Regulation of Phosphorylation of Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3α and the Correlation with Sperm Motility in Human.

Purpose: To unravel the mechanism regulating the phosphorylation of glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK3) and the correlation between the inhibitory phosphorylation of GSK3α and sperm motility in human.

Materials And Methods: The phosphorylation and priming phosphorylated substrate-specific kinase activity of GSK3 were examined in human spermatozoa with various motility conditions.

Results: In human spermatozoa, GSK3α/β was localized in the head, midpiece, and principal piece of tail and p-GSK3α(Ser21) was enriched in the midpiece.

Glycogen Synthase Kinase-3 Isoform Variants and Their Inhibitory Phosphorylation in Human Testes and Spermatozoa.

Purpose: To clarify (phospho-) glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK3) isoform variants in the germline and soma of human testes and spermatozoa.

Materials And Methods: GSK3 isoform variants in normospermatogenic and Sertoli cell-only (SCO) testicular biopsies and spermatozoa were examined.

Results: In normospermatogenic testes, GSK3α and GSK3β variants 1 and 2 different in low complexity region (LCR) were expressed and their levels were decreased in SCO testes.

Do Kimchi and Probiotics as a Functional Food Improve Androgenetic Alopecia? A Clinical Pilot Study.

Purpose: Probiotic supplementation demonstrates beneficial effects on serum lipid profiles. We hypothesized that probiotics could benefit patients presenting with alopecia, secondary to improved blood flow to the scalp.

Materials And Methods: Our study included men with stage II to V patterns of hair loss based on the Hamilton-Norwood classification and women with stage I to III patterns of hair loss based on the Ludwig classification.

Efficacy and Safety of Tolterodine and Pilocarpine in Patients with Overactive Bladder.

Purpose: We evaluated the efficacy and safety of a combination of 2 mg tolterodine and 9 mg pilocarpine, vs tolterodine monotherapy in patients with overactive bladder.

Materials And Methods: We enrolled patients with overactive bladder symptoms in a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, parallel, active control study. Patients were randomized to the combination or 2 mg tolterodine twice daily for 12 weeks.

Sex Differences in Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms in Older Korean Adults Living in Rural Areas: Prevalence, Quality of Life, and Associated Factors.

Purpose: Urinary incontinence (UI) is associated with nursing home admission, functional decline, and risk of death among community-dwelling older adults. Little information, however, is available on sex differences in lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in older Korean adults exclusively living in rural areas. This study examined sex-related differences in LUTS, factors associated with UI in older adults living in rural areas, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in incontinent older adults.

Abnormal Human Sperm Parameters Contribute to Sperm DNA Fragmentation in Men with Varicocele.

Purpose: This study was performed to evaluate and compare threshold sperm parameters and sperm DNA fragmentation index (DFI), and further analyzed whether sperm DFI could be predicted from sperm parameters in men with varicocele.

Materials And Methods: A total of 157 semen samples underwent both semen analysis and sperm DNA fragmentation (SDF) testing in men with varicocele. Sperm parameters were assessed using the World Health Organization guidelines.

Clinical Efficacy of Solifenacin in the Management of Diabetes Mellitus-Associated Versus Idiopathic Overactive Bladder Symptoms: A Multicenter Prospective Study.

Purpose: To compare the clinical efficacy of anticholinergics for managing diabetes mellitus-associated overactive bladder (DM OAB) versus idiopathic overactive bladder (OAB) in Korean women.

Methods: We conducted a multicenter, prospective, parallel-group, open-label, 12-week study. Women (20-65 years old) with OAB symptoms for over 3 months were assigned to the DM OAB and idiopathic OAB groups.

Efficacy of an Alpha-Blocker for the Treatment of Nonneurogenic Voiding Dysfunction in Women: An 8-Week, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial.

Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy of an alpha-1 adrenergic receptor (α1-AR) blocker for the treatment of female voiding dysfunction (FVD) through a pressure-flow study.

Methods: This was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Women aged ≥18 years with voiding symptoms, as defined by an American Urological Association symptom score (AUA-SS) ≥15 and a maximum flow rate (Qmax) <15 mL/sec with a voided volume of >100 mL and/or a postvoid residual (PVR) volume >150 mL, were randomly allocated to either the alfuzosin or placebo group.

Effects of infections with five sexually transmitted pathogens on sperm quality.

Objective: This study investigated the prevalence of infections with human papillomavirus, , , , and in the semen of Korean infertile couples and their associations with sperm quality.

Methods: Semen specimens were collected from 400 men who underwent a fertility evaluation. Infection with above five pathogens was assessed in each specimen.

Usefulness of Testicular Volume, Apparent Diffusion Coefficient, and Normalized Apparent Diffusion Coefficient in the MRI Evaluation of Infertile Men With Azoospermia.

Objective: The purpose of this article is to assess retrospectively the usefulness of testicular volume, apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), and normalized ADC as measured using MRI in predicting the histopathologic grade of azoospermia and in differentiating obstructive from nonobstructive azoospermia.

Materials And Methods: A computerized search generated a list of 30 infertile men with azoospermia who had undergone both scrotal MRI and testis biopsy. MRI-determined testicular volumes, ADCs, and normalized ADCs were compared between infertile men with obstructive azoospermia and those with nonobstructive azoospermia.

Y Chromosome Microdeletions in Infertile Men with Non-obstructive Azoospermia and Severe Oligozoospermia.

Background: The purpose of the study was to investigate the frequencies and types of Y chromosome microdeletions in infertile men and to analyze the relationship between the levels of reproductive hormones and Y microdeletions.

Methods: A total of 1,226 infertile men were screened for Y chromosome microdeletions using multiplex PCR assay. Karyotype analysis was performed on peripheral blood lymphocytes with standard G-banding.

Hypogonadism Makes Dyslipidemia in Klinefelter's Syndrome.

Klinefelter's syndrome (KS) is a genetic syndrome that presents with hypogonadism and is associated with metabolic syndrome. Patients demonstrating hypogonadism show a greater prevalence of metabolic syndrome due to changes in body composition. We aimed to determine the association between KS and dyslipidemia.

Effects of maternal age on embryo quality and pregnancy outcomes using testicular sperm with intracytoplasmic sperm injection.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of maternal age on fertilization, embryo quality, and clinical pregnancy in patients undergoing intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) using testicular sperm from partners with azoospermia.

Methods: A total of 416 ICSI cycles using testicular spermatozoa from partners with obstructive azoospermia (OA, n=301) and non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA, n=115) were analyzed. Female patients were divided into the following age groups: 27 to 31 years, 32 to 36 years, and 37 to 41 years.

Treatment of Leukocytospermia in Male Infertility: A Systematic Review.

Male factors account for 20% to 50% of infertility cases, and infection in the genitourinary tract may play a contributing role in up to 15% of male infertility. Leukocytospermia is a well-known indicator of infection or inflammation in the male sex glands and the urogenital tract. Although great deal of effort has been expended to elucidate definite management strategies in infertile men with leukocytospermia, the gold standard of treatment remains unclear.

Efficacy and Safety of Desmopressin Add-On Therapy for Men with Persistent Nocturia on α-Blocker Monotherapy for Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo Controlled Study.

Purpose: We investigated the efficacy and safety of desmopressin add-on therapy for men with persistent nocturia on α-blocker for lower urinary tract symptoms in this placebo controlled study.

Materials And Methods: The study included men 40 to 65 years old with lower urinary tract symptoms and persistent nocturia despite α-blocker therapy for at least 8 weeks. Patients were randomized to once daily placebo or desmopressin 0.

Expressions of vaginal endothelial nitric oxide synthase and phosphodiesterase 5 in female sexual dysfunction: a pilot study.

Introduction And Hypothesis: The objective was to investigate the expression of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and phosphodiesterase (PDE) 5 in vaginal tissue of premenopausal women experiencing stress urinary incontinence (SUI) with and without sexual dysfunction.

Methods: Women presenting for treatment of SUI were screened using the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) and 10 were selected who met the criteria for female sexual dysfunction (FSD) and 10 asymptomatic controls. Vaginal tissue specimens were obtained from those premenopausal women aged ≥40 years who had had sexual activity ≥2 times every month for the last 6 months and who were scheduled to undergo surgery for SUI.

Serum and seminal plasma insulin-like growth factor-1 in male infertility.

Objective: Growth hormone and its mediator, insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), have been suggested to exert gonadotropic actions in both humans and animals. The present study was conducted to assess the relationship between serum IGF-1 concentration, seminal plasma concentration, and sperm parameter abnormalities.

Methods: A total of 79 men were enrolled in this study from December 2011 to July 2012 and were prospectively analyzed.

Rapid Detection of Glycogen Synthase Kinase-3 Activity in Mouse Sperm Using Fluorescent Gel Shift Electrophoresis.

Assaying the glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK3) activity in sperm is of great importance because it is closely implicated in sperm motility and male infertility. While a number of studies on GSK3 activity have relied on labor-intensive immunoblotting to identify phosphorylated GSK3, here we report the simple and rapid detection of GSK3 activity in mouse sperm using conventional agarose gel electrophoresis and a fluorescent peptide substrate. When a dye-tethered and prephosphorylated (primed) peptide substrate for GSK3 was employed, a distinct mobility shift in the fluorescent bands on the agarose was observed by GSK3-induced phosphorylation of the primed peptides.

Is Varicocelectomy Useful for Subfertile Men with Isolated Teratozoospermia?

Objective: To evaluate the effect of microsurgical varicocelectomy on sperm morphology in subfertile men with isolated teratozoospermia and a clinically palpable varicocele.

Materials And Methods: A retrospective review was performed of men with isolated teratozoospermia who had undergone microsurgical varicocelectomy. Semen analyses following varicocelectomy were performed at 2- to 3-month intervals.

Association between genetic polymorphisms in folate-related enzyme genes and infertile men with non-obstructive azoospermia.

Polymorphisms in the genes encoding enzymes in the folate metabolism pathway have been associated with male infertility and chromosome abnormalities. The aim of this study was to analyze the distribution of the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR), methionine synthase (MTR), and methionine synthase reductase (MTRR) polymorphisms in fertile men and infertile men with non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA). A case-control study comprising 85 infertile men with NOA and 246 fertile men as controls was carried out.

Effect of testicular spermatozoa on embryo quality and pregnancy in patients with non-obstructive azoospermia.

This study was performed to assess and compare the outcomes of testicular sperm extraction (TESE)-intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) using spermatozoa from fresh and frozen testicular tissue from men with subgroups of non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA). A total of 110 cycles of TESE-ICSI were performed. Patients were classified into one of the following NOA subgroups: hypospermatogenesis (HS), maturation arrest (MA), or Sertoli cell-only syndrome (SCO).