our results show promise in the developed liquid biopsy technique to augment the existing diagnosis and prognosis of PCa.
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▸ Multilayered BaTi0.85Zr0.15O3 sol–gel films coated on silicon wafers were performed. ▸ Structure, surface topography and optical properties were investigated. ▸ Perovskite BTZ ...phase were noted only in the thicker multilayer films (BTZ4–BTZ6). ▸ A smaller roughness value was obtained for the six deposits BTZ film. ▸ Multilayer BTZ films present a more uniform distribution of the average grain size.
Continuous and homogeneous multilayered BaTi0.85Zr0.15O3 (BTZ) films were prepared by the sol–gel method and deposited on SiO2/Si substrates. X-ray diffraction analysis indicated the presence of well-crystallized, single phase perovskite BTZ phase only in the thicker, multilayer films (with more than three deposits). Beside the shrinkage of the unit cell, the increase of the deposits number in the BTZ films also induced an obvious surface smoothing, a higher compactness and a more uniform distribution of the average grain size, as observed by SEM and AFM investigations. The refractive index showed normal values indicating a high crystallinity degree for the films under investigation.
The paper presents the results of a fieldwork study conducted in order to analyze major causal factors that influence the foot deformities and pathologies of elderly women in Romania. The study has ...an exploratory and descriptive nature and uses quantitative methodology. The sample consisted of 100 elderly women from Romania, ranging from 55 to over 75 years of age. The collected data was analyzed on multiple dimensions using a statistic analysis software program. The analysis of variance demonstrated significant differences across age groups in terms of several biomechanical parameters such as travel speed, toe off phase and support phase in the case of elderly women.
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