Target trial emulation of preconception serum vitamin D status on fertility outcomes: a couples-based approach.

Objective: To evaluate associations between preconception 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) levels and biomarkers in female and male partners on live birth (LB), pregnancy loss, and semen quality.

Design: Secondary analysis using the folic acid and zinc supplementation trial of couples seeking infertility treatment at four US centers (2013-2017). A target trial emulation framework was applied to estimate associations.

The Association of Female and Male Preconception Dyslipidemia With Live Birth in Couples Seeking Fertility Treatment.

Context: Dyslipidemia is common, and resultant endothelial dysfunction may impact reproductive outcomes. No prospective study has examined the effect of preconception lipid parameters in both female and male partners or their interaction on live birth.

Objective: To determine whether live birth is associated with preconception lipids in both partners by planned fertility treatment.

Penile Enhancement Using Biodegradable Scaffolds Covered with Platelet-rich Plasma-Fibrin Glue, Mesenchymal Stem Cells for Micropenis.

Purpose: Evaluation of preliminary cosmetic and functional outcomes of biodegradable scaffolds covered with platelet-rich plasma in penile girth augmentation.

Materials And Methods: Between June 2016 and June 2018, 36 males who had a mean age of 28.91 years (range 20 - 48 years) with micropenis underwent this procedure.

Longitudinal semen parameter assessments and live birth: variability and implications for treatment strategies.

Objective: To examine whether semen parameters are associated with live birth among couples seeking infertility treatment after accounting for semen parameter variability.

Design: Folic Acid and Zinc Supplementation Trial (FAZST) prospective cohort.

Setting: Four US reproductive endocrinology and infertility care study centers, 2013-2017.

Round spermatid injection into human oocytes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Many azoospermic men do not possess mature spermatozoa at the time of surgical sperm extraction. This study is a systematic review and meta-analysis evaluating outcomes following round spermatid injection (ROSI), a technique which utilizes immature precursors of spermatozoa for fertilization. An electronic search was performed to identify relevant articles published through October 2018.

It is currently unknown whether SARS-CoV-2 is viable in semen or whether COVID-19 damages spermatozoa.

Research is needed to understand the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in semen, sexual transmissibility, and impact on sperm quality. Several studies have examined men recovering from COVID-19, but large-scale community-based testing is needed to ascertain the effects on the male reproductive tract, and the potential for prolonged transmission.

Deletion of inositol polyphosphate 4-phosphatase type-II B affects spermatogenesis in mice.

Inositol polyphosphate-4-phosphatase type II (INPP4B) is a dual-specificity phosphatase that acts as a tumor suppressor in multiple cancers. INPP4B dephosphorylates phospholipids at the 4th position of the inositol ring and inhibits AKT and PKC signaling by hydrolyzing of PI(3,4)P2 and PI(4,5)P2, respectively. INPP4B protein phosphatase targets include phospho-tyrosines on Akt and phospho-serine and phospho-threonine on PTEN.

Round Spermatid Injection.

From a fertility perspective, men with azoospermia represent a challenging patient population. When no mature spermatozoa are obtained during a testicular sperm extraction, patients are often left with limited options, such as adoption or the use of donor sperm. However, it has been reported that round spermatids can be successfully injected into human oocytes and used as an alternative to mature spermatozoa.

Bilateral Ureteropelvic Junction Disruptions in a 17-Year-Old With Bilateral Ureteral Duplications: Impact of Unrecognized Duplications and Unique Management of Nephrocutaneous Fistula.

A case of bilateral ureteropelvic junction (UPJ) disruptions in a patient with bilateral duplication anomalies is presented. A UPJ disruption with a duplication anomaly has not been reported let alone bilateral duplication anomalies. The unrecognized duplication anomalies led to isolated and obstructed upper pole segments that were managed by bilateral heminephrectomies.

The Dynamic Transcriptional Cell Atlas of Testis Development during Human Puberty.

The human testis undergoes dramatic developmental and structural changes during puberty, including proliferation and maturation of somatic niche cells, and the onset of spermatogenesis. To characterize this understudied process, we profiled and analyzed single-cell transcriptomes of ∼10,000 testicular cells from four boys spanning puberty and compared them to those of infants and adults. During puberty, undifferentiated spermatogonia sequentially expand and differentiate prior to the initiation of gametogenesis.

Effect of Folic Acid and Zinc Supplementation in Men on Semen Quality and Live Birth Among Couples Undergoing Infertility Treatment: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Dietary supplements marketed for male fertility commonly contain folic acid and zinc based on limited prior evidence for improving semen quality. However, no large-scale trial has examined the efficacy of this therapy for improving semen quality or live birth.

Objective: To determine the effect of daily folic acid and zinc supplementation on semen quality and live birth.

A review of inflammation and fibrosis: implications for the pathogenesis of Peyronie's disease.

Peyronie's disease (PD) is a superficial fibrosing disorder that causes penile deformity and can interfere with sexual intercourse and reproduction, as well as diminish quality of life. While the exact mechanism of PD is still being investigated, there is likely a genetic component to the predisposition to penile plaque formation. Ultimately, however, perturbations in normal wound healing and aberrant deposition of extracellular matrix components lead to fibrotic tissue deposition.

The adult human testis transcriptional cell atlas.

Human adult spermatogenesis balances spermatogonial stem cell (SSC) self-renewal and differentiation, alongside complex germ cell-niche interactions, to ensure long-term fertility and faithful genome propagation. Here, we performed single-cell RNA sequencing of ~6500 testicular cells from young adults. We found five niche/somatic cell types (Leydig, myoid, Sertoli, endothelial, macrophage), and observed germline-niche interactions and key human-mouse differences.

Efficacy of Pressure Regulating Balloon Exchange in Men With Post Artificial Urinary Sphincter Persistent or Recurrent Stress Urinary Incontinence.

Objective: To assess the efficacy of exchanging the pressure regulating balloon (PRB) to 71-80 cm HO in patients with persistent or recurrent stress urinary incontinence (SUI) following artificial urinary sphincter (AUS) placement.

Methods: Patients with SUI following AUS placement who underwent PRB replacement between 2011 and 2017 in the absence of urethral cuff malfunction, atrophy, stricture, or erosion were reviewed. Primary outcomes included changes in pad per day (PPD), Incontinence Symptom Index score, and Incontinence Quality of Life (I-QOL).

Limitations and opportunities in male fertility databases.

Over the last several years, the male component of reproduction has begun to gain clinical momentum. The medical literature has traditionally focused on infertility from the female perspective, but recent publications have demonstrated that male infertility is an important marker of overall health for infertile men as well as their family members. In order to perform large-scale, quality research related to male infertility, comprehensive databases are necessary.

Urethral reconstruction in patients previously treated with Memokath™ urethral endoprosthesis.

Purpose: To evaluate the role and success rate of urethral reconstruction in patients with urethral stricture previously treated with thermos-expandable Memokath™ urethral endoprosthesis.

Materials And Method: A case series of patients with urethral stricture and Memokath™ endoprosthesis treated with urethroplasty is presented. Reconstruction was decided due to stricture progression or complications derived from primary stent treatment.

Use of Ultrasound in Male Infertility: Appropriate Selection of Men for Scrotal Ultrasound.

Purpose Of Review: Male factor infertility is a complex and multifaceted problem facing the modern urologist and is identified in 30-40% of infertile couples. This review focuses on the use of ultrasound, as an adjunct screening tool, in the initial evaluation of male infertility.

Recent Findings: Access to male reproductive urologist for assessment of male infertility is limited and about a quarter of infertile couples do not complete the male component in their infertility assessment.

Urethroplasty After Urethral Urolume Stent: An International Multicenter Experience.

Objective: To evaluate the outcomes and factors affecting success of urethroplasty in patients with stricture recurrence after Urolume urethral stent.

Material And Methods: This is a retrospective international multicenter study on patients treated with urethral reconstruction after Urolume stent. Stricture and stent length, time between urethral stent insertion and urethroplasty, age, mode of stent retrieval, type of urethroplasty, complications and baseline, and posturethroplasty voiding parameters were analyzed.

Male infertility: a biomarker of individual and familial cancer risk.

Associations between male infertility and cancer are gaining clinical attention. Relationships between infertility and cancer have traditionally been studied in women, but recent work has focused on the male component of reproduction. Infertile men are at an elevated risk to develop various malignancies later in life, primarily genitourinary malignancies such as testicular and prostate cancer.

Introduction: Cancer biomarkers and fertility.

Infertility has been increasingly recognized as a possible biomarker for cancer risk. There is significant data linking these two seemingly disparate diseases in infertile men and burgeoning data linking them in infertile women. Here we investigate the possible mechanisms whereby one shared genetic or epigenetic insult could confer increased risk for both infertility and cancer.

The impact of ejaculatory abstinence on semen analysis parameters: a systematic review.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate recent publications and determine the impact of ejaculatory abstinence on semen analysis parameters as well as fertility outcomes.

Methods: This was a systematic review of 28 recent publications. The focus of this study was the impact of abstinence on semen parameters and fertility outcomes in papers published since the year 2000.

Chromatin and Single-Cell RNA-Seq Profiling Reveal Dynamic Signaling and Metabolic Transitions during Human Spermatogonial Stem Cell Development.

Human adult spermatogonial stem cells (hSSCs) must balance self-renewal and differentiation. To understand how this is achieved, we profiled DNA methylation and open chromatin (ATAC-seq) in SSEA4 hSSCs, analyzed bulk and single-cell RNA transcriptomes (RNA-seq) in SSEA4 hSSCs and differentiating c-KIT spermatogonia, and performed validation studies via immunofluorescence. First, DNA hypomethylation at embryonic developmental genes supports their epigenetic "poising" in hSSCs for future/embryonic expression, while core pluripotency genes (OCT4 and NANOG) were transcriptionally and epigenetically repressed.