• Proceedings of the KOSOMBE Conference
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• v.1996 no.11
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• pp.297-300
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• 1996

In male reproducible health and fertility and IVF(in-vitro fertilization), semen analysis has been most important. But the traditional tools for semen analysis are subjective, imprecise, inaccurate, difficult to standardize, and difficult to reproduce mainly due to their manually oriented operations. The purpose of a morphometric analysis of sperm is to microscopically type-classify spermatozoa cytologically according to their morphology of heads. Until now, the strict criteria method has long been used in clinic to discriminate normal spermatozoa from abnormal ones. This method cannot classify the diverse groups of abnormal spermatozoa in detail and shows variations in inter-operators and intra-operator In this paper, we developed a new method of a sperm morphometric analysis using artificial neural networks which are widely used in pattern recognition and image processing.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.193-203
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• 1998

The toxicity of DA-125. a new anthracycline anticancer agent, on the male reproductive system was studied in Sprague-Dawley rats. Forty male rats were rando$m\ell$y assigned to Jour groups with ten rats in each group and given single intraveneous doses of DA-125 at dose levels of 0. 12.5. 25. and 50 mg/kg body weight. On day 56 after treatment the animals were allowed to mate. and their male reproductive Junctions and organs were examined in detail. Copulated females were sacrificed on day 20 of gestation for examination of embryo-fetal development. One out of ten rats in the 50 mg/kg group died on day 12 after treatment. Clinical signs such as emaciation. sedation, anorexia. swelling. dark material around eye. alopecia. and diarrhea were observed in the 25 and/or 50 mg/kg groups. Reduction in the body weight gain. decrease in the absolute weights of testes. epididymis and seminal vesicles. and/or decrease in the number of testicular sperm heads were also found. Although histopathological changes such as atrophy of seminiferous tubules. loss or decrease of spermatogenic cells. exfoliation of spermatogenic cells. vacuolization of Sertoli cells. decrease of sperm. and/or increase of necrotic spermatogenic cells in epididymal ducts were observed. no adverse effects on the motility and morphology of epididymal sperm. copulation index. fertility index. and embryo-fetal development were detected in the 25 and 50 mg/kg groups. There were no evidences of male reproductive toxicity in the 12.5 mg/kg group. These results show that single intravenouse doses of DA-125 produce significant dose-related testicular atrophy. histopathological changes. and oligozoospermia in rats and $LD_{10}$ for DA-125 appears to be 50 mg/kg body weight.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.79-84
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• 2017

Objective: Optimizing in vitro maturation (IVM) media to achieve better outcomes has been a matter of interest in recent years. The aim of this prospective clinical trial was to investigate the effects of different media on the IVM outcomes of immature oocytes at the germinal vesicle (GV) stage. Methods: A total of 400 immature oocytes at the GV stage with normal morphology were retrieved from 320 infertile women aged $31{\pm}4.63years$ during stimulated intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) cycles. They were divided into groups of homemade IVM medium (I, n = 100), cleavage medium (II, n = 100), blastocyst medium (III, n = 100), and Sage IVM medium (IV, n = 100) and cultured for 24 to 48 hours at $37^{\circ}C$. ICSI was performed, and the rates of fertilization and embryo formation were compared across the four groups. Results: In the 400 retrieved GV oocytes, the total maturation rates showed significant differences in groups I to IV (55%, 53%, 78%, and 68%, respectively, p<0.001). However, there were no significant differences in the fertilization, embryo formation, or arrest rates of metaphase II oocytes across these groups. In all groups, GV maturation was mostly completed after 24 hours, with fewer oocytes requiring 48 hours to mature (p<0.01). Moreover, the rate of high-quality embryos was higher in group IV than in the other groups (p=0.01). Conclusion: The quality of the IVM medium was found to affect clinical IVM outcomes. Additionally, blastocyst medium may be a good choice in IVM/ICSI cycles as an alternative IVM medium.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.232-235
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• 2018

Background: This study was conducted to investigate the heat stress and semen quality among male workers in a steel industry in Iran and investigate the relationship between heat stress indices and semen parameters. Methods: The study was conducted on workers exposed (n = 30) and unexposed (n = 14) to heat in a steel industry. After obtaining a brief biography of the selected employees, scrotal temperature, oral temperature, and environmental parameters were measured, and their semen samples were analyzed according to the procedure recommended by the World Health Organization. The heat stress indices, including wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT) and predicted heat strain (PHS), in their workplace were calculated according to environmental parameters (ISO 7243:1989 and 7933:2004, respectively). Results: Time-weighted averages of WBGT and PHS ($35.76^{\circ}C$ and 491.56 $w/m^2{\frac{w}{m^2}}$, respectively) for the exposed group were higher than threshold limit values. The mean difference of environmental, physiological, and semen parameters (exception: pH of semen), and also WBGT and PHS indices were statistically significant (p < 0.05) between the two groups. Mean semen parameters were in the normozoospermic range. WBGT and PHS indices showed significantly "negative" correlation with physiological parameters (scrotal and oral temperature) and most semen parameters (semen volume, sperm morphology, sperm motility, sperm count; p < 0.05); moreover, the correlation of WBGT with these parameters was stronger than PHS. Conclusion: Semen parameters of the studied workers exposed to heat were in the borderline level of normozoospermic range, and their semen parameters were significantly lower than controls. For better assessment of occupational environment concerning physiological and semen parameters in steel industries, WBGT can be a more useful index.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 1999

The aim of the present study was to investigate with transmission electron misroscope the comparative morphology of epididymal spermatozoa in two species of the Korean insectivorous bats belonging to 'prolonged sperm storage' type (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum korai) and 'delayed implantation' type (Miniopterus schreibersi fuliginosus). Sperm head of the R. ferrumequinum korai was bullet shaped and that of M. schreibersi fuliginosus was spatula shaped. The nuclei of the sperm head of the R. ferrumequinum korai and M. schreibersi fuliginosus occupied two-third and a half of it, respectively. The segmented columns of R. ferrumequinum korai were about 12 to 14 in number, and those of the M. schreibersi fuligincsus were about 10 to 12. Particularly, a pile of the satellite fibers in middle piece of R. ferrumequinum korai remained the inner aspect of the outer dense fibers, but those of the M. schreibersi fuliginosus were not.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.351-359
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• 2014

Phasianus colchicus is not only a beautiful bird but also a great value in science and under the threat of endanger. Hence, the aim of this study was to isolate the pheasant male germ cells (mGCs) and then induce them into elongated sperm-like cells in vitro. The mGCs were purified and enriched by a two-step plating method based on the different adherence velocities of mGCs and somatic cells. The percentage of the c-kit positive cells and c-kit negative cells examined by flow cytometry analysis (FCA) was 92.87% and 2.57%, respectively. Subsequently, the mGCs were induced for 48h in DMEM/F12 medium supplemented factors such as retinol acid, testosterone and bovine FSH, followed by 5 weeks in culture. We found that some elongated sperm-like cells appeared initially in vitro under inducement of stimulated factors. The elongated sperm-like cells showed in the expression of changed morphology and post-transcriptional marker such as spermatid associated (SPERT), spermatid perinuclear RNA binding protein (STRBP), round spermatid basic protein 1 (RSBN1) and SPER1L. Moreover, in DNA content identified assay, induced cells showed that the 1C DNA population markedly increased in differentiated group but it was not change in undifferentiated group. Successful in vitro differentiation of pheasant testicular germline cells into spermatids appears to offer extremely attractive potential for the conservation of endangered birds and treatment of male infertility.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.11-18
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• 1993

Four extenders such as tris-fructose-citrate, Tris-glucose-citrate, glycine-glucose-citrate and lactose that the more frequently utilized types of semen extenders used for freezing dog semen evaluated with sperm motility, viability and acrosomal score in the processing procedures to prior freezing and after frozen-thawing respectively. Each extender contained 4% glycerol and 20% egg yolk were treated by same methods in dilution, freezing, storage and thawing. The results were obtained as follows; 1. The sperm motility and viability in procedure from dilution to frozen-thawing appeared superiorly with recovery rate of 53.2%, 54.8% in tris-fructose-citrate but appeared inferiorly with recover rate of 8.4%, 8.3% in lactose to others. 2. In the processing procedure course to prior-freezing, glycine-glucose-citrate appeared superiorly with decrease rate of 5.4% in motility, and lactose with decrease rate of 4.6% in viability, but tris-glucose-citrate appeared inferiorly with decrease rate of 12.2%, 11.4% in the sperm motility and viability. 3. During frozen-thawing, tris-fructose-citrate appeared superiorly with decrease rate of 35.2% in motility and 30.7% in viability but lactose appeared inferiorly with decrease rate of 76.7% in motility and 75.7% in viability. 4. The variation of acrosome morphology in the total processing procedures appeared that glycine-glucose citrate were superior with acrosome score of 0.1191$\pm$0.029, that tris-fructose-citrate were inferior with acrosome score of 0.1941$\pm$0.045 to others.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.281-286
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• 2000

2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-Dioxin (TCDD), a ubiquitous environmental contaminant, causes a variety of adverse effects on the male reproductive system in rats. The effect of green tea extract (GTE) was investigated on the testicular function in Spragure-Dawley rats after a single exposure of 10$\mu\textrm{g}$ TCDD/kg body weight. The exposure of rat to TCDD significantly increased the weights of the epididymis and ventral prostate, yet significantly decresed the weight of the seminal vesicle when compared to the controls (p<0.05). In a combined treatment of TCDD with GTE, the organ weight changes caused by TCDD treatment disappeared. Significant decreases in sperm motility and sperm numbers were observed in the TCDD-treated rats, when compared to the control (p<0.05). GTE treatment reversed the decrease of sperm motility and sperm numbers caused by TCDD. There were no differences in sperm morphology, histological changes of the reproductive organs, and spermatogenesis between all the treated groups. In the ventral prostate and seminal vesicle, TCDD increased the CYP1A1 mRNA level, however, it did not affect the estrogen receptor $\beta$ (ER-$\beta$) mRNA level. GTE treatment did not influence the effect of TCDD on the levels of CYP1A1 and Er-$\beta$ mRNA. These results seem to indicate that green tea protects the testicular function against TCDD-induced reproductive toxicity, not because of a receptor-mediated mechanism but rather due to a secondary change of testes or accessory sex organs.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.207-213
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• 2017

Objective: This study investigated the prevalence of infections with human papillomavirus, Chlamydia trachomatis, Ureaplasma urealyticum, Mycoplasma hominis, and Mycoplasma genitalium in the semen of Korean infertile couples and their associations with sperm quality. Methods: Semen specimens were collected from 400 men who underwent a fertility evaluation. Infection with above five pathogens was assessed in each specimen. Sperm quality was compared in the pathogen-infected group and the non-infected group. Results: The infection rates of human papillomavirus, C. trachomatis, U. urealyticum, M. hominis, and M. genitalium in the study subjects were 1.57%, 0.79%, 16.80%, 4.46%, and 1.31%, respectively. The rate of morphological normality in the U. urealyticum-infected group was significantly lower than in those not infected with U. urealyticum. In a subgroup analysis of normozoospermic samples, the semen volume and the total sperm count in the pathogen-infected group were significantly lower than in the non-infected group. Conclusion: Our results suggest that infection with U. urealyticum alone and any of the five sexually transmitted infections are likely to affect sperm morphology and semen volume, respectively.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.15 no.3 s.70
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• pp.387-396
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• 2005

The aims of the study were to establish a short-term screening test for detecting testicular toxicity of chemicals in rats and to determine whether a 2-week administration period is sufficient to detect testicular toxicity of 2-bromopropane (2-BP) as an example. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were subcutaneously administered with 1000 mg/kg/day of 2-BP or its vehicle for 2 weeks. Ten male rats each were sacrificed on days 3, 7 and 14 after the initiation of treatment. Parameters of testicular toxicity included genital organ weights, testicular sperm head counts, epididymal sperm counts, motility and morphology, and qualitative and quantitative histopathologic examinations. The early histopathological changes observed on day 3 of treatment included degeneration of spermatogonia and spermatocytes, multinuclear giant cells, mature spermatid retention, vacuolization of Sertoli cells, and decreased number of spermatogonia in stages II and V. On day 7 of treatment, atrophy of seminiferous tubules, exfoliation of germ cells, degeneration of spermatogonia and spermatocytes, multinuclear giant cells, mature spermatid retention, vacuolization of Sertoli cells, decreased number of spermatogonia in stages II and V, and decreased number of spermatocytes in stages VII and XII. On day 14 after treatment, a significant decrease in the weights of testes and seminal vesicles was found. Atrophy of seminiferous tubules, exfoliation of germ cells, degeneration of spermatogonia and spermatocytes, mature spermatid retention, vacuolization of Sertoli cells, decreased number of spermatogonia in stages II and V, and decreased number of spermatocytes in all spermatogenic stages were also observed. In addition, a slight non-significant decrease in testicular sperm head counts, daily sperm production rate and epididymal sperm counts was found. The results showed that 2 weeks of treatment is sufficient to detect the adverse effects of 2-BP on male reproductive organs. It is considered that the short-term testicular toxicity study established in this study can be a useful tool for screening the testicular toxic potential of new drug candidates in rats.