bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Patterns of Doppler recordings and its relationship to varicocele in infertile men
Authors: DHABUWALA C. B. , KUMAR A. B. , KERKAR P. D. , BHUTAWALA A. , PIERCE J. 
Published: May 2008

SummaryIncompetence of the testicular vein appears to be the basic pathology of testicula dysfunction in varicocele. Doppler recording is a very sensitive method for detecting this reflux even when varicocele is not evident clinically. One hundred and seventy‐eight men with infertility were studied. The presence of reflux in the pampiniform plexus as demonstrated by Doppler recording was compared with clinical varicocele. Reflux patterns were recorded on graph paper and various grades of reflux were observed. The three grades of reflux identified varied between a momentary reflux during vigorous Valsalva manœuvre to significant reflux on minimal increase in intra‐abdominal pressure brought about by normal respiration and deep breathing. Ninety‐four per cent of the patients with clinical signs C varicocele had refluxes of grade 2 and 3 on Doppler study. Forty per cent of the patients without clinical evidence of varicocele were found to have reflux of grade and 2 in the testicular veins.
Testosterone and androstanediol production by regenerating Leydig cells in the ethylene dimethane sulphonate‐treated mature rat
Authors: MYERS R. B. , ABNEY T. O. 
Published: May 2008

SummaryMature (60–65 day old) male Sprague‐Dawley rats received a single intraperitoneal injection of ethylene dimethane sulphonate (EDS; 100 mg/kg) and were subsequently killed at various times from day 2 to day 40 post‐treatment. Testes were removed from these animals and from age‐matched controls and utilized either for light and electron microscopical analyses or for in‐vitro assessment of Leydig cell function. Interstitial cells were prepared by collagenase digestion and used to measure 125I‐labelled human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) binding capacity and androgen production in the presence or absence of hCG or dibutyryl cyclic AMP (dbcAMP). At day 2 after EDS treatment, 125I‐labelled hCG binding capacity was reduced to 10% of control values, while the production of testosterone and 5a‐androstane‐3a, 17β‐diol (adiol) were non‐detectable. Histological observations confirmed the lack of identifiable Leydig cells at day 2–16 after EDS treatment. Between days 24 and 40 post‐treatment, Leydig cell regeneration occurred, as indicated by a rise in 125I‐labelled hCG binding capacity, increased androgen production and the presence of histologically identifiable Leydig cells. A pattern of adiol production similar to that seen in the immature rat during Leydig cell development was observed with peak synthesis occurring at day 30 post‐treatment. Adiol production fell to barely detectable levels by day 36 and remained low at day 40. It is concluded that the steroidogenic pattern of regenerating Leydig cells in the EDS‐treated animal is similar to that of developing Leydig cells in the immature animal.
Relationship between serum testosterone and sex hormone‐binding globulin in adult men with intact or absent gonadal function
Authors: CARLSTRÖM K. , ERIKSSON A. , STEGE R. , RANNEVIK G. 
Published: May 2008

SummarySerum levels of testosterone and sex hormone‐binding globulin (SHBG) were determined in 80 apparently healthy men aged 25–85 years and in 23 patients with prostatic carcinoma (CAP) aged 60–75 years before and 6 months after orchidectomy. Serum levels of testosterone and SHBG were correlated positively in healthy men, in all subjects overall as well as within different age groups, and in CAP patients before, but not after, orchidectomy. These data are not consistent with the classical theory regarding SHBG regulation and also speak against an influence of SHBG binding on testosterone metabolism as a mechanism behind the observed positive association between testosterone levels and SHBG.
An evaluation of the hypo‐osmotic sperm swelling test as a predictor of fertilizing capacity in vitro
Authors: AVERY SUSAN , BOLTON VIRGINIA N. , MASON BRIDGETT A. 
Published: May 2008

SummaryThe ability of sperm to swell in hypo‐osmotic conditions was examined in 211 semen samples from the partners of patients about to undergo oocyte retrieval for in‐vitro fertilization (IVF). The test was performed using aliquots of semen, the remainder of which was then prepared for IVF. No significant difference was found, in either the percentage of swollen sperm or the type of swelling response, between samples that achieved fertilization in vitro and those that did not, or between any of the diagnostic categories of infertility (tubal damage, unexplained infertility, oligospermia). In samples which achieved fertilization in vitro there were correlations between sperm swelling and sperm motility (r = ‐0.51) and abnormal morphology (r = 0.33), but no such correlations were demonstrated in samples that failed to achieve fertilization. Moreover, there was no significant difference between the percentage of swollen sperm in semen (mean motility 64%), in samples immediately after preparation for IVF (mean motility 96%) or in capacitated sperm 24 h after preparation (mean motility 91%). These results demonstrate that the hypo‐osmotic sperm swelling test does not assist in the prediction of the fertilizing capacity of human sperm in vitro.
Relationship between hormone profiles and the restoration of spermatogenesis in men treated with gossypol
Authors: Zhi‐Ping GU , Yi‐Xing Wang , Guo‐Wei Sang , Wei‐Cheng Wang , Zhen‐Xing Chen , Xiu‐Juan Zhao , Qin‐Xiang Shao , Yu Jiang 
Published: May 2008

SummaryGossypol acetic acid was administered orally to 35 male volunteers at a dose of 20 mg once a day for 52–70 days in the loading phase and twice a week for 22 months in the maintenance phase. Sperm counts and the serum concentrations of LH, FSH, prolactin, testosterone and oestradiol were monitored regularly during treatment and for a follow‐up period of 12 months. At around 90 days after treatment, all treated participants approached or attained azoospermia and remained at this level throughout the maintenance phase. By the end of the follow‐up phase, eight treated men were still azoospermic, while sperm counts in the other 27 men were restored to normal levels. The only hormone that changed significantly during and after the treatment was FSH. From the 6th month of the treatment to the end of the follow‐up phase, serum concentrations of FSH in the eight participants that reached irreversible azoospermia were significantly higher than in the other 27 men or in controls. It is suggested that monitoring of FSH levels might be of diagnostic use for identifying those participants with irreversible azoospermia during gossypol treatment.
The use of hens' egg white as a substitute for human cervical mucus in assessing human infertility
Authors: Eggert‐Kruse W. , Gerhard I. , Tilgen W. , Runnebaum B. 
Published: May 2008

SummarySemen samples from 179 patients with longstanding infertility were allowed to penetrate capillaries filled with a fraction of fresh hens' egg white (HEW) as a substitute for cervical mucus (CM) for the in‐vitro sperm‐cervical mucus penetration test (SCPMT). Results were correlated with those obtained from human CM (HCM) used in parallel on the same semen sample, compared to results of sperm analysis and post‐coital testing (PCT) and analysed for their prognostic value for a subsequent pregnancy in a prospective study. The overall pregnancy rate after 6 months was 26.3% (47/179). Whereas routine semen analysis (semen volume, pH, sperm count, progressive motility, morphology and fructose concentration) did not differentiate between patients who achieved pregnancy and those who did not, significant differences were found for the penetration distance (P<0.02) and the motility grade of sperm in HEW (P<0.02). Although the mean sperm velocity in HEW was reduced compared to HCM, a close positive correlation was found between the sperm density and the penetration distance (P< 0.001). The percentage of samples with good HEW penetration increased significantly in parallel with better results of post‐coital testing (P< 0.001). The results indicate that, when fresh human CM is not available, HEW can be used as a medium for the SCPMT as a valuable adjunct to semen analysis which provides information about sperm functional capacity.
The CellSoft computerized semen analysis system: sperm image sizes and velocity measurements, and the consequences for internal running conditions
Authors: AANESEN A. , BENDVOLD E. 
Published: May 2008

SummaryThe CellSoft computer‐assisted sperm analysis system was evaluated as to the optimal setting of three components of the internal running conditions. These ‘set up’ parameters were the lower setting for cell size range (PIXMIN), threshold velocity (MINVEL) and maximum velocity (MAXVEL). The decision for the PIXMIN setting was founded on observed sizes of sperm with low instant velocities combined with a study of the relationship between false positive observations for sperm and the PIXMIN setting. Our recommendation for this setting is three pixels. From the observation that 97.5% of immobilized sperm exhibit instant velocities of < 15 μ sec‐1, this is our proposal for the MINVEL setting. Correspondingly, the 97.5 percentile for instantaneous velocities in a population of some 14 000 cells (30 men with type ‘a’ motility, WHO) was 168 μ sec‐1. We recommend that MAXVEL be set at this limit. Alternative settings for both MINVEL and MAXVEL are presented as some users may wish to apply other percentiles. From the above results a setting for PIXMAX at 25 pixels could be inferred. We recommend that these settings be applied in semen laboratories analysing human native samples at room temperature.
The spermatogenic cycle in the blue fox (Alopex lagopus): relative frequency and absolute duration of the different stages
Authors: BERG K. ANDERSEN , CLAUSEN O. P. F. , HUITFELDT H. S. 
Published: May 2008

SummaryThe spermatogenic cycle of the blue fox was divided into eight distinct stages, based on an analysis of different cell associations of the seminiferous epithelium. The criteria used for classification of the stages were the type of spermatogonia, the occurrence of meiotic figures, and the shape and location of spermatids. The relative frequencies of the stages I to VIII were 25.7, 9.8, 8.7, 5.9, 13.8, 9.9, 10.6 and 15.5%, respectively. The duration of one cycle of the seminiferous epithelium was 12.0 ± 0.2 days as determined from the progression of 5‐bromo‐2‐deoxy‐uridine (BrdU)‐labelled cells at various time intervals. The absolute duration of stages I to VIII was calculated to be 3.1, 1.2, 1.0, 0.6, 1.7, 1.2, 1.3 and 1.9 days, respectively. The estimated life span of primary spermatocytes was 19.2 days, of secondary spermatocytes <0.6 days, of spermatids with round nuclei 9.2 days and of spermtids with elongated nuclei 8.9 days.
Generation of reactive oxygen species in subgroups of infertile men
Authors: D'AGATA R. , VICARI E. , MONCADA M. L. , SIDOTI G. , CALOGERO A. E. , FORNITO M. C. , MINACAPILLI G. , MONGIOI A. , POLOSA P. 
Published: May 2008

SummaryThe capacity to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS), both basally and after stimulation with the calcium ionophore A23187, was examined in the motile fraction of sperm isolated after swim‐up from the semen of 10 naturally fertile men and three groups of infertile patients. The latter included: (1) men with a non‐bacterial inflammation of the genital tract (n= 10); (2) men unable to impregnate their partners during an intra‐uterine insemination programme (IUI) (n= 8) and their matched controls (n= 6); and (3) men with hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism (HH) who remained infertile after induction of spermatogenesis with gonadotrophin or gonadotrophin‐releasing hormone therapy (n= 3) and their matched controls (n= 3). The levels of ROS production were elevated in the sperm of some infertile men with inflammation of the genital tract compared to those found in 10 naturally fertile men. In addition, sperm from those patients who remained infertile after an IUI programme produced higher amounts of ROS compared to their control group who became fertile. Similarly, the production of ROS by sperm from three patients with HH who remained infertile was significantly higher than those of the three men who became fertile. These data suggest that an excessive production of ROS by sperm may explain some cases of idiopathic male infertility.
Effect of STS‐557 (17α‐cyanomethyl 17β‐hydroxy‐estra‐4, 9(10)‐dien‐3‐one) on blood hormone levels, the testis, accessory sex organs and fertility of rats
Authors: CHAUDHARY J. , SHARMA R. K. , MAJUMDAR S. S. , BHATTI D. P. S. , MISRO M. M. , DAS R. P. 
Published: May 2008

SummaryTreatment with STS‐557 (17α‐cyanomethyl 17β‐hydroxy‐estra‐4,9(10)‐dien‐3‐one; 10 mg kg‐1 daily s.c.) for 4 weeks induced atrophy of the seminiferous tubules in adult rats with a reduction in tubule diameter and in the number of round sperma‐tids at stage VII. Elongated spermatids were not detected. Leydig cells were atrophied from the second week of treatment with a concomitant decrease in blood levels of testosterone. The blood levels of FSH and LH were reduced from the third week of treatment. The weight of the reproductive organs was reduced after STS‐557 treatment. The treatment induced sterility in 50% of rats after 2 weeks of treatment but after 4 weeks none of the treated males mated. Normal fertility and normal levels of testosterone and FSH were restored after 6 weeks and LH after 4 weeks of withdrawal of treatment. All other parameters studied recovered to pretreatment levels 6 weeks after withdrawal of treatment. STS‐557 could act on the pituitary‐gonadal axis (reducing gonadotrophin secretion) as well as directly affecting the Leydig cells. The consequent reduction in the blood levels of testosterone in combination with reduced gonadotrophins was presumably responsible for the suppression of spermatogenesis.
Immunohistochemical localization of inhibin‐α in the testes of normal men and in men with testicular disorders
Authors: BERGH A. , CAJANDER S. 
Published: May 2008

SummaryTesticular biopsies from normal men and from men with testicular disorders were examined by immunohistochemistry for the presence of the inhibin‐α subunit using two different antisera. Immunoreactive inhibin‐α (irI‐α) was found in Leydig cells in normal, oligospermic, and azoospermic men and in men with Klinefelters syndrome, and it was also found in a Leydig cell tumour. hCG‐treatment apparently increased the amount of immunoreactive inhibin‐α, particularly in Leydig cells. Sertoli cells also contained irl‐α but the staining intensity was considerably stronger in testes with impaired spermatogenesis or Sertoli‐cell‐only syndrome than in normal testes. It is suggested that the serum concentration of irl‐α and inhibin in humans may, in a complex way, be related to both Leydig and Sertoli cell function, and that the relative contribution from these cells may change in cases of testicular malfunction.
Quantitative and ultrastructural alterations in the lamina propria and Sertoli cells in human cryptorchid testes
Authors: PANIAGUA R. , MARTINEZ‐ONSURBE P. , SANTAMARIA L. , SAEZ F. J. , AMAT P. , NISTAL M. 
Published: May 2008

SummaryA quantitative and ultrastructural study was performed on biopsies of human cryptorchid testes to investigate lesions in the lamina propria and Sertoli cells. Prepubertal cryptorchid testes (1–9 years of age) were classified into four groups: Type I, testes with minimal lesions; Type II, testes with a moderate decrease in tubule diameter and spermatogonal number; Type III, testes with Sertoli cell hypoplasia and a marked reduction in tubule diameter and spermatogonal number; and Type IV, testes with Sertoli cell hyperplasia and a variable reduction in spermatogonal number. An increase in thickness of the lamina propria was found in Type II and III testes from 5 years of age onwards. These testes also showed a decrease in both the average number of peritubular cells per cross‐sectioned tubule and in the average nuclear volume of these cells. Most of the postpubertal cryptorchid testes from 13‐to 18‐year‐old youths presented a prepubertal pattern suggestive of delayed testicular maturation. Postpubertal testes from 19‐to 27‐year‐old men were classified into three types: Type A testes showed complete spermato‐genesis, mature Sertoli cells and no lesions in the lamina propria; Type B testes showed isolated spermatogonia, mature Sertoli cells, and a marked thickening of the lamina propria; and Type C testes showed isolated spermatogonia, hyperplasia of immature Sertoli cells, and a slightly thickened lamina propria. Maturation of the lamina propria was always associated with maturation of the Sertoli cells. Thickening of the lamina propria was associated with peritubular cell alterations consisting of decreases in the nuclear volume (average and total per testis) of peritubular cells and increases in the number of these cells per cross‐sectioned tubule. The three types of adult cryptorchid testes appear to be the postpubertal transformation of Type I testes (Type A), Type II and Type III testes (Type B), and Type IV testes (Type C).
Distribution pattern of testicular sulphydryloxidase immuno‐activity in the djungarian hamster (Phodopus sungorus) during photoperiodically induced involution and recrudescence
Authors: BERGMANN M. , KUMARI M. , AUMULLER G. , HOFFMANN K. , SEITZ J. 
Published: May 2008

SummaryThe distribution pattern of testicular sulphydryloxidase (SOx) immuno‐activity was investigated in the djungarian hamster during photoperiodically induced testicular involution and recrudescence. SOx immuno‐activity, indicating functional integrity of labelled cells, did not change in pachytene spermatocytes and spermatids as long as these cells were present in the seminiferous epithelium. Its disappearance coincided with the degeneration of spermatocytes in phases IV and V of involution and reappeared during recrudescence, when the first spermatogenic wave had reached the pachytene stage. In tubules at phase VI of involution (showing maximal regression), the apical cytoplasm of Sertoli cells showed immuno‐activity. This immuno‐activity disappeared during recrudescence prior to the differentiation of pachytene spermatocytes. Changes in SOx immuno‐activity resembled those of lactate dehydrogenase‐X (LDH‐X) in photo‐inhibited testes or during puberty, indicating a close functional relationship which still remains to be elucidated. The data suggest that the hamster exposed to different photoperiods can be used as a suitable model to study the relationship between testicular morphology and function in different states of gonadal activity.
Successful treatment of infertility due to retrograde ejaculation by instillation of serum‐containing medium into the bladder. A case report
Authors: SUOMINEN J. J. O. , KILKKU P. P. , TAINA E. J. , PUNTALA P. V. 
Published: May 2008

SummaryThe treatment of infertility caused by retrograde ejaculation has often been ineffective. The unphysiological composition of the urine is the main reason complicating the recovery of motile sperm. We describe a case of retrograde ejaculation caused by a congenital defect of the internal sphinchter muscle of the urinary bladder. In this case, motile sperm were only recovered if the bladder had been filled previously with artificial culture medium (Ham's F‐10) supplemented with the patient's own serum. Two pregnancies followed intrauterine insemination with sperm recovered in this way.
Morphological evidence for two types of idiopathic ‘Sertoli‐cell‐only’ syndrome
Authors: TERADA T. , HATAKEYAMA S. 
Published: May 2008

SummaryBiopsies of testicular specimens taken from 41 patients that were diagnosed as having idiopathic Sertoli‐cell‐only syndrome were classified into two types, A and B, on the basis of histological and immunohistochemical findings. Thirty eight specimens that were classified as type A exhibited seminiferous tubules of small diameter and with tubular wall hyalinization, but containing normal adult type Sertoli cells. The other three specimens that were classified as type B showed no seminiferous tubular wall hyalinization, and their Sertoli cells had vimentin distribution localized in the subnuclear cytoplasm and had a pseudostratified lining, features resembling the appearance of fetal Sertoli cells.In one patient with a seminoma, a comparative study of the same testis prior to and post‐irradiation was undertaken. Judging from this, postpubertal depletion of the germ cell population was considered to be responsible for the tubular atrophy observed in type A. Type B testes, though small in number, were characterized by a morphology distinct from the type A, but their pathogenesis remains unknown.
LDH and LDH‐X activity in sperm from normospermic and oligozoospermic men
Authors: CASANO R. , ORLANDO C. , SERIO M. , FORTI G. 
Published: May 2008

SummaryTotal lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity was measured in washed sperm from 74 oligozoospermic patients and 148 normospermic men. In the same samples, an additional iso‐enzyme specific for germ cells, LDH‐X was also measured. Both enzymatic activities were significantly higher in sperm from oligozoospermic patients that in those from normospermic men (P<0.001). In oligozoospermic patients, sperm LDH and LDH‐X activities were related inversely to sperm concentration (r = ‐0.61 and r= ‐0.53, respectively). In normospermic men, this inverse relationship was less evident (r = ‐0.28 and r= ‐0.25, respectively). After separation of sperm on a discontinuous gradient of Percoll, LDH and LDH‐X activities were increased in the non‐migrated‐sperm fractions and reduced in the migrated‐sperm fractions in both groups of subjects when compared to the initial semen specimens. In addition, migrated sperm from oligozoospermic and normos permic men did not differ in their LDH and LDH‐X activities. Although the possible contribution of immature germ‐cells to these findings remains to be defined, the data suggest clearly that high levels of intracellular LDH and LDH‐X are a biochemical feature of sperm from oligozoospermic subjects.
Is the sperm bacterial ratio a determining factor in impairment of sperm motility: an in‐vitro study in man with Escherichia coli
Authors: AUROUX M. R. , JACQUES L. , MATHIEU D. , AUER J. 
Published: May 2008

SummaryThe effects of urogenital infection on male fertility are controversial. The object of this study was to assess whether contact between E. coli, one of the bacteria encountered most frequently in semen cultures, and sperm was involved in decreasing motility of the sperm. Sperm from healthy donors were therefore incubated at two concentrations (1.107 and 4.107 ml‐1) with bacteria (104 and 106 bacteria ml‐1 respectively). Sperm motility was assessed as a function of time. The endotoxin effect was also evaluated. Aliquots of the sperm were used as controls. The motility of a population of 106 sperm ml‐1 was reduced significantly more by the presence of 106 ml‐1E. coli than a sperm population four times more numerous. Since the endotoxin had no effect on sperm motility, it is possible this phenomenon is due to bacterial adherence to the sperm. From this study, it is therefore probable that the presence of E. coli in semen decreases sperm motility, but that this depends on the sperm:bacterial ratio ml semen‐1.