Revista Internacional De Andrologia最新文献

Purpose

This study was performed to evaluate the effect of ethanolic extract of Turkish propolis (EEP) on testicular ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) damage in rats in terms of biochemistry and histopathology, for the first time.

Methods

A total of 18 male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into three groups with six rats in each group: control, torsion/detorsion (T/D), and T/D + EEP (100 mg/kg). Testicular torsion was performed by 720° rotating the left testicle in a clockwise direction. The duration of ischemia was 4 h and orchiectomy was performed after 2 h of detorsion. EEP was applied only once 30 min before detorsion. Tissue malondialdehyde (MDA), total oxidant status (TOS) and total antioxidant status (TAS) levels were determined using colorimetric methods. Oxidative stress index (OSI) was calculated by proportioning tissue TOS and TAS values to each other. Tissue glutathione (GSH) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) levels were determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits. Johnsen's testicle scoring system was used for histological evaluation.

Results

In the T/D group, it was determined that statistically significant decreasing in TAS, GSH, GPx levels and Johnsen score, and increasing in TOS, OSI and MDA levels (p < 0.05) compared with control group. EEP administration statistically significantly restored this I/R damage (p < 0.05).

Conclusion

This is the first study to show that propolis prevent I/R-induced testicular damage through its antioxidant activity. More comprehensive studies are needed to see the underlying mechanisms.

Introduction

Klinefelter syndrome is the most frequently found aneuploidy among male patients. Its clinical presentation is very heterogeneous, and thus poses a challenge for a timely diagnosis.

Methods

A retrospective study was carried out with 51 consecutively selected patients diagnosed with Klinefelter Syndrome from Jan/2010 to Dec/2019. The karyotypes were identified using high resolution GTL banding at the Genetics Department. Multiple clinical and sociological parameters were studied by collecting data from the clinical records.

Results

44 (86%) of the 51 patients presented a classical karyotype (47,XXY) and 7 (14%) showed evidence of mosaicism. The mean age at diagnosis was 30.2 ± 14.3 years old. Regarding the level of education (N = 44), 26 patients (59.1%) had no secondary education, with 5 (11.4%) patients having concluded university studies. Almost two thirds of the sample revealed learning difficulties (25/38) and some degree of intellectual disability was present in 13.6% (6/44). Half of the patients were either non-qualified workers (19.6%) or workers in industry, construction, and trades (30.4%), which are jobs that characteristically require a low level of education. The proportion of unemployed patients was 6.5%. The main complaints were infertility (54.2%), followed by hypogonadism-related issues (18.7%) and gynecomastia (8.3%). 10 patients (23.8%, N = 42) were biological parents. With regards the question of fertility, assisted reproductive techniques were used in 39.6% of the studied subjects (N = 48), with a success rate (a take home baby) of 57.9% (11/19), 2 with donor sperm and 9 with the patients’ own gametes. Only 41% of the patients (17/41) were treated with testosterone.

Conclusion

This study identifies the most important clinical and sociological findings of Klinefelter syndrome patients that should be considered when deciding workout and disease management.

Introduction

ED and PE are the most common male sexual dysfunctions, although they remain underdiagnosed and undertreated.

Aim

To ascertain how a group of Spanish urologists currently address ED and PE.

Methods

Descriptive study based on a self-designed questionnaire about the clinical practice in ED and PE upon diagnosis, treatment and monitoring, patient–physician relationship and the role of the patient's partner.

Results

The survey was completed by 188 experienced urologists. Most patients went to the urologist's office without a previous diagnosis (92% of the urologists found <10 PE-diagnosed patients in public settings). The diagnosis of ED and/or PE was mainly carried out by the current urologist and not by another professional, particularly in private centres as opposed to public centres (78.8% vs 57.0% for ED; 82.0% vs 62.6% for PE). Most urologists believed that these disorders are underdiagnosed and deemed them as general health issues. 38% of urologists acknowledged using validated questionnaires to diagnose ED. PE was considered a subjective problem rather than a true disease and the use of PRO-based diagnosis of PE was not generally accepted (14%). Treatment options of both disorders were chosen as expected. Referral to the andrologist is usually scheduled in moderate-to-severe PE or severe ED. The cohort seemed to be mostly neutral (50%–75% for ED and 40%–55% for PE) regarding patient reluctancy to talk about their sexual problem. Patients’ partners play an important role in helping men seeking treatment.

Conclusion

Urologists should show more proactivity during anamnesis and routine visits to improve management of ED and PD.

Background

Hormonal changes alter the physiological level of ROS and cause oxidative stress in the cell. As estimated, hormonal deficiencies, environmental and ideological factors make up about 25% of male infertility. Pathogenic reactive oxygen species (ROS) is a chief cause of unexplained infertility. Limited studies exist on the effects of testosterone on human sperm culture. Therefore, in the current study, the effect of different doses of testosterone on sperm parameters and chromatin quality was investigated.

Materials and methods

Semen samples from 15 normospermic and 15 asthenospermic patients were prepared by swim up method, and then were divided into four groups by exposing to different concentrations of testosterone (1, 10, and 100 nM) for 45 min. Samples without any intervention were considered as control group. All samples were washed twice. Sperm parameters and chromatin protamination were assessed in each group and the remains were frozen. After two weeks, all tests were repeated for sperm thawed. Also, the MSOM technique was used to determine the sperm morphology of class 1.

Results

Although sperm parameters were not show any significant differences in normospermic and asthenospermic samples exposed to different concentrations of testosterone before and after freezing, chromatin protamination was significantly decreased in the normospermic samples exposed to 10 nM of testosterone before freezing (p < 0.006), as well as 1 and 10 nM of testosterone after freezing compared to control samples (p = 0.001 and p = 0.0009, respectively). Similarly, chromatin protamination in the asthenospermic samples was significantly decreased at concentration of 1 nM of testosterone before and after freezing (p = 0.0014 and p = 0.0004, respectively), and at concentration of 10 nM of testosterone before and after freezing (p = 0.0009, p = 0.0007) compared to control samples.

Conclusion

Using a low dose of testosterone in the sperm culture medium, has positive effects on chromatin quality.

Introduction

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is one of the most prevalent urological diseases, but there is limited data about the quality of its information in social networks. The aim of our study was to assess the quality of ED information contained in YouTube videos.

Material and methods

Descriptive study of the first 50 Spanish-language videos, published on YouTube, evaluated by three urologists. We used two validated questionnaires: PEMAT (Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool) and DISCERN. Videos were classified according to DISCERN score into poor or moderate-good quality.

Results

The median time duration was 2.42 minutes (0.15-3.58), 94,197 views (2,313-3,027,890), 682.5 «likes» (0-54,020) and 39 «dislikes» (0-2843).

The median of PEMAT score was 29% (9%-95.5%) in understandability and 29% (0-95.5%) in actionability. According to DISCERN score 27 videos (57.4%) had poor quality and 20 (42.6%) moderate-good quality. There were no significant differences between the two groups in time duration, views, «likes» or «dislikes». There were differences in PEMAT score in understandability and actionability.

The 86.7% of the moderate-good quality videos were starred by health care provider (P = .001). Also, the 85.7% of videos that describes treatment had moderate-good quality (P = .001). The 84% of the non-medical videos had a poor quality (P = .001).

Conclusion

Most ED videos on YouTube have poor quality. The highest quality videos are those made by professionals, although they are not the most viewed. It would be important to develop measures to prevent the spread of misinformation among social network users.

Introduction

Minocycline is a tetracycline with promising protective effects on different organs which are completely distinct from its antibacterial effects.

Methods

To evaluate the effects of chronic administration of this agent on histological structure and sperm parameters of testes, forty adult male rats were randomly allocated into 2 equal groups I: control animals and II: treated animal that received 25 mg/kg/day minocycline, orally. After 90 days of treatment, serum level of testosterone was assessed as well as sperm count, motility and morphology. Moreover, histological and histomorphometric evaluation of testes was performed including determination of height of the seminiferous germinal epithelium and perpendicular diameter of seminiferous tubules. Numbers of spermatogonia, primary spermatocytes, spermatids, Sertoli and Leydig cells were counted. Johnsen's scoring method was also performed.

Results

Sperm parameters significantly improved in minocycline-treated animals. Moreover, number of germ cells in different stages of development significantly increased in treatment group as compared to control. This finding was associated with better Johnsen's score and thicker epithelium in seminiferous tubules. However, serum testosterone levels, Leydig and Sertoli cell count as well as tubular diameter did not show significant changes (p > 0.05).

Discussion

Chronic administration of minocycline is associated with improved spermatogenesis and sperm characteristics without affecting steroidogenesis in rats.

Objectives

Cryopreservation has destructive effects on the function and structure of spermatozoa. It is known that leptin and prolactin play an active role in decreasing the rates of reactive oxygen species and DNA fragmentation, as well as enhancing sperm motility. Hence, this experiment aimed to investigate the effects of leptin and prolactin as pro-survival factors on the normozoospermic human semen samples during cryopreservation.

Material and methods

Semen samples were collected from 15 healthy, fertile men ranging from 25 to 40 years. Cryopreservation of the samples was performed in liquid nitrogen over a period of two weeks, using five varying concentrations of leptin/prolactin, 0, 10, 100, 500, and 1000 ng/ml respectively. Sperm motility, total caspase activity, and mitochondrial and cytosolic ROS were measured by flowcytometry, TUNEL, and other appropriate tests after thawing of the samples.

Results

Both hormones were observed to have positive effects on the motility of the samples post-cryopreservation, the highest improvement being in the 100 ng/ml concentration leptin and prolactin in comparison to the control group (P = 0.01 and P = 0.041, respectively). A significant reduction of mitochondrial ROS was also observed in 100 and 1000 ng/ml of leptin (P = 0.042), and there was a considerable decrease in the cytosolic ROS in the 100 ng/ml of prolactin in comparison to the control group (P = 0.048). Total caspase activity was also highly reduced in the 100, 500, and 1000 ng/ml of leptin compared to the control group (P = 0.039). Interestingly, both hormones also significantly decreased DNA fragmentation in 1000 ng/ml compared to the control group (P = 0.042).

Conclusion

It can be concluded that leptin and prolactin act as protective agents against cryodamage to spermatozoa during cryopreservation.

Introduction and objectives

To examine the opinions, attitudes and perceptions of patients regarding the diagnosis and treatment protocols of erectile dysfunction (ED) and premature ejaculation (PE) and their interaction with the urology specialists.

Material and methods

Observational, national and multicentric study based on a self-designed online questionnaire in which ED and PE patients described their perception of ED and PE at diagnosis and during treatment and monitoring, the patient-physician relationship and the role of the patient's partner in the course of the disease.

Results

306 ED and 70 PE participants were recruited. After the occurrence of the first symptoms, the time elapsed until the patient decided to go to the doctor was 28.6 months for PE and 14.0 months for ED (p < 0.001). ED patients saw physicians more frequently (especially those aged between 60 and 69 years: 60.7%, p < 0.001) than PE patients (52.1% vs 36.8%, respectively; p < 0.001) and discussed this problem with their partner more (34.0% vs 22.8%, p < 0.001). These disorders were mainly diagnosed at the urologist's office (ED: 74.8% vs 42.5%; PE: 75.7% vs 34.3%; diagnosis vs detection). One third of all participants reported that the sexual problem was not the main reason for the visit. The time elapsed between the first consultation for related symptoms and therapy was 8.7 months (oral drugs) and 7.6 months (dapoxetine) for ED and PE, respectively. ED patients and their partners felt particularly better once treatment had started (p < 0.001). PE patients presented the highest degree of sexual dissatisfaction (78%). 50% of the patients agreed with the statement that initiating a discussion about sexual concerns was regarded as taboo and most of them did not say that their partner had encouraged them to seek medical advice.

Conclusion

A concerted effort is called for to expand ED and PE patients’ proactivity in taking care of their own and their partner's sexual health. Current therapies would appear to have a benefit in couples’ sexual relationships.

Introduction

Sperm motility is a crucial factor in male infertility and it depends on mitochondrial tail movements. Photobiomodulation light therapy allows the cells to produce their energy through activation of the mitochondria. The aim of the present study was to examine the impact of photobiomodulation on sperm motility in astenozoospermic individuals.

Materials and methods

Following semen analyses of 20 astenozoospermic individuals, collected semen samples were centrifuged. Pellet was obtained and homogenized through mixing with culture media in 1:1 ratio. Each semen samples were divided into 3 groups. In the first group, control samples were not exposed to laser irradiation. The Group 2 and Group 3 were exposed to 650 nm wavelength of photobiomodulation from 10 cm distance in dark environment via a 36 cm² aperture sizer with 200 mW output power for 30 and 60 min duration, respectively. Sperm motilities were evaluated and chromatin condensation of sperms was determined.

Results

Sperm motilities were significantly increased in photobiomodulation groups compared with the controls. Sperm motilities tended to be different between the 30 and 60 min red light exposure groups; however, it was not statistically significant. When the motility grades were compared, no significant difference was observed in non-progressive motility sperms. While immotile sperms decreased significantly in the photobiomodulation groups compared to the control group, progressive sperms increased.

Conclusions

The results of the present study demonstrated that the photobiomodulation is an efficient method to increase the sperm motility of astenozoospermic individuals independent of the duration of exposure.

Introduction

Human semen analysis must be performed after the liquefaction of the ejaculate. This takes place about 30 min after ejaculation and samples must be maintained in the lab during this time. The temperatures for this incubation and the final analysis of motility are crucial but seldom taken into account. This study aims to examine the effect of these temperatures on various sperm parameters both manually (sperm count, motility, morphology, viability, chromatin condensation and maturation and DNA fragmentation) and CASA (kinematics and morphometrics, using an ISAS®v1 CASA-Mot and CASA-Morph systems, respectively) analyzed.

Methods

Seminal samples from thirteen donors were incubated for 10 min at 37 °C followed by additional 20 min at either room temperature (RT, 23 °C) or 37 °C and then examined following WHO 2010 criteria.

Results

The data obtained show that there were no significant differences (P > 0.05) in the subjective sperm quality parameters with incubation temperature. On the other hand, the head sperm morphometric parameters were significantly higher after room temperature incubation showing, in addition, lower ellipticity (P < 0.05). Furthermore, kinematic parameters were evaluated both at RT and 37 °C for the two incubation temperatures. In general, the four temperature combinations showed that kinematic parameters followed this order: RT-RT<RT-37<37-37<37-RT (incubation and analysis temperatures respectively).

Conclusions

Our results showed that temperature control during both incubation and analysis is needed for accurate semen analysis, recommending the use of 37 °C during the entire process.