Influence of Lifestyle Factors on Quantitative Heel Ultrasound Measurements in Middle-Aged and Elderly Men.

We examined the distribution of quantitative heel ultrasound (QUS) parameters in population samples of European men and looked at the influence of lifestyle factors on the occurrence of these parameters. Men aged between 40 and 79 years were recruited from eight European centers and invited to attend for an interviewer-assisted questionnaire, assessment of physical performance, and quantitative ultrasound (QUS) of the calcaneus (Hologic; Sahara). The relationships between QUS parameters and lifestyle variables were assessed using linear regression with adjustments for age, center, and weight.

Gonadal sex steroid status and bone health in middle-aged and elderly European men.

Summary: The influence of sex steroids on calcaneal quantitative ultrasound (QUS) parameters was assessed in a population sample of middle-aged and elderly European men. Higher free and total E(2) though not testosterone, were independently associated with higher QUS parameters.

Introduction: The aim of this study was to investigate the association between QUS parameters and sex steroids in middle-aged and elderly European men.

Age-related changes in general and sexual health in middle-aged and older men: results from the European Male Ageing Study (EMAS).

Introduction: Limited information is available concerning the general and sexual health status of European men.

Aim: To investigate the age-related changes in general and sexual health in middle-aged and older men from different countries of the European Union.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional multicenter survey performed on a sample of 3,369 community-dwelling men aged 40-79 years old (mean 60 + or - 11 years).

CAG repeat number is not inversely associated with androgen receptor activity in vitro.

A negative linear association between androgen receptor (AR) function and the CAG repeat numbers is generally assumed. However, in vivo data concerning the association between CAG number and androgenic effects have been conflicting. Since former in vitro studies mostly have been based on extreme CAG lengths and reporter-systems containing viral promoters, the objective of this study was to investigate ARs with CAG lengths within normal range (16, 22 and 28) in a reporter-assay with the human prostate specific antigen promoter as target.

Sperm chromatin structure assay as an independent predictor of fertility in vivo: a case-control study.

Standard sperm parameters have a limited power for prediction of the chance of natural conception. Recent studies have indicated that the sperm chromatin structure assay (SCSA) DNA fragmentation index (DFI), a measure for the fraction of sperms with DNA damage, is associated with fertility in vivo. The aim of this study was to evaluate the value of this parameter for prediction of infertility.

Perturbed insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and IGF binding protein-3 are not associated with chronic widespread pain in men: results from the European Male Ageing Study.

Objective: To determine whether perturbations of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and IGF binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) were associated with the presence of chronic widespread pain (CWP) in men.

Methods: The European Male Ageing Study (EMAS) is an 8-center population-based study of men aged 40-79 years recruited from population registers. A questionnaire asked about the presence and duration of musculoskeletal pain, from which subjects reporting CWP were identified.

Single semen analysis as a predictor of semen quality: clinical and epidemiological implications.

It is generally thought that a single ejaculate is a bad predictor of semen quality of a subject, because of significant intra-individual variation. Therefore, we investigated the degree to which the results of a first semen analysis differ from that of a second analysis among men from a general population in Norway. In addition, we analysed how the two different semen results mirrored the overall semen quality assessment.

Hypogonadism risk in men treated for childhood cancer.

Context: Pediatric cancer treatment may imply an increased risk of hypogonadism, leading to metabolic disorders and osteoporosis. Such complications are potentially preventable.

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess diagnosis- and treatment-dependent risk of hypogonadism in male childhood cancer survivors (CCS).

Vitamin D, parathyroid hormone and the metabolic syndrome in middle-aged and older European men.

Objectives: Low serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) and elevated parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels have been linked to insulin resistance, the metabolic syndrome (MetS) and its components. Data in healthy, community-dwelling Europeans are lacking, and previous studies have not excluded subjects receiving drug treatments that may distort the relationship between 25(OH)D/PTH and MetS. The aim of our analysis was to examine the association of 25(OH)D and PTH with Adult Treatment Panel III-defined MetS in middle-aged and older European men.

Polymorphisms in the protein C inhibitor gene in in vitro fertilization failure.

The aim of this study was to determine whether total fertilization failure in human IVF can be partially explained by alterations in the gene that codes for protein C inhibitor. Forty-six men had IVF total fertilization failure and 51 controls with normal fertilization were screened for mutations in the protein C inhibitor gene by direct sequencing. The main finding was that in men involved in total fertilization failure, a heterozygous adenosine/guanine (A/G) base combination in position 1389 (rs2069990) (exon 6) in the protein C inhibitor gene was significantly more common compared with controls (10.

Emotional disorders in testicular cancer survivors in relation to hypogonadism, androgen receptor polymorphism and treatment modality.

Purpose: It has been documented that testicular germ cell cancer (TGCC) patients may be at increased risk of developing emotional distress (EMD). Hence, the aim of the present study was to investigate whether EMD is related to the presence of hypogonadism, androgen receptor (AR) polymorphism and/or treatment intensity.

Patients And Methods: Three to five years after treatment, testosterone and luteinizing hormone (LH) levels were measured in 165 TGCC patients.

Association between 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and cognitive performance in middle-aged and older European men.

Background: Although there is evidence that vitamin D inadequacy may be linked to adverse cognitive outcomes, results from studies on this topic have been inconsistent. The aim of this trial was to examine the association between 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) levels and cognitive performance in middle-aged and older European men.

Methods: This population-based cross-sectional study included 3,369 men aged 40-79 years from eight centres enrolled in the European Male Ageing Study.

Sexual function in men treated for testicular cancer.

Introduction: Testicular germ cell cancer (TGCC) patients may be at risk of developing sexual dysfunction after treatment.

Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of sexual dysfunctions in TGCC patients 3 to 5 years after treatment, and relate findings to biochemical hypogonadism, treatment intensity, and the expected prevalence in the Swedish male population.

Methods: A questionnaire study on 129 consecutive TGCC patients 3 to 5 years post-treatment was performed.

The association between different cognitive domains and age in a multi-centre study of middle-aged and older European men.

Objectives: We determined levels of cognitive functioning in community dwelling men aged 40-79 (n = 3265) from eight European centres and investigated to what extent cognitive performance varied between centres, the association between different cognitive domains and age, educational level, co-morbidity and lifestyle factors and the respective contributions of centre and individual factors to cognitive performance.

Methods: Cognitive domains assessed were visuo-constructional ability and visual memory (Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure test, ROCF), topographical memory (Camden Topographical Recognition Memory test, CTRM) and processing speed (Digit-Symbol Substitution test, DSST).

Results: There were significant between-centre differences in all four cognitive test scores.

Evaluation of male fertility potential by Toluidine Blue test for sperm chromatin structure assessment.

Background: We have previously suggested that the Toluidine Blue (TB) test can be used for sperm chromatin structure assessment. In this study, we wished to evaluate the clinical applicability of the TB test in assessing male fertility potential using well-defined groups of fertile and infertile men.

Methods: Sixty-three fertile and 79 infertile men were tested.

Androgen receptor gene polymorphism and the metabolic syndrome in 60-80 years old Norwegian men.

The metabolic syndrome (MS) includes a clustering of metabolic derangements. Low testosterone levels have been shown to be associated with both components of MS and MS per se. As most androgen-related effects are mediated thorough the androgen receptor (AR), we wanted to investigate to which degree the AR CAG and GGN repeat polymorphisms might be related to MS.

Sperm DNA integrity in cancer patients: the effect of disease and treatment.

As oncological treatment might impair the patients' fertility, male cancer patients are offered to cryopreserve semen prior to treatment. Impaired sperm DNA quality is associated with reduced fertility, and in case of assisted reproduction, sperm DNA integrity may have an impact on choice of method. Therefore, we have assessed sperm DNA integrity in cancer patients, comparing pre- and post-treatment quality.

Androgen receptor gene polymorphism and sex hormones in elderly men: the Tromsø study.

The aim of this study was to examine whether CAG/GGN repeats are significant modulators of serum concentrations of total and free testosterone (T) as well as of luteinizing hormone (LH) in elderly men. Sixty-nine 60- to 80-year-old men with subnormal T levels (< or = 11.0 nmol L(-1)) and 104 men with normal T levels taking part in a nested case-control study were used for these analyses.

Increased estrogen rather than decreased androgen action is associated with longer androgen receptor CAG repeats.

Context: The individual variability in the waning androgenic-anabolic functions of aging men may be influenced by the CAG repeat polymorphism in exon 1 of the androgen receptor (AR), affecting androgen sensitivity. However, findings on its phenotypic effects are inconclusive.

Objective: The aim was to investigate the relationships between health status, various reproductive hormones, and the AR CAG repeat length.

Constitutive expression of the antibacterial CXC chemokine GCP-2/CXCL6 by epithelial cells of the male reproductive tract.

The reproductive tract is continuously challenged by potential pathogens present in the environment. Therefore, robust host defense mechanisms are essential both for the health of the individual and for fertilization. Antibiotic innate immunity peptides possess broad antimicrobial activity.

Genetic variation in sex hormone genes influences heel ultrasound parameters in middle-aged and elderly men: results from the European Male Aging Study (EMAS).

Genes involved in sex hormone pathways are candidates for influencing bone strength. Polymorphisms in these genes were tested for association with heel quantitative ultrasound (QUS) parameters in middle-aged and elderly European men. Men 40-79 yr of age were recruited from population registers in eight European centers for the European Male Aging Study (EMAS).

The major bactericidal activity of human seminal plasma is zinc-dependent and derived from fragmentation of the semenogelins.

One of the major roles of seminal plasma is to provide antimicrobial protection for the spermatozoa in the female reproductive tract. We found that the bactericidal activity of seminal plasma was highest after resolution of the seminal clot and that this antibacterial activity subsequently became greatly diminished. The antibacterial activity was derived from peptides generated by fragmentation of the semenogelins while the semenogelin holoproteins displayed no antibacterial activity.

Investigating the determinants of international differences in the prevalence of chronic widespread pain: evidence from the European Male Ageing Study.

Objectives: To determine whether among middle-aged and elderly men there is evidence of international differences in the prevalence of chronic widespread pain (CWP) and whether any such differences could be explained by psychological, psychosocial factors or differences in physical health status.

Methods: The European Male Ageing Study (EMAS) sampled from population registers in cities (centres) of eight European countries. Each centre recruited an age-stratified sample of men aged 40-79 years.