Clinical use of progesterone in human sperm preparation media for increasing IVF success.

Research Question: Can the addition of progesterone and neurotensin, molecular agents found in the female reproductive tract, after sperm washing increase the fertilization potential of human spermatozoa?

Design: (i) Cohort study of 24 men. Spermatozoa selected by swim-up were incubated in either progesterone or neurotensin (0.1-100 µM) for 1-4 h, and hyperactive motility and binding to hyaluronan (0.

Addition of Vitamin C Mitigates the Loss of Antioxidant Capacity, Vitality and DNA Integrity in Cryopreserved Human Semen Samples.

Cryopreservation of human spermatozoa is a necessity for males suffering from infertility who cannot produce fresh semen for insemination. However, current ART cryopreservation protocols are associated with losses of sperm motility, vitality and DNA integrity, which are thought to be linked to the induction of oxidative damage and the toxic properties of commercial cryoprotectants (CPAs). Preventing or mitigating these losses would be hugely beneficial to sperm survival during ART.

Improved fertilization, degeneration, and embryo quality rates with PIEZO-intracytoplasmic sperm injection compared with conventional intracytoplasmic sperm injection: a sibling oocyte split multicenter trial.

Objective: To investigate whether PIEZO-intracytoplasmic sperm injection (PIEZO-ICSI) increases the fertilization rate, decreases the degeneration rate, and increases the utilization rate per oocyte injected compared with conventional intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).

Design: Sibling oocyte split multicenter trial.

Setting: Fertility clinics.

Analysis of sperm separation protocols for isolating cryopreserved human spermatozoa.

Abstract: Sperm cryopreservation is a valuable tool for the long-term preservation of male fertility. Thus, determining the optimal technique for isolating spermatozoa post-thaw is vital to ensure recovery of the highest quality spermatozoa with minimal iatrogenic damage. This not only enhances the chances of successful conception but also reduces the risk of genetic damage in the embryo.

Sperm cryopreservation: current status and future developments.

The cryopreservation of spermatozoa is an important reproductive technology for the preservation of fertility in man and animals. Since the serendipitous discovery of glycerol as an effective cryoprotectant in 1947, sperm cryopreservation has undergone many changes in terms of the freezing methods employed, the rates at which samples are frozen and thawed, and the media used to preserve sperm functionality and DNA integrity. An extensive literature survey has been conducted addressing the cryoprotectants employed for both animal and human semen and the freezing protocols utilised.

A comparison between the Felix™ electrophoretic system of sperm isolation and conventional density gradient centrifugation: a multicentre analysis.

Purpose: Developing optimized techniques for the isolation of human spermatozoa possessing low levels of DNA damage is an important objective for the ART industry. The purpose of this study was to compare a novel electrophoretic system (Felix™) of sperm isolation with a conventional method involving density gradient centrifugation (DGC).

Methods: Five international ART Centres in Australia, India, Sweden, the USA, and China have collaborated in order to compare the quality of the sperm populations isolated by Felix™ and DGC in terms of processing time, sperm concentration, motility, vitality, and DNA integrity as assessed by 3 methods: SCSA, Halo, and TUNEL.

Functional histology of human scrotal wall layers and their overlooked relation with infertility: a narrative review.

Male infertility currently contributes to nearly half of the reported infertility cases. Scrotal wall layers play a cardinal role in regulating testicular physiology. However, few studies have focused on the functional histology of these layers and their relations with infertility in humans.

Differential impact of four sperm preparation techniques on sperm motility, morphology, DNA fragmentation, acrosome status, oxidative stress, and mitochondrial activity: A prospective study.

Background: Suboptimal human semen handling in vitro may induce sperm damage. However, the effects of semen swim-up, pellet swim-up, density gradient, and density gradient followed by SU on sperm motility, morphology, DNA fragmentation, acrosome reaction, intracellular reactive oxygen species, and mitochondrial activity were not fully understood.

Objectives: To study the impact of four sperm preparation techniques on sperm functional parameters.

Should we be measuring DNA damage in human spermatozoa? New light on an old question.

Assessments of sperm DNA damage are controversial because of perceived uncertainties over the relationship with pregnancy and the limited range of therapies available should positive results be returned. In this article, we highlight recent data supporting a chain of associations between oxidative stress in the male germ line, DNA damage in spermatozoa, defective DNA repair in the oocyte, the mutational load carried by the resulting embryo and the long-term health trajectory of the offspring. Any condition capable of generating oxidative damage in spermatozoa (age, obesity, smoking, prolonged abstinence, varicocele, chemical exposures, radiation etc.

Neurophysiology of cognitive behavioural therapy, deep breathing and progressive muscle relaxation used in conjunction with ART treatments: a narrative review.

Background: Infertility is defined as the failure to achieve clinical pregnancy after 12 months of regular unprotected intercourse. It could be due to male or female factors, each requiring different treatment options. ART treatment exposes couples to numerous psychological stressors.

Paternal obesity negatively affects male fertility and assisted reproduction outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

This systematic review investigated the effect of paternal obesity on reproductive potential. Databases searched were Pubmed, Ovid, Web of Science, Scopus, Cinahl and Embase. Papers were critically appraised by two reviewers, and data were extracted using a standardized tool.

Obese father's metabolic state, adiposity, and reproductive capacity indicate son's reproductive health.

Objective: To determine whether dietary and exercise regimes in obese males can provide a novel intervention window for improving the reproductive health of the next generation.

Design: Experimental animal study.

Setting: University research facilities.

Improving metabolic health in obese male mice via diet and exercise restores embryo development and fetal growth.

Paternal obesity is now clearly associated with or causal of impaired embryo and fetal development and reduced pregnancy rates in humans and rodents. This appears to be a result of reduced blastocyst potential. Whether these adverse embryo and fetal outcomes can be ameliorated by interventions to reduce paternal obesity has not been established.

Impact of obesity on male fertility, sperm function and molecular composition.

Male obesity in reproductive-age men has nearly tripled in the past 30 y and coincides with an increase in male infertility worldwide. There is now emerging evidence that male obesity impacts negatively on male reproductive potential not only reducing sperm quality, but in particular altering the physical and molecular structure of germ cells in the testes and ultimately mature sperm. Recent data has shown that male obesity also impairs offspring metabolic and reproductive health suggesting that paternal health cues are transmitted to the next generation with the mediator mostly likely occurring via the sperm.

Diet and exercise in an obese mouse fed a high-fat diet improve metabolic health and reverse perturbed sperm function.

Male obesity is associated with reduced sperm motility and morphology and increased sperm DNA damage and oxidative stress; however, the reversibility of these phenotypes has never been studied. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the reversibility of obesity and its associated sperm physiology and function in mice in response to weight loss through diet and exercise. C57BL6 male mice (n = 40) were fed either a control diet (CD; 6% fat) or a high-fat diet (HFD; 21% fat) for 10 wk before allocation to either diet and/or swimming exercise interventions for 8 wk.

Paternal body mass index is associated with decreased blastocyst development and reduced live birth rates following assisted reproductive technology.

Objective: To determine the relationship between paternal body mass index (BMI), embryo development and pregnancy, and live birth outcomes after assisted reproductive technology (ART).

Design: Retrospective analysis of ART cycles.

Setting: Major assisted reproduction center.

Paternal diet-induced obesity impairs embryo development and implantation in the mouse.

Objective: To use a rodent model of male diet-induced obesity (DIO) to examine resultant preimplantation embryo development and implantation rate, as well as fetal and placental growth.

Design: Experimental animal study.

Setting: University research facilities.

The density of human semen and the validation of weight as an indicator of volume: a multicentre study.

A multi-centre study was undertaken to: a/ determine the density of human semen, and b/ assess the validity of measuring semen volume either volumetrically or gravimetrically. Semen samples from four clinical categories (azoospermia following vasectomy, azoospermia without vasectomy, oligozoospermia (<20x10(6)/ml) and normozoospermia (>/=20x10(6)/ml)) had similar densities (one-way ANOVA: F(3,180)=1.25, not significant), being close to 1.

Sperm DNA damage is associated with assisted reproductive technology pregnancy.

The literature suggests an association between sperm DNA damage and assisted reproductive technology (ART) outcomes. However, previous studies involved the transfer of multiple embryos, which has complicated the interpretation of the results. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between the levels of sperm DNA damage and fertilization rate, embryo development as well as pregnancy outcome, following single embryo transfer.