• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.35-42
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• 1976

The human semen ejaculated in a form of liquid state, coagulates immediately after ejaculation, and then liquefies again. However, the mechanisms of neither coagulation and liquefaction of semen have not been explained clearly so far, and very limited numbers of report are available, although the spermatology and andrology made rapid progress. This clinical study has been undertaken to investigate the liquefaction phenomena and practicability of the results might be applied to fertility and infertility problems. As a preliminary study, in this report the liquefaction time of various semen groups is measured and analysed. The following results are obtained: 1. An average liquefaction time of semen of a total of 60 subjects: 25 minutes. 2. An average liquefaction time of semen according to sperm count: 1) Normospermia group (20 cases): 34 minutes. 2) Oligospermia group (20 cases): 21 minutes. 3) Azoospermia group (20 cases): 20 minutes. 3. An average liquefaction time of semen according to abstinence period: 1) Less than 3 days group (30 cases): 22 minutes. 2) More then 5 days group (30 cases): 28 minutes. In conclusion: 1. The liquefaction time of semen of the normospermia group is longer than oligospermia group or azoosermia group. 2. The liquefaction time of semen may not be greatly influenced by the various factors such as abstinence period, semen volume, semen pH, age of the subjects and so on. 3. In routine semen analyses, it is recommended to begin the analysis at least 25 minutes after the ejaculation. 4. Further studies are required in conjunction with practical application of liquefaction mechanism in infertility and fertility control.

• Journal of Oriental Medical Thermology
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.64-69
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• 2010

Purpose : This study was designed to investigate about symptoms named 'San(疝)', because almost no paper associated with San in Korea since the 1990s. Methods : Watch an overview of San with the Tonguibogam based. Results : In the Tonguibogam. according to the Zhang Ja-wha's classification. symptoms named 'San(疝)' are classified into seven kinds. As discussed in the Nephrology of Oriental Medicine, part of the Andrology, symptoms named 'San(疝)' are classified into three kinds. (1) San associated with reproductive organs. (2) San associated with pain (3) San associated with protrusion. The symptoms of San usually appears in the external genitalia and lower abdomen in both sexes can. The symptoms are called 'San(疝)' to the male and 'Ga' to the female. In the modern Obstetrics and Gynecology of Oriental Medicine. women's 'San' involves both 'San(疝)' and 'Ga'. San includes genital protrusion, but not includes vaginal hemia. It also includes genital edema, genital pruritus, genital herpes and bleeding after vaginal sex. San can be raised by many causes. The causes are damages by Coldness(傷寒), Damp-heat(濕熱), Serious distress(思慮過度) and Excessive sexual activity(房勞過多). The treatment for this symptoms is elimination of Dameum(痰飮). Jeokchwi(積聚) and Blood stasis(瘀血). Conclusion : The symptoms of San usually appears in the external genitalia and lower abdomen in both sexes can. The symptoms are called 'San(疝)' to the male and 'Ga' to the female.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.61-67
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• 2020

Objective: In this study, specimens from testicular biopsies of men with nonobstructive azoospermia (NOA) were used to investigate whether RNF8 gene could serve as a biomarker to predict the presence of sperm in these patients. Methods: Testicular biopsy specimens from 47 patients were classified according to the presence of sperm (positive vs. negative groups) and investigated for the expression of RNF8. The level of RNF8 gene expression in the testes was compared between these groups using reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction. Results: The expression level of RNF8 was significantly higher in testicular samples from the positive group than in those from the negative group. Moreover, the area under the curve of RNF8 expression for the entire study population was 0.84, showing the discriminatory power of RNF8 expression in differentiating between the positive and negative groups of men with NOA. A receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that RNF8 expression had a sensitivity of 81% and a specificity of 84%, with a cutoff level of 1.76. Conclusion: This study points out a significant association between the expression of RNF8 and the presence of sperm in NOA patients, which suggests that quantified RNF8 expression in testicular biopsy samples may be a valuable biomarker for predicting the presence of spermatozoa in biopsy samples.

• The World Journal of Men's Health
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.137-144
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• 2016

Purpose: We compared a transperineal ligation model and a transperitoneal ligation model in male rats to determine which animal model of overactive bladder (OAB) was more useful based on cystometrography, estimations of oxidative stress, and measurements of pro-inflammatory cytokine levels. Materials and Methods: Male rats were randomly divided into three groups (n=15 in each): the control group, the transperineal ligation group, and the transperitoneal ligation group. Four weeks after the ligation procedure, cystometrography was performed and oxidative stress, pro-inflammatory cytokine levels, and histologic changes were evaluated. Oxidative stress was assessed by measuring 8-hydroxy-20-deoxyguanosine and superoxide dismutase, and pro-inflammatory cytokine activity was investigated by measuring levels of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, and tumor necrosis $factor-{\alpha}$. Results: The transperineal model led to results similar to those observed for the transperitoneal model, namely (1) increased voiding frequency and reductions in the non-voiding contraction interval and the maximal vesical pressure, (2) increased levels of oxidative stress markers, (3) increased pro-inflammatory cytokine levels, and (4) fibrotic changes in the bladder tissue. Conclusions: We suggest that the transperineal procedure can be used as an alternative OAB model in male rats.

• Journal of Veterinary Science
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.79.1-79.14
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• 2021

Background: In contrast to human medicine, only a small number of serum tumor markers are established in veterinary medicine even though they are a non-invasive diagnostic tool. Objectives: This study examined whether survivin could be suitable as a potential canine serum tumor marker. Methods: This study measured the serum survivin concentrations of dogs with mammary tumors (n = 33), squamous cell carcinoma (n = 9), soft-tissue sarcoma (n = 18) and multicentric lymphoma (n = 22), using a commercially available, competitive immunoassay kit (BlueGene). The serum survivin concentrations were compared with those of a healthy control group (n = 20) and a control group of dogs with non-neoplastic diseases (n = 17). Results: Dogs with malignant tumors had serum survivin concentrations between 15 and 5,906 pg/mL (median, 72 pg/mL), those in the healthy group ranged from 7 to 99 pg/mL (median, 21 pg/mL) and those in the group of dogs suffering from non-neoplastic diseases from 15 to 93 pg/mL (median, 42 pg/mL). The differences in the survivin concentrations between the healthy dogs and dogs with malignant tumors and between the dogs with non-neoplastic diseases and those with malignant tumors were significant (p < 0.001 and p = 0.006, respectively). Conclusions: The serum survivin concentrations in dogs with malignant tumors, with some exceptions, are higher than in dogs with benign tumors and dogs that do not suffer from a malignancy. Therefore, survivin can provide information on the presence of malignant tumors and be used as a tumor marker in dogs.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.163-169
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• 2018

Objective: Zearalenone (ZEA) is a mycotoxin with potent estrogenic effects. Saffron is an herbal product that has antioxidant activities. The objective of this study was to investigate the protective role of saffron against reproductive toxicity induced by ZEA in female mice. Methods: Ninety 8-week-old female mice were randomly allocated into three treatment groups. The first group received an intraperitoneal injection of ZEA (2.5 mg/kg) on alternate days. The second group received ZEA (2.5 mg/kg) on alternate days plus oral saffron daily (50 mg/kg). The third group was treated with a vehicle of 1% dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) on alternate days, as a control. Ten mice were euthanized from each group at 30, 60, and 90 days of treatment. Serum levels of luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), estradiol ($E_2$), and progesterone (P) were assessed. The uterus and ovaries were examined for changes in size or morphology. Results: Serum levels of LH, FSH, $E_2$, and P in the female mice treated with ZEA plus saffron were significantly higher than in those treated with ZEA alone, and were not significantly different from those treated with 1% DMSO. The female mice treated with ZEA alone showed a reduction in size of the uterus and abnormal architecture of the ovaries. Conclusion: The administration of saffron to female mice resulted in a significant reduction in ZEA-induced alterations in reproductive hormone levels, the size of the uterus, and the morphology of the ovaries.

• Journal of Animal Reproduction and Biotechnology
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.91-98
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• 2021

The objective of this study was to establish a selection process for high quality sperm in bovine semen using sperm separation by magnetic activation (MACS). For this, semen from 21 Nellore bulls was collected using an artificial vagina. To guarantee the presence of pathologies in the ejaculate, animals previously declassified in four consecutive spermiogram were used. Semen was analyzed in five statuses: (1) fresh semen (fresh); (2) density gradient centrifugation (DGC), percoll column; (3) non-apoptotic fraction after separation by MACS (MAC); (4) apoptotic fraction from the separation (MACPOOR); and (5) MAC followed by DGC (MACDGC). Using a computerized analysis system (CASA), motility was measured. The sperm morphology was evaluated by phase contrast, and the supravital test was completed with eosin/nigrosin staining. For DGC, 20 × 10⁶ cells were used in a gradient of 90% and 45% percoll. MACS used 10 × 10⁶ cells with 20 μL of nanoparticles attached to annexin V, and filtered through the MiniMACS magnetic separation column. Membrane integrity was assessed with SYBR-14/IP and mitochondrial potential with JC-1 by flow cytometry. Processing sperm by MACDGC, was more effective in obtaining samples with high quality sperm, verified by the total of abnormalities in the samples: 35.04 ± 2.29%, 21.50 ± 1.47%, 17.30 ± 1.10%, 30.68 ± 1.94% and 10.50 ± 1.46%, respectively for fresh, DGC, MAC, MACPOOR, and MACDGC. The subpopulation of non-apoptotic sperm had a high number of live cells (82.65%), membrane integrity (56.60%) and mitochondrial potential (83.98%) (p < 0.05). These findings suggest that this nanotechnological method, that uses nanoparticles, is efficient in the production of high-quality semen samples for assisted reproduction procedures in cattle.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.293-299
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• 2020

Objective: The goal of the present study was to investigate the rate of chromosomal aneuploidies in surplus embryos after sex determination at the cleavage stage. Then, the same chromosomal aneuploidies were evaluated in blastocysts after extended culture. Methods: Sixty-eight surplus embryos were biopsied at the cleavage stage and incubated for an additional 3 days to allow them to reach the blastocyst stage. The embryos were reanalyzed via fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) to examine eight chromosomes (13, 15, 16, 18, 21, 22, X, and Y) in both cleavage-stage embryos and blastocysts. Results: Although the total abnormality rate was lower in blastocysts (32.35%) than in cleavage-stage embryos (45.58%), the difference was not significant (p=0.113). However, when we restricted the analysis to autosomal abnormalities, we observed a significant difference in the abnormality rate between the cleavage-stage embryos (44.11%) and the blastocysts (17.64%, p=0.008). A higher rate of sex chromosomal abnormalities was also observed in cleavage-stage embryos (29.4%) than in blastocysts (14.70%, p=0.038). Conclusion: The data indicated that embryo biopsy should be conducted at the blastocyst stage rather than the cleavage stage. The results also emphasized that examination of common chromosomal aneuploidies apart from sex selection cycles can be conducted in the blastocyst stage with the FISH method.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.33-39
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• 2022

Objective: Male genital tract infections have been associated with infertility, and Escherichia coli has drawn increasing attention as an important bacterium in this context. This investigation aimed to characterize and compare the distributions of O-antigen serogroups of E. coli in the semen samples of fertile and infertile men. Methods: In this case-control study, semen samples were collected from 618 fertile and 1,535 infertile men. The E. coli-positive samples were evaluated in terms of concentration, morphology, viability, and motility parameters according to the World Health Organization 2010 guidelines. Finally, different serogroups of E. coli were identified by multiplex polymerase chain reaction targeting the O-antigen variations of the bacterium. Results: The prevalence of E. coli among fertile men was significantly higher than among infertile men (p<0.001). The sperm morphology, viability, and motility in the E. coli-positive fertile group were significantly higher than in the E. coli-positive infertile group (p<0.001). E. coli O6 was the most prevalent serogroup found in both groups. However, there was no significant difference in the frequency of different serogroups of E. coil between the two groups (p=0.55). Conclusion: Despite the higher prevalence of E. coli among fertile men, E. coli had more detrimental effects on semen parameters in infertile men. There was no significant difference in E. coli serogroups between the fertile and infertile groups.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.270-276
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• 2022

Objective: The present study assessed the biological characteristics of human spermatozoa at different time intervals (0, 1, 1.5, and 2 hours) after incubation at 37℃. Methods: Twenty-five normozoospermic semen samples were incubated at 37℃. Incubation was performed at four time intervals of 0 (after liquefaction), 1, 1.5, and 2 hours. The samples were evaluated for sperm parameters at each time interval. Results: The rate of sperm progressive motility decreased at 1.5 hours compared to 0 hours as well as 2 hours compared to 1 hour and 0 hours. The rate of non-motile spermatozoa also decreased after 2 hours compared to after 0 hours. No significant changes were observed in sperm viability (p=0.98) and non- progressive motility (p=0.48) at any time intervals. Abnormal sperm morphology increased at 1.5 hours of incubation time (p<0.001). No significant changes were observed in DNA fragmentation at 1 hour compared to 0 hours (median [interquartile range]: 19.5 [4] vs. 19 [4]), as well as at 1.5 hours compared to 1 hour (20 [5]). However, a significant increase in DNA fragmentation was observed at 1.5 hours compared to 0 hours. The mitochondrial membrane potential decreased remarkably after 1 hour of incubation time. No significant differences were observed in the acrosome reaction or malonaldehyde levels at any time point (p=0.34 and p=0.98, respectively). Conclusion: The incubation of normozoospermic samples before use in assisted reproductive technology should be less than 1.5 hours to minimize the destructive effects of prolonged incubation time on general and specific sperm parameters.