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Objective This study aimed to assess the effects of metformin (MET) monotherapy versus a combination of semaglutide and MET on weight, metabolism, reproductive function, and inflammatory markers in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Methods A total of 100 overweight or obese women with PCOS diagnosed according to the Rotterdam criteria were randomly assigned to two groups: MET (1000 mg twice daily [BID] for 16 weeks) and combination therapy (COM) (1000  mg MET BID plus 1- mg semaglutide once weekly [QW] for 16 weeks). Primary outcomes, assessed at Week 0 and Week 16, included changes in anthropometric measures related to obesity, while the secondary outcomes included alterations in reproductive hormone levels, glucose and lipid metabolism, and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, Between Weeks 16 and 40, all participants received metformin monotherapy (1000 mg BID) to evaluate pregnancy outcomes. Result A total of 80 participants (80%) completed the study. After 16 weeks of intervention, the COM group exhibited significantly greater reductions in body weight, BMI, and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) compared to the MET group (all P  < 0.01). The COM group experienced an average weight loss of 6.09 ± 3.34 kg, while the MET group lost only 2.25 ± 4.27 kg. The COM group also demonstrated greater improvements in testosterone (TEST), Chinese visceral adiposity index (CVAI), and CRP levels compared to the MET group. Additionally, the COM group showed higher rates of menstrual cycle recovery than the MET group. From weeks 16 to 40, the COM group demonstrated a significantly higher natural pregnancy rate than the MET group (35% vs. 15%, P  < 0.05). Conclusion Compared to MET monotherapy, combination therapy with semaglutide and MET significantly reduced body weight, improved insulin resistance, decreased inflammatory markers, alleviated and menstrual irregularities and increased natural pregnancy rates in overweight/obese women with PCOS. Clinical trial registration chictr.org.cn ID: ChiCTR2400090908 (Registration time: 2024-10-15).

Abstract Context Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) potently reduces food intake and augments glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. Recent animal data suggest that GLP-1 may also influence reproduction. As GLP-1 receptor agonists are currently widely used in clinical practice to treat obesity/type 2 diabetes, it is necessary to determine the effects of GLP-1 on the reproductive system in humans. Objective To investigate the effects of GLP-1 administration on the reproductive axis in humans. Design Single-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled crossover study. Setting Clinical Research Facility, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust. Participants Eighteen healthy men (mean age 24.7 ± 0.1years, mean BMI 22.1 ± 0.4kg/m2). Intervention Eight-hour intravenous infusion of 0.8 pmol/kg/min GLP-1 or rate-matched vehicle infusion. Main Outcome Measures Number of luteinizing hormone (LH) pulses, LH, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and testosterone levels. Results The number of LH pulses (number of LH pulses/500 min: vehicle 4.2 ± 0.4, GLP-1 4.5 ± 0.3, P = 0.46), LH area under the curve (AUC) (vehicle 1518 ± 88min.IU/L, GLP-1 1524 ± 101min.IU/L, P = 0.95), follicle-stimulating hormone AUC (vehicle 1210 ± 112 min IU/L, GLP-1 1216 ± 112 min IU/L, P = 0.86), and testosterone AUC (vehicle 10893 ± 615 min nmol/L, GLP-1 11088 ± 792 min nmol/L, P = 0.77) did not significantly differ during vehicle and GLP-1 administration. Glucagon-like peptide-1 significantly reduced food intake (vehicle 15.7 ± 1.3 kcal/kg, GLP-1 13.4 ± 1.3 kcal/kg, P = 0.01). Conclusions In contrast to the animal literature, our data demonstrate that acute GLP-1 administration does not affect reproductive hormone secretion in healthy men.

The objectives of this study were to investigate the impact of dietary organic mineral mixture (manganese, zinc, and copper) supplementation on reproductive performance, egg quality characteristics, and immune response in laying hens under high ambient temperature. Hens were randomly divided into three treatments: (1) control (basal diet without organic mineral mixture (Mn, Zn, and Cu) supplementation); (2) basal diet + 0.5 g/kg of organic mineral mixture; and (3) basal diet + 1 g/kg of organic mineral mixture from 30 to 38 weeks of age. Hen-day egg production and egg mass were significantly increased by dietary supplementation of 1 g/kg of organic mineral mixture, while feed intake was not affected; therefore, feed conversion ratio (FCR) was significantly improved ( P  < 0.01). Egg weight, albumen width, shell weight, and shell thickness were significantly increased by the dietary treatments. Serum total cholesterol and glucose were significantly decreased by organic mineral mixture supplementation. Interestingly, yolk contents of total cholesterol and malondialdehyde (MDA) were significantly decreased. Yolk contents of Zn and Cu were significantly increased, while Mn was numerically increased ( P  > 0.05). Dietary organic mineral mixture supplementation improved the antibody titers against avian influenza H9N1 significantly ( P  < 0.05) and Newcastle disease virus numerically ( P  > 0.05) in comparison with the control diet. It might be concluded that the inclusion of organic mineral mixture (Mn, Zn, and Cu) enhanced reproductive performance, shell quality characteristics, plasma profile, yolk mineral concentration, yolk lipid oxidation, and immune response in laying hens under high ambient temperature.

The chronic nature of Chronic Endometritis (CE) along with the challenging management and infertility entailed, call for cutting-edge therapeutic approaches. This study introduces the novel treatment of intrauterine antibiotic infusion (IAI) combined with oral antibiotic administration (OAA), and it assesses respective performance against the gold standard treatment of OAA. Data sourced herein reports on treatment efficiency and fertility restoration for both patients aiming to conceive naturally or via In Vitro fertilization. Eighty CE patients, 40 presenting with recurrent implantation failure, and 40 with recurrent pregnancy loss, were enrolled in the IVF and the natural conception arm respectively. Treatment was subjected to randomization. Effectively treated patients proceeded with either a single IVF cycle or were invited to conceive naturally over a 6-month period. Combination of IAI and OAA provided a statistically significant enhanced effectiveness treatment rate (RR 1.40; 95%CI 1.07–1.82; p  = 0.01). No statistically significant difference was observed regarding the side-effects rate (RR 1.33; 95%CI 0.80–2.22; p  = 0.52). No statistically significant difference was observed for either arm regarding live-birth rate. Following an intention-to-treat analysis, employment of IAI corresponds to improved clinical pregnancy rate-albeit not reaching statistical significance. In conclusion, complimentary implementation of IAI could provide a statistically significant enhanced clinical treatment outcome.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of estrogen in combination with aspirin and intrauterine balloon on the uterine endometrial repair and reproductive prognosis in patients after surgery for severe intrauterine adhesion (sIUA). We prospectively recruited 114 patients with sIUA. Intrauterine device (IUD) was placed and oral estrogen was administered after surgery. Patients were divided into control group and aspirin group. In addition, patients in aspirin group were subdivided into nonballoon group and balloon group. Results showed that, after therapy, the increase in endometrial thickness of aspirin groups was superior to control group (P<0.05). The scores of intrauterine adhesion and menstruation were significantly improved in balloon group as compared to nonballoon group and control group, and significant differences were also observed between nonballoon group and control group (P<0.05). Of 97 patients, 44.3% became pregnant after surgery, the live birth rate was 27.8%, and the miscarriage rate was 37.2%, but there were no significant differences among three groups (P>0.05). Thus, aspirin may promote the uterine endometrial growth and repair after surgery for sIUA, and IUD in combination with intrauterine balloon may reduce the recurrence of intrauterine adhesion, but their effect on the reproductive prognosis is required to be further studied.

Background The Ethiopian Federal Ministry of Health introduced provision of the contraceptive Implanon at community level by trained health extension workers in 2009. However, little is known regarding the utilization and factors associated with Implanon use among rural women since the introduction of the community based intervention. Thus, this study assessed the utilization of Implanon and associated factors among reproductive aged women in rural areas of Saesie-Tsaeda Emba and Ofla districts in Tigray, Northern Ethiopia. Methods A cross sectional community based survey was conducted in May and June 2014. A multistage sampling technique was used to randomly select 524 reproductive aged women (15–49 years). Data was collected through interview using a pre-tested and structured questionnaire. Univariate analysis was done to determine the prevalence for Implanon use, to assess general characteristics of respondents, and to produce summaries. Bivariate analysis was conducted to examine the relationship between each independent variable with the dependent variable. Multivariate logistic regression was conducted to identify factors influencing Implanon use by controlling effect of confounding variables. Results Of all the women, 444 (84.7%) had heard of Implanon. Health extension workers were the primary source of information on Implanon as mentioned by 376 (71.8%) of the respondents. Little more than seven women in every ten, 319 (71.8%), had good knowledge of Implanon and 248 (55.5%) of the women had supportive attitudes towards Implanon use. Among our sample, 10.1% women were using Implanon, 33 (62.3%) reported having received their Implanon at a health post from health extension worker. Women’s employment (AOR: 2.73, 95% CI: 1.20–6.21), the number of modern contraceptive methods known (AOR: 2.24, 95% CI: 1.09–4.62), and the number of contraceptive methods ever used (AOR: 11.0, 95% CI: 5.06–23.90) were positively associated with Implanon use. Conclusion Trained health extension workers played a major role in information and service provision of Implanon. However, this study revealed that a significant number of women had incorrect information regarding Implanon. Hence, health extension workers and other health professionals should provide appropriate counseling and education regarding Implanon and other contraceptives.

Anthropogenic contaminants in water can impose risks to reproductive health. Most of these compounds are known to be endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). EDCs can impact the endocrine system and subsequently impair the development and fertility of non-human animals and humans. The source of chemical contamination in water is diverse, originating from byproducts formed during water disinfection processes, release from industry and livestock activity, or therapeutic drugs released into sewage. This review discusses the occurrence of EDCs in water such as disinfection byproducts, fluorinated compounds, bisphenol A, phthalates, pesticides, and estrogens, and it outlines their adverse reproductive effects in non-human animals and humans.

It has been suggested that the negative effects on bees of neonicotinoid pesticides could be averted in field conditions if they chose not to forage on treated nectar; here field-level neonicotinoid doses are used in laboratory experiments to show that honeybees and bumblebees do not avoid neonicotinoid-treated food and instead actually prefer it. Bees' responses to neonicotinoids examined Reports that neonicotinoid insecticides have adverse effects on bee populations remain controversial. Some studies have been criticized as using unrealistically high insecticide dosages or conditions far removed from those in the field, and it has been suggested that bees might be able to detect the insecticides and avoid treated crops. Two papers in this issue of Nature present results that fill some of the gaps in our knowledge. In laboratory experiments Sébastien Kessler et al . use field-level doses of three commonly used neonicotinoids — clothianidin, imidacloprid and thiamethoxam — to show that both honeybees and bumblebees are able to detect their presence. However, the bees do not avoid neonicotinoid-treated food and may even prefer it. Maj Rundlöf et al . sowed oilseed rape with and without a clothianidin seed coating in matched and replicated agricultural landscapes. They found the seed coating to be associated with reduced density of wild bees, as well as reduced nesting of solitary bees and reduced colony growth of bumblebees, but they did not detect an effect on honeybees. The impact of neonicotinoid insecticides on insect pollinators is highly controversial. Sublethal concentrations alter the behaviour of social bees and reduce survival of entire colonies 1 , 2 , 3 . However, critics argue that the reported negative effects only arise from neonicotinoid concentrations that are greater than those found in the nectar and pollen of pesticide-treated plants 4 . Furthermore, it has been suggested that bees could choose to forage on other available flowers and hence avoid or dilute exposure 4 , 5 . Here, using a two-choice feeding assay, we show that the honeybee, Apis mellifera , and the buff-tailed bumblebee, Bombus terrestris , do not avoid nectar-relevant concentrations of three of the most commonly used neonicotinoids, imidacloprid (IMD), thiamethoxam (TMX), and clothianidin (CLO), in food. Moreover, bees of both species prefer to eat more of sucrose solutions laced with IMD or TMX than sucrose alone. Stimulation with IMD, TMX and CLO neither elicited spiking responses from gustatory neurons in the bees’ mouthparts, nor inhibited the responses of sucrose-sensitive neurons. Our data indicate that bees cannot taste neonicotinoids and are not repelled by them. Instead, bees preferred solutions containing IMD or TMX, even though the consumption of these pesticides caused them to eat less food overall. This work shows that bees cannot control their exposure to neonicotinoids in food and implies that treating flowering crops with IMD and TMX presents a sizeable hazard to foraging bees.

Significance A fundamental tenet of life-history theory is that reproduction and longevity trade off against one another. Experiments on invertebrates show that, rather than competing for limiting resources, reproduction and lifespan are optimized on different dietary macronutrient compositions. In mice, studies have yet to establish the relationship between macronutrient balance, reproduction, and lifespan. We evaluated the effects of macronutrients and energy on lifespan and reproductive function. Indicators of reproductive function (uterine mass, ovarian follicle number, testes mass, epididymal sperm counts) were optimized by high protein (P), low carbohydrate (C) diets whereas lifespan was greatest on low P:C diets. Corpora lutea and estrous cycling were higher in females on lower P:C diets. Macronutrient balance has profound and opposing effects on reproduction and longevity. In invertebrates, reproductive output and lifespan are profoundly impacted by dietary macronutrient balance, with these traits achieving their maxima on different diet compositions, giving the appearance of a resource-based tradeoff between reproduction and longevity. For the first time in a mammal, to our knowledge, we evaluate the effects of dietary protein (P), carbohydrate (C), fat (F), and energy (E) on lifespan and reproductive function in aging male and female mice. We show that, as in invertebrates, the balance of macronutrients has marked and largely opposing effects on reproductive and longevity outcomes. Mice were provided ad libitum access to one of 25 diets differing in P, C, F, and E content, with reproductive outcomes assessed at 15 months. An optimal balance of macronutrients exists for reproductive function, which, for most measures, differs from the diets that optimize lifespan, and this response differs with sex. Maximal longevity was achieved on diets containing a P:C ratio of 1:13 in males and 1:11 for females. Diets that optimized testes mass and epididymal sperm counts (indicators of gamete production) contained a higher P:C ratio (1:1) than those that maximized lifespan. In females, uterine mass (an indicator of estrogenic activity) was also greatest on high P:C diets (1:1) whereas ovarian follicle number was greatest on P:C 3:1 associated with high-F intakes. By contrast, estrous cycling was more likely in mice on lower P:C (1:8), and the number of corpora lutea, indicative of recent ovulations, was greatest on P:C similar to those supporting greatest longevity (1:11).