Varicocele Is Associated with Impaired Semen Quality and Reproductive Hormone Levels: A Study of 7035 Healthy Young Men from Six European Countries.

Background: Present knowledge on the impact of varicoceles on testicular function is largely based on studies of subfertile and infertile men, making it difficult to extrapolate the impact of varicocele on the general population.

Objective: To describe associations between varicocele and testicular function assessed by semen analysis and reproductive hormones in men from the general population.

Design, Setting, And Participants: A cross-sectional multicentre study of 7035 young men, median age 19 yr, from the general population in six European countries (Denmark, Finland, Germany, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania) were investigated from 1996 to 2010.

Clinical usefulness of bone turnover marker concentrations in osteoporosis.

Current evidence continues to support the potential for bone turnover markers (BTM) to provide clinically useful information particularly for monitoring the efficacy of osteoporosis treatment. Many of the limitations identified earlier remain, principally in regard to the relationship between BTM and incident fractures. Important data are now available on reference interval values for CTX and PINP across a range of geographic regions and for individual clinical assays.

Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery of morbidly obese patients induces swift and persistent changes of the individual gut microbiota.

Background: Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) is an effective means to achieve sustained weight loss for morbidly obese individuals. Besides rapid weight reduction, patients achieve major improvements of insulin sensitivity and glucose homeostasis. Dysbiosis of gut microbiota has been associated with obesity and some of its co-morbidities, like type 2 diabetes, and major changes of gut microbial communities have been hypothesized to mediate part of the beneficial metabolic effects observed after RYGB.

Self-reported onset of puberty and subsequent semen quality and reproductive hormones in healthy young men.

Study Question: Is there an association between pubertal onset and subsequent reproductive health in young men?

Summary Answer: Self-reported later onset of puberty was associated with reduced semen quality and altered serum levels of reproductive hormones among 1068 healthy, young Danish men.

What Is Known Already: The long-term effects of variations in the onset of male puberty on subsequent reproduction remain largely unstudied.

Study Design, Size, Duration: In a cross-sectional study, young healthy Danish men were approached when they attended a compulsory medical examination to determine their fitness for military service from 2008 to 2012.

No Islet Cell Hyperfunction, but Altered Gut-Islet Regulation and Postprandial Hypoglycemia in Glucose-Tolerant Patients 3 Years After Gastric Bypass Surgery.

Postprandial hyperinsulinemia characterizes Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) and sometimes leads to reactive hypoglycemia. We prospectively evaluated changes in beta cell function in seven RYGB-operated patients with a median follow-up of 2.9 years with hyperglycemic clamps and oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTTs).

Intake of Fruits and Vegetables with Low-to-Moderate Pesticide Residues Is Positively Associated with Semen-Quality Parameters among Young Healthy Men.

Background: Numerous studies have shown that occupational or environmental pesticide exposure can affect male fertility. There is less evidence, however, regarding any potentially adverse effects of pesticide residues in foods on markers of male fertility potential.

Objectives: We examined the relations between fruit and vegetable intake, considering pesticide residue status, and semen quality and serum concentrations of reproductive hormones in healthy young men.

Rifampicin-containing combinations are superior to combinations of vancomycin, linezolid and daptomycin against Staphylococcus aureus biofilm infection in vivo and in vitro.

Susceptibility to antibiotics is dramatically reduced when bacteria form biofilms. In clinical settings this has a profound impact on treatment of implant-associated infections, as these are characterized by biofilm formation. Current routine susceptibility testing of microorganisms from infected implants does not reflect the actual susceptibility, and the optimal antibiotic strategy for treating implant-associated infections is not established.

Testosterone deficiency in testicular cancer survivors - a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Results concerning treatment of Testicular Germ Cell Cancer (TGCC) and subsequent risk of testosterone deficiency are conflicting. To systematically evaluate and estimate the risk of testosterone deficiency (TD) in TGCC-patients according to treatment to optimize follow-up and for prevention of late effects related to hypogonadism. We performed a critical review of PubMed in January 2015 according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) statement.

Predation and selection for antibiotic resistance in natural environments.

Genes encoding resistance to antibiotics appear, like the antibiotics themselves, to be ancient, originating long before the rise of the era of anthropogenic antibiotics. However, detailed understanding of the specific biological advantages of antibiotic resistance in natural environments is still lacking, thus limiting our efforts to prevent environmental influx of resistance genes. Here, we propose that antibiotic-resistant cells not only evade predation from antibiotic producers but also take advantage of nutrients released from cells that are killed by the antibiotic-producing bacteria.

Pectin nanocoating of titanium implant surfaces - an experimental study in rabbits.

Introduction: A major determinant of successful osseointegration of endosseous implants is the surface of the implant, which influences the cellular response of the surrounding tissues. A new strategy to improve osseointegration and bone healing is biochemical stimulation by surface nanocoatings that may increase adhesion of bone proteins, and bone cells at the implant surface. Nanocoating with pectins, plant cell wall-derived polysaccharides, is frequently done using rhamnogalacturonan-I (RG-I).

Compensated reduction in Leydig cell function is associated with lower semen quality variables: a study of 8182 European young men.

Study Question: Is the Leydig cell function of young European men associated with semen quality?

Summary Answer: Compensated reduction in Leydig cell function, defined as increased LH concentration combined with adequate testosterone production is associated with lower semen quality.

What Is Already Known: Semen quality of young European men shows a heterogeneous pattern. Many have sperm counts below and in the lower WHO reference where there nevertheless is a significant risk of subfecundity.

New insights on pyrimidine signalling within the arterial vasculature - Different roles for P2Y2 and P2Y6 receptors in large and small coronary arteries of the mouse.

Extracellular pyrimidines activate P2Y receptors on both smooth muscle cells and endothelial cells, leading to vasoconstriction and relaxation respectively. The aim of this study was to utilize P2Y knock-out (KO) mice to determine which P2Y receptor subtype are responsible for the contraction and relaxation in the coronary circulation and to establish whether P2Y receptors have different functions along the mouse coronary vascular tree. We tested stable pyrimidine analogues on isolated coronary arteries from P2Y2 and P2Y6 receptor KO mice in a myograph setup.

Effects of endogenous GLP-1 and GIP on glucose tolerance after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery.

Exaggerated secretion of glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) is important for postprandial glucose tolerance after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB), whereas the role of glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) remains to be resolved. We aimed to explore the relative importance of endogenously secreted GLP-1 and GIP on glucose tolerance and β-cell function after RYGB. We used DPP-4 inhibition to enhance concentrations of intact GIP and GLP-1 and the GLP-1 receptor antagonist exendin-(9-39) (Ex-9) for specific blockage of GLP-1 actions.

Semen quality improves marginally during young adulthood: a longitudinal follow-up study.

Study Question: Does semen quality improve during early adulthood?

Summary Answer: Semen variables change little during the third decade of life, however some improvement in sperm morphology and motility may occur.

What Is Known Already: A suspicion of deteriorating semen quality has been raised in several studies. The longitudinal development of semen quality in early adulthood is insufficiently understood.

Obesity and Bariatric Surgery Drive Epigenetic Variation of Spermatozoa in Humans.

Obesity is a heritable disorder, with children of obese fathers at higher risk of developing obesity. Environmental factors epigenetically influence somatic tissues, but the contribution of these factors to the establishment of epigenetic patterns in human gametes is unknown. Here, we hypothesized that weight loss remodels the epigenetic signature of spermatozoa in human obesity.

Bone Structural Changes and Estimated Strength After Gastric Bypass Surgery Evaluated by HR-pQCT.

Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery (RYGB) is an effective treatment of morbid obesity, with positive effects on obesity-related complications. The treatment is associated with bone loss, which in turn might increase fracture risk. The aim of this study was to evaluate changes in bone mineral density (BMD) and bone architecture assessed using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HR-pQCT), 6 and 12 months after RYGB, and correlate them to changes in selected biochemical markers.

Football training in men with prostate cancer undergoing androgen deprivation therapy: activity profile and short-term skeletal and postural balance adaptations.

Purpose: To investigate the activity profile of football training and its short-term effects on bone mass, bone turnover markers (BTMs) and postural balance in men with prostate cancer (PCa) undergoing androgen deprivation therapy (ADT).

Methods: This was a randomised 12-week study in which men with PCa undergoing ADT were assigned to a football intervention group [FTG, n = 29, 67 ± 7 (±SD) years] training 2‒3 times per week for 45‒60 min or to a control group (n = 28, 66 ± 5 years). The activity profile was measured using a 5-Hz GPS.

Male Reproductive Disorders and Fertility Trends: Influences of Environment and Genetic Susceptibility.

It is predicted that Japan and European Union will soon experience appreciable decreases in their populations due to persistently low total fertility rates (TFR) below replacement level (2.1 child per woman). In the United States, where TFR has also declined, there are ethnic differences.

Efficacy of recreational football on bone health, body composition, and physical functioning in men with prostate cancer undergoing androgen deprivation therapy: 32-week follow-up of the FC prostate randomised controlled trial.

Unlabelled: Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) for prostate cancer (PCa) impairs musculoskeletal health. We evaluated the efficacy of 32-week football training on bone mineral density (BMD) and physical functioning in men undergoing ADT for PCa. Football training improved the femoral shaft and total hip BMD and physical functioning parameters compared to control.

Compromised cortical bone compartment in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients with microvascular disease.

Objective And Design: Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) have an increased fracture risk despite a normal or elevated bone mineral density (BMD). The aim of this cross-sectional in vivo study was to assess parameters of peripheral bone microarchitecture, estimated bone strength and bone remodeling in T2D patients with and without diabetic microvascular disease (MVD+ and MVD- respectively) and to compare them with healthy controls.

Methods: Fifty-one T2D patients (MVD+ group: n=25) were recruited from Funen Diabetic Database and matched for age, sex and height with 51 healthy subjects.

The role of the P2X7 receptor on bone loss in a mouse model of inflammation-mediated osteoporosis.

In inflammatory autoimmune diseases, bone loss is frequent. In most cases, secondary osteoporosis is caused by treatment with systemic glucocorticoid. However, the pathogenesis behind the bone loss is presumed multifactorial.

Exercise and Regulation of Bone and Collagen Tissue Biology.

The musculoskeletal system and its connective tissue include the intramuscular connective tissue, the myotendinous junction, the tendon, the joints with their cartilage and ligaments, and the bone; they all together play a crucial role in maintaining the architecture of the skeletal muscle, ensuring force transmission, storing energy, protecting joint surface and stability, and ensuring the transfer of muscular forces into resulting limb movement. The musculoskeletal connective tissue structure is relatively stable, but mechanical loading and subsequent mechanotransduction and molecular anabolic signaling can result in some adaptation of the connective tissue, its size, its strength, and its mechanical properties, whereby it can improve its capacity by 5-20% with regular physical activity. For several of the mechanically loaded connective tissues, only limited information regarding molecular and cellular signaling pathways and their adaptation to exercise is available.

Psychological stress and testicular function: a cross-sectional study of 1,215 Danish men.

Objective: To study the associations between self-reported psychological stress, semen quality, and serum reproductive hormones among young Danish men.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Setting: University hospital-based research center.

10-Year Coronary Heart Disease Risk Prediction Using Coronary Artery Calcium and Traditional Risk Factors: Derivation in the MESA (Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis) With Validation in the HNR (Heinz Nixdorf Recall) Study and the DHS (Dallas Heart Study).

Background: Several studies have demonstrated the tremendous potential of using coronary artery calcium (CAC) in addition to traditional risk factors for coronary heart disease (CHD) risk prediction. However, to date, no risk score incorporating CAC has been developed.

Objectives: The goal of this study was to derive and validate a novel risk score to estimate 10-year CHD risk using CAC and traditional risk factors.