OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effects of recent and long term occupational lead exposure on indicators of male reproductive health. METHODS In a cross sectional study of male employees of a lead smelter (n = 2469), blood samples were obtained from 152 workers including 119 who also provided semen samples. Semen analysis and serum concentrations of testosterone, follicle stimulating hormone, and l...

There have been numerous studies that suggest that sperm concentrations (sperm counts) are declining in men. However, other studies suggest that sperm counts are not declining or may be increasing in some areas. Although there is disagreement on whether there is a downward temporal trend in sperm counts, the studies provide evidence that sperm counts vary by geographic location. It has been hyp...

OBJECTIVE To determine whether characteristics of sperm motility obtained by computer-assisted sperm analysis (CASA) could predict pregnancy after intrauterine insemination (IUI) in couples with unexplained infertility. METHODS Three hundred eighty-three cycles of intrauterine insemination with superovulation were retrospectively analyzed. Semen analysis was performed with CASA before and aft...

AIM To investigate age-related inflammatory events in the male genital tract. METHODS In a total of 4265 randomly collected patients attending the andrological outpatient clinic of the Center for Dermatology and Andrology, University of Giessen, Germany, ejaculate volume, pH-value, sperm concentration, total and progressive sperm motility, concentration of polymorphonuclear (PMN) elastase, nu...

BACKGROUND DNA adducts are widely used marker of DNA damage induced by environmental pollutants. The present study was designed to explore whether sperm polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon-DNA adducts were associated with sperm DNA integrity and semen quality. METHODS A total of 433 Han Chinese men were recruited from an infertility clinic. Immunofluorescence was applied to analyze sperm PAH-DNA ...

OBJECTIVE The growing consensus on the negative impact of cigarette smoking on fertility prompted us to compare the rate of sperm respiration in smokers and non-smokers. MATERIALS AND METHODS Semen samples from 20 smokers and 58 non-smokers consulting at the andrology laboratory for fertility evaluation were used. Smoking was defined as consumption of at least a half a pack per day. A phospho...

conclusions these results suggest that serum cholesterol, phospholipids and triacylglycerols have no effect on the levels of cholesterol, phospholipids and triacylglycerols of spermatozoa and seminal plasma. our findings suggest that sperm lipid content is regulated locally within the male reproductive tract. patients and methods cholesterol, phospholipids and triacylglycerols in sperm cells, s...

Introduction: tegrity is the most important component for transferring genetic information Sperm DNA fragmentation is considered a component of male infertility. Its assessment comprises conventional semen analysis of which emphasis is placed on its evaluation in fertility clinics. In this study, we investigate the relationship between sperm parameters of motility, morphology, concentratio...

Background: One of the main causes of male infertility is the negative effects of oxidative stress. Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) plays an essential role in spermatogenesis, as well as in the maintenance of sperm DNA integrity. This study aimed to determine whether the recombinant human follicle-stimulating hormone (rhFSH) treatment of sperm parameters could positively affect sperm DNA and...

OBJECTIVES Environmental exposure to chemicals has been considered a potential factor contributing to deteriorated semen quality. However, previous literature on exposure to air pollution and semen quality is inconsistent. We therefore investigated the health effects of short-term and long-term exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) on semen quality in Taiwanese men from the general popula...