Determination of sperm acrosin activity for evaluation of male fertility

Aim: To investigate a simple method for assaying acrosin activity for the evaluation of male fertility. Methods:The acrosin activity of 7.5 × 10~6 sperm without seminal plasma and acrosin activity inhibitors was assayed using N-α-benzoyl-DL-arginine-p-nitroanilide (BAPNA) and detergent (Triton X-100) as substrate. Results: The acrosin ac-tivity of 60 normal fertile men (35 ± 10 μIU/10~6 sperm ) was higher than that of 168 infertile men ( 16 ± 8 μIU/10~6sperm) (P <0.01). It was indicated that there was a significant positive correlation between the acrosin activity andthe sperm motility ( r ≥ 0.6534, P < 0.01) and a significant negative correlation between the sperm malformed rateand the WBC number ( r ≤ -0.5426, P < 0.01). The temperature and time of incubation and the sperm concentrationcould influence the assay results. Conclusion: Acrosin activity is an important index for the evaluation of male fer-tility. The approach developed by the authors is a simple method for the determination of acro     

冻存睾丸精子用于男性生殖力储备的探讨

目的:通过研究对无精子症患者实施睾丸活检或其他手术时冷冻睾丸精子经复苏后行卵细胞胞质内单精子注射(ICSI)助孕的临床效果,探讨冻存睾丸精子作为男性生殖力储备的有效性。方法:回顾性分析了在本院实施睾丸活检或其他手术时冷冻睾丸精子的患者96例,其中的55例已在本中心复苏冷冻精子行ICSI助孕共60个周期,评估其冷冻精子复苏、卵子受精、卵裂、可移植胚胎、优质胚胎、临床妊娠及其分娩情况。结果:复苏冻存睾丸精子60个周期均获成功,复苏后行ICSI技术助孕,受精率77.6%(513/661),2PN受精率69.4%(459/661),卵裂率99.4%(510/513),可利用胚胎率84.5%(431/510),优质胚胎率40.8%(208/510);所有周期均有可移植胚胎;新鲜胚胎移植52个周期,临床妊娠30例(临床妊娠率57.7%),双胎妊娠11例(其中1例双胎自然减为单胎),单胎妊娠19例,种植率为38.7%(41/106),流产率为3.33%(1/30)。目前,已经出生了20例健康婴儿(12个男婴,8个女婴),未发现先天缺陷儿;另外13例(7例单胎和6例双胎)继续妊娠中。结论:睾丸精子冷冻复苏后行ICSI助孕可以得到较好的临床结局。冻存睾丸精子是无精子症男性生殖力储备的有效方式。     

Rationale for the study methods and design of the epidemiology of lower urinary tract symptoms (EpiLUTS) study

Accurate prevalence data on illnesses are of paramount importance for medical decision‐making, healthcare planning, and the appropriate allocation of healthcare resources. When assessing the prevalence of any illness or health condition, it is important to base prevalence data on an assessment of the general population at large and not on selected groups of the population. Previous estimates of the prevalence of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) have used postal surveys, telephone and in‐person interviews, and, more recently, the Internet. Determining the mode of data collection for a research study is dictated by several factors, including target population, topic sensitivity, timeliness, and available resources. The purpose of this report is to document the rationale for conducting a large prevalence study of LUTS and its impact on patient outcomes using Internet‐ or Web‐based surveys. A brief overview of important survey considerations is provided, and previous survey methods used in assessing the prevalence of LUTS discussed. The research objectives and sampling approach used in the EpiLUTS study in the USA, the UK and Sweden are presented, with a discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of this Internet‐based sampling approach in relation to other epidemiological methods.     

New perspectives on male fertility evaluation: Innovative approach for the qualitative analysis of spermatozoa

The identification of idiopathic infertility cases, actually, is impossible. Among new functional tests, developed to improve the male fertility diagnosis, the evaluation of spermatic myo-inositol (MI) level, known as Andrositol^® test (AT), is one of the most interesting, considering its weak economic burden and ease of use. The aim of this study was to evaluate the predictive power of AT and its potential use for a preliminary evaluation of semen samples. To evaluate the predictive power of AT, 87 sperm samples were analysed in comparison with spermiogram and sperm chromatin dispersion (SCD) Test, the gold standard analyses for male fertility evaluation. The application of AT resulted very useful for a preliminary sample evaluation, predicting the absence of DNA fragmentation in case of Low Responder samples precisely, and the presence of DNA fragmentation in case of medium or High Responder samples with abnormal morphology, predicting SCD results with a probability of 80% for Medium Responder sample and of 96.7% for High Responder sample. Considering the predictive power of this method, we could imagine, as preliminary qualitative analysis, its application before SCD test, deepening sperm analysis, improving the daily activities of laboratory operators and maintaining a good reliability of sperm evaluation.     

男性生殖道感染标本采集和细菌定位培养改良法

目的:改良男性生殖道感染标本采集和细菌定位培养法,探讨标本采集和病原体分离对前列腺炎诊断与治疗的影响。方法:分别采集200例前列腺炎样症状患者的分段尿液、前列腺按摩液(EPS)和精液标本,定量接种培养液分离培养,根据分离物的菌落数及分布规律评估其实验室诊断意义。结果:从200例前列腺炎样症状患者检出病原体468株,包括细菌414株(占88.5%)、真菌12株(占2.6%)、支原体40株(占8.5%)、衣原体2株(占0.4%)。其中仅从EPS分离到病原体的患者为66例(占33.0%),仅从精液分离到病原体的患者为34例(占17.0%),EPS和精液均分离到病原体的患者为100例(占50.0%)。在这些标本中仅分离到1种病原体的分别为EPS 36例(占18.0%),精液20例(占10.0%),EPS和精液39例(占19.5%);分离到2种病原体的分别为EPS 30例(占15.0%),精液14例(占7.0%),EPS和精液60例(占30.0%);1例从EPS和精液分离到3种病原体(占0.5%)。结论:复数菌感染(MMI)、多器官感染(MOI)和耐药性菌株感染在前列腺炎样症状患者常见,是造成临床及实验室诊断漏诊和误诊的常见因素以及影响治疗效果的重要机制,MMI和MOI可通过标本采集和细菌定位培养改良法进行诊断与鉴别诊断。     

An epididymis-specific carboxyl esterase CES5A is required for sperm capacitation and male fertility in the rat

Despite the fact that the phenomenon of capacitation was discovered over half century ago and much progress has been made in identifying sperm events involved in capacitation, few specific molecules of epididymal origin have been identified as being directly involved in this process in vivo. Previously, our group cloned and characterized a carboxyl esterase gene Ces5a in the rat epididymis. The CES5A protein is mainly expressed in the corpus and cauda epididymidis and secreted into the corresponding lumens. Here, we report the function of CES5A in sperm maturation. By local injection of Lentivirus-mediated siRNA in the CES5A-expressing region of the rat epididymis, Ces5a-knockdown animal models were created. These animals exhibited an inhibited sperm capacitation and a reduction in male fertility. These results suggest that CES5A plays an important role in sperm maturation and male fertility.