Articles

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

Impact on ICSI outcomes of adding 24 h of in vitro culture before testicular sperm freezing: a retrospective study

To compare sperm parameters and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) outcomes for testicular spermatozoa frozen on the day of the biopsy (DO) with those frozen after 24 h of in vitro culture (D1).

Authors: Laurent Desch, Céline Bruno, Charlène Herbemont, Frédéric Michel, Shaliha Bechoua, Sophie Girod, Paul Sagot and Patricia Fauque

Successful pregnancies and healthy live births using frozen-thawed sperm retrieved by a new modified Hotchkiss procedure in males with retrograde ejaculation: first case series

In couples presenting with retrograde ejaculation refractory to medical treatment, the first choice of fertility treatment should be Assisted Reproductive Techniques using rapidly purified spermatozoa retrieve...

Authors: Melanie Philippon, Gilles Karsenty, Benjamin Bernuz, Blandine Courbiere, Thierry Brue, Jacqueline Saïas-Magnan and Jeanne Perrin

Reviewer acknowledgement 2014

The Editors of Basic and Clinical Andrology would like to thank all of our reviewers who have contributed to the journal in Volume 24 (2014) and whose valuable support is fundamental to its success.

Authors: Roger Mieusset

Effects of a luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone agonist on cognitive, sexual, and hormonal functions in patients with prostate cancer: relationship with testicular and adrenal androgen levels

To assess the cognitive and sexual/hormonal functioning of prostate cancer patients treated with a luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LH-RH) agonist, and the relationships thereof with adrenal and residual...

Authors: Kohei Okamoto, Yositaka Sekine, Masashi Nomura, Hidekazu Koike, Hiroshi Matsui, Yasuhiro Shibata, Kazuto Ito and Kazuhiro Suzuki

Possible germ cell-Sertoli cell interactions are critical for establishing appropriate expression levels for the Sertoli cell-specific MicroRNA, miR-202-5p, in human testis

To examine human microRNA expression in fertile men and subsequently to compare expression patterns of miRNAs in fertile and infertile men, specifically men with Sertoli Cell Only (SCO) histopathology.

Authors: Ali A Dabaja, Anna Mielnik, Brian D Robinson, Matthew S Wosnitzer, Peter N Schlegel and Darius A Paduch

Impact of Y chromosome AZFc subdeletion shows lower risk of fertility impairment in Siddi tribal men, Western Ghats, India

India is characterized by the presence of a large number of endogamous castes, tribes and religions, having second largest concentration of tribal population in the World with differed genetic ethnicity, lifes...

Authors: Shivaprasad Holenarasipura Sathyanarayana and Suttur Srikanta Naik Malini

Reconstructive surgery for giant penoscrotal elephantiasis: about one case

Elephantiasis of the external genitalia is characterized by lymphedema and thickening of the subcutaneous tissues. This gives the skin an appearance similar to a pachyderm skin. This pathology is invalidating ...

Authors: Brahima Kirakoya, Barnabé Zango, Abdoul Karim Paré, Aristide Fasnéwendé Kaboré and Clotaire Yaméogo

In cryptozoospermia or severe oligozoospermia is sperm freezing useful?

Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) is an Assisted Reproduction Technique (ART) which offers the chance to conceive to patients presenting very low sperm counts (cryptozoospermia/severe oligozoospermia). S...

Authors: Julien Bessonnat, Sophie Brouillet, Sarah Sintzel, Pierre Gillois, Ulrike Bergues, Caroline Boutte-Busquet, Claire Thomas-Cadi and Sylviane Hennebicq

Man is not a big rat: concerns with traditional human risk assessment of phthalates based on their anti-androgenic effects observed in the rat foetus

Phthalates provide one of the most documented example evidencing how much we must be cautious when using the traditional paradigm based on extrapolation of experimental data from rodent studies for human healt...

Authors: René Habert, Gabriel Livera and Virginie Rouiller-Fabre

Evaluation of sexual functions and sexual behaviors after penile brachytherapy in men treated for penile carcinoma

To assess sexual functions and behaviors of men treated by penile brachytherapy for a cancer of the penis.

Authors: Patrice Njomnang Soh, Boris Delaunay, Elie Bou Nasr, Martine Delannes, Michel Soulie and Eric Huyghe

The emerging role of insulin-like growth factors in testis development and function

The insulin-like family of growth factors (IGFs) – composed of insulin, and insulin-like growth factors I (IGF1) and II (IGF2) – provides essential signals for the control of testis development and function. I...

Authors: Richard J Griffeth, Vanessa Bianda and Serge Nef

A prospective study in male recipients of kidney transplantation reveals divergent patterns for inhibin B and testosterone secretions

Male patients with chronic kidney disease often exhibit the biological and clinical hallmarks of an abnormal hypothalamo–pituitary–gonadal axis. It is known that dialysis does not reverse this impaired endocri...

Authors: Safouane M Hamdi, Marie Walschaerts, Louis Bujan, Lionel Rostaing and Nassim Kamar

Percutaneous embolization: a viable treatment option for varicocele

Authors: Ranjith Ramasamy

Beneficial effects of varicocele embolization on semen parameters

The value of varicocele repair and the latter's impact on semen parameters are still subject to debate.

Authors: Julie Prasivoravong, François Marcelli, Laurent Lemaître, Pascal Pigny, Nassima Ramdane, Marie-Claire Peers, Valérie Mitchell and Jean-Marc Rigot

Precocious initiation of spermatogenesis in a 19-month-old boy with Hurler syndrome

Mucopolysaccharidosis type IH (MPS IH) is a rare autosomal recessive lysosomal storage disorder. Haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) has been proposed for the treatment of MPS IH patients and offer...

Authors: Jean-Pierre Milazzo, Amandine Bironneau, Jean-Pierre Vannier, Agnes Liard-Zmuda, Bertrand Macé and Rives Nathalie

Eponyms in andrology

Andrology is the study of male reproductive health, its associated medicines, and biology, including functions and diseases that are specific to men, especially with regard to the reproductive organs. This con...

Authors: Khalid Al Aboud, Daifullah Al Aboud, Sameer Munshi and Ali assiry Halawi

Recent knowledge concerning mammalian sperm chromatin organization and its potential weaknesses when facing oxidative challenge

Spermatozoa are the smallest and most cyto-differentiated mammalian cells. From a somatic cell-like appearance at the beginning of spermatogenesis, the male germ cell goes through a highly sophisticated proces...

Authors: Anais Noblanc, Ayhan Kocer and Joël R Drevet