Introduction: In recent years, a growing number of researchers have begun to study fertility awareness (FA). Evidence suggests that college students in their reproductive years have a common understanding of fertility, risk factors for infertility, and assisted reproductive technologies. Therefore, this systematic review summarizes these studies and explores the factors affecting college students’ fertility awareness. Methods: A systematic literature search of databases (PUBMED/MEDLINE, Cochrane, Web of Science, Embase, and EBSCO) was conducted from inception to September 2022. Studies that assessed the levels of fertility awareness and factors influencing college students were considered for the review. The qualities of the included studies were evaluated using the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology guidelines. This systematic review is reported according to the preferred reporting items for systematic review (PRISMA) guidelines. Results: Twenty-one articles met the eligibility criteria and were included. The preliminary results showed that participants reported low to moderate FA. Female medical students demonstrated higher levels of fertility awareness. The association between age, years of education, and FA was insufficient. Conclusion: The results of the current study suggest that increased FA interventions are warranted, especially for the male, non-medical student population. Governments and educational institutions should strengthen education programs for young students on reproductive health to help them raise awareness about childbirth, and society should provide family support for young people.

STRA8 (Stimulated By Retinoic Acid Gene 8) is a retinoic acid (RA) induced gene that plays vital roles in spermatogonial proliferation, differentiation and meiosis. The SETD8 and STRA8 protein interaction was discovered using the yeast two‐hybrid technique using a mouse spermatogonial stem cell (SSC) cDNA library. The interaction of these two proteins was confirmed using co‐immunoprecipitation and identification of key domains governing the protein: protein complex. STRA8 and SETD8 showed a mutual transcriptional regulation pattern that provided evidence that SETD8 negatively regulated transcriptional activity of the STRA8 promoter. The SETD8 protein directly bound to the proximal promoter of the STRA8 gene. STRA8 increased the transcriptional activity of SETD8 promoter in a dose‐dependent manner. For the first time, we have discovered that STRA8 and SETD8 display a cell cycle‐dependent expression pattern in germline cells. Expression levels of SETD8 and H4K20me1 in S phase of STRA8 overexpression GC1 cells were different from that previously observed in tumour cell lines. In wild‐type mice testis, SETD8, H4K20me1 and PCNA co‐localized with STRA8 in spermatogonia. Further, our studies quantitated abnormal expression levels of cell cycle and ubiquitination‐related factors in STRA8 dynamic models. STRA8 and SETD8 may regulate spermatogenesis via Cdl4‐Clu4A‐Ddb1 ubiquitinated degradation axis in a PCNA‐dependent manner.

In male reproduction, spermatogenesis and sperm maturation are critical for the production of normal sperm and offspring, yet the underlying molecular mechanisms remain largely elusive. Tex38 is a testis-enriched gene, and its deficiency results in oligoasthenoteratospermia (OAT) with aberrant epididymis, leading to male infertility in mice. Tex38 knockout (KO) sperm primarily exhibited neck bending deformities and functional abnormalities, including impaired fertilization. Proteomic analysis identified ADAM3 and its maturation-associated chaperones (CALR3, CLGN, and PDILT) as the most significantly altered proteins among the differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) in both sperm and epididymis of Tex38 knockout mice. GO analysis revealed that DEPs were primarily involved in sperm morphogenesis, motility, and fertilization. ARRDC5 was identified as a novel interacting protein of TEX38, and its deletion resulted in similar male infertility phenotypes as Tex38 deletion. Immunoprecipitation-mass spectrometry identified TEX38 and ARRDC5 interact with CLGN and PDILT. The interactions among TEX38, ARRDC5, PDILT, and CLGN were found to affect ADAM3 maturation, resulting in the failure of both Tex38^-/- and Arrdc5^-/- sperm to migrate to the oviduct. Overall, these findings establish TEX38 as an essential regulator of mammalian ADAM3-related migration, sperm formation, energy metabolism (ATP generation), sperm-egg binding and fertilization. TEX38 represents a potential target for diagnosis and treatment of male infertility and male contraception.

Male infertility is a significant global health challenge. We previously found that TUB-like protein 2 (TULP2), a member of the TULPs family, is indispensable for male fertility. In this study, we demonstrate the essential role of TULP2 in sperm function, including capacitation, acrosome reaction, and fertilization. Mechanistic investigations revealed TULP2 as a critical coordinator of protein transport during spermatogenesis. Specifically, TULP2 interacts with several intraflagellar transport (IFT) components, and quantitative analyses revealed significant dysregulation of some IFT-related molecules including IFT20, IFT80, IFT70A, BBS7, DYNLT2B, and HDAC6 in Tulp2−/− mice. Furthermore, localization analyses revealed pronounced abnormalities in the distribution of IFT20 in both testicular spermatids and spermatozoa, while IFT70A and IFT80 mislocalization was specifically observed in spermatozoa of Tulp2−/− mice. Our findings reveal that the apical domain of chaperonin containing TCP1 subunit 8 (CCT8) appears to recognize and interact with TULP2. Knockdown of CCT8 results in the formation of TULP2 aggregates in the cytoplasm, thereby impairing its function in ciliogenesis. We identified a homozygous missense variant in TULP2 (c.C832 > T [p.R278W]) in one individual with asthenoteratozoospermia. Interestingly, the sperm flagella of this individual exhibited abnormalities that closely resembled those observed in knockout (KO) mice. Overall, we propose that TULP2, as a CCT8 substrate, is a crucial protein for sperm function and may regulate spermatogenesis through its interactions with IFT components.

The contraception and reproductive health of adolescents and youth is critical to their development and global public health. In order to provide useful references for choosing and optimizing adolescent contraception and reproductive health measurement instruments, the objective of this review is to summarize existing relevant measurement instruments and analyze them in terms of application characteristics, comparison of traditional and newly developed instruments, and psychometric properties. A literature search was conducted of three databases (PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase Database) on articles published between database creation and March 2023, involving contraception and reproductive health measurement instruments for adolescents and youth. After critical appraisal, inductive content analysis was conducted. Eventually 14 measuring instruments that met the criteria were included. Most of these instruments have been developed for adolescents and youth and are reliable. Five of the instruments were developed specifically for females and none for male adolescents. In contrast to traditional instruments measuring adolescents' contraceptive knowledge and contraceptive self-efficacy, newly developed instruments in recent years have focused on including the community and the family in their measurement. This review systematically summarizes existing measurement instruments for contraception and reproductive health among adolescents and youth. It provides a solid basis for promoting the use of existing instruments and the development of new ones.