BACKGROUND Heat-shock protein A2 (HspA2) is correlated with sperm maturity, function and fertility, and a dysfunctional expression of such a gene results in abnormal spermatogenesis. The purpose of this study was to compare HspA2 gene expression in spermatozoa from oligozoospermic men and normozoospermic controls. METHODS Semen was obtained and analysed according to World Health Organization ...

BACKGROUND We have investigated the expression of voltage-gated sodium channels in human spermatozoa and characterized their role in sperm motility. METHODS Freshly ejaculated semen was collected from thirty normozoospermic human donors, with each donor supplying 2 different samples. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and immunofluorescence techniques were used to detect...

Semenogelin I (SgI) and semenogelin II (SgII) are the dominating protein components of the coagulum formed by freshly ejaculated human semen. The primary source of these proteins is the seminal vesicles and, apart from a small production of SgII in epididymis, they have not been detected in other tissues. In this report, we have re-examined the distribution of SgI and SgII transcripts and prote...

BACKGROUND Aggressive immobilization of sperm prior to ICSI significantly improves fertilization rates, but the mechanism of this effect is not yet clear. This study was performed in order to assess the characteristics of mechanically immobilized human sperm by transmission electron microscope (TEM). METHODS Sperm obtained from ejaculated semen samples from three different donors were immobil...

Twelve Charolais bulls were ejaculated once weekly (1• and 10 bulls six times weekly (6• from puberty to 2 years of age to determine the effect of age and ejaculation frequency on semen characteristics, sperm output and testes growth; 6• weekly sperm output at 2 and 3 years of age was determined for each of the 22 bulls. Significant increases as bulls aged were found in sperm concentration, spe...

Living cells, including spermatozoa, stored under aerobic conditions require oxygen to support their normal metabolism. Excessive levels of metabolites (reactive oxygen species; ROS) can cause cell damage or lipid peroxidation. The ROS and lipid peroxidation can be detected during preparation and cryopreservation of mammalian spermatozoa. The negative effects of ROS can be partially ameliorated...

Objective: To determine if head and shoulder relaxation massage given immediately before collecting a semen sample will result in an increased total motile sperm count or improved semen parameters for intrauterine insemination (IUI). Design: Prospective randomized study Setting: Academic fertility center Patients: Forty men undergoing clomiphene IUI therapy with their partners Interventions: Ma...

Sperm DNA fragmentation (SDF) has been generally acknowledged as a valuable tool for male fertility evaluation. While its detrimental implications on sperm function were extensively investigated, little is known about the actual indications for performing SDF analysis. This review delivers practice based recommendations on commonly encountered scenarios in the clinic. An illustrative descriptio...

PURPOSE The aim of this work was to evaluate nuclear histone acetylation level and total histone acetyltransferase (HAT) and deacetylase (HDAC) activity in ejaculated sperm and their relevance to conventional sperm parameters. MATERIALS AND METHODS Thirty-three normozoospermic men were included in this study. Semen samples were processed by swim-up and then immunostained by six acetylation an...

Azoospermia, the absence of any sperm cells from the ejaculated semen, poses a real challenge to the fertility urologist. While there are options to create happy families for azoospermic couples, such as the use of donor sperm and adoption, most couples still want to have genetically related offspring. Advances in urology, gynecology, and fertility laboratory technologies allow surgical sperm r...