OBJECTIVES To investigate the frequency of azoospermia factor (AZF) deletions in Dutch patients with testicular germ cell tumors (TGCTs). Reduced fertility is associated with TGCTs and reduced fertility and TGCTs might share genetic risk factors according to the testicular dysgenesis hypothesis. Up to 8% of infertility and reduced fertility in the general male population can be explained by the...

BACKGROUND Some genes identified in the AZF locus are expressed only in germinal cells; others are ubiquitous. AZF microdeletions seem to occur at the earliest stages of ontogenetic development, and one might therefore assume that Sertoli cells preserve some immature characteristics and that their immunophenotype may be modified by the existence of a molecular defect. MATERIALS AND METHODS Tw...

Testicular germ cell cancer is aetiologically linked to genital malformations and male infertility and is most probably caused by a disruption of embryonic programming and gonadal development during fetal life. In some cases, germ cell neoplasia is associated with a relative reduction of Y chromosomal material (e.g. 45,X/46,XY) or other abnormalities of the Y chromosome. The euchromatic long ar...

Objective: Microdeletions of azoospermia factor (AZF) regions in Y chromosome were a genetic risk factor of spermatogenic failure and male infertility. Most laboratories carried out the AZF microdeletion testing by using peripheral intravenous blood, and AZF microdeletion in spermatozoa of infertile patients was sometimes not identical to that of peripheral intravenous blood due to the existenc...

Objective: Microdeletions of azoospermia factor (AZF) regions in Y chromosome were a genetic risk factor of spermatogenic failure and male infertility. Most laboratories carried out the AZF microdeletion testing by using peripheral intravenous blood, and AZF microdeletion in spermatozoa of infertile patients was sometimes not identical to that of peripheral intravenous blood due to the existenc...

Background: To investigate the frequencies of AZF microdeletions and chromosomal abnormalities in infertile men from Northeastern China. Moreover, to compare the prevalence of these abnormalities with other countries and regions in the world. Materials and Methods: 305 infertile men were enrolled. A complete semen analysis and reproductive hormones were measured according to standard methods. M...

Human chromosome deletions in Yq11 seem to occur frequently as de novo mutation events in men with idiopathic azoospermia or severe oligozoospermia. However, the molecular extensions of these deletions are variable. They can be large and therefore visible under the microscope or small, not visible under the microscope, and containing the deletion of one or more DNA loci recently mapped in an ap...

The objective of the present study was to determine the frequency of somatic chromosomal anomalies and Y chromosomal microdeletions (azoospermia factor genes, AZF) in infertile males who seek assisted reproduction. These studies are very important because the assisted reproduction techniques (mainly intracytoplasmic sperm injection) bypass the natural selection process and some classical chromo...

B5 fixation achieves superior morphologic detail. However, environmental concerns have led to labor-intensive and costly requirements for disposal of mercury-containing fixatives. We performed a blinded prospective study to find a safe, mercury-free alternative to B5. Morphology was evaluated with 6 fixatives, including B5, in a blinded fashion. Acetic acid-zinc-formalin (AZF) was selected for ...