Molecular study of the presence and transcriptional activity of HPV in semen.

Purpose: Human Papillomavirus (HPV) in semen represents a controversial topic. Recent evidence suggests a correlation with poor semen quality, but its detection is still unstandardized in this biological fluid. Thus, the aims of this study were to verify the ability of nested PCR to reveal HPV-DNA in semen; to evaluate association of seminal HPV with sperm parameters and risk factors for infection; to investigate the rate of HPV-DNA positivity in patients with and without risk factors; to assess HPV transcriptional activity.

Safety of gender affirming treatment in assigned female at birth transgender people and association of androgen and estrogen β receptor polymorphisms with clinical outcomes.

Purpose: Gender affirming hormone treatment (GAHT) with androgens in assigned female at birth (AFAB) people with Gender Incongruence (GI) can induce and maintain variable phenotypical changes, but individual response may be genetically determined. To clarify the role of AR and ERβ polymorphisms we prospectively evaluated AFAB subjects undergoing virilizing GAHT.

Methods: Fifty-two AFAB people with confirmed GI were evaluated before (T0) and after 6 (T6) and 12 months (T12) of testosterone enanthate 250 mg i.

Erectile function and androgen and estrogen beta receptor gene polymorphisms in acromegalic men.

Purpose: Sexual dysfunctions are often experienced by male patients with acromegaly, due to a combination of hypogonadism and other comorbidities, but are a scarcely investigated complication. Erectile dysfunction is also closely related to cardiovascular diseases through endothelial dysfunction. Therefore, this project aimed to assess the prevalence of erectile dysfunction in a population of acromegalic men and evaluate its association with cardio-metabolic disorders, also exploring associations with androgen and estrogen receptor gene polymorphisms.

Bladder Neck Obstruction: Experience and Management in a Sperm Bank.

Primary Bladder Neck Obstruction (PBNO) management provides medical and surgical treatment, such as transurethral incisions that can lead to retrograde ejaculation. The aim of this study was to investigate the maintenance of anterograde ejaculation and semen quality before and after this surgical procedure. A retrospective evaluation was carried out between 2011 and 2020.

Sperm DNA Fragmentation and Sperm-Borne miRNAs: Molecular Biomarkers of Embryo Development?

The evaluation of morpho-functional sperm characteristics alone is not enough to explain infertility or to predict the outcome of Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART): more sensitive diagnostic tools are needed in clinical practice. The aim of the present study was to analyze Sperm DNA Fragmentation (SDF) and sperm-borne miR-34c-5p and miR-449b-5p levels in men of couples undergoing ART, in order to investigate any correlations with fertilization rate, embryo quality and development. Male partners (n = 106) were recruited.