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  • Article
    Serum Progesterone Variability on Embryo Transfer Day in Hormone Replacement Therapy Cycles Using Intramuscular Injections During Frozen Embryo Transfers
    (Springer/plenum Publishers, 2025) Boynukalin, Fazilet Kubra; Tohma, Yusuf Aytac; Demir, Berfu; Gultomruk, Meral; Polyzos, Nikolaos P.; Bahceci, Mustafa; Bozda, Gurkan
    Purpose To assess the intra-individual variability of serum progesterone (P) levels on embryo transfer (ET) day, when the same dose of intramuscular progesterone (IM-P) was used in two consecutive hormone replacement therapy (HRT) frozen embryo transfer (FET) cycles. Methods A total of 75 patients undergoing two consecutive HRT-FET cycles in one year performed at Bahceci Ankara IVF Center between November 2019 and February 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. Serum P levels were measured at the 117th-119th hours of support by a single laboratory. The two measurements of P levels performed on the day of the first and the second FET were compared to evaluate the intra-individual variability of serum P levels. Results Comparisons between the 1st and 2nd FET cycles revealed statistically significant intra-individual variation, with an average difference of -2.47 ng/mL (95% CI: -4.65 to -0.29, p = 0.027) between the two consecutive measurements. To assess their consistency, the limit of agreement was also tested with the Bland-Altman method, in which the mean difference (+ 1.96 x SD and -1.96 x SD) was -2.47 (16.1 and -21.1). Based on a previous study, the frequency of low P levels, as expressed by being > 20.6 ng/mL on ET day, was similar between the 1st and 2nd FET cycles (14.7% vs. 9.3%, p = 0.31). Notably, most patients had improved P levels in the second cycle if initially low, while decreases were rare among those with initially higher levels. Conclusion Serum P levels may vary within the same individual across FET cycles despite the use of the same dosage of IM-P. Increasing maternal age, high body mass index, and fluctuating estradiol levels on the day of ET were identified as risk factors contributing to this variability.
  • Article
    Citation - WoS: 6
    Citation - Scopus: 6
    Does Overparenting Hurt Working Turkish Mother's Well-Being? the Influence of Family-Work Conflict and Perceived Stress in Established Adulthood
    (Springer/plenum Publishers, 2023) Aydin, Eren Miski; Metin-Orta, Irem; Metin-Camgoz, Selin; Aksan, Nazan
    Although extant research demonstrates the negative impact of overparenting on child well-being, there remains a paucity of evidence on the effect of overparenting on the parents' own well-being. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of overparenting on parental well-being, and to explore the mechanisms through which overparenting influences the well-being of working mothers, particularly among established adults. Thus, we examined the serial mediation effects of perceived stress and family-to-work conflict (FWC) in overparenting and well-being linkage. With this aim, the data were collected from working mothers (N = 258) aged between 30 and 45, a period of in their lifespan generally characterized by efforts devoted to career and care. Via serial mediation analyses, the findings postulate that (a) overparenting relates to the well-being and perceived stress of working mothers, (b) perceived stress (both individually and jointly with FWC) mediates the relationship between overparenting and well-being, and (c) perceived stress and FWC serially mediate the association between overparenting and well-being. The findings provide evidence related to the well-being experiences of established adulthood women in struggling their career-and care crunch from a perspective of overparenting, stress, and family-to-work conflict.
  • Article
    Citation - WoS: 14
    Citation - Scopus: 15
    Leptin Promotes Proliferation of Neonatal Mouse Stem/Progenitor Spermatogonia
    (Springer/plenum Publishers, 2020) Yersal, Nilgun; Kose, Sevil; Horzum, Utku; Ozkavukcu, Sinan; Orwig, Kyle E.; Korkusuz, Petek
    Purpose To keep and increase spermatogonial stem cell number (SSC) is the only available option for pediatric cancer survivors to maintain fertility. Leptin is secreted by the epididymal white adipose tissue and has receptors on stem/progenitor spermatogonia. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate dose- and time-dependent proliferative effect of leptin on stem/progenitor spermatogonia cultures from prepubertal mice testes. Methods CD90.2 (+) stem/progenitor spermatogonia were isolated from the C57BL/6 mouse testis on postnatal day 6 and placed in culture. The proliferative effect of leptin supplementation was assessed by colony formation (diameter and number), WST proliferation assays, and xCELLigence real-time cell analysis (RTCA) on days 3, 5, and 7 of culture. Expressions of p-ERK1/2, p-STAT3, total STAT3, and p-SHP2 levels were determined by western blot analysis. Results Leptin supplementation of 100 ng/ml increased the diameter (p= 0.001) and number (p= 0.01) of colonies in stem/progenitor spermatogonial cultures and caused higher proliferation by WST-1 (p= 0.009) compared with the control on day 7. The EC50 was calculated as 114 ng/ml for leptin by RTCA. Proliferative dose of leptin induced increased expression of p-ERK1/2 (p= 0.009) and p-STAT3 (p= 0.023) on stem/progenitor spermatogonia when compared with the untreated group. Conclusion The results indicated that leptin supplementation exhibited a dose- and time-dependent proliferative effect on stem/progenitor spermatogonia that was associated with increased expression of ERK1/2 and STAT3 pathways while maintaining their undifferentiated state. This output presents a new agent that may help to expand the stem/progenitor spermatogonia pool from the neonatal testis in order to autotransplant after cancer treatment.
  • Article
    Citation - WoS: 3
    Citation - Scopus: 3
    Detection of spermatogonial stem/progenitor cells in prepubertal mouse testis with deep learning
    (Springer/plenum Publishers, 2023) Kahveci, Burak; Onen, Selin; Akal, Fuat; Korkusuz, Petek
    PurposeRapid and easy detection of spermatogonial stem/progenitor cells (SSPCs) is crucial for clinicians dealing with male infertility caused by prepubertal testicular damage. Deep learning (DL) methods may offer visual tools for tracking SSPCs on testicular strips of prepubertal animal models. The purpose of this study is to detect and count the seminiferous tubules and SSPCs in newborn mouse testis sections using a DL method.MethodsTesticular sections of the C57BL/6-type newborn mice were obtained and enumerated. Odd-numbered sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E), and even-numbered sections were immune labeled (IL) with SSPC specific marker, SALL4. Seminiferous tubule and SSPC datasets were created using odd-numbered sections. SALL4-labeled sections were used as positive control. The YOLO object detection model based on DL was used to detect seminiferous tubules and stem cells.ResultsTest scores of the DL model in seminiferous tubules were obtained as 0.98 mAP, 0.93 precision, 0.96 recall, and 0.94 f1-score. The SSPC test scores were obtained as 0.88 mAP, 0.80 precision, 0.93 recall, and 0.82 f1-score.ConclusionSeminiferous tubules and SSPCs on prepubertal testicles were detected with a high sensitivity by preventing human-induced errors. Thus, the first step was taken for a system that automates the detection and counting process of these cells in the infertility clinic.
  • Article
    Citation - WoS: 7
    Citation - Scopus: 8
    Young Adults' Perceptions of Social Clock and Adulthood Roles in the Turkish Population
    (Springer/plenum Publishers, 2019) Pekel-Uludagli, Nilay; Akbas, Gulcin
    The aim of this study was to examine how adulthood roles (marriage and parenthood) and the perceived timing of the achievement of these roles (early, on-time, late) were related to well-being (depression and life satisfaction) and need satisfaction (autonomy, competence, and relatedness) in young adults. The sample consisted of 433 female and 244 male (N = 685) participants. Results revealed that individuals who perceived themselves as on-time for marriage reported higher levels of well-being and need satisfaction compared with individuals who perceived themselves as early or late. In addition, individuals who perceived themselves as having children on-time reported lower levels of depression and higher levels of need satisfaction compared with individuals who perceived themselves as early. For female participants, employed women have higher relatedness than non-employed women. In addition, married participants have more relatedness and life-satisfaction, and less depression than unmarried participants. The results suggest that fulfilling adulthood roles and the perceived timing of these roles affects well-being and need satisfaction.