Appropriate semen processing and assessment are critical for successful infertility treatment. We investigated whether laboratory procedures including semen preparation and incubation affect sperm DNA integrity. A total of 153 infertile men were involved. Conventional semen parameters and sperm chromatin structure assay (SCSA) parameters, that is, DNA fragmentation index (%DFI) and high DNA sta...

The fertilizing sperm's lengthiest unchartered voyage is through the longest, least-investigated organ in a man's body - the Epididymis. Over six meters long in men, ~80 meters in stallions and over one-hundred times a mouse's body length, there are few functions known aside from sperm storage and nutrition. While spermatogenesis is completed in the testes, here we demonstrate sperm centriole r...

OBJECTIVE Sperm preparation techniques select sperm population with improved sperm motion characteristics. We sought to determine whether the swim-up technique selects spermatozoa with the ability to undergo hypoosmotic swelling, and how swim-up and subsequent capacitation affect the acrosome reaction rate. METHODS Semen specimens from 15 normal donors were divided into unprocessed, swim-up, ...

A technique is described for the routine preparation of seminal fluid specimens for transmission electron microscopy. The method is applicable to cases where examination of sperm morphology is required and can also be used for the indentification of non-spermatozoal cells and their inclusions.

A full label-free morphological and biochemical characterization is desirable to select spermatozoa during preparation for artificial insemination. In order to study these fundamental parameters, we take advantage of two attractive techniques: digital holography (DH) and Raman spectroscopy (RS). DH presents new opportunities for studying morphological aspect of cells and tissues non-invasively,...

The influence of selected semen extenders on the motility of frozen-thawed dog spermatozoa has been clearly demonstrated in several studies, although there are no reports indicating the effect of swim-up purification on sperm viability in this species of mammals. Therefore, this study was aimed at investigating phosphatidylserine (PS) externalization and necrosis in sperm after variable lengths...

Objective: The objective of the present study was to detect the presence of any sperm selecting and / or motivating factor in the cervical mucus (CM) of ovulatory women, which, in turn, might influence pregnancy rate. Materials & Methods: The study was conducted with 190 infertile couples, having indications for moderate seminopathy, enlisted for intra-uterine insemination (IUI), following rout...

For many years, the management of male-factor infertility has been empirical rather than evidence-based. In current clinical practice, assisted reproductive techniques are the most successful methods of alleviating male-factor infertility. To date, it remains unclear what adjuvant actions can be taken to improve the outcome of assisted reproductive techniques for male-factor infertility. Eviden...