A novel CCDC112-dependent process of sperm midpiece formation and epididymal maturation.

The sperm mitochondrial sheath has proposed functions in structural support and energy production for motility. Here we define coiled coil domain containing protein 112, CCDC112, as crucial for male fertility, specifically in the assembly and function of the mitochondrial sheath. We unveiled a previously unrecognised process of epididymal mitochondrial sheath maturation.

Impact of Abdominal Fat Distribution on Mortality and Its Changes Over Time in Patients Undergoing Hemodialysis: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Objective: Measures of fat distribution and visceral fat accumulation maintain a direct association with mortality in the general population. However, among patients undergoing hemodialysis (HD), there are few reports of this association. This study aimed to investigate the impact of computed tomography (CT)-measured abdominal fat levels, including the visceral fat area (VFA) and subcutaneous fat area (SFA), on all-cause mortality in patients undergoing HD and investigate whether there are sex-specific particularities regarding the associations between the abovementioned parameters.

KATNB1 is a master regulator of multiple katanin enzymes in male meiosis and haploid germ cell development.

Katanin microtubule-severing enzymes are crucial executers of microtubule regulation. Here, we have created an allelic loss-of-function series of the katanin regulatory B-subunit KATNB1 in mice. We reveal that KATNB1 is the master regulator of all katanin enzymatic A-subunits during mammalian spermatogenesis, wherein it is required to maintain katanin A-subunit abundance.

Serum soluble (pro)renin receptor level as a prognostic factor in patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis.

The (pro)renin receptor [(P)RR)] is a multifunctional protein that is cleaved to generate the soluble (P)RR [s(P)RR], reflecting the status of the tissue renin-angiotensin system and/or activity of the (P)RR. The serum s(P)RR level is associated with arteriosclerosis, independent of other risk factors, in patients undergoing hemodialysis (HD). This study was conducted to investigate whether the s(P)RR level was associated with new-onset cardiovascular events or malignant diseases and poor prognosis in patients undergoing HD.

Identification and characterization of the antigen recognized by the germ cell mAb TRA98 using a human comprehensive wet protein array.

TRA98 is a rat monoclonal antibody (mAb) which recognizes a specific antigen in the nuclei of germ cells. mAb TRA98 has been used to understand the mechanism of germ cell development and differentiation in many studies. In mice, the antigen recognized by mAb TRA98 or GCNA1 has been reported to be a GCNA gene product, but despite the demonstration of the immunoreactivity of this mAb in human testis and sperm in 1997, the antigen in humans remains unknown, as of date.

The Sertoli cell expressed gene secernin-1 (Scrn1) is dispensable for male fertility in the mouse.

Background: Male infertility is a prevalent clinical presentation for which there is likely a strong genetic component due to the thousands of genes required for spermatogenesis. Within this study we investigated the role of the gene Scrn1 in male fertility. Scrn1 is preferentially expressed in XY gonads during the period of sex determination and in adult Sertoli cells based on single cell RNA sequencing.

Association between serum soluble (pro)renin receptor level and worsening of cardiac function in hemodialysis patients: A prospective observational study.

The (pro)renin receptor ((P)RR) is cleaved to generate soluble (P)RR (s(P)RR), which reflects the status of the tissue renin-angiotensin system. Hemodialysis (HD) patients have a poor prognosis due to the increased prevalence of cardiovascular diseases. The present study aimed to investigate whether serum s(P)RR level is associated with the worsening of cardiac function in HD patients.

Haprin-deficient spermatozoa are incapable of in vitro fertilization.

Haprin (TRIM36) is a ubiquitin-protein ligase that mediates ubiquitination and subsequent proteasomal degradation of target proteins. It is expressed in the testes in both mice and humans and is thought to be involved in spermiogenesis, the acrosome reaction, and fertilization. However, the functional role of Haprin is poorly understood.

CRISP2 Is a Regulator of Multiple Aspects of Sperm Function and Male Fertility.

The cysteine-rich secretory proteins (CRISPs) are a group of proteins that show a pronounced expression biased to the male reproductive tract. Although sperm encounter CRISPs at virtually all phases of sperm development and maturation, CRISP2 is the sole CRISP produced during spermatogenesis, wherein it is incorporated into the developing sperm head and tail. In this study we tested the necessity for CRISP2 in male fertility using Crisp2 loss-of-function mouse models.

Katanin-like 2 (KATNAL2) functions in multiple aspects of haploid male germ cell development in the mouse.

The katanin microtubule-severing proteins are essential regulators of microtubule dynamics in a diverse range of species. Here we have defined critical roles for the poorly characterised katanin protein KATNAL2 in multiple aspects of spermatogenesis: the initiation of sperm tail growth from the basal body, sperm head shaping via the manchette, acrosome attachment, and ultimately sperm release. We present data suggesting that depending on context, KATNAL2 can partner with the regulatory protein KATNB1 or act autonomously.

LRGUK1 is part of a multiprotein complex required for manchette function and male fertility.

Infertility occurs in 1 in 20 young men and is idiopathic in origin in most. We have reported that the leucine-rich repeat (LRR) and guanylate kinase-like domain containing, isoform (LRGUK)-1 is essential for sperm head shaping, the manchette, and the initiation of sperm tail growth from the centriole/basal body, and thus, male fertility. Within this study we have used a yeast 2-hybrid screen of an adult testis library to identify LRGUK1-binding partners, which were then validated with a range of techniques.

A novel transcriptional factor Nkapl is a germ cell-specific suppressor of Notch signaling and is indispensable for spermatogenesis.

Spermatogenesis is an elaborately regulated system dedicated to the continuous production of spermatozoa via the genesis of spermatogonia. In this process, a variety of genes are expressed that are relevant to the differentiation of germ cells at each stage. Although Notch signaling plays a critical role in germ cell development in Drosophila and Caenorhabditis elegans, its function and importance for spermatogenesis in mammals is controversial.

LRGUK-1 is required for basal body and manchette function during spermatogenesis and male fertility.

Male infertility affects at least 5% of reproductive age males. The most common pathology is a complex presentation of decreased sperm output and abnormal sperm shape and motility referred to as oligoasthenoteratospermia (OAT). For the majority of OAT men a precise diagnosis cannot be provided.

Is low testosterone concentration a risk factor for metabolic syndrome in healthy middle-aged men?

Objective: To clarify the probability of low serum testosterone level as a risk factor for metabolic syndrome (MS) in middle-aged men, we measured serum total testosterone (TT) and assessed several metabolic factors because the direct risk for MS has not been investigated fully in men.

Methods: This study comprised 1150 men aged ≥30 years. Physical and laboratory variables were assessed.

Standardized diagram improves diagnostic accuracy and variability in the identification of testicular cells prepared for testicular sperm extraction and intracytoplasmic sperm injection.

Objective: To examine the accuracy and variability of identification of human germ cells and validate the previously reported diagram referable to identifying human testicular cells, which was made to improve the identification.

Methods: Eighty-seven testicular cells obtained from azoospermic patients were stained with MitoTracker, and observed under phase contrast, fluorescent, and differential interference microscopy. The recorded image and movie data of phase contrast microscopy were assessed by 10 reviewers comprising embryologists and reproductive physicians 2 times, once without the diagram and 1 year later with use of it.

Finger taps and constipation are closely related to symptoms of overactive bladder in male patients with Parkinson's disease.

Objectives: To assess which motor and non-motor symptoms are closely related to overactive bladder severity in male patients with Parkinson's disease.

Methods: A total of 160 male patients (mean age 71.4 ± 8.

Correlation between overactive bladder symptoms and quality of life in Japanese male patients: focus on nocturia.

Objective: To elucidate the effects of nocturia, one of the most bothersome of symptoms, on health-related quality of life (QOL), we examined the correlation between nocturia-specific QOL and other lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS).

Methods: Patients who visited our hospital complaining of LUTS were assessed retrospectively. A total of 259 men with LUTS answered the following questionnaires: International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), Overactive Bladder Symptom Score (OABSS), Nocturia QOL questionnaire (NQOL), and the Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia Impact Index (BII).

Low serum free testosterone level is associated with carotid intima-media thickness in middle-aged Japanese men.

In the present study, we measured carotid artery intima-media thickness (CIMT) and assessed several metabolic factors in middle-aged healthy Japanese men to clarify the relation between testosterone and atherosclerosis. The study comprised 176 male employees aged ≥40 years who visited Osaka University Healthcare Center for their annual health examinations. Serum total testosterone (TT) concentration was measured using radioimmunoassay (RIA) and serum free testosterone concentration was measured using analog ligand RIA (aFT).

A single nucleotide polymorphism within the novel sex-linked testis-specific retrotransposed PGAM4 gene influences human male fertility.

Background: The development of novel fertilization treatments, including in vitro fertilization and intracytoplasmic injection, has made pregnancy possible regardless of the level of activity of the spermatozoa; however, the etiology of male-factor infertility is poorly understood. Multiple studies, primarily through the use of transgenic animals, have contributed to a list of candidate genes that may affect male infertility in humans. We examined single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) as a cause of male infertility in an analysis of spermatogenesis-specific genes.

Water avoidance stress induces frequency through cyclooxygenase-2 expression: a bladder rat model.

Objectives: Water avoidance stress is a potent psychological stressor and it is associated with visceral hyperalgesia, which shows degeneration of the urothelial layer mimicking interstitial cystitis. Cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors have been recognized to ameliorate frequency both in clinical and experimental settings. We investigated the voiding pattern and cyclooxygenase-2 expression in a rat bladder model of water avoidance stress.

Survey of overactive bladder symptoms influencing bother before and after treatment with tamsulosin hydrochloride in Japanese patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia.

Objective: To evaluate the relation between bother and overactive bladder (OAB) symptoms in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) patients using questionnaires: the BPH Impact Index (BII) and the OAB symptom score (OABSS). Annoyance from BPH usually provides the basis for a patient's decision to seek medical treatment. However, a study investigating the bother caused by OAB symptoms in patients with BPH and OAB has not been fully conducted.

Morphologic and mitochondrial characterization of human spermatogenic cells dispersed in wet preparation for testicular sperm extraction: establishment of a microscopic diagram of developing human spermatogenic cells.

The successful identification of spermatozoa at microdissection testicular sperm extraction is critical and can depend on the judgment of experienced reproductive clinicians. Therefore, we characterized human spermatogenic cells based on stage-specific mitochondrial location and morphologic change by using a vital mitochondrion-specific fluorescent probe, Mitotracker, and stage-specific antibodies to make a useful microscopic diagram.

Vardenafil and resveratrol synergistically enhance the nitric oxide/cyclic guanosine monophosphate pathway in corpus cavernosal smooth muscle cells and its therapeutic potential for erectile dysfunction in the streptozotocin-induced diabetic rat: preliminary findings.

Introduction: Phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibitors are very effective agents for erectile dysfunction; however, specific patient populations are hard to treat. The efficacy of PDE5 inhibitors is limited because a minimum amount of nitric oxide (NO) is necessary. Resveratrol, a plant polyphenol, is reported to activate endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) through activation of sirtuin 1.

Lower urinary tract symptoms and erectile dysfunction associated with depression among Japanese patients with late-onset hypogonadism symptoms.

The aim of this study was to investigate the relation between lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), erectile dysfunction (ED) and depression in Japanese patients with late-onset hypogonadism (LOH) symptoms. The study comprised 87 Japanese patients with LOH symptoms (>27 points on the Aging Males Symptoms Scale). Thirty-four patients were diagnosed as having depression and the remaining 53 patients were diagnosed as not having depression by the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview.