Sperm DNA fragmentation is being increasingly recognized as an important cause of infertility. We herein describe the Sperm Chromatin Dispersion (SCD) test, a novel assay for sperm DNA fragmentation in semen. The SCD test is based on the principle that sperm with fragmented DNA fail to produce the characteristic halo of dispersed DNA loops that is observed in sperm with non-fragmented DNA, foll...

BACKGROUND Before ovulation, sperm-oviduct interaction mechanisms may act as checkpoint for the selection of fertilizing spermatozoa in mammals. Postovulatory mating does not allow the sperm to attach to the oviduct, and spermatozoa may only undergo some selection processes during the transport through the female reproductive tract and/or during the zona pellucida (ZP) binding/penetration. ME...

BACKGROUND Most studies examining the use of ICSI for cases of elevated sperm DNA fragmentation report poor pregnancy and implantation rates. ICSI with testicular sperm samples has recently been suggested for these cases. Here we test a less invasive approach based on oral antioxidant treatment prior to ICSI with ejaculated spermatozoa. METHODS Thirty-eight men with an elevated (> or =15%) pe...

A reduction of more than 4 orders of magnitude of survivors was obtained by exposing a Bacillus Stearothermophilus spores contaminated surface to an atmospheric pressure DBD post-discharge for 20 minutes. Decontamination mechanisms are investigated assuming that (i) inactivation is obtained when the bacteria DNA is fragmented, (ii) the protein coats are the main protection of the cell core DNA ...

Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved pathway responsible for degradation of cytoplasmic material via the lysosome. Although autophagy has been reported to contribute to cell death, the underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown. In this study, we show that autophagy controls DNA fragmentation during late oogenesis in Drosophila melanogaster. Inhibition of autophagy by genetically removing...

Estramustine phosphate (EMP), a cytotoxic drug used in the treatment of prostatic carcinoma, is metabolized and exerts specific cytotoxic effects in malignant glioma in vitro and in vivo. In the present study, we have evaluated the cytotoxic effect of EMP in the clinical situation with regard to appearance of DNA damage and its correlation to the uptake of estramustine (EaM) in human malignant ...

Apoptosis is a form of programmed cell death characterized by cytoplasmic condensation, plasma membrane blebbing and nuclear pycnosis, leading to nuclear DNA breakdown into multiples of ∼200 bp oligonucleosomal size fragments. The detection of apoptosis in cultured cells relies heavily on techniques involving the extraction of nuclear DNA and characterization of such oligonucleosomal ladders by...