Effects of Varicocele Repair on Testicular Endocrine Function: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Purpose: The objective of this manuscript is to assess the effect of varicocele repair (VR) in patients with clinical varicoceles on serum total testosterone, luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and inhibin B serum levels.

Materials And Methods: The study was performed in compliance with the Meta-Analysis and Systematic Reviews of Observational Studies (MOOSE) guidelines and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols (PRISMA-P). All eligible studies were selected following the PICOS (Population, Intervention, Comparison/Comparator, Outcomes, Study design) model.

The association of socioeconomic status with semen parameters in a cohort of men in the United States.

Background: Socioeconomic differences are present within the population of men who experience infertility and seek treatment.

Objective: To study the association of socioeconomic status with semen parameters in a group of men using mail-in semen analyses.

Materials And Methods: The records of 11,134 men that used mail-in semen analyses from a fertility company were identified.

Uncovering the interhospital price variations for vasectomies in the United States.

Due to the historic lack of transparency in healthcare pricing in the United States, the degree of price variation for vasectomy is largely unknown. Our study aims to assess characteristics of hospitals reporting prices for vasectomy as well as price variation associated with hospital factors and insurance status. A cross-sectional analysis was performed in October, 2022 using the Turquoise Database which compiles publicly available hospital pricing data.

Driving Time and Compliance With Postvasectomy Semen Analysis Drop-Off.

Objective: Current literature demonstrates low rates of compliance with postvasectomy semen analysis (PVSA). This study sought to determine factors that correlate with noncompliance with PVSA.

Methods: A retrospective chart review was conducted for patients who underwent vasectomy within our institution.

The Variability of Semen Parameters With Sexual Abstinence Using Mail-in Sperm Testing Is Similar to That Seen With Traditional In-Office Semen Analysis.

The impact of ejaculatory abstinence on semen parameters using in-office semen analyses has been well-established; however, their variability has not been evaluated in men using mail-in semen analysis kits. Our study aims to describe how the sperm parameters using mail-in semen analysis tests change with abstinence and validate their equivalence to those seen with in-office semen analysis tests. We retrospectively reviewed the semen analysis results of men using mail-in semen analysis tests provided by Give Legacy, Inc (Legacy) facilities from 2019 to 2021.

The Racial and Socioeconomic Characteristics of Men Using Mail-in Semen Testing Kits in the United States.

Objective: To describe the racial and socioeconomic characteristics of men using mail-in semen testing kits for their fertility care in the United States over 3 years.

Methods: A cross-sectional analysis was conducted of men who used mail-in semen analyses from a single direct-to-consumer (DTC) fertility platform between 2020 and 2022. Age, race/ethnicity, place of residence, and education level of men using mail-in semen analysis kits was collected from user questionnaires.

Financial decision analysis based on "willingness to pay" for surgical sperm retrieval approaches among men with non-obstructive azoospermia in the United States.

Objective: To determine the most financially optimal surgical approach for testicular sperm retrieval for men with non-obstructive azoospermia.

Design: A decision tree was created examining five potential surgical approaches for men with non-obstructive azoospermia pursuing one cycle of intracytoplasmic sperm injection. An expected financial net loss was determined for each surgical option based on couples' willingness to pay for one cycle of intracytoplasmic sperm injection resulting in pregnancy.

Melatonin and Prostate Cancer: Anti-tumor Roles and Therapeutic Application.

Melatonin is an endogenous indoleamine that has been shown to inhibit tumor growth in laboratory models of prostate cancer. Prostate cancer risk has additionally been associated with exogenous factors that interfere with normal pineal secretory activity, including aging, poor sleep, and artificial light at night. Therefore, we aim to expand on the important epidemiological evidence, and to review how melatonin can impede prostate cancer.

Impact and Implications of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Urological Training.

Introduction: COVID-19 has forever impacted health care in the U.S. Changes to health and hospital policies led to disruptions to both patient care and medical training.

Evaluating the readability of online testosterone search results.

With the budding interest in testosterone therapy (TTh), online health information plays a significant role in patients' health care decisions. Therefore, we evaluated the source and readability of web-based information available to patients regarding TTh on Google. From Google search terms "Testosterone Therapy" and "Testosterone Replacement", 77 unique sources were identified.

Geographic Differences in Semen Quality among a Cohort of American Men Using Mail-in Sperm Testing Kits.

Purpose: To evaluate the relationship between regional geography and sperm parameters in a cohort of American men using at-home mail-in semen collection kits with no previous self-reported history of male factor infertility.

Materials And Methods: In this study, 5,822 men from six different regions of the United States (Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, West, Pacific, and Southwest) who self-requested semen analysis between 2019 and 2021 were enrolled.

Results: Across the entire cohort, the mean sperm concentration was 43.

Occupational factors and markers of testicular function among men attending a fertility center.

Study Question: Are occupational factors associated with markers of testicular function among men attending a fertility center?

Summary Answer: Men working non-daytime/rotating shifts and those with physically demanding jobs have higher sperm concentration and total sperm count as well as higher estradiol and total testosterone concentrations.

What Is Known Already: Semen quality has declined during recent decades and has been negatively correlated with higher risks of common chronic diseases and mortality, highlighting its public health importance beyond fertility and reproduction. While most of the previous epidemiology literature on male fertility has focused on environmental exposures, dietary factors, and other related variables, little attention has been paid to occupational factors.

Nonpharmaceutical interventions reduce the incidence and mortality of COVID-19: A study based on the survey from the International COVID-19 Research Network (ICRN).

The recently emerged novel coronavirus, "severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2)," caused a highly contagious disease called coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). It has severely damaged the world's most developed countries and has turned into a major threat for low- and middle-income countries. Since its emergence in late 2019, medical interventions have been substantial, and most countries relied on public health measures collectively known as nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs).

Semen parameter variability among users of at-home sperm testing kits.

Background: Despite the generally accepted World Health Organization guidelines on semen analysis, an individual's results can display significant variation when performed across time or in different laboratories. Semen parameters are in fact highly variable measures that can differ significantly between various analyses. Numerous researchers have discovered a wide range of semen parameters within each individual male, but only a few studies included the analysis of semen parameters variability in patients with infertility.