(c) 2012, Reproductive Healthcare Ltd. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“X-ray repair cross-complementing group 1 (XRCC1) is a scaffold protein that plays a critical role in DNA base excision repair. To explore

the association between XRCC1 single-nucleotide polymorphisms and infertility with idiopathic azoospermia in a northern Chinese Han population, PCR restriction fragment length polymorphism was used to genotype a SNP locus (rs25487) of XRCC1 in 112 patients with EPZ015666 idiopathic azoospermia and 156 healthy controls. Furthermore, nucleotide sequences were sequenced. The results showed that, compared with GG genotype, the GA and GA + AA genotypes showed a significant association with an increased risk of idiopathic azoospermia (OR 2.119, 95% CI 1.245-3.606, P = 0.005), (OR 2.052, 95% CI 1.227-3.431, P = 0.006) respectively. Meanwhile, the A allele frequency was significantly higher in azoospermic patients than that in controls (OR 1.472, 95% CI 1.029-2.105, P = 0.034). The substitutions bring about an amino acid alteration: G -> A changes the arginine residue into glutamine. In conclusion, the SNP locus rs25487

of XRCC1 could be a marker for genetic susceptibility to idiopathic azoospermia and the A allele might be a risk gene of idiopathic azoospermia in the northern Chinese Han population. (c) 2012, Reproductive Healthcare Ltd. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“Endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) has diverse roles in the female reproductive system including a role in blastocyst implantation. Aberrant expression of eNOS selleck compound could therefore be significant in the MLN2238 pathogenesis of disorders of implantation. In this study, eNOS protein and mRNA levels in the endometrium of women with recurrent miscarriages, unexplained infertility and a control group were determined by compartmental quantitative immunohistochemistry and real-time reverse-transcription PCR. eNOS was found to be immunolocalized to all layers of the endometrium and vascular endothelium. eNOS protein was higher in glandular epithelium (P = 0.004) and luminal epithelium (P = 0.002), but not vascular endothelium

and stroma, in women with recurrent miscarriage. Similarly, in women with unexplained infertility, eNOS was significantly higher (P < 0.03) in luminal epithelium but not in any other compartments compared with the control group. The levels of mRNA confirmed the protein data, demonstrating higher eNOS mRNA in the endometrium of women with recurrent miscarriage and unexplained infertility compared with controls. In conclusion, increased expression of eNOS in glandular and luminal epithelium of the endometrium in women with recurrent miscarriages and unexplained infertility suggests a detrimental effect of excess nitric oxide in endometrial receptivity and implantation. RBM Online (c) 2012, Reproductive Healthcare Ltd. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.