Analysis of the Functional Aspects of Sperm and Testicular Oxidative Stress in Individuals Undergoing Metabolic Surgery.

Purpose: Metabolic surgery is a recommended treatment for obese patients that results in BMI reduction; however, the observed impact of this therapy on male fertility is inconsistent. This research aimed to study the effects of BMI changes after metabolic surgery on seminal analysis, sex hormonal profile, sperm functional integrity, and the seminal plasma lipid peroxidation levels.

Materials And Methods: A prospective study was performed in 15 patients for whom metabolic surgery was recommended.

Restoration of the apoptosis pathways' proteins levels after orchiectomy in testicular tumour patients.

Seminal plasma proteins already demonstrated to reflect the testicular environment function and important regulatory mechanisms. However, it is crucial to understand which of these proteins participate in probable altered pathways in testicular germ cell tumours and after unilateral orchiectomy. In this study, we proposed to verify, by a multiplex approach, the levels of DNA damage and apoptosis pathways' proteins, in seminal plasma of men before and after unilateral orchiectomy, and also in control men.

One day is better than four days of ejaculatory abstinence for sperm function.

Unlabelled: According to the World Health Organization guidelines, ejaculatory abstinence (EA) of 2-7 days is recommended for semen analysis. This study aimed to determine how seminal quality may be affected by two EA periods from the same man. Seminal samples from 65 men were evaluated by conventional semen analysis and qualitative characteristics after 1 and 4 days of EA (two samples/man).

Antioxidant enzyme profile and lipid peroxidation products in semen samples of testicular germ cell tumor patients submitted to orchiectomy.

Purpose: To determine enzymatic antioxidant and lipid peroxidation levels in seminal plasma of patients orchiectomized for testicular tumors.

Materials And Methods: The study included 52 patients: 26 control men and 26 orchiectomized patients for testicular tumor, of which 12 men had seminoma tumor and 14 men non-seminoma tumor. After semen analysis performed according to the WHO guidelines, an aliquot of semen was centrifuged and the seminal plasma was collected.

Unraveling the sperm proteome and post-genomic pathways associated with sperm nuclear DNA fragmentation.

Purpose: Sperm DNA fragmentation has been suggested as a marker for infertility diagnosis and prognosis. Hence, understanding its impact on male physiology and post-genomic pathways would be clinically important. We performed the proteomics and functional enrichment analyses of viable spermatozoa from ejaculates with low and high sperm DNA fragmentation to identify protein expression and pathways altered in association with sperm DNA fragmentation.

Sperm nuclear DNA fragmentation rate is associated with differential protein expression and enriched functions in human seminal plasma.

Objective: To analyse the proteomic profile of seminal plasma with the aim of identifying the proteins and post-genomic pathways associated with sperm DNA fragmentation.

Materials And Methods: A cross-sectional study including 89 subjects from a human reproduction service was carried out. All semen samples were assessed for sperm DNA fragmentation using a comet assay.

Differential seminal plasma proteome according to semen retrieval in men with spinal cord injury.

Objective: To evaluate protein expression profile and to quantify proteins present in seminal plasma from men with spinal cord injury (SCI) and healthy men without SCI.

Design: Experimental study.

Setting: University hospital.

Changes in the seminal plasma proteome of adolescents before and after varicocelectomy.

Objective: To compare seminal plasma protein profiles before and after varicocele correction to assess if surgical intervention alters the protein profile.

Design: Prospective study.

Setting: Academic research environment.

Proteomic analysis of seminal plasma in adolescents with and without varicocele.

Objective: To compare proteomic profiles of seminal plasma from adolescents with varicocele and changes in semen quality with the plasma from adolescents with varicocele without seminal changes and from adolescents without varicocele.

Design: Observational study.

Setting: Patients in an academic research environment.

Effect of smoking on the functional aspects of sperm and seminal plasma protein profiles in patients with varicocele.

Study Question: What are the effects of smoking on the functional aspects of the sperm, the levels of lipid peroxidation and the protein profile of seminal plasma in patients with varicocele?

Summary Answer: In men with varicocele, smoking is associated with altered semen quality, decreased sperm functional integrity and seminal oxidative stress. Alterations in seminal plasma protein profiles are also present and may explain the altered semen phenotype.

What Is Known Already: Varicocele is a major cause of male infertility.

Association between obesity and alteration of sperm DNA integrity and mitochondrial activity.

Unlabelled: What's known on the subject? and What does the study add? The relationship between high levels of BMI and changes in altered standard semen analysis parameters are described in the literature. However, the functional characteristics of the sperm are essential to complete the evaluation of male infertility. Thus, this study provides important information about the functionality of the sperm of men with different levels of BMI.

Individual and seminal characteristics of patients with testicular germ cell tumors.

Objective: To analyze the characteristics of patients with testicular germ cell cancer and compare patients' sperm quality according to histologic type (seminomatous and nonseminomatous tumors).

Design: Prospective study.

Setting: Sperm bank at a university.

Is sperm cryopreservation an option for fertility preservation in patients with spinal cord injury-induced anejaculation?

Objective: To evaluate the effects of cryopreservation on sperm mitochondrial activity and nuclear DNA integrity in men with spinal cord injury.

Design: Prospective controlled study.

Setting: Patients in an academic research environment.

Effect of leukocytospermia and processing by discontinuous density gradient on sperm nuclear DNA fragmentation and mitochondrial activity.

Purpose: To assess the effect of leukocytospermia and semen processing on sperm DNA and mitochondria.

Methods: Twenty-two patients with and 41 without leukocytospermia were included. Sperm DNA fragmentation was assessed by the Comet assay, and mitochondrial activity by a colorimetric method for active mitochondria.

Quality and functional aspects of sperm retrieved through assisted ejaculation in men with spinal cord injury.

Objective: To assess semen quality, sperm DNA fragmentation, and mitochondrial activity in fertile men as well as in men with spinal cord injury who were collecting semen through different methods.

Design: Prospective controlled study.

Setting: Academic research environment.

Sperm nuclear DNA fragmentation and mitochondrial activity in men with varicocele.

Objective: To verify the impact of varicocele on semen quality and sperm function (DNA integrity and mitochondrial activity).

Design: Prospective study.

Setting: Patients in an academic research environment.

Sperm nuclear apoptotic DNA fragmentation in men with testicular cancer.

Objective: To verify whether sperm from patients with a seminoma and patients with a non-seminoma present with an increased rate of apoptotic DNA fragmentation, when compared with men without testicular cancer and who had fathered a child in the 2 years preceding the study.

Design: Controlled prospective study.

Setting: Patients referred to a sperm bank in an academic research environment.

Semen processing by density gradient centrifugation does not improve sperm apoptotic deoxyribonucleic acid fragmentation rates.

We wished to verify whether semen processing by discontinuous double-layered density gradient centrifugation could improve sperm apoptotic DNA fragmentation rates using a commercially available deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate nick end labeling assay in 35 consecutive men presenting for assisted reproductive treatments. Although sperm motility did improve as expected, no effects were observed in sperm apoptotic DNA fragmentation rates, and this should be considered in the routine assisted reproduction setting.

Effect of cryopreservation on sperm apoptotic deoxyribonucleic acid fragmentation in patients with oligozoospermia.

Objective: To verify if the increase in sperm apoptotic DNA fragmentation during cryopreservation is greater in oligozoospermic patients than in normozoospermic controls.

Design: Controlled prospective study.

Setting: Patients in an academic research environment.

Search and identification of spermatozoa and spermatids in the ejaculate of non-obstructive azoospermic patients.

Objective: To search and to identify spermatozoa and spermatids, present in the ejaculate of non-obstructive azoospermic patients.

Materials And Methods: 27 patients, aged between 18 and 48 years, with initial diagnosis compatible with non-obstructive azoospermia, underwent up to 3 seminal samples, with assessment of macroscopic and microscopic parameters differentiated for each sample. In the first sample, 5 microL of semen were analyzed in a Horwell chamber in order to assess the presence or absence of spermatozoa.