CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE Recent studies have shown regional and population differences in semen characteristics. The objective was to establish reference values for semen analysis and to verify the effect that age, length of sexual abstinence, seasonality, smoking habits and coffee consumption have on fertile individuals' semen characteristics. DESIGN AND SETTING Prospective study in the Urology...

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play a crucial role in tissue development and the pathology of many diseases, however, the effects and roles of miRNAs in the development of semen abnormalities in infertile males have not yet been investigated. In this study, we analyzed and compared the miRNA expression profiles of abnormal semen from 86 infertile males with normal semen from 86 healthy males using an miRNA...

this study was undertaken to compare the efficiency of fresh and frozen-thawed buck semen on in vitro fertilization (ivf) of goat oocytes. cumulus oocytes complexes (cocs) were collected by aspiration of 2-6 mm diameter follicles, which were obtained from slaughterhouse. upon grading, only normal quality cocs were maturated in tcm-199 for 48 hours. the percentage of cocs reached to the m-ii sta...

BACKGROUND Episomal 2-long terminal repeat (LTR) HIV-1 cDNA, a by-product of HIV-1 infection, is used in clinical trials as a marker for ongoing viral replication. It would be useful to employ 2-LTR cDNA to monitor cryptic HIV-1 infection in the genital tract of men on antiretroviral therapy (ART) to predict the evolution of sexually transmissible drug-resistant HIV-1, but studies thus far have...

The time required to train rams to an artificial vagina (AV) makes collecting semen from large numbers of rams difficult. To manage this problem, we developed a glass, round-bottomed, 1.9-cm i.d. x 9.8-cm long vaginal collection vial (VCV). Three experiments were conducted to determine whether the VCV affected 1) semen volume per collection, 2) percentage of motile spermatozoa, 3) forward progr...

BACKGROUND HIV-infected cells in semen facilitate viral transmission. We studied the establishment of HIV reservoirs in semen and blood during PHI, along with systemic immune activation and the impact of early cART. METHODS Patients in the ANRS-147-OPTIPRIM trial received two years of early cART. Nineteen patients of the trial were analyzed, out of which 8 had acute PHI (WB ≤1 Ab). We quantif...

Semen cryopreservation in domestic birds has been studied extensively in the past fifty years. However, efficient methods to freeze semen of chicken of different breeds have emerged only in the last decade of the 20 century. Methods using cryoprotectants Glycerol, Dimethyl Acetamide and Dimethyl sulfoxide, slow or rapid freezing-thawing procedures, pellets or ampoules or straws packaging have b...

This study was aimed at determining the blood serum testosterone level and its relationship with scrotal circumference and physical characteristics of semen in Nili-Ravi buffalo bulls. Semen samples were collected weekly from three buffalo bulls of 14 years age for 12 weeks and were evaluated for physical characteristics i.e. ejaculatory volume, sperm motility, sperm concentration, pH and sperm...

It is known that several materials used in semen collection have been found to be detrimental to spermatozoal motility. In this study, examinations for toxic effects of latex and vinyl gloves, used with and without talcum powder on boar spermatozoa, were performed. Ten boars of known fertility with "280%sperm motility were divided into two groups (n = 5 boars each) for in vitro and in vivo stud...

We hypothesize that insemination with fresh extended semen will improve the AI pregnancy rate due to its prolonged longevity in female reproductive tract compared to frozen thawed semen. The objective of this trial was to determine the effect of fresh and frozen semen on fixed-time AI pregnancy rate in beef cows synchronized with progesterone based CO-Synch protocols and inseminated at differen...