introduction: the acrosome is a sac shaped organelle contaning lysosomal enzyme that is located on the anterior of sperm head. during the acrosome reaction its content is released in the vicinity of the egg. the acrosome reacted sperm then penetrates through the egg barriers. there are several methods for evaluating the acrosomal status; some of those are complex, expensive and/or non-accurate ...

Background: Adipose tissue is not only an energy storage tissue but also an important endocrine organ that secretes protein hormones. Among them, the production and secretion of adiponectin is inversely correlated to the severity of obesity. In adipose tissue, adiponectin production is transcriptionally regulated by peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPAR-γ). Obesity is a major healt...

OBJECTIVE Artificial oocyte activation (AOA) is an effective method to avoid total fertilization failure in human in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer (IVF-ET) cycles. AOA performed using a calcium ionophore can induce calcium oscillation in oocytes and initiate the fertilization process. We evaluated the usefulness of AOA with a calcium ionophore in cases of total fertilization failure in pr...

In order to find an optimal hypo-osmotic swelling test (HOST) and to identify viable sperm cells from patients with asthenozoospermia for intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), we tested single motile and non-motile spermatozoa in four hypo-osmotic solutions by micromanipulation. The four solutions were: A, H2O; B, 50 mOsm NaCl; C, 150 mOsm NaCl and D, 150 mOsm sodium citrate and fructose. Eo...

The present study aimed to verify the caprine semen characteristics during dry and rainy seasons in the Brazilian Northeast, and the influence of these seasons on cooled semen. Seminal volume, concentration, percentage of motile cells, vigor and spermatic morphology, as well as biochemical profile (fructose, citric acid, P, Ca 2+ , Mg, total proteins and phospholipase A2 activity) were analyzed...

Background: This study aimed to investigate the inhibitory effects of simultaneous formaldehyde (FA) and noise exposure on the sperm kinematic parameters sexual hormones in male mice. Materials and Methods: Forty eight NMRI adult male mice were randomly assigned to control group and experimental groups which were exposed to formaldehyde vapour (10 ppm) (F), noise (100 dB) (N), and simultaneous ...

Background: Declines in semen quality over time are not well understood. It is suspected that infectious disease may affect reproductive function. The aim of this study was to investigate semen quality in men in infertile relationships who were under investigation for couple infertility and attended a clinic for routine semen analysis over a period of 15years. Materials and Methods: We investig...

BACKGROUND In patients with transient azoospermia, few sperm may be found in the ejaculate. We investigated the outcome of ICSI in patients with transient azoospermia. METHODS Records of patients with transient azoospermia referred during a 42 month period were reviewed. If only immotile sperm were found, the sample was incubated with 30% human serum albumin (HSA) before motility re-assessmen...

Motile porcine sperms adhere to hydrophilic materials such as glass and plastics. The adsorption of sperms to a hydrophobic poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) membrane is less compared with that to glass. We investigated the linear velocity (LV) and amplitude of lateral head displacement (ALHD) of motile porcine sperm on glass and PDMS preparations using computer-assisted sperm analysis (CASA). Sign...