Andrology
For most azoospermic men testicular sperm extraction (TESE) is the only treatment, however it presents challenges for the ART laboratory, as the retrieval of motile spermatozoa is difficult. In the absence of sperm movement no unequivocal distinction can be made between either dead or immotile, but vital spermatozoa. However, a single laser shot directed to the tip of the tail allows recognition of...
Selective androgen receptor modulators (SARMs) are a class of drugs that control the activity of the androgen receptor (AR), which mediates the response to androgens, in a tissue‐selective fashion. They are specifically designed to reduce the possible complications that result from the systemic inhibition or activation of AR in patients with diseases that involve androgen signalling. However, there...
We aimed to investigate sperm retrieval rates (SRR) by testicular sperm extraction (TESE), factors affecting SRR, and fertilization rate (FR), implantation rate (IR), clinical pregnancy rate (CPR) and live birth rate (LBR) in patients with presumed Sertoli‐cell‐only syndrome in testis biopsy (SCOS). We retrospectively evaluated files of 134 patients with SCOS who underwent TESE. Group I were patients...
Intratumoural steroidogenesis may play a significant role in the progression of prostate cancer (PC) in the context of long‐term ablation of circulating testosterone (T). To clarify the mechanism accounting for the progression of PC in a 74‐year‐old man who had undergone bilateral orchiectomy when he was 5 years old, we performed immunohistochemical studies of androgen receptor (AR) and steroidogenic...
To compare the efficacy of transdermal electromotive administration and intra‐lesional injection of verapamil plus dexamethasone for the treatment of Peyronie's disease. Patients with Peyronie's disease of less than 2‐year duration were randomized into two groups of transdermal electromotive administration and intra‐lesional injection of verapamil plus dexamethasone. During the 6‐week therapy period,...
To add new arguments concerning the origin of the sperm‐head vacuoles observed under high magnification with interference contrast microscopy, we carried out in two patients with total globozoospermia confirmed using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), a detailed sperm morphometric analysis with high magnification (×6000) under Nomarski contrast, an acrosomal status analysis (using fluorescent...
In humans, recent studies have correlated anogenital distance (AGD) in adult men to intrinsic testicular function. Although rodent studies suggest that AGD is determined in utero and remains constant in adult life, it is not certain if AGD remains constant across a man's adult life. We sought to determine if adult male AGD varies based on age. A cross‐sectional study of men being evaluated at a men's...
The ratio of second to fourth digit length (2D:4D) is a correlate of prenatal testosterone. High 2D:4D is associated with low prenatal testosterone, and reduced sensitivity to testosterone. Klinefelter's syndrome (KS; 47 XXY) affects the endocrine system, such that low testosterone levels are found in KS foetuses, new‐borns and adults. To date, there are no published data regarding the pattern of...
Prospective studies showed that low serum testosterone concentrations are associated with various cardiometabolic risk factors and mortality. However, the causal nature of these associations is controversial. We studied 1 882 men aged 20–79 years with serum testosterone concentrations and genotyping data from the longitudinal population‐based Study of Health in Pomerania. Testosterone concentrations...
It has been reported that increased body mass index (BMI) of men influences fecundity but it is not clear if it impacts on sperm parameters. Whether or not BMI of men influence sperm parameters and subsequently in vitro fertilization (IVF) result remains to be clarified. The aim of the present study was primarily to investigate the relationship between the BMI of men and sperm parameters (volume,...
Human normal spermatozoa present a specific chromatin organization, illustrated particularly by the non‐random chromosome positioning. Spermatozoa with large vacuoles, described using motile sperm organelle morphology organization (MSOME), are associated with nuclear alterations, such as abnormal chromatin condensation and aneuploidy. To question a probable association between large nuclear vacuoles...
Lymphangiogenesis occurs in various organs under inflammatory conditions. Recently, it was demonstrated that activated macrophages play an important role in the process of lymphangiogenesis. However, lymphangiogenesis during testicular inflammation has not yet been studied. Here, we investigated lymphangiogenesis in experimental autoimmune orchitis, a immunologic male infertility model, in mice. Histological...
Data supporting the widespread use of antibiotics in patients with chronic scrotal pain syndrome (CSPS) are not available. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the presence of bacteria in the genitourinary tract in patients presenting with CSPS. From July 2005 to July 2007 we prospectively enrolled patients presenting with CSPS in our outpatient clinic. The evaluation consisted of a...
The aim of this study was to evaluate interrelation of left varicocoele with height, body mass index (BMI) and sperm counts. We retrospectively evaluated the data of all patients who consulted for infertility at a tertiary academic referral centre from 2000 to 2010. Patient's height, weight, BMI, semen analysis, presence or absence of varicocoele and varicocoele side and grade were evaluated. In statistical...
Meiosis expressed gene 1 (Meig1) was originally identified in a search for mammalian genes potentially involved in meiosis. Seven mouse Meig1 transcripts with the same coding region, but different 5′‐UTRs, have been identified. These transcripts have different tissue distributions, two are only present in the testis. In the testis, Meig1 is present in germ cells and Sertoli cells. A Meig1 conditional...
The relationship between epididymis ultrasonography (US) and infertility is poorly defined probably owing to lack of objective and reproducible criteria of US evaluation. Here, we evaluated US size of testes, caput and of corpus epididymis in infertile men: 165 with total sperm count ≥39 × 106, 187 with total sperm count <39 × 106 and 75 azoospermic men. Blood levels of follicle stimulating hormone...
Oxidative stress is known to have a major impact on human sperm function and, as a result, there is a need to develop sensitive methods for measuring reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation by these cells. A variety of techniques have been developed for this purpose including chemiluminescence (luminol and lucigenin), flow cytometry (MitoSOX Red, dihydroethidium, 4,5‐diaminofluorescein diacetate...
The SOX8 and SOX9 transcription factors are involved in, among others, sex differentiation, male gonad development and adult maintenance of spermatogenesis. Sox8−/− mice lacking Sox9 in Sertoli cells fail to form testis cords and cannot establish spermatogenesis. Although genetic and histological data show an important role for these transcription factors in regulating spermatogenesis, it is not clear...
A prerequisite for the successful clinical application of gene therapy in erectile dysfunction (ED) is the availability of safe and efficient gene delivery systems. The aim of this study was to examine the effectiveness of guanidinylated bioreducible polymer (GBP) polyplexes for gene delivery systems, which take advantage of the biodegradability of reducible disulfide bonds and the cell‐penetrating...
Heart failure (HF) is a complex clinical syndrome with a constantly increasing incidence and prevalence in western countries. Total absence of sexual activity is registered in 30% of HF patients. Moreover, HF‐induced reduction in exercise tolerance, side effects of HF medications and the coexistence of shared risk factors between HF and sexual dysfunction may further aggravate the sexual health of...