PURPOSE Recent reports suggest declining sperm counts in the United States. These reports did not include all available data and did not account for geographic variations noted in prior studies. We examined all available data on U.S. sperm counts and evaluated whether geographic variations account for the decline suggested. MATERIALS AND METHODS We reviewed all 29 U.S. studies from 1938 to 19...

The ability of bovine follicular fluid (FF) and oviduct fluid (ODF) to capacitate sperm was determined. At concentrations of greater than 20%, both FF and ODF capacitated sperm within 4 hours, but at concentrations greater than 40%, FF also initiated the acrosome reaction. Non-luteal ODF at a concentration greater than 60% capacitated sperm within 2 hours. Non-luteal ODF maintained sperm motili...

Copper, an essential element, is toxic at elevated concentrations, and as a result of anthropogenic activities is becoming increasingly prevalent in marine environments. In this study, we examined the effects of copper on early life stages of the blue mussel, Mytilus trossulus. We assessed the impacts of increasing copper concentrations on embryo development, egg viability, sperm fertilization ...

Approximately 15% of couples are affected by infertility and up to half of these cases arise from male factor infertility. Unidentified genetic aberrations such as chromosomal deletions, translocations and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) may be the underlying cause of many cases of idiopathic male infertility. Deletion of the choline dehydrogenase (Chdh) gene in mice results in decreased...

the purpose of this study was to evaluate the probable effects of leptin addition in different levels to the semen extender on sperm quality (motility and motility parameters, viability, sperm membrane integrity, and dna damage). semen specimens were evaluated immediately after leptin addition, equilibration time and after thawing the frozen semen. five healthy buffalo bulls (5 ejaculates from ...

Melittin is a cytolytic peptide component of bee venom which rapidly integrates into lipid bilayers and forms pores resulting in osmotic lysis. While the therapeutic utility of free melittin is limited by its cytotoxicity, incorporation of melittin into the lipid shell of a perfluorocarbon nanoparticle has been shown to reduce its toxicity in vivo. Our group has previously demonstrated that per...

The genetic benefits individuals receive from mate choice have been the focus of numerous studies, with several showing support for both intrinsic genetic benefits and compatibility effects on fertilization success and offspring viability. However, the robustness of these effects have rarely been tested across an ecologically relevant environmental gradient. In particular, sperm environment is ...

This postcoital sperm assessment study was performed over a 10 month time period (November 2014-August 2015). Fifteen couples enrolled in the study. The study was a non-blinded, non-randomized, single-center comparison study comparing The Stork® OTC (Rinovum Women's Health, Monroeville, PA) to natural intercourse (NI), using the subjects as their own control/baseline. This was an efficacy study...

Competition among gametes for fertilization imposes strong selection. For external fertilizers, this selective pressure extends to eggs for which spawning conditions can range from sperm limitation (competition among eggs) to sexual conflict (overabundance of competing sperm toxic to eggs). Yet existing fertilization models ignore dynamics that can alter the functional nature of gamete interact...

AIM To investigate if interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-8 (IL-8), interleukin-10 (IL-10), interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) or tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) are able to stimulate the level of lipid peroxidation of sperm membranes, either alone or in the presence of leukocytes. METHODS Semen samples from normozoospermic donors were prepared by density gradient. The sperms were exposed to ...