Mohammad Mehdi Akhondi

• Ph.D, Professor in Clinical Embryology
• Founder of Avicenna Research Institute & Avicenna infertility clinic at Avicenna Research Institute

Background With the increasing number of young women surviving cancer and a growing trend among highly educated women to postpone childbearing for educational or professional pursuits, there is a rising demand for egg freezing services to ensure a successful pregnancy. This study aims to assess the knowledge and beliefs surrounding oocyte cryoprese...

Study question What is the knowledge and beliefs of the female students in Tehran universities regarding the oocyte cryopreservation for medical and social reasons? Summary answer This study highlighted the positive attitude but insufficient knowledge about medical and social egg freezing and the ideal timing of childbearing in female students. W...

Assisted reproductive technology (ART) and third-party reproduction provide the opportunity for infertile couples to have children through different genetic links. This type of treatment has created many challenges for infertile couples. With this treatment, the infertile couple will have a child who is biologically related to the gamete/embryo don...

Objective: To analyze and compare four methods for estimating the chance of treatment success in infertile couples. Materials and methods: In a retrospective cohort study, information on demographic and clinical features, including age, body mass index (BMI), duration of infertility, semen analysis, previous history of treatment and clinical exami...

The development of in vitro fertilization (IVF) in the UK, in 1978, proved a major breakthrough in the process of human reproduction, which had remained constant in human history. The impact of IVF and the ensuing assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) has not been limited in revolutionizing the "natural" practice of biological reproduction, but...

This study explores the experience of decision-making about the third party assisted reproduction in Iranian infertile patients using a qualitative approach. Data were collected in 2017-2019 through in-depth interviews of 20 infertile participants (3 couples and 14 individuals) who became pregnant or had children through third-party reproduction an...

Background: The three-parent assisted reproductive technique may increase oocyte competence. Objective: In this case-control study, the suitability of germinal vesicle transfer (GVT), synchronous ooplasmic transfer (sOT), asynchronous ooplasmic transfer using cryopreserved MII oocyte (caOT), and asynchronous ooplasmic transfer using waste MII oo...

Objectives : Cesarean delivery without medical indication has regularly increased among Iranian women in the last three decades, and Iran has one of the highest rates of cesarean in the world. The present study aimed at reviewing the studies regarding the increase of cesarean in Iran and discussing the root causes for such an increase. Methods : Th...

Background: This study was conducted to evaluate the success rate of male infertility treatment and the factors affecting its outcome. Methods: In a historical cohort study, from Mar 2013 to Mar 2014, 323 couples with male factor were investigated. Couples had treated with IUI or/and ICSI were included randomly. Assisted re-production technology (A...

Introduction Absolute head teratospermia (100% abnormal head morphology) is associated with poor fertility and assisted reproductive techniques results. We aimed to find if it is possible to bypass this disorder using sperm retrieved by testis biopsy. Methods Multiple testis biopsies were performed in patients with infertility and absolute head te...

The published online of the original version contains mistakes.

Testis specific protein 10 (TSGA10) is expressed in normal adult testis and has been suggested to be involved in the normal function of sperms. Tsga10 expression has a role in the protection of spermatozoa and enhancement of male fertility. This gene has a number of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). In the current study, we genotyped rs381155...

Background: The overexpression of sortilin/neurotensin receptor 3 has previously been reported in various human solid tumors but not in hematological malignancies. Here, we report the overexpression of sortilin in leukemic cells from patients with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL). Methods: Flow cytometry was used to compare the expression of s...

Background: We have previously reported the aberrant expression of Fibromodulin (FMOD) in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Although FMOD has been considered as a cytoplasmic or secretory protein, we discovered the cell surface expression of FMOD in leukemic B cells via anchoring with glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI). Objective:...

Background According to the World Health Organization (WHO)'s clinical, epidemiological and demographic defi- nitions, infertility is an inability to become pregnant within one, two or five years of exposure to pregnancy, respec- tively. Inconsistent infertility-related definitions and various methodological approaches make it difficult to compare...

Objective: Studies showed a decrease of the semen analysis parameters and an increase in the average age of first-time fathers over the past several decades. The aim of the present study was to assess the influence of paternal age on semen quality and fertilization outcomes in men with normal sperm DNA fragmentation and chromatin maturation index...

Objective (s): This study aimed to examine the extent of knowledge among young male college students on HIV transmission, particularly sexual transmission and its associated factors. Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted among a sample of 1357 male college students in Tehran, Iran in 2013-2014. Sampling method was two-stage stratified samp...

Purpose This study was conducted in order to investigate the effects of reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels on the seminal plasma (SP) metabolite milieu and sperm dysfunction. Methods Semen specimens of 151 normozoospermic men were analyzed for ROS by chemiluminescence and classified according to seminal ROS levels [in relative light units (RLU)/...

Objective: Fibronectin (FN) is a multifunctional diametric glycoprotein on the surface of the sperm that plays an important role in the sperm-oocyte interaction and fertilization process. The aim of the present study was to assess the FN levels as a sperm surface biomarker for sperm selection in assisted reproductive technology. Material and meth...

Background: The unique expression of fibromodulin (FMOD) in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) has been previously reported. Detecting FMOD in CLL patients using specific anti-FMOD mAbs might provide a promising method in detection, monitoring, and prognosis of CLL. Objectives: In this study, we aimed for producing specific antibodies...

Selection of the best sperm, with the least defects, is a critical factor in the success of ART especially in male factor infertility. This study assessed the potential Heat shock protein (HSPA2) and metallopeptidase domain2 (ADAM2) biomarkers for sperm selection. Sperm were obtained from 72 asthenoteratozoospermic and 42 normospermic ejaculates. T...

Background The selection of sperm with good genomic integrity and surface antigens is suggested for improving assisted reproductive technology (ART) outcome. The aim of this study was evaluating the heat shock protein (HSPA2), Dj-1 and serum amyloid P compound (SAP) three sperm surface proteomes as biomarkers for this purpose. Methods In this stud...

Study question: Is there an association between seminal plasma reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels and alterations of imprinting gene methylation patterns, seminal plasma metabolites, and semen parameters? Summary answer: A positive association exists between ROS levels and alterations in H19-Igf2 methylation as well as metabolite concentration, w...

STUDY QUESTION: Does Fibronectin (FN) protein as a new biomarker can be used for human sperm selection in ART? PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS: Polyclonal antibody against human FN was produced in rabbit. Its quality, purity and immune reactivity were assessed by SDS-PAGE and western blotting (WB). Also presence of FN on sperm surface was...

Background Sperm processing methods separate motile sperms with good morphology from dead and abnormal forms of sperms, immature germ cells, and non-sperm cells. Objective The propose of this study was to compare the efficacy of upstream and swim-up processing techniques to separate sperms with the high quality especially in relation to sperm chro...

Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT) is the only therapeutic option in a number of heritable hematologic disorders as well as hematologic cancers. Many parents and families fail to find an HLA-identical donor for their affected family member. In such cases, conceiving for a savior baby remains the only option especially in countries witho...

Purpose: The loss of spermatogonia following chemo-or radiotherapy leading to temporary or permanent infertility of the patient is a well known and unwanted side effect of many oncological therapies. Materials and methods: In this study, germ cells were isolated from 4 days old mouse testis cells. Busulfan treatment was used to the eliminate pro...

Over the recent years, isolation of high quantities of pure, intact, double-stranded, highly concentrated and not contaminated genomic DNA is prerequisite for successful and reliable large scale genetic and epigenetic analysis and also high quantities of pure DNA are required for these types of studies. The DNA extraction methods developed for huma...

Nuclear transfer procedures have been recently applied for clinical and research targets as a novel assisted reproductive technique and were used for increasing the oocyte activity during its growth and maturation. In this review, we summarized the nuclear transfer technique for germinal vesicle stage oocytes to reconstruct the maturation of them....

Background Ooplasmic transfer (OT) technique or cytoplasmic transfer is an emerging technique with relative success, having a significant status in assisted reproduction. This technique had effectively paved the way to about 30 healthy births worldwide. Though OT has long been invented, proper evaluation of the efficacy and risks associated with th...

Nuclear transfer procedures have been recently applied for clinical and research targets as a novel assisted reproductive technique and were used for increasing the oocyte activity during its growth and maturation. In this review, we summarized the nuclear transfer technique for germinal vesicle stage oocytes to reconstruct the maturation of them....

Type of ART treatment had a greater impact on the success rate. The success rate for the first attempt that calculate in this study was similar to developed country.

This study aimed to assess the effects of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) on growth and survival of isolated early human follicles in a three-dimensional culture system. After fresh and vitrified-warmed ovarian tissue was digested, isolated early preantral follicles and ovarian cells were separately encapsulated in 1% alginate (w/v). The encapsulated fo...

Recent evidence indicates a rising trend in premarital sexual activity among young people in Iran. However, little is known about the extent to which young people’s sexual behaviours expose them to HIV and STI risks. This study aimed to assess HIV/STI-related sexual risk-taking behaviours (correlates and determinants) and HIV/STI risk perception am...

Background & aims: Ovulation induction has been proven to impose oxidative stress during ICSI treatment cycle. Also, data indicates that PCOS women show higher oxidative markers. Available data are not convincing about which antioxidant supplements have the potential to overcome oxidative stress in PCOS subjects. The aim of this trial was to inves...

Study question: In subfertile women with poor ovarian reserve undergoing IVF does a mild ovarian stimulation strategy lead to comparable ongoing pregnancy rates in comparison to a conventional ovarian stimulation strategy? Summary answer: A mild ovarian stimulation strategy in women with poor ovarian reserve undergoing IVF leads to similar ongoi...

Extended in vitro culture of human embryos beyond blastocyst stage could serve as a tool to explore the molecular and physiological mechanisms underlying embryo development and to identify factors regulating pregnancy outcomes. This study presents the first report on the maintenance of human embryo in vitro by alginate co-encapsulation of human bla...

Background It has been reported that secreted frizzled-related protein-4 known as an antagonist of Wnt signaling pathway plays a role in luteinization process of rodent granulosa cells. The purpose of this study was twofold: 1) to determine whether recombinant human secreted frizzled-related protein-4 (rhSFRP-4) could directly induce terminal diffe...

Two moral principles of autonomy and non-malfeasance surface in this discussion. A balance is needed to be stricken between them

The endometriotic implant volumes and histopathological grade were significantly reduced (no significant changes in group CAB).

Background: The prediction models for infertility treatment success have presented since 25 years ago. There are scientific principles for designing and applying the prediction models that is also used to predict the success rate of infertility treatment. The purpose of this study is to provide basic principles for designing the model to predic inf...

Since the 19th century the Iranian state has been concerned with the size of its population, and policies directed to its increase or decrease have been closely involved with the purpose of nation building. None of these policies have been particularly successful, except for the effective family planning campaign of the 1980s that led to a remarkab...

Interleukin-16 (IL-16) is a multifunctional pro-inflammatory cytokine that was previously found in association with complex disorders, and it is now cleared that this cytokine plays a critical role in regulation of cellular functions such as homoeostasis. Due to the complexity of endometriosis and its resemblance to cancer, we designed present case...

Apart from ultrastructural damages in oocytes subjected to cryopreservation procedures, little is known about the status of epigenetic modification and chromatin remodeling in vitrified oocytes. In present study, the expression patterns of eight genes involved in epigenetic modification (HAT1, HDAC1, SUV39H1, DNMT1, and DNMT3b), chromatin remodelin...

Background: This study was aimed to assess the effects of angiotensin II (Ang II) supplementation to the In Vitro Maturation (IVM) and In Vitro Culture (IVC) media of vitrified-warmed ovine oocytes on their developmental competence and expression of Na(+)/K(+)/ATPase in resulting embryos. Methods: The slaughterhouse-derived immature oocytes (n=1...

The reconstruction capability of osteochondral (OCD) defects using silk-based scaffolds has been demonstrated in a few studies. However, improvement in the mechanical properties of natural scaffolds is still challengeable. Here, we investigate the in vivo repair capacity of OCD defects using a novel Bombyx mori silk-based composite scaffold with gr...

The endometriotic implant volumes and histopathological grade were significantly reduced (p< 0.001) in group 1 and 2 compared to group 3. Plasma and peritoneal fluid level of VEGF had no significant changes in group 3.

Background Endometrium undergoes several changes in structure and cellular composition during pregnancy. Granulocyte Colony-stimulating Factor (GCS-F) is an important cytokine with critical role in embryo implantation and pregnancy. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the impact of intrauterine injection of G-CSF in patients who suffer fro...

After culture, the overall viability of different follicles’ types in vitrified-warmed cortical pieces was comparable with fresh ones. The viability (%) of vitrified-warmed isolated-encapsulated follicles was lower than fresh counterparts (96.7±3.3 vs 71.7±6). The diameter of fresh encapsulated follicles was higher than vitrified-warmed follicles a...

Small pre-antral follicles isolated from frozen– thawed tissues can survive and develop during in vitro culture. The growth rate of the cultured follicles was different, in a way that the growth of some follicles was negligible, while others showed significant growth. On the other, the initial diameter of follicle had an effect on its subsequent de...

It was concluded that shorter abstinence as a non-invasive method for obtaining normal sperm with low DNA damage in fertile men didn’t help the improvement of sperm chromatin status as well as fertilization rate when ICSI was the insemination technique. However, it may be used to ameliorate status of sperm chromatin in infertile men especially men...

The purpose of our study was describing the meaning of pregnancy through Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ARTs). A qualitative design with hermeneutic phenomenology approach was selected to carry out the research. Semistructured in-depth interviews were conducted with 12 women who experienced assisted pregnancy. Three themes emerged from women’s...

The composition varied between the culture media, and in particular differences were found for the analyzed metabolites, albumin, and amino acids. Storage in the IVF laboratory before use did not seem to affect the studied components, except for the amino acids. Similarly, after three days of sham culture, the media seemed stable, except for the co...

Purpose: The mitochondrial complement is critical in sustaining the earliest stages of life. To improve the Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART), current methods of interest were evaluated for increasing the activity and copy number of mitochondria in the oocyte cell. Methods: This covered the researches from 1966 to September 2015. Results:...

Background: Infertile couples are faced with problems that affect their marital life. Infertility treatment is expensive and time consuming and occasionally isn't simply possible. Prediction models for infertility treatment have been proposed and prediction of treatment success is a new field in infertility treatment. Because prediction of treatme...

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare three available methods for mitochondrial isolation from a human cell line to predict the best method for each probable application. Background: Organelle isolation is gaining importance in experimental laboratory settings. Mitochondrial dysfunction may affect tumorgenesis process. There are...

In vitro follicle growth is a promising strategy for female fertility preservation. This study was conducted to compare the development of ovine follicles either isolated or in the context of ovarian cortical pieces after short term (8 days) three-dimensional culture in fresh and vitrified samples. Four different experiments were conducted; I) cult...

Background: The presence of rennin-angiotensin components in mammalian ovaries and their involvement in ovarian physiology have been established. In the present study, effects of angiotensin II (Ang II) on sodium-potassium adenosine triphosphatase (Na(+)/K(+)/ATPase) expression and development of sheep embryos was evaluated. Methods: The abattoi...

Myths are reflective of human concerns and needs during ancient times. By reviewing them, it turns out that many human problems today, have a historical background. Among the main themes of ancient mythologies, fertility and reproduction have various representations in ancient civilizations. The purpose of this paper was to review myths and common...

Nowadays, exceptional advantages of silk fibroin over synthetic and natural polymers have impelled the scientists to application of this biomaterial for tissue engineering purposes. Recently, we showed that embedding natural degummed silk fibers in regenerated Bombyx mori silk-based scaffold significantly increases the mechanical stiffness, while t...

Background: Assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) are complicated and stressful techniques and the social and cultural norms are major obstacles against their use. Many qualitative studies have been done in the field of women's experiences of infertility, but less is known about the experiences of infertile women seeking assisted pregnancy. Th...

Background: One of the promising methods in fertility preservation among women with cancer is cryopreservation of ovarian cortex but there are many drawbacks such as apoptosis and considerable reduction of follicular density in the transplanted ovary. One solution to reduce ischemic damage is enhancing angiogenesis after transplantation of ovarian...

Full thickness wound healing with minimal scarring and complete restoration of normal skin properties still remains as a clinical challenge. In this study, a bilayer skin substitute has been fabricated to biomimic the microstructure of natural extracellular matrix of the skin. Human amniotic membrane (HAM) and silk fibroin nano-fibers were combined...

Background The prevalence rate of HIV/AIDS in Iran has risen from low to concentrated (Center for Disease Control, 2008). The rate in the overall population is below 1%; however, it exceed 5% in some high-risk groups such as IDUs (Mojtahedzadeh et al., 2008; UNAIDS, 2004). Recent evidence shows that HIV prevalence among adults was 0.15% (0.06-1.08...

Embryo donation was one of the infertility treatment methods introduced to the Iranian legal system in 2003 (Act of Embryo Donation) and its by-law passed in 2005 after nu- merous discussions. Embryo donation is a new legal issue in Iran. No similar act has been previously legis- lated in the legal system; however, on the other hand, the importance...

Background: Since increased LH in the early follicular phase in PCOS patients especially in GnRH antagonist protocol could be associated with reduced oocyte quality and pregnancy and impared implantation. The current study was conducted to determine ART outcomes in GnRH antagonist protocol (flexible) and long GnRH agonist protocol and compare them...

Recent developments and newly-discovered methods for infertility treatment including in vitro fertilization and third party reproduction raise many questions and challenges with different ethical, legal, sociological and psychological dimensions. In Islamic countries, despite great developments in using this technology, the questions concerned with...

The purpose of our study was describing the meaning of pregnancy through Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ARTs). A qualitative design with hermeneutic phenomenology approach was selected to carry out the research. Semistructured in-depth interviews were conducted with 12 women who experienced assisted pregnancy. Three themes emerged from women’s...

GnRH agonist administration in the luteal phase has been suggested to beneficially affect the outcome of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) and embryo transfer (ET) cycles. This blind randomized controlled study evaluates the effect of GnRH (Gonadotropine Releasing Hormone) agonist administration on ICSI outcome in GnRH antagonist ovarian stim...

Gender preference is prevalent in some communities and using medical techniques to choose the baby's sex may cause the gender discrimination and gender imbalance in communities. Therefore, evaluating the gender preferences and attitudes towards using sex selection technologies seems to be necessary. This cross-sectional study was conducted in Avice...

This study was designed to find out Ruta graveolens L. functional components, which have immobilisation effect on human spermatozoa for contraceptive use. A five-step fractionation method was used to derive different components from rue aqueous extract by using hexane, chloroform, ethanol, acetone and ultrapure water. Gas chromatography–mass spectr...

The fertility behavior of Iranian women and their reproductive needs is changing and consequently, for providing good services, it is critical to monitor their reproductive behavior at a national level. This study was carried out by Avicenna Research Institute in the urban and rural parts of Iran between 2010 and 2011. Using cluster sampling, the...

Sperm mRNAs could be used as a predictor of fertilization capacity since the transcriptional profile of a gamete is critical for the production of viable human sperm. The aim of this study was to determine if PRM1, PRM2, and TNP2 transcripts in spermatozoa from normozoospermic and teratozoospermic men correlate with sperm morphology and/or assisted...

Endometriosis, a common chronic inflammatory disorder, is defined by the atypical growth of endometrium- like tissue outside of the uterus. Secretory phospholipase A2 group IIa (sPLA2-IIa) and fatty acid binding protein4 (FABP4) play several important roles in the inflammatory diseases. Due to reported potential anti-inflammatory effects of ω-3 and...

Purpose The present study by using different growth factors was aimed to develop the best practical culture condition for purification of goat undifferentiated SSCs and their colonization under in vitro and in vivo conditions. Methods The enzymatically isolated SSCs obtained from one month old goat testes were cultured in DMEM plus FCS supplemen...

In recent years, menstrual blood-derived stem cells (MenSCs) have been introduced as easily accessible and refreshing stem cell source without ethical considerations in the field of regenerative medicine. The aim of this study was to investigate in vitro cardiac differentiation capacity of MenSCs compared to bone marrow-derived stem cells (BMSCs) u...

Medical ethics is a realm where four important subjects of philosophy, medicine, theology and law are covered. Physicians and philosophers cooperation in this area will have great efficiency in the respective ethical rules formation. In addition to respect the autonomy of the patient, physician’s obligation is to ensure that the medical interventio...

Background Our preliminary data on the protein expression of SORT1 in ovarian carcinoma tissues showed that sortilin was overexpressed in ovarian carcinoma patients and cell lines, while non-malignant ovaries expressed comparably lower amount of this protein. In spite of diverse ligands and also different putative functions of sortilin (NTR3), the...

Background: Human pathogens that can cause infertility may also affect sperm count and quality. Viral infections can be considered as direct and/or indirect cause of male factor infertility. Objective: Our goal was to investigate the prevalence of herpes simplex virus in the semen of infertile men attending the Avicenna Infertility Clinic, and to c...

Non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA) is one the many causes of male infertility (10 %) resulting from testicular failure. Multiple testicular biopsies fail to find mature sperm in at least 50 % of cases Therefore; hunting for sensitive and specific biomarkers of spermatogenesis that could better determine the fertility status in NOA can lead to improv...

The well documented source for adult multipotent stem cells is Spermatogonial Stem Cells (SSCs). They are the foundation of spermatogenesis in the testis throughout adult life by balancing self-renewal and differentiation. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of percoll density gradient and differential plating on enrichment of undifferen...

Menstrual blood has been introduced as an easily accessible and refreshing stem cell source with no ethical consideration. Although recent works have shown that menstrual blood stem cells (MenSCs) possess multi lineage differentiation capacity, their efficiency of hepatic differentiation in comparison to other stem cell resources has not been addre...