Varicocele is a common medical condition entangled with many controversies. Though it is highly prevalent in men with infertility, still it marks its presence in males who do have normal fertility. Determining which patients are negatively affected by varicocele would enable clinicians to better select those men who benefitted the most from surgery. Since conventional semen analysis has been li...

Discovering the molecular factors that shape the mating behaviour and the fertility of the mosquito Anopheles gambiae, the principal vector of human malaria, is regarded as critical to better understand its reproductive success as well as for identifying new leads for malaria control measures. In A. gambiae mating induces complex behavioural and physiological changes in the females, including ...

Copulation normally culminates with two physiologically distinct events known as emission and ejlzctllafion.3~ 3o Emission is the release of sperm and accessory gland fluids into the pelvic urethra. Ejacdafion is the forceful expulsion of the combined fluids (i.e., semen) from the urethra. The associated perceptual-cognitive event called ovgrrsm in humans has not been characterized in nonhuman ...

This book presents summaries by specialists of subjects related directly or indirectly to conception. The first five papers deal with male and female germ cells-their production, protection, release, and early transport. Chapters follow on fertilization, transportation of the zygote, and implantation. Finally there is consideration of immunological phenomena relating to fertility and fertility ...

OBJECTIVE To explore the functional role of vacuolar H(+)-ATPase in the pH regulation of epididymal fluid and its effect on sperm motility. DESIGN Experimental study. SETTING Physiology laboratory in a university. ANIMAL(S) Immature male Sprague-Dawley rats. INTERVENTION(S) The H(+)-ATPase inhibitor was applied to the primary culture of epididymal cells. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S) The in...

Most genes linked to male reproductive function have been known to evolve rapidly among species and to show signatures of positive selection. Different male species-specific reproductive strategies have been proposed to underlie positive selection, such as sperm competitive advantage and control over females postmating physiology. However, an underexplored aspect potentially affecting male repr...

Two enzymes are involved in the polyol pathway: an aldose reductase that reduces glucose in sorbitol followed by its oxidation in fructose by sorbitol dehydrogenase. It has been previously shown that both enzymes are presented in the bovine epididymis, where they are associated with membranous vesicles called epididymosomes. Based on the distribution of these enzymes, it has been hypothesized t...

F ertilisation in mammals involves many synchronized steps including sperm– egg adhesion. Prior to sperm–oolemma fusion, spermatozoa need to undergo the acrosome reaction (AR) or exocytosis. The universal belief, for many years, has been that the AR was initiated upon binding to the zona pellucida (ZP). As such acrosomal proteins were not thought to be involved in the primary contact with the Z...

Fertilization is the process by which sperm and egg unite. An expanded understanding of the mechanisms that underlie these events has provided insights into an important aspect of early development and also has proven to be a valuable model in which to study cellular function. In addition, many emerging strategies for contraception and for the treatment of infertility are based on the mechanism...