The measurement or evaluation and clinical significance of human sperm morphology has always been and still is a controversial aspect of the semen analysis for the determination of a male's fertility potential. In this review the background of the development of the evaluation criteria for sperm morphology will be discussed. Aspects of criticism on the strict criteria definition and use of the ...

Accident & Emergency Department Senior House Officers rely heavily on their ECG interpretation skills in the diagnosis and management of patients with chest pain. This prospective double-blind study was designed to test the accuracy with which Accident & Emergency Senior House Officers interpret ECGs, by comparing their interpretation with that of a Consultant Cardiologist. ECGs from 279 of 314...

Here we investigated the effects of Tribulus terrestris L. on sperm morphology and acrosome reaction in subjects with oligoasthenoteratozoospermia. A double-blind placebo-controlled trial was performed with 30 primary and secondary infertile men. Half received oral Tribulus (Libilov, 500mg dose) three times per day for 60 days, and the rest were given sugar pills. The ejaculate volume, sperm co...

BACKGROUND Humans are ubiquitously exposed to multiple environmental contaminants. Consequences of combined action on the reproductive system remain unknown. This study aimed to assess single and joint effects of cadmium and diazinon exposure on sperm quality parameters. METHODS Male adult Wistar rats were randomized into 4 groups of ten animals each. Group A was used as a control, animals fr...

Mammalian sperm are carriers of not only the paternal genome, but also the paternal epigenome in the forms of DNA methylation, retained histones and noncoding RNAs. Although paternal DNA methylation and histone retention sites have been correlated with protein-coding genes that are critical for preimplantation embryonic development, physiological evidence of an essential role of these epigeneti...

The aim of this study was to investigate whether the sperm chromatin structure assay (SCSA) results after swim-up are related to fertilization rates, embryo quality and pregnancy rates following in vitro fertilization (IVF). A total of 223 couples undergoing IVF in our hospital from October 2008 to September 2009 were included in this study. Data on the IVF process and sperm chromatin structure...

The challenge of the case presented was threefold: congenital absent uterus (Mayer-Rokitansky-KustnerHauser syndrome), a request for surrogacy, and teratozoospermia in the husband (6% normal morphology according to the Tygerberg strict criteria). Surrogacy was dealt with by means of guidelines proposed by the SA Law Commission after a surrogate mother was found. The gestational carrier was sync...

The aim of this study was to verify the role of antegrade scrotal sclerotherapy for the treatment of varicoceles in infertile men with severe oligo-astheno-teratozoospermia (OAT). The 59 patients with severe OAT in this study underwent antegrade scrotal sclerotherapy for the treatment of varicoceles. The outcome was assessed in terms of improvement in semen parameters and spontaneous conception...