Articles

The involvement of the nuclear lamina in human and rodent spermiogenesis: a systematic review

The nuclear lamina (NL) is a filamentous protein meshwork, composed essentially of lamins, situated between the inner nuclear membrane and the chromatin. The NL is a component of the nuclear envelope, interact...

Authors: Marine Paci, Razan Elkhatib, Guy Longepied, Patrice Bourgeois, Pierre F. Ray, Nicolas Levy, Michael J. Mitchell and Catherine Metzler-Guillemain

Understanding the seminal plasma proteome and its role in male fertility

Seminal plasma is a complex fluid comprised of secretions from the seminal vesicles, the prostate, bulbourethral glands and from the seminiferous tubule lumen / epididymides / vasa deferentia. While it has been e...

Authors: Mariana Camargo, Paula Intasqui and Ricardo Pimenta Bertolla

Is sperm FISH analysis still useful for Robertsonian translocations? Meiotic analysis for 23 patients and review of the literature

Robertsonian translocations (RobT) are common structural chromosome rearrangements where carriers display a majority of chromosomally balanced spermatozoa from alternate segregation mode. According to some mon...

Authors: Anna Lamotte, Guillaume Martinez, Françoise Devillard, Jean-Pascal Hograindleur, Véronique Satre, Charles Coutton, Radu Harbuz, Florence Amblard, James Lespinasse, Mehdi Benchaib, Julien Bessonnat, Sophie Brouillet and Sylviane Hennebicq

Sperm aneuploidy and DNA fragmentation in unexplained recurrent pregnancy loss: a multicenter case-control study

Recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) is defined as the loss of at least three pregnancies in the first trimester. Although the most common cause is embryo aneuploidy, and despite female checkup and couple karyotypin...

Authors: Camille Esquerré-Lamare, Marie Walschaerts, Lucie Chansel Debordeaux, Jessika Moreau, Florence Bretelle, François Isus, Gilles Karsenty, Laetitia Monteil, Jeanne Perrin, Aline Papaxanthos-Roche and Louis Bujan

Longer trinucleotide repeats of androgen receptor are associated with higher testosterone and low oxytocin levels in diabetic premature ejaculatory dysfunction patients

Despite its worldwide high occurrence, the obscurity regarding the description, epidemiology and management of premature ejaculation remains provocative. It is well established that male premature ejaculatory ...

Authors: Haroon Latif Khan, Shahzad Bhatti, Sana Abbas, Yousaf Latif Khan, Rosa Maria Marquez Gonzalez, Muhammad Aslamkhan, Gerardo Rodriguez Gonzalez and Hikmet Hakan Aydin

Curative GnRHa treatment has an unexpected repressive effect on Sertoli cell specific genes

Follicle stimulating hormone and testosterone stimulate Sertoli cells to support germ cell function and differentiation. During mini-puberty, when gonadotropin (GnRH) stimulates increases in plasma luteinizing...

Authors: Katharina Gegenschatz-Schmid, Gilvydas Verkauskas, Philippe Demougin, Vytautas Bilius, Darius Dasevicius, Michael B. Stadler and Faruk Hadziselimovic

Onco-testicular sperm extraction (Onco-TESE) from a single testis with metachronous bilateral testicular cancer: a case report

Although oncologic testicular sperm extraction (onco-TESE) has been increasingly practiced, the evidence of onco-TESE performed in patients with testicular cancer is insufficient. Furthermore, in bilateral tes...

Authors: Itsuto Hamano, Shingo Hatakeyama, Rika Nakamura, Rie Fukuhara, Daisuke Noro, Hiroko Seino, Takahiro Yoneyama, Yasuhiro Hashimoto, Takuya Koie, Yoshihito Yokoyama and Chikara Ohyama

On the descent of the epididymo-testicular unit, cryptorchidism, and prevention of infertility

This comprehensive review provides in-depth coverage of progress made in understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying cryptorchidism, a frequent pathology first described in about 1786 by John Hunter. The...

Authors: Faruk Hadziselimovic

Paternal obesity: how bad is it for sperm quality and progeny health?

There is substantial evidence that paternal obesity is associated not only with an increased incidence of infertility, but also with an increased risk of metabolic disturbance in adult offspring. Apparently, s...

Authors: Georges Raad, Mira Hazzouri, Silvia Bottini, Michele Trabucchi, Joseph Azoury and Valérie Grandjean

Occurrence and reproductive roles of hormones in seminal plasma

Only 2–5% of seminal fluid is composed of spermatozoa, while the rest is seminal plasma. The seminal plasma is a rich cocktail of organic and inorganic compounds including hormones, serving as a source of nutr...

Authors: Jana Vitku, Lucie Kolatorova and Richard Hampl

ICSI diagnostic: a way to prevent total fertilization failure after 4 unsuccessful IUI

The aim of this retrospective study is to investigate the relevance of dividing oocytes and using some for traditional in vitro fertilization (IVF) and others for intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) as of ...

Authors: Arnaud Larbuisson, Dominique Raick, Stephanie Demelenne and Annick Delvigne

Patterns of residual HIV-1 RNA shedding in the seminal plasma of patients on effective antiretroviral therapy

More and more HIV-1-infected men on effective antiretroviral treatment (ART) have unprotected sex in order to procreate. The main factor influencing transmission is seminal HIV shedding. While the risk of HIV ...

Authors: Christophe Pasquier, Marie Walschaerts, Stéphanie Raymond, Nathalie Moinard, Karine Saune, Myriam Daudin, Jacques Izopet and Louis Bujan

Sleep disturbances and semen quality in an Italian cross sectional study

In order to obtain information about the relationship between sleep disturbances and sperm parameters, we analyzed data from a study conducted in a Italian Fertility Clinic, in men of couples seeking help for ...

Authors: Paola Viganò, Francesca Chiaffarino, Viviana Bonzi, Andrea Salonia, Elena Ricci, Enrico Papaleo, Paola Agnese Mauri and Fabio Parazzini

Relationship between Semenogelins bound to human sperm and other semen parameters and pregnancy outcomes

Semenogelins (SEMGs) are major components of human seminal vesicle secretions. Due to SEMG’s sperm-motility inhibitor, a significant negative correlation between sperm motility and the proportion of SEMG-bound...

Authors: Kazumitsu Yamasaki, Kaoru Yoshida, Miki Yoshiike, Kazuhiko Shimada, Hiroyuki Nishiyama, Satoru Takamizawa, Kaoru Yanagida and Teruaki Iwamoto

Association of admission testosterone level with ST-segment resolution in male patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention

Low level of testosterone may be associated with cardiovascular diseases in men, as some evidence suggests a protective role for testosterone in cardiovascular system. Little is known about the possible role o...

Authors: Ahmad Separham, Samad Ghaffari, Bahram Sohrabi, Naser Aslanabadi, Mozhgan Hadavi Bavil and Hasanali Lotfollahi

Hypogonadotropic hypogonadism in men with hereditary hemochromatosis

Hereditary hemochromatosis is a genetic disease that progresses silently. This disease is often diagnosed late when complications appear. Hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (HH) is one of the classical complication...

Authors: Rabih El Osta, Nicolas Grandpre, Nicolas Monnin, Jacques Hubert and Isabelle Koscinski

Does sperm quality and DNA integrity differ in cryopreserved semen samples from young, adult, and aged Nellore bulls?

In humans, it is now well documented that rising paternal age is correlated with decreased sperm DNA integrity and embryonic developmental failures. On the other side of the coin, it is also reported that very...

Authors: J. T. Carreira, J. T. Trevizan, I. R. Carvalho, B. Kipper, L. H. Rodrigues, C. Silva, S. H. V. Perri, J. R. Drevet and M. B. Koivisto

Subinguinal microsurgical varicocelectomy vs. percutaneous embolization in infertile men: Prospective comparison of reproductive and functional outcomes

Varicocele is a condition characterized by dilated, tortuous veins within the pampiniform venous plexus of the scrotal sac. Presence of varicocele is associated with an increased risk of alteration of semen pa...

Authors: Elie Bou Nasr, Mouath Binhazzaa, Thierry Almont, Pascal Rischmann, Michel Soulie and Eric Huyghe

“This is where it all started” – the pivotal role of PLCζ within the sophisticated process of mammalian reproduction: a systemic review

Mammalian reproduction is one of the most complex and fascinating biological phenomenon, which aims to transfer maternal and paternal genetic material to the next generation. At the end of oogenesis and sperma...

Authors: Itai Gat and Raoul Orvieto

Interactions between oestrogen and 1α,25(OH)₂-vitamin D₃ signalling and their roles in spermatogenesis and spermatozoa functions

Oestrogens and 1α,25(OH)₂-vitamin D₃ (1,25-D₃) are steroids that can provide effects by binding to their receptors localised in the cytoplasm and in the nucleus or the plasma membrane respectively inducing genomi...

Authors: Ana Paula Zanatta, Vanessa Brouard, Camille Gautier, Renata Goncalves, Hélène Bouraïma-Lelong, Fátima Regina Mena Barreto Silva and Christelle Delalande

Cell-free and intracellular nucleic acids: new non-invasive biomarkers to explore male infertility

Male infertility is a devastating problem that affects many couples worldwide. However, the molecular mechanisms and causes of idiopathic male infertility remain unclear. Circulating cell-free nucleic acids ha...

Authors: Anne Boissière, Anna Gala, Alice Ferrières-Hoa, Tiffany Mullet, Solenne Baillet, Amaël Petiton, Antoine Torre and Samir Hamamah

Reversibility of Vasalgel™ male contraceptive in a rabbit model

Development of a non-hormonal long-acting reversible contraceptive for men could have a significant impact on reducing unintended pregnancies. Vasalgel™ is a high molecular weight polymer consisting of styrene...

Authors: Donald Waller, David Bolick, Elaine Lissner, Christopher Premanandan and Gary Gamerman

Processing and selection of surgically-retrieved sperm for ICSI: a review

Although the technique of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) has been a revolution in the alleviation of male infertility, the use of testicular sperm for ICSI was a formerly unseen breakthrough in the tr...

Authors: Greta Verheyen, Biljana Popovic-Todorovic and Herman Tournaye

Metabolic endotoxaemia related inflammation is associated with hypogonadism in overweight men

Obesity is associated with both impaired testosterone production and a chronic state of low grade inflammation. Previously it was believed that this inflammation was mediated by a decline in the immunosuppress...

Authors: Kelton Tremellen, Natalie McPhee and Karma Pearce

Predictive value of sperm deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) fragmentation index in male infertility

Recently, damage to the sperm DNA has been studied as it is associated with reduced fertilization rates, embryo quality, and pregnancy rates, also higher rates of spontaneous miscarriage.

Authors: Budi Wiweko and Pramety Utami

The contraceptive efficacy of intravas injection of Vasalgel™ for adult male rhesus monkeys

Options for male contraception are limited. The purpose of this study was to use a nonhuman primate model to evaluate Vasalgel™, a high molecular weight polymer being developed as a contraceptive device for men.

Authors: Angela Colagross-Schouten, Marie-Josee Lemoy, Rebekah I. Keesler, Elaine Lissner and Catherine A. VandeVoort

Sperm quality and paternal age: effect on blastocyst formation and pregnancy rates

Several studies suggest a decrease in sperm quality in men in the last decades. Therefore, the aim of this work was to assess the influence of male factors (sperm quality and paternal age) on the outcomes of c...

Authors: Aurélie Chapuis, Anna Gala, Alice Ferrières-Hoa, Tiffany Mullet, Sophie Bringer-Deutsch, Emmanuelle Vintejoux, Antoine Torre and Samir Hamamah

Hormonal, chemical and thermal inhibition of spermatogenesis: contribution of French teams to international data with the aim of developing male contraception in France

Since the 1970s, international research on male contraception has been actively pursued. Hormonal and non-hormonal methods (thermal, chemical) have been tested, leading to clinical trials of interest to thousa...

Authors: Jean-Claude Soufir

Mammalian sperm nuclear organization: resiliencies and vulnerabilities

Sperm cells are remarkably complex and highly specialized compared to somatic cells. Their function is to deliver to the oocyte the paternal genomic blueprint along with a pool of proteins and RNAs so a new ge...

Authors: A. Champroux, J. Torres-Carreira, P. Gharagozloo, J. R. Drevet and A. Kocer

Sperm DNA damage and its role in IVF and ICSI

While the semen analysis has traditionally been relied upon to differentiate fertile and infertile men, its utility has been questioned in the current era of assisted reproductive technologies. The desire for ...

Authors: Phil Vu Bach and Peter N. Schlegel

Literature review of vaccine-related adverse events reported from HPV vaccination in randomized controlled trials

The human papilloma virus (HPV) infections were addressed with two FDA-approved HPV vaccines: quadrivalent and bivalent vaccine. The objective of this manuscript is to determine the safety of the HPV vaccine.

Authors: Mohamed Macki and Ali A. Dabaja

Leydig cell tumor of the testis with azoospermia and elevated delta4 androstenedione: case report

Secreting interstitial cell (Leydig cell) tumors are rare. In adults, the clinical picture and steroid levels are variable.

Authors: J. Prasivoravong, A-L. Barbotin, A. Derveaux, C. Leroy, X. Leroy, P. Puech, V. Mitchell, F. Marcelli and J-M. Rigot

Gonadal response after a single-dose stimulation test with recombinant human chorionic gonadotropin (rhCG) in patients with isolated prepubertal cryptorchidism

The evaluation of prepubertal gonadal Leydig cells secretion requires gonadotropin stimulation. Urinary hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) is currently unavailable in many countries, however, recombinant hCG (...

Authors: Leticia Ribeiro Oliveira, Thais Kataoka Homma, Renata Reis Woloszynek, Vinícius Nahime Brito and Carlos Alberto Longui

To be or not to be [fertile], that is the question

According to our literature analysis, there are no data focused on spermatozoa emotional representations in childless men and data on the emotional repercussions of a diagnosis of infertility on men are still ...

Authors: N. Swierkowski-Blanchard, L. Alter, S. Salama, C. Muratorio, M. Bergere, M. Jaoul, F. Vialard, M. Bailly, J. Selva and F. Boitrelle

Sperm DNA damage and assisted reproductive technologies: reasons to be cautious!

Authors: Joël R. Drevet

Zinner’s syndrome: report of two cases and review of the literature

Congenital malformations of the seminal vesicle are uncommon, and most of them are cystic malformations. If an insult occurs between the 4th and the 13 h gestational week, the embryogenesis of the kidney, uret...

Authors: Amine Slaoui, Souhail Regragui, Abdelouahad Lasri, Tarik Karmouni, Khalid El Khader, Abdellatif Koutani and Ahmed Ibn Attya

A pilot study about infertile men’s awareness of their reprotoxic exposures and the intervention of occupational medicine to assess them

Male infertility related to professional reprotoxic exposure has been assessed in several studies. Collaboration between occupational physicians and patients can yield information about the preventive measures...

Authors: Amélie Christiaens, Irène Sari-Minodier, Sophie Tardieu, Oana Ianos, Sébastien Adnot, Blandine Courbiere and Jeanne Perrin

Is intracouple assisted reproductive technology an option for men with large-headed spermatozoa? A literature review and a decision guide proposal

Although the presence of spermatozoa with an abnormally large head is rare, it is associated with low fertility or even total infertility. We reviewed the literature on assisted reproductive technology (ART) s...

Authors: Bruno Guthauser, Xavier Pollet-Villard, Florence Boitrelle and Francois Vialard

Gut Endotoxin Leading to a Decline IN Gonadal function (GELDING) - a novel theory for the development of late onset hypogonadism in obese men

Obesity is an increasing public health problem, with two-thirds of the adult population in many Western countries now being either overweight or obese. Male obesity is associated with late onset hypogonadism, ...

Authors: Kelton Tremellen

Ultrastructural localization and distribution of Nardilysin in mammalian male germ cells

NRD convertase, also termed Nardilysin, is a Zn⁺⁺ metalloendopeptidase that specifically cleaves the N-terminus of arginine and lysine residues into dibasic moieties. Although this enzyme was found located within...

Authors: D. Segretain, J. Gilleron, J. N. Bacro, M. Di Marco, D. Carette and G. Pointis

Azoospermia in rabbits following an intravas injection of Vasalgel ™

Vasectomy is currently the only long-acting contraceptive option available for men, despite increasing demand and potentially significant positive impacts on human health of additional male contraceptive optio...

Authors: Donald Waller, David Bolick, Elaine Lissner, Christopher Premanandan and Gary Gamerman

Basic and Clinical Andrology reviewer acknowledgement 2015

The editor of Basic and Clinical Andrology would like to thank all of our reviewers who have contributed to the journal in Volume 25 (2015).

Authors: Roger Mieusset

Semen quality of 4480 young cancer and systemic disease patients: baseline data and clinical considerations

Except for testicular cancer and Hodgkin’s disease, baseline data on semen quality in case of cancers as well as systemic pathologies of the young adult are scarce or based on low sample size.

Authors: Jacques Auger, Nathalie Sermondade and Florence Eustache

Anabolic steroids abuse and male infertility

For several decades, testosterone and its synthetic derivatives have been used with anabolic and androgenic purposes. These substances were first restricted to professional bodybuilders, but become more and mo...

Authors: Rabih El Osta, Thierry Almont, Catherine Diligent, Nicolas Hubert, Pascal Eschwège and Jacques Hubert

Low serum insulin-like growth factor-1 in patients with erectile dysfunction

Endothelial dysfunction and microvascular damage play a crurical role in the pathogenesis of erectile dysfunction (ED). Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) is one of the growth factors that have a wide range ...

Authors: Alper Otunctemur, Emin Ozbek, Suleyman Sahin, Levent Ozcan, Murat Dursun, Emre Can Polat, Mustafa Cekmen, Ozgur Doga Ozsoy, Mustafa Erkoc, Eyup Danis and Muammer Bozkurt

Testosterone and gonadotropins but not SHBG vary with CKD stages in young and middle aged men

The aim of this study was to assess the effects chronic kidney disease (CKD) had on sex hormones and lipids in a subgroup of men between 18 and 50 years old with CKD 1–5 stage without diabetes and not treated ...

Authors: Britta Hylander and Mikael Lehtihet

Assessment of the frequency of sperm annulus defects in a large cohort of patients presenting asthenozoospermia

The annulus is a ring-shaped structure located beneath the plasma membrane that connects the midpiece and the principal piece of mammalian sperm flagellum. It has been suggested that the annulus acts as a morp...

Authors: Thassadite Dirami, Baptiste Rode, Jean-Philippe Wolf, Gérard Gacon, Emmanuel Dulioust and Aminata Touré

Target antigens for Hs-14 monoclonal antibody and their various expression in normozoospermic and asthenozoospermic men

Poor semen quality is one of the main causes of infertility. We have generated a set of monoclonal antibodies to human sperm and used them to investigate sperm quality. Some of these antibodies found differenc...

Authors: Jana Capkova, Hasmik Margaryan, Alena Kubatova, Petr Novak and Jana Peknicova

Sperm DNA fragmentation after radioiodine treatment for differentiated thyroid cancer

Treatment of differentiated thyroid cancer usually consists of a total thyroidectomy followed by one or several courses of radioiodine (¹³¹I). ¹³¹I is known to have deleterious effects on radiation sensitive tiss...

Authors: Camille Esquerré-Lamare, François Isus, Nathalie Moinard and Louis Bujan

Clinical endocrinological evaluation of the gonadal axis (testosterone, LH and FSH) in prostate cancer patients switched from a GnRH antagonist to a LHRH agonist

To investigate the levels of testosterone, luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in prostate cancer patients before and after the switch from degarel...

Authors: Yoshiyuki Miyazawa, Haruo Kato, Seiji Arai, Yosuke Furuya, Yoshitaka Sekine, Masashi Nomura, Hidekazu Koike, Hiroshi Matsui, Yasuhiro Shibata, Kazuto Ito and Kazuhiro Suzuki