Showing papers in "Archives of Andrology in 1993"

Semen Analysis in Insulin-Dependent/Non-Insulin-Dependent Diabetic Men with/without Neuropathy

Abstract: The present study deals with the diabetic neuropathies prevailing in the male population. In this investigation 100 insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) and 314 non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) patients with and without an objective evidence of neuropathy, having an age span of 15 to 80 years and the duration of diabetes distributed over 1-33 years were included along with age-matched nondiabetic controls. The diabetic subjects were evaluated for semen analysis. Results of semen analysis showed a highly significant increase (p > .0005) in total sperm output and sperm concentration in both IDDM and NIDDM neuropathic diabetic men. On the other hand, sperm motility and semen volume were found to be about 30 and 60% less, respectively, in IDDM and NIDDM patients, where as sperm morphology and quality of sperm motility remained unaffected. A comparison between IDDM and NIDDM neuropathic and non-neuropathic diabetic groups further indicated a nonsignificant difference in the parameters of semen analysis, thus suggesting an endocrine basis for the sexual disturbances of diabetic neuropathy. A significant rise in total sperm output in both IDDM and NIDDM neuropathic diabetic patients and a significant decrease in semen volume in both types of diabetic patients thus suggests some kind of Leydig cell hyperplasia, which in turn may stimulate spermatogenesis and atonia of the bladder and urethra, resulting in retrograde ejaculation.

Treatment of Varicocele and Male Fertility

Abstract: Ninety-six patients with varicocele were followed for 4 years in a prospective randomized study. Seventeen patients were excluded from the study in accordance with exclusion criteria. In 26 patients varicocele was treated surgically and 12 patients were treated either by sclerosation or embolization. Forty-one patients with varicocele had no therapy. In 54 patients oligoasthenozoospermia and in 25 normozoospermia was certified. In the group of patients without treatment, the pregnancy rate in the women was higher (22/41, or 53.7%) than in the group receiving treatment (13/38, or 34.2%). The difference was not statistically significant. After therapy, sperm concentration increased and sperm motility improved also. The differences were not statistically significant. The study showed that varicocele therapy bears no influence on male fertility.

Hyperviscosity and Hypofunction of the Seminal Vesicles

Abstract: The study was designed to determine whether hyperviscosity of the semen sample is related to dysfunction of the male accessory glands. It was carried out on men who consecutively attended an infertility clinic between June 1989 and June 1991, and the men were grouped according to viscosity of semen samples (normal viscosity or higher viscosity). Semen samples from 229 infertility patients were studied. From these, 155 had normal viscosity and 74 showed hyperviscosity. The effect of hyperviscosity of semen samples on seminal quality and the function of the prostate was evaluated by acid phosphatase measurement, and the seminal vesicles by measurement of corrected fructose. Sperm motility (grades II–III), sperm vitality, and corrected fructose were significantly reduced in samples with high viscosity (p <. 05). A high prevalence of hyperviscosity in semen samples was associated with only hypofunc-tion of the seminal vesicles. In fact, 36.5% of subjects with hyperviscosity showed reduced levels of corrected ...

In vitro interaction between oviduct epithelia and equine sperm

Abstract: Coculture of stallion sperm with monolayers of equine oviductal epithelia cells (OEC) was evaluated. Monolayers were obtained from frozen-thawed OEC. Live sperm attached to the OEC in vitro, whereas sperm killed by heat treatment or glutaraldehyde fixation did not. Sperm attached to OEC showed flagellar motion for 4dm vitro, during which time they gradually became released. Scanning electronmicrographs showed an intimate association between the sperm and OEC. Incubation of sperm for 4 h with either control, heparinized or OEC-conditioned medium (Tyrode's albumin lactate phosphate) resulted in more uncapacitated sperm, as determined by chlortetracycline staining patterns. The OEC-conditioned medium caused similar capacitation-like changes to those seen with heparin. Sperm viability as determined by Hoechst 33258 staining was not significantly affected by media type.

Effect of heparin on capacitation/acrosome reaction of equine sperm.

Abstract: The onset of sperm capacitation/acrosome reaction was evaluated using heparin. Equine semen was incubated at 38 degrees C for 4.5 h in culture medium with and without 10 micrograms/mL heparin and with and without 0.1 microM of Ca2+ ionophore. Sperm acrosome reaction was detected using chlortetracycline fluorescence (CTC) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The CTC assay provided staining patterns that corresponded with the capacitation/acrosome reaction in other mammalian species (man, mouse, guinea pig). The percentages of incapacitated sperm (PUC), capacitated acrosome-intact sperm (PC), and acrosome-reacted sperm (PAR) were evaluated following incubation times of 0.5 and 4.5 h in heparin-free and heparinized medium, and at 4.5 h only in sperm exposed to Ca2+ ionophore. The CTC assay was highly correlated with TEM for estimation of PAR. At 4.5 h, heparinized medium reduced PUC and increased PC and PAR, in comparison with heparin-free medium. Addition of Ca2+ ionophore to the medium reduced PUC and increased PC and PAR at 4.5 h, as compared with sperm in ionophore-free medium. Incubation time also affected PUC, PC, and PAR in heparin-free and heparinized medium without ionophore. The PUC was greater at 0.5 h than at 4.5 h, and PC and PAR were less at 0.5 h than at 4.5 h. It would appear that the initiation of capacitation/acrosome reaction of equine sperm in vitro is accelerated by heparin.

Role of the cumulus in the selection of morphologically normal sperm and induction of the acrosome reaction during human in vitro fertilization

Abstract: This study analyzed the role that the cumulus oophorus may play in the selection of morphologically normal sperm and the induction of the acrosome reaction. Using the triple stain technique, sperm morphology and acrosomal status were compared between sperm that penetrated the cumulus during in vitro fertilization and sperm from outside the cumulus. The mean percentage of morphologically normal sperm in the samples was 54 ± 2.8 and increased (p < 0.05) to 67 ± 2.6 within the cumulus. Tapered sperm were significantly decreased (p < 0.05) within the cumulus. The percentage of sperm undergoing the acrosome reaction significantly increased (p < 0.05) from 14.5 ± 1.5 to 24.5 ± 1.9 when incubated with a cumulus mass, and further increased to 49 ± 3.3 when incubated with mature, expanded cumulus tissue containing an oocyte. These data indicate that human cumulus oophorus plays an active role in the selection of morphologically normal sperm, and influences the ability of the sperm to undergo the acrosome reaction.

Nonspermatozoal Cells in Semen: Relationship to Other Semen Parameters and Fertility Status of the Couple

Abstract: In semen samples from 94 men from infertile couples and 42 control patients proven to be fertile the occurrence of different kinds of nonspermatozoal cells (NSC) was examined. The findings were evaluated in relation to other seminal parameters and to the fertility status of the couple. The ratios of NSC to sperm and primary spermatocytes to spermatids revealed increasing values with decreasing sperm counts. Especially in a group where the semen samples contained ≥6 × 106 motile sperm per mL and no infertility factor was detectable in the woman, the concentration of leukocytes was high, with three of eight patients having ≥106 leukocytes per mL. A high proportion of abnormal sperm seemed to occur more frequently where the cause of infertility could be found in the man. A high number of leukocytes was neither significantly associated to an increased proportion of abnormal sperm nor to sperm motility evaluated by recording the percentage of motile sperm and the 1-h migration distance in sodium hyaluronate me...

Risk factors for unexplained dyspermia in infertile men: a case-control study.

Abstract: This study was conducted to analyze risk factors for dyspermia in infertile subjects in a population of men attending outpatient services for infertility in Milan, Northern Italy. Between September 1989 and November 1990 we conducted a case-control study on risk factors for dyspermia. Cases included infertile men with a diagnosis of unexplained dyspermia consecutively observed for the first time during the study period at the Outpatient Service for Infertility of the First Obstetric and Gynecologic Clinic of the University of Milan. Specific work-up was done to exclude the major known or potential causes of dyspermia and infertility in patients and their partners. Two control groups were selected. The first included normospermic men of infertile couples with negative work-up for any disease that might affect fertility, observed in the same outpatient service where cases had been identified. The second control group included fertile men of unknown semen quality who were the partners of women who gave birth at term (> 37 w gestation) to health infants in randomly selected days at the same clinic. In comparison with those who have never smoked, current smokers were at increased risk of dyspermia versus both normospermic men of infertile couples and fertile men of unknown semen quality, and the risk increased with number of cigarettes smoked per day and duration of smoking. The risk of dyspermia increased with the number of cups of coffee drunk per day compared with men drinking no or one cup per day. Likewise, alcohol drinkers were at increased risk and the risk increased with number of drinks/d.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Anatomical Characteristics of the Left Testicular Venous System in Man

Abstract: Autopsy was performed on 49 male cadavers and the entire course of the left testicular vein (LTV) was studied. The testicular venous pathway was divided into four levels: scrotal, inguinal, pelvic, and lumbar. At the scrotal level, many small testicular veins constituting the pampiniform plexus showed various anastomoses with the cremasteric and vasal veins. At the inguinal and pelvic level, 4-12 and 2-8 LTVs were recognized, respectively. At the pelvic level, absence of valves was seen in 33% of the cases. At the lumbar level, 1-5 LTVs were observed and were mainly anastomosed with the retroperitoneal, ureteral, and kidney capsular veins. Absence of valves at the lumbar level was seen in 37% of the cases. In 11 cases, the valves that were present were incompetent. The presence of more than one LTV at the lumbar level indicates the necessity for attentive identification of all of the testicular veins during surgical treatment of varicocele.

Serum and Urinary Levels of Pituitary-Gonadal Hormones in Insulin-Dependent and Non-Insulin-Dependent Diabetic Males with and without Neuropathy

Abstract: Diabetic neuropathies were studied in 100 insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus patients, 314 non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus patients with and without an objective evidence of neuropathy (age span, 15–80 years; duration of diabetes distributed over 1–33 years), and their age-matched nondiabetic controls. Serum and urinary levels of pituitary-gonadal hormones were evaluated in the diabetic subjects. There were striking results, i.e., a significantly low serum total and serum free (urinary) testosterone level (p <. 0005) and a significantly high serum and urinary FSH and LH and serum prolactin level (p <. 0005), specifically in the neuropathic diabetic patients, suggesting a series of pathological reactions in the smooth musculature of genital organs characterized by an increase in the interstetial thickness of seminiferous tubules, peritubular and intertubular fibrosis, and tubular sclerosis. Testicular necrosis, probably due to neuropathy, provided an additional aid to confirm these findings. A dec...

Male reproductive system in patients exposed to ionizing irradiation in the Chernobyl accident.

Abstract: Twelve men with different forms and stages of chronic radiation dermatitis caused by accidental exposure to beta and gamma irradiation during and after the Chernobyl atomic power plant accident were examined. Two patients had impotentia coeundi, and the others reported various impairments of sexual function. One patient had aspermia, two patients had azoospermia, one had oligospermia, and four had normal sperm counts. In three samples abnormal forms of spermatozoa were increased. Sperm motility was decreased in 3 samples and was normal in another. Hormonal analyses demonstrated low testosterone plasma levels in two patients, an increase of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) levels in six patients, and a decrease of luteinizing hormone (LH) in one patient. In one patient who showed an increase of plasma prolactin level, associated with low testosterone and LH, a microadenoma of the pituitary gland (prolactinoma) was detected. It would appear that there is an association between accidental exposure to ionizing radiation of varying severity and the impairment of exocrine and endocrine testicular function, sometimes resulting in long-lasting physiological and psychological problems.

Discrepancies in sperm count using improved Neubauer, Makler, and Horwells counting chambers

Abstract: Semen analysis still remains an important diagnostic procedure in male infertility evaluation. For the purpose of standardization and uniformity in the interpretation of sperm count results, the ac...

Immunoglobulin binding factor in human seminal plasma: immunological function.

Abstract: Human Seminal Plasma contains a protein with an estimated molecular weight of 16 led that binds serum immunoglobulin gamma (IgG) and is named IgG binding factor (IgBF). Purified IgBF specifically suppressed pokeweed mitogen-induced lymphocyte blastogenesis, havinglittleornoeffecton lymphocyte blastogenesis stimulated with phytohemagglutinin or Concanavalin A; antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity; natural killer cell activity; or complement-dependent cytotoxicity of antibodies against sperm. It would appear that IgBF may suppress activation of B cells in the male and female genital tract.

Effectiveness of antiestrogens in infertile men

Abstract: Eighty-nine oligozoospermic men, treated by clomiphene or tamoxifen or with no treatment at all, were evaluated during a 4-year follow-up period. Ejaculate volume, sperm concentration, and sperm motility were determined and concentrations of prolactin (PRL), estradiol, beta hCG, prostaglandin E2, zinc, and fructose were ascertained. Isoenzyme LDH-C4 activity and serum PRL and follicle stimulating hormone were also determined. During treatment there was only a minimum increase in sperm concentration. No improvement in sperm motility and no alteration in ejaculate volume were observed. The pregnancy rate was lower in the partners of patients receiving treatment (23.8%) than in the partners of those receiving none (29.6%). Statistically the difference is insignificant. After antiestrogen therapy, prolactin concentrations in serum decreased andzinc concentrations in seminal plasmaincreased.Forthetreatmentofidiopathicoligozoospermia in infertile men, clomiphene and tamoxifen were ineffective medication.

Semen characteristics of tobacco users in India

Abstract: Qualitative analysis of semen samples have been compared between 79 different types of tobacco addicts (smokers, chewers, and multiple addicts) with 21 nonaddicts (never consumed any form of tobacco). The percentage of motile sperm and total sperm count of the tobacco chewers are significantly low (p < .05). The frequency of abnormal sperm is also significantly high (p < .001) for smoking and multiple addict groups. Differential effects of smoking and chewing tobacco on sperm characteristics are discussed.

Effect of heparin on human spermatozoa migration in vitro.

Abstract: In an in vitro model, the number of human sperm cells migrating to wells containing heparin was significantly higher than those migrating to control wells. In humans a statistically significant chemotactic effect was noted in a 0.05 mg/ml in incubation medium.

Hypoosmotic swelling test with a medium of distilled water

Abstract: The functional competence of the human sperm membrane is assessed by studying the swelling reaction of sperm when suspended in a medium of distilled water (water test). Eighty-seven patients with idiopathic infertility were investigated by the water test and the results were compared with various semen parameters. High correlations with the percentage of b-g type swollen sperm in the water test were observed for sperm concentration (r = .53, p < .05) and percent motility (r = .62, p < .01). The sperm swelling values obtained by the water test correlated well with those obtained by the hypoosmotic swelling test (HOST). Correlation coefficients in b-g and g swelling pattern were 0.89 and 0.71, respectively. The percentage of g-type swelling obtained by the water test was significantly larger than that obtained by the HOST (p < .05), although the two hypoosmotic procedures gave similar percentages of b-g swelling pattern. The percentage of g swelling pattern obtained by the water test correlated well with percent motility (r = .70, p < .001). These findings suggest that the water test is more useful for assessing the integrity of the sperm membrane than the HOST. The relationship between this test and subsequent fertility, as well as to other sperm function tests, needs further investigation.

Human Sperm Function after Coculture with Human Fallopian Tubal Epithelial Cell Monolayers: In Vitro Model for Studying Cell Interactions in Early Human Conception

Abstract: It has been difficult to study the behavior of sperm in the tubal environment in vivo. Human tubal epithelial cells were therefore cultured in vitro to simulate tubal conditions and human sperm function was assessed in the presence of such cells in vitro. Ampullary epithelial cell lines were established from fallopian tubes collected from premenopausal women undergoing hysterectomy. Approximately 1 x 10(5) cells/mL from monolayers of the third passage were seeded with 1 mL of culture medium into each well of 4-well plastic dishes. Sperm from 10 ejaculates of 10 different oligoasthenozoospermic men 30-41 years of age were recovered by the swim-up method and 200,000 sperm from each ejaculate were added into each well at the time of cell seeding. Control wells were treated the same but without cells. All dishes were incubated at 37 degrees C in 5% CO2, and sperm motility, acrosome reaction, and sperm-cell binding assessed at 1, 5, and 24 h. Curvilinear velocity and mean amplitude of lateral head displacement were significantly different in ampullary cultures as compared with controls for all three time periods: 1 h (67 +/- 5.2 vs 58 +/- 4.9 microns/s, p < 0.05; 4.48 +/- 0.4 vs 3.29 +/- 0.3 microns; p < 0.05), 5 h (75 +/- 5.8 vs 64 +/- 5.0 microns/s, p < 0.05; 4.92 +/- 0.5 vs 3.68 +/- 0.3 microns, p < 0.05), and 24 h (70 +/- 4.8 vs 59 +/- 4.2 microns/s, p < 0.05; 4.36 +/- 0.4 vs 3.11 +/- 0.3 microns, p < 0.05).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Hormone profiles and contralateral testicular histology in down's syndrome with unilateral testicular tumor

Abstract: Hormonal profiles and testicular histology were studied in two patients with Down's syndrome with unilateral testicular tumor. Plasma levels of LH and FSH were elevated above normal ranges in both cases. In case 1, plasma testosterone level was abnormally low, but prolactin level in plasma was within the normal range. Case 2 showed elevated concentration of plasma prolactin and normal level of plasma testosterone. The administration of LH-RH resulted in low response of plasma gonadotropins. The response of plasma testosterone to the administration of HCG was abnormally suppressed in both cases. Testicular histology showed reduction of Johnsen score count and tubular diameter, and an increase in wall thickness. These results indicated that male patients with Down's syndrome have an abnormality in hypothalamo-pituitary-gonadal axis.

Sperm Morphology in Fertile Men

Abstract: Sperm morphology was assessed in 78 fertile men according to the Dusseldorf classification. There were 30% normal forms on average, which conforms with the new World Health Organization guidelines. This differs from the strict criteria of the Tygerberg group [9] probably due to the fact that these criteria were established under in vitro conditions.

Comparative evaluation of three sperm-washing methods to improve sperm concentration and motility in frozen-thawed oligozoospermic and normozoospermic samples.

Abstract: Three sperm-washing methods (direct layering without centrifugation, DL; ficoll entrapment, F; and percoll gradient, P) were evaluated for sperm recovery and motility using computer-automated semen analysis on frozen-thawed samples from normozoospermic and oligozoospermic men. The motile sperm recovery after freeze-thawing was significantly greater for normozoospermic compared with oligozoospermic samples (43 ± 5.08% vs 15.76 ± 3.53%; p < 0.001). The P-separated prelayer gave significantly higher recovery of motile sperm than the DL and F methods for both oligozoospermic (0.51 ± 0.14 vs 0.19 ± 0.05; p < 0.05) and normozoospermic samples (9.74 ± 3.11 to 43 ± 6.01 vs 0.88 ± 0.23 to 15.30 ± 3.12; p < 0.001). The P-separated postlayer had higher curvilinear velocities than the DL, F, and prelayered P methods for oligozoospermic samples only (71 ± 5.13 μm/s vs 53 ± 3.67 to 59 ± 2.72 nm/s; p < 0.05). Mean amplitude of lateral head displacement values were significantly different for postlayered P-treated sperm ...

Epididymal Markers in an Andrology Clinic

Abstract: The ability of the markers α-glucosidase, carnitine, and glycerylphosphorylcholine to indicate epididymal obstruction was studied. α-Glucosidase was found to be the best discriminant, with 93.4% correct classifications. The possible interrelationship between α-glucosidase activity, sperm ATP, and epididymal function was then studied. α-Glucosidase correlated positively with the percentage of motile sperm (p = 0.0212) and with the percentage of sperm with good forward progression (p = 0.0374), but correlated negatively with the sperm ATP (p < 0.0500). It was concluded that lower ATP and higher α-Glucosidase may be markers of efficient epididymal function. The possible epididymal origin of detached ciliary tufts (DCTs) was studied by determining ATP and α-glucosidase activity in patients with DCTs. The mean ATP in patients with DCTs was significantly higher (p = 0.009), but the α-glucosidase activity significantly lower (p = 0.0412) than in the control group. These results seem to support the epididymal ori...

Acrosome-Reacted Sperm in Infertile and Fertile Men Using the Triple-Stain Technique

Abstract: By means of a triple-stain technique, the acrosome reaction in infertile and fertile males was investigated. The highest correlations with the percentage of acrosome-reacted sperm were found for motile sperm concentration (r = .60, p < .01) and percent motility (r = .58, p < .05). Significant correlations were also demonstrated between acrosome reactivity and both sperm concentration (r = .50, p < .05) and velocity (r = .40, p < .05). There was only a weak correlation between the percentage of acrosome-reacted sperm and that of swollen sperm. The ratio of acrosome-reacted sperm demonstrated in oligoasthenozoospermic patients was significantly lower than that observed in normozoospermic or fertile males (both, p < .05). There was no significant difference in the ratio of acrosome-reacted sperm between normozoospermic and fertile males. However, all the cases in the latter group had 15% or more acrosome-reacted sperm, whereas the parameter was widely distributed in the former group and some in this group had a decreased ratio. It would appear that a disturbance of the acrosome reaction is one of the causes of reduced fertility potential in normozoospermic males.

Therapeutic Intrauterine Insemination Improves with Gonadotropin Ovarian Stimulation

Abstract: Therapeutic intrauterine insemination (IUI) is frequently used as a first line of treatment of infertility The reported results vary, depending on the indication and the use of ovulation simulation protocols In the present study, we review the experience at the Jones Institute for Reproductive Medicine in Virginia from January 1989 to January 1991 The patients were preferentially treated with ovulation induction with gonadotropins With the addition of gonadotropin stimulation, the total and term pregnancy rates per cycle were 14% and 11%, respectively, including all etiologic factors These rates were improved over the 3% and 26% rates reported in our previous study in which ovarian stimulation was not generally used In male factor patients, the term pregnancy rate was 9%, higher than the 4% term pregnancy rate reported in our previous study In the present series, morphology was the only severely impaired parameter The term pregnancy rate was 11% for patients with ovulatory dysfunction, 10% for those with cervical factor, and 105% for those with unexplained infertility

Effect of Pentoxifylline on Sperm Motion

Abstract: The ability of pentoxifylline to stimulate sperm motility characteristics was assessed. The effect of pentoxifylline was immediate and lasted for 240 min. The percent motility was increased 1.5-fold when compared with the control at 120,180, and 240 min after pentoxifylline treatment. Significant increases in velocity and amplitude of lateral head displacement by the agent were observed at 120 min after the start of incubation. Conversely, linearity was reduced by pentoxifylline. Beat-cross frequency did not show any significant change by the agent at any time point. Sperm swelling was not influenced by pentoxifylline throughout the experiment. It would appear that pentoxifylline stimulates sperm motion in vitro with no change of the sperm membrane.

Late Gonadal Function and Autoimmunization in Familial Testicular Torsion

Abstract: Testicular torsion, one of the most common pediatric urological emergencies, is rarely familial. This study deals with the sixth recorded family with familial testicular torsion and the effects on the spermatogenesis and the appearance of testicular autoantibodies in three affected subjects (two brothers, aged 18 and 15 years, and their father, aged 48 years). The father and one of the brothers, who had peripubertal unilateral testicular torsion, presented normal fertility and oligozoospermia, respectively. The other brother, who had a history of bilateral testicular torsion, did not present pubertal development until he was 18 years old and he needed substitutive testosterone therapy. Sperm autoantibody titer increased only in the two cases with unilateral torsion and remained unmodified at a 5-year follow-up. The results indicate that testicular torsion can cause variable degrees of spermatogenesis impairment and induce development of autoantibodies against spermatozoa and gonadal antigens. The persiste...

Heparin as a Chemoattractant for Mouse Spermatozoa

Abstract: The presence of heparin (0.005 mg/mL) in BWW induces a statistically significant increase in spermatozoa concentration to 7.76 × 104/450 μL in experimental wells compared with 2.69 × 104 450 μ of sperm cells in controls.

Concentrations of Intracellular Sex Steroids in Human Spermatozoa

Abstract: In an attempt to determine whether human spermatozoa contain steroid hormones, the immunoreactive levels of progesterone, testosterone, and estradiol-17/3 were measured in the extracts of sonicated specimens of sperm obtained as ejaculates from husbands of infertile couples (n - 67, age 26–44 years) In the range of sperm concentration between 30 and 8696 million per ejaculate (1432 ± 136 mean ± SEM), the concentrations were as follows: progesterone 1273–66854 fmol/ml (14345 ± 1786), testosterone 983 ± 22191 fmol/ml (6116 ± 490), and estradiol-17/3 330 - 6781 fmol/ml (2069 ± 197) Using Pearson's correlation coefficient, the steroid hormone levels correlated significantly with the total sperm number (p < 02) The spermatozoa contained small but measurable amounts of the sex steroids

Tail beat frequency of human sperm: evaluated with sperm head fixation method and computer-assisted semen analysis

Abstract: Tail beat frequency (TBF) of individual sperm in 15 semen samples was evaluated with a sperm head fixation method (SHFM) Motility parameters of the semen samples were also measured with computer-assisted semen analysis (CASA) The TBF obtained from SHFM correlated best with beat cross-frequency obtained from CASA The TBF measured soon after sperm head fixation also correlated well with total motility and rapid motility, but not with progress motility and critical motility measured with CASA SHFM is a simple method for the study of tail beat frequency and the TBF of individual sperm is closely related to the overall motility in a semen sample

Effect of Follicular Fluid on the Kinetics of Human Sperm Acrosome Reaction in Vitro

Abstract: The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the kinetics of human sperm acrosome reaction in vitro using the triple stain technique. Acrosome reaction was studied in sperm samples from 16 fertile men 2, 6, and 9 h after ejaculation, following incubation in culture medium (CM; Ham's F-10), with a mixture of CM and follicular fluid (FF), or with FF only. Incubation of sperm samples without the influence of any medium served as control. The highest proportion of living acrosome-reacted sperm after a 2-h incubation period occurred in samples incubated with FF (18%), followed by samples incubated with the mixture (15.2%), and then with CM (11.8%). The proportion of living sperm that had undergone the acrosome reaction in the control group was significantly lower (5.7%, p < 0.05). After 6 h of incubation, live acrosome-reacted sperm in FF had increased to 39%, in the mixture to 35.5%, and in CM to 30.5%, whereas in the control group the increase was only 6.3% (p < 0.05). After 9 h of incubation, the percentage of living reacted sperm showed a decline compared with the percentage at 6 h. This decline was greater in samples incubated with FF (from 39 to 19.8%) than in samples incubated with the mixture (from 35.5 to 23.6%). Samples incubated in CM only showed a small decrease from 30.5 to 28.4%, while in the control group this percentage decreased from 6.3 to 2.3%. In conclusion, incubation of sperm in suitable media favorably influences the acrosome reaction, inducing an increase in the percentage of live acrosome-reacted sperm.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)