tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-787634170013052632024-03-05T22:59:22.992-08:00Male Fertility 'n' Manly Solutions...sharing info on male fertilityOmo Francahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602656256699309246noreply@blogger.comBlogger47125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78763417001305263.post-12398786171304715462016-07-20T16:47:00.002-07:002016-07-20T16:47:30.831-07:00Sperm home test kit<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM1519m0wVjOxTZr2rb6_mdqR_FQh7v5jtzYwcn3Jdr5PwLLUW0WRObBmXClk1sp3gB8lrulKy4PJaBby2i35_rDAv4TrmLkasZbeH6odT3iq-fMefQNFxQbakEca1vMv95mir_OL9gn33/s1600/m8650104-graticular_screen_showing_low_human_sperm_count-spl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM1519m0wVjOxTZr2rb6_mdqR_FQh7v5jtzYwcn3Jdr5PwLLUW0WRObBmXClk1sp3gB8lrulKy4PJaBby2i35_rDAv4TrmLkasZbeH6odT3iq-fMefQNFxQbakEca1vMv95mir_OL9gn33/s320/m8650104-graticular_screen_showing_low_human_sperm_count-spl.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "lato-regular",serif; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">How are the little swimmers doing? Low
sperm counts or poor sperm quality are behind around a third of cases of
couples who can’t conceive. A visit to a clinic for a test can be awkward, but
a smartphone-based system lets men determine whether that’s necessary by
checking their </span><a href="https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn22462-sperm-stem-cells-restore-male-fertility"><span style="color: #179cce; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">fertility</span></span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">
at home.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10.5pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "lato-regular",serif; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Men often find it embarrassing to give a
semen sample at a clinic, says Yoshitomo Kobori at the Dokkyo Medical University
Koshigaya Hospital in Japan. So Kobori devised an alternative. “I thought a
smartphone microscope could be an easy way to look at problems with male
fertility,” he says.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10.5pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "lato-regular",serif; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Kobori and his colleagues came up with a
lens less than a millimetre thick that can be slotted into a plastic “jacket”.
Clipped on to the camera of a smartphone, it magnifies an image by 555 times –
perfect for looking at sperm.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10.5pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "lato-regular",serif; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">To do a home test, a man would apply a
small amount of semen to a plastic sheet around five minutes after ejaculation
and press it against the microscope.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<h4 style="line-height: 18pt; margin: 2pt 0cm 0pt;">
<em><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Watch them swim</span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222; font-family: Lato; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></em></h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10.5pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "lato-regular",serif; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The phone’s camera can then take a
3-second video clip of the sperm. When viewed enlarged on a computer screen, it
is easy for someone to count the total number of sperm and the number that are
moving – key indicators of fertility.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10.5pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "lato-regular",serif; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Kobori says the system works as well as
the software used in fertility clinics. When the team ran 50 samples through
both systems, they got almost identical results. The work was presented at the
European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology meeting in Helsinki this
month.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10.5pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "lato-regular",serif; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The system can’t assess the ability of
sperm to fertilise an egg. “This method is only the simple version of semen
analysis,” says Kobori. But that could be enough for men to identify potential
fertility problems, and decide whether to seek help from a doctor.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span>Omo Francahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602656256699309246noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78763417001305263.post-23731752808134464662016-01-20T18:33:00.001-08:002019-10-14T07:49:29.283-07:00New microscopy may identify best sperm cells: Cutting-edge innovation pinpoints top candidates for assisted reproductive technology<br />
<script async="" data-ad-client="ca-pub-6991246409826765" src="https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>New microscopy may identify best sperm cells: Cutting edge innovation pinpoints top candidates for assisted reproductive technology.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">: New microscopic technology promises to be a game-changer in the field of reproductive assistance. A team of scientists has devised a new method of microscopy allowing scientists to perform clinical sperm analysis for in vitro fertilization without the use of staining, which can affect the viability of sperm samples.</span>Omo Francahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602656256699309246noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78763417001305263.post-25332986203561135842016-01-20T17:55:00.000-08:002016-01-20T17:55:16.290-08:00IVF baby born from world’s oldest sperm<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGLLohMosHPtpEwyOo-oI4FgpHHUq5hW3YIe-Eu-up2BF2juzmsYh6PegEN_thiQ8AMlAwuo-11bcrN7jyqTzXbBFout2j4m1eWmrKacK2dYnxbgff-XmBUx7jr_vGg3rolRPu2JOvpURi/s1600/oldestsperm_youtube.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGLLohMosHPtpEwyOo-oI4FgpHHUq5hW3YIe-Eu-up2BF2juzmsYh6PegEN_thiQ8AMlAwuo-11bcrN7jyqTzXbBFout2j4m1eWmrKacK2dYnxbgff-XmBUx7jr_vGg3rolRPu2JOvpURi/s320/oldestsperm_youtube.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222; font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-size: large;">Little Xavier
Powell has been dubbed the world’s oldest baby after he was born from sperm
that was harvested nearly 23 years ago.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 19.5pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 19.5pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222; font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-size: large;">The baby boy
recently received the title from the Guinness World Book of Records, which said
that he was conceived at a fertility group in Queensland, Australia, on Sept 24
last year.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
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</font></script><span style="font-size: large;">According to The Mirror UK, Xavier was born on June 17 this year to
Australian couple Alex Powell and Vi Nguyen via in-vitro fertilisation (IVF).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 19.5pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 19.5pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222; font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-size: large;">When he was
15 years old, Mr Powell was diagnosed with a rare type of cancer that affects
the lymphatic system – Hodgkin’s lymphoma.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 19.5pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 19.5pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222; font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-size: large;">Although he
was only a teenager at the time, his stepmother had advised him to freeze his
sperm before undergoing chemotherapy.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 19.5pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 19.5pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222; font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-size: large;">Sperm cells
can be easily damaged by chemotherapy as it kills cells that divide rapidly, an
article by the American Cancer Society explains.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 19.5pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 19.5pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222; font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-size: large;">The treatment
may also reduce the number of sperm cells, reduce their quality, and cause the
cancer patient to suffer from infertility.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 19.5pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 19.5pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222; font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-size: large;">After what Mr
Powell described as “an awkward session” at the sperm bank, a sample of his
semen remained frozen in the facility for over two decades.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 19.5pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 19.5pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222; font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-size: large;">He
subsequently made a full recovery from cancer and later met his wife.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 19.5pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 19.5pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222; font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-size: large;">The couple
decided to have a child through IVF in late 2013, and spent nearly a year as
well as half of the frozen sperm before getting pregnant with Xavier.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 19.5pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 19.5pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222; font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-size: large;">On his son’s
birth, Mr Powell said in an interview with 9News: “For me, it’s that sort of
feeling in life you want to relive every moment if you can.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 19.5pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 19.5pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222; font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-size: large;">He added that
they might try for a second child using the same method.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 19.5pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 19.5pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222; font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-size: large;">Meanwhile, a
baby girl born in the United States in 2009 is believed to have been the
titleholder of ‘World’s oldest baby’ before Xavier’s arrival.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 19.5pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 19.5pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222; font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-size: large;">ABC News
reported that she was born 22 years after her father Chris Biblis froze his
sperm while battling leukaemia in 1986.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 19.5pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 19.5pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222; font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-size: large;">According to
medical experts, sperm frozen at -196 degrees Celsius can be stored and used
after an indefinite period of time.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 19.5pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 19.5pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222; font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-size: large;">In a report
by The Guardian UK, Alan Pacey, an andrologist at Sheffield University
elaborated: “There’s very little happening at the cellular level. There’s no
enzymatic activity, no DNA transcription and everything metabolic is switched
off.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span>Omo Francahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602656256699309246noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78763417001305263.post-43384649184350914122014-12-09T15:20:00.001-08:002014-12-09T15:20:10.632-08:00Study confirms that sperm quality decreases with age<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Open Sans"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Conflicting evidence about the extent to which men's
semen quality declines with age - likely lowering their fertility - is being
cleared up by new University of Otago research that has collated and reviewed
data from 90 previous studies from around the world. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Open Sans"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After conducting a systematic review and meta-analysis of
the studies' data, researchers from the University's Departments of Zoology and
Anatomy found consistent age-related declines in semen volume and sperm
performance and increases in malformed and DNA-damaged sperm. Semen quality is
regarded as a proxy for how fertile a male is. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Open Sans"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Study lead author Dr Sheri Johnson says that
understanding how age affects fertility is becoming increasingly important as
couples delay childbearing toward later stages of their lives. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Open Sans"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"While female age is well known to have negative
effects on fertility, reproductive success and the health of offspring, the
influence of male age on a couple's fertility has been largely neglected. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Open Sans"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"The effects of declining semen traits with
increasing male age have largely been ignored due to inconsistencies in the
literature, but our work now suggests that male age affects a variety of
traits. It is well recognised that reduced sperm performance can affect
pregnancy success, but it is less well known that the quality of the sperm,
particularly DNA quality, could affect the development and health of the
offspring," Dr Johnson says. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Open Sans"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Dr Johnson and her co-authors synthesised the current
state of knowledge from 90 individual studies, spanning around 94,000
volunteers/patients from more than 30 countries. Their Marsden-funded study
appears in the international journal, <em><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">Ageing
Research Reviews.</span></em> <o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Open Sans"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"Our study made no attempt to estimate the rate of
decline, but some well-controlled clinic-based studies have observed consistent
declines with increasing age, whereas others project declines after age 35 for
some traits and after age 40 for others" she says. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Open Sans"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Professor Neil Gemmell, a co-author on the paper, says
the consistency in its findings suggests that further awareness of the
potential consequences of male age on reproductive outcomes is needed. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Open Sans"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">"Older males contribute to increased risk of
obstetric complications, miscarriage, and offspring disorders such as </span><a href="http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/info/autism/" title="What is Autism?"><span style="color: #0164c8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">autism</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">,
Down syndrome, </span><a href="http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/8947.php" title="What is epilepsy? What causes epilepsy?"><span style="color: #0164c8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">epilepsy</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">, and </span><a href="http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/36942.php" title="What is schizophrenia?"><span style="color: #0164c8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">schizophrenia</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">. In addition, increasing male
age may be an overlooked component of couple </span><a href="http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/165748.php" title="What is infertility? What causes infertility? How is infertility treated?"><span style="color: #0164c8; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">infertility</span></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">,
leading to our increased use and dependency on fertility treatments, such as
IVF." <o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Open Sans"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Overall, the authors advise that clinicians and the
general public need to be aware of the risks associated with male age on fertility
outcomes. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Open Sans"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The authors suggest that clinical analysis of the
percentage of DNA-fragmented sperm cells and a greater focus on how well sperm
swim may lead to better patient outcomes during fertility treatments of ageing
couples. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Open Sans"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"These are likely more accurate and consistent
predictors of a man's fertility status than commonly clinically measured traits
such as semen volume, sperm concentration and total sperm count," Dr
Johnson says.</span></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Open Sans"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong><span style="font-size: xx-small;">source: medicalnewstoday</span></strong> <o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span>Omo Francahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602656256699309246noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78763417001305263.post-38939326353679080332014-02-28T09:46:00.002-08:002014-02-28T09:46:35.847-08:00Exploring the stigma of male infertility<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em><span style="color: #b45f06;">The
issue of male infertility can leave men floundering and uncommunicative but
taking a medical and holistic approach can have astonishing results.<o:p></o:p></span></em></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">
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</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #747474; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><strong><em><span style="font-size: xx-small;">By Catherine Shanahan</span></em></strong> </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">THERE are a range of labels
and phrases around male infertility designed to kick a man when he’s down.
There’s the word ‘jaffa’, slang for an infertile man, inspired by the seedless
orange. There’s the reference to ‘shooting blanks’ and ‘bad swimmers’. <br />
<br />
The terminology adds insult to injury for men struggling to come to terms with
the fact that their ability to father a child is either severely compromised or
downright impossible. <br />
<br />
Thomas McCluskey, a 32-year-old security worker from Clondalkin, Co Dublin, was
beginning to think he was in the latter category after he and wife Karen, (31)
had spent five years trying to conceive. <br />
<br />
Initially, he kept quiet about his difficulties. <br />
<br />
“It’s not like you’d walk into the local and say to the lads ‘I’m shooting
blanks’. There’s a stigma attached,” Thomas says. <br />
<br />
[timg]KarenThomasMcCluskeyAndBaby_large.jpg[/img]<br />
<br />
</span><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Perfect result: Baby TJ McCluskey with parents Karen and Thomas
McCluskey.</span></i></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">
<br />
Dr Tim Dineen, laboratory manager at Cork Fertility Centre (CFC), agrees. He
conducted a series of interviews to study the male reaction to fertility
problems while working on a masters in genetic counselling. <br />
<br />
“When I conducted interviews for my thesis 10 years ago, male fertility was a
taboo subject and I found men were very slow to discuss it. <br />
<br />
“My research suggested that identifying the root cause of subfertility, (a less
than normal capacity for reproduction), can help the male psychologically, in
that he may not blame himself and/ or think that he contributed to his problem.
Men may also be reassured that male factor subfertility can be overcome through
various treatment options,” Dineen says. <br />
<br />
His research also highlighted the psychological impact of subfertility on the
man. <br />
<br />
“Many men had feelings of disappointment, failure, anxiety and anger,
particularly when it’s something they have little control over such as a
genetic condition,” he says. <br />
<br />
Then there was the impact of infertility on a relationship. A colleague of
Dineen’s did a study which found men can suffer low self-esteem and have high
levels of stress when a diagnosis of subfertility is made, and these feelings
can be acerbated by a lack of openness to communication. This in turn can
decrease the level of overall contentment with the marital relationship. <br />
<br />
However, what many men did not realise, says Dineen, is that male factor
subfertility problems are not as rare as they might think. <br />
<br />
“We see men every week who think they are the only one with this problem, but
in fact, in at least one third of all cases, subfertility can be attributed to
the male,” he says. <br />
<br />
McCluskey was surprised when his sperm count came back on the low side after he
had it tested three years into trying for a baby. The doctor advised him to
lose weight (he was 19½ stone at the time) and to cut back on smoking (20 a
day) and drinking, (24 cans a week). <br />
<br />
“There was some sperm there so I though I was not doing anything too wrong. The
doctor said, ‘You’re a young lad, try and cut down’, but I didn’t make too much
of an effort to change at the time,” he says. <br />
<br />
After another year-and-a-half of trying unsuccessfully to conceive, McCluskey
went again for semen analysis, the principle investigation used to evaluate
male fertility — it measures the number of sperm, the motility, (ability to
move), and the morphology, (shape). Costs vary per clinic. At CFC the test
ranges between €75 and €125. <br />
<br />
Thomas’ sperm count was even lower this time around, but it took a TV show to
get him motivated. He heard that TV3 were looking for a couple experiencing
difficulties conceiving for a show called How Healthy Are You?. <br />
<br />
“I had nothing to lose by doing the show. We didn’t have money to go down the
IVF route and the show was looking at alternative therapies, so we went for
it,” Thomas says. <br />
<br />
The alternatives included analysing diet and lifestyle and making the necessary
changes and trying out complementary therapies such as acupuncture and
hypnotherapy. <br />
<br />
Senior clinical embryologist Declan Keane, founder of the ReproMed clinics in
Dublin and Kilkenny, was one of the show’s contributors. He’s a firm believer
in exhausting the alternatives before heading down the route of advanced
medical treatments. <br />
<br />
“At present in Ireland, there’s no true link between those offering medical
therapies and those offering complementary or holistic therapies. There should,
in my view, be an integrated medical approach incorporating nutrition, dietary
advice, psychological advice and other holistic therapies,” he says. <br />
<br />
Being identified as subfertile can threaten men’s core identity. Keane believes
men take infertility very personally, that it “hits the masculine or macho
side”. While Dineen believes men find it difficult to distinguish between
virility (sex drive), and fertility. <br />
<br />
Many ask, “Am I not a real man if I can’t procreate?” he says. <br />
<br />
CFC offers free counselling to help men deal with the psychological side.
McCluskey concedes that he was under a lot of stress. “You can get very
stressed thinking ‘I’ll never have kids’. From a male point of view you don’t
want to think that you can’t father a child,” he says. <br />
<br />
The couple seized the opportunities the show offered, changing diet with the
help of nutritionist Elsa Jones, moving from heavily processed convenience
foods to wholesome, fresh produce. They tried acupuncture with Karen Costin, a therapy
Thomas said gave a “huge sense of relief” and hypnotherapist and
psychotherapist Aisling Killoran put him in a better mental state. “It might
seem like a lot of hocus-pocus to some people, but it’s actually quite
practical. It relaxes you and puts you in a fantastic frame of mind,” says
McCluskey. <br />
<br />
But despite their best efforts, he got more bad news during the show. Another
semen analysis showed no sperm present whatsoever. <br />
<br />
Was this the end of the road? Not necessarily, Dineen says. <br />
<br />
“The good news is that it is possible for him [a man with no sperm in the
ejaculate], to still have his own biological child. We can carry out a
testicular biopsy, Testicular Sperm Extraction (TESE), to retrieve sperm from
testicular tissue; this may either be carried out on the day of ICSI treatment
or a sample may equally be frozen and stored for use at a later date.” <br />
<br />
ICSI (Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection), one of the most popular techniques
used to overcome the problems of low sperm count and poor motility, involves
injecting a single moving sperm into the female partner’s egg, (collected for
fertilisation outside the womb and transferred back after fertilisation has
occurred). <br />
<br />
At CFC, TESE is carried out under local anaesthetic and takes approximately 20
minutes; the clinic carries out approximately 40 procedures a year. Dineen says
this method of sperm retrieval is very successful, and sperm is retrieved from
tissue in about 80% of cases, resulting in a live birth rate of 42% per
transfer. <br />
<br />
However for men who undergo biopsy and no sperm are recovered, they do
unfortunately hit a genetic cul de sac. “And you are then looking at options
such as use of donor sperm,” he says. Donor sperm was not an option McCluskey
had ever considered. It was suggested to him after the test where no semen was
found. <br />
<br />
“That was stunning news. That was life-changing. When it only takes one sperm
to get pregnant, that news was devastating. I felt I had nothing to work with.”
<br />
<br />
In a panic, the couple sought more intense help from the therapists and doctors
involved in the TV3 show. Declan Keane was encouraging. “He told me it takes
three months to make sperm. I think that’s why my lifestyle changes didn’t take
immediate effect. But I didn’t now that until he told me,” says McCluskey. <br />
<br />
In the end, he did have something to work with. On January 5, he and Karen, an
office administrator, had their first child, Thomas Jack (TJ). <br />
<br />
Against what seemed like overwhelming odds, it was a spontaneous pregnancy. And
amid all the stress and disappointment, the manner in which McCluskey learned
he would finally become a father had its humorous side. <br />
<br />
Karen was a week late menstruating and decided to do a pregnancy test. <br />
<br />
McCluskey didn’t encourage her. “I said ‘Karen, we’ve been here so many times
before’.” Karen did a test anyway but didn’t hang about for the result. “She
was annoyed with me about something. She went off to work and left the
pregnancy test on top of the cistern,” he says. <br />
<br />
Later in the bathroom, he spotted the test. A casual glance gave way to an
incredulous stare. “I’ll never forget it as long as I live. It was a massive
surprise. There were two blue lines,” he says. <br />
<br />
McCluskey rang his wife with the news. She didn’t believe him. In the end he
had to send a photograph via his iphone. So now that he’s achieved what seemed
the impossible, (in his words “a true miracle”), what advice does he have for
other men dealing with infertility issues? <br />
<br />
“Do your research. Don’t give up. You don’t necessarily have to go down the IVF
or ICSI route. Examine your diet and lifestyle”. <br />
<br />
And ultimately he says ‘Get yourselves checked out’. <br />
<br />
“When you are coming to an age where having children is on the agenda, get the
test done to see where you are on the scale.” <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
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<!--[endif]--></span></span></span>Omo Francahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602656256699309246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78763417001305263.post-30204831364861770332014-02-02T14:55:00.004-08:002014-02-02T14:55:47.147-08:00Low folate in male diet linked to risk of offspring birth defects<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><span style="font-size: large;"><strong><span lang="EN" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Open Sans"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><em>Previous research has shown that what
mothers eat during pregnancy affects the health of their offspring. But now, a
new study suggests that a father's diet prior to conception could also play an
important role in their child's health, particularly when it comes to
consumption of folate.</em></span></span></strong><span lang="EN" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Open Sans"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 27.15pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Open Sans"; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Folate </span><span lang="EN" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Open Sans"; mso-ansi-language: EN;">, also known as <a href="http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/219853.php" title="What is folic acid? What is vitamin B9?"><span style="color: blue;">vitamin B9</span></a>, is found
naturally in a broad variety of foods, including dark green leafy vegetables,
nuts, beans, peas, fruit and fruit juices, dairy products, poultry and meat,
eggs, seafood and grains. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 27.15pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Open Sans"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"></span><span lang="EN" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Open Sans"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-size: large;">In 1998, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
required manufacturers to add folate to enriched breads, flours, cereals,
cornmeals, pastas, rice and many other grain products, since these products are
highly consumed in the US. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Open Sans"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-size: large;">The researchers, led by Sarah Kimmins of McGill
University in Canada, say that in order for mothers to help prevent
miscarriages and birth defects, it is well known that they must consume
sufficient levels of folate. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Open Sans"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-size: large;">According to the </span><a href="http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Folate-HealthProfessional/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue; font-size: large;">Office of Dietary Supplements</span></a><span style="font-size: large;">, a part of the National
Institutes of Health, women of childbearing age should have 400 mcg
(micrograms) of folate each day from dietary supplements and/or fortified
foods, and this increases to 600 mcg a day for pregnant women. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Open Sans"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-size: large;">But the investigators note that whether a father's folate
levels play an important role in the development of their offspring has been
under-studied. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<h2 style="margin: 0.83em 0in;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Open Sans"; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Folate deficiency linked to increased risk of birth
defects<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
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New research has revealed that a man's diet could impact the health of his
child, and low levels of folate could significantly increase the risk of their
infant having birth defects.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Open Sans"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-size: large;">To investigate this further, the research team conducted
a mouse study in which they compared offspring of fathers who had sufficient
folate levels to the offspring of fathers who had low folate levels. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><strong><span lang="EN" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Open Sans"; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Their findings, published in the journal </span></strong><em><b><span lang="EN" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Open Sans"; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Nature Communications</span></b></em><strong><span lang="EN" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Open Sans"; mso-ansi-language: EN;">, revealed that offspring of mice fathers who had
insufficient folate levels had a 30% increase in birth defects, such as
cranio-facial and spinal deformities, compared with offspring of fathers who
had adequate levels of the vitamin.</span></strong><span lang="EN" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Open Sans"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Open Sans"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-size: large;">Explaining the reasons behind their findings, the
researchers note that there are areas of the sperm epigenome that are sensitive
to lifestyle choices, particularly diet. The epigenome can influence the way in
which genes are activated and how certain information is passed on to
offspring. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Open Sans"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-size: large;">They say that the sperm can carry a "memory" of
a father's lifestyle choices and diet, and the information from a father's diet
is transferred to an "epigenomic map," which can influence a child's
development. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<h2 style="margin: 0.83em 0in;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Open Sans"; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Fathers 'need to think about diet just as much as
mothers'<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Open Sans"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-size: large;">Sarah Kimmins says their findings suggest that fathers
need to think about what they eat, smoke and drink just as much as mothers do,
as their lifestyle choices could impact future generations. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><strong><span lang="EN" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Open Sans"; mso-ansi-language: EN;">And she notes that although folate is added
to many foods, fathers who have diets that are high in fat or who are obese may
be unable to metabolize folate in the same way as those who have sufficient
levels of the vitamin.</span></strong><span lang="EN" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Open Sans"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Open Sans"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-size: large;">She adds: <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Open Sans"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-size: large;">"People
who live in the Canadian North or in other parts of the world where there is
food insecurity may also be particularly at risk for folate deficiency. And we
now know that this information will be passed on from the father to the embryo
with consequences that may be quite serious."<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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</span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Open Sans"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-size: large;">The researchers say that the next steps from this
research will be to collaborate with professionals at a fertility clinic in
order to further investigate how a man's diet and weight could impact their
child's health. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><strong><span lang="EN" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Open Sans"; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Written by</span></strong><span lang="EN" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Open Sans"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> <a href="http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/authors/honor-whiteman" title="View all articles written by Honor Whiteman"><span style="color: #444444;">Honor
Whiteman</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span>Omo Francahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602656256699309246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78763417001305263.post-38080838409281781902012-10-10T01:17:00.001-07:002012-10-10T01:17:31.933-07:00Hope for thousands of infertile men from British discovery<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr09PhK7RWP-58PJYQr79ytizeHrwe7-cM243e6Y4RwOB97np7a1XWE6U30WoVrV0nqp623nyyczJzSt4UZb-5ktYwsngQB4320sx1_1H1c-3eoOQbFpdiBt_v2ItA0zAvK_yQsIgDHeQD/s1600/human+sperm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr09PhK7RWP-58PJYQr79ytizeHrwe7-cM243e6Y4RwOB97np7a1XWE6U30WoVrV0nqp623nyyczJzSt4UZb-5ktYwsngQB4320sx1_1H1c-3eoOQbFpdiBt_v2ItA0zAvK_yQsIgDHeQD/s200/human+sperm.jpg" width="160" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Researchers have discovered that
adding a missing protein to infertile human sperm can 'kick-start' its ability
to fertilise an egg and dramatically increase the chances of a successful
pregnancy. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The team, from Cardiff
University's School of Medicine, first found that sperm transfers a vital
protein, known as PLC-zeta (PLCz), to the egg upon fertilisation. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
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</span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This sperm protein initiates a
process called "egg activation" which sets off all the biological
processes necessary for development of an embryo. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
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</span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now, the team has found that eggs
that do not fertilise because of a defective PLCz, as in some forms of male
infertility, can be treated with the active protein to produce egg activation. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
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</span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The added PLCz kick-starts the
fertilisation process and significantly improves the chance of a successful
pregnancy. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
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</span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It is estimated that at least
2,000 men a year seeking fertility treatment may suffer from a lack of or
damage to the PLC-zeta protein. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
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</span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Professor Tony Lai, who led the
research with Professor Karl Swann, said: "We know that some men are
infertile because their sperm fail to activate eggs. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
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</span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"Even though their sperm
fuses with the egg, nothing happens. These sperm may lack a proper functioning
version of PLCz, which is essential to trigger the next stage in becoming
pregnant. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
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</span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"What's important from our
research is that we have used human sperm PLCz to obtain the positive results
that we had previously observed only in experiments with mice. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"In the lab we have been
able to prepare human PLCz protein that is active. If this protein is inactive
or missing from sperm, it fails to trigger the process necessary for egg
activation – the next crucial stage of embryo development. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"However, when an
unfertilised egg is injected with human PLCz, it responds exactly as it should
do at fertilisation, resulting in successful embryo development to the
blastocyst stage, vital to pregnancy success." <o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
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</span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Professor Lai added: "We've
established that this one sperm protein, PLCz, is absolutely critical at the
point where life begins. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"Whilst this was a lab
experiment and our method could not be used in a fertility clinic in exactly
the same way – there is potential to translate this advance into humans. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"In the future, we could
produce the human PLCz protein and use it to stimulate egg activation in a
completely natural way. For those couples going through IVF treatment, it could
ultimately improve their chances of having a baby and treat male
infertility." <o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The research was published online
by the journal Fertility and Sterility and was funded by the Wellcome Trust. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
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</span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Dr Allan Pacey, a senior lecturer
in andrology (male reproduction) at the University of Sheffield, said: "I
think this is very interesting research. It is exciting that they have got to
this stage." <o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
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</span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">He estimated that about 2,000 of
the 50,000 couples undergoing fertility treatment a year could benefit from the
discovery. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span></o:p></div>
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</span>Omo Francahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602656256699309246noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78763417001305263.post-54499143719401014062012-04-15T13:19:00.002-07:002012-04-15T13:23:51.646-07:00Gel to boost male fertility being developed by scientists<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7h9SpSBRolU43D2pSsEV6VeBCTwzJo1km_1pzBYs1GZSHEEWHKVam7iq4oX95s6TDlwEwl53TkO0iSmB99SUt49gJ4uKwhJ52E3wUkpMQczTGhnlVWV7wnt5nArwbwJHZ3iGiR_aUZxM7/s1600/gel+to+boost+male+fert+scientist.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 200px; height: 125px; float: left; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5731725793668909170" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7h9SpSBRolU43D2pSsEV6VeBCTwzJo1km_1pzBYs1GZSHEEWHKVam7iq4oX95s6TDlwEwl53TkO0iSmB99SUt49gJ4uKwhJ52E3wUkpMQczTGhnlVWV7wnt5nArwbwJHZ3iGiR_aUZxM7/s200/gel+to+boost+male+fert+scientist.jpg" /></a><div><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">British scientists have gained fresh insight into the causes of male infertility that promise to provide new treatments for couples struggling to have children.<br />Male fertility has been largely overlooked until recently with most treatments requiring women to take medication or undergo expensive and invasive procedures.<br />Up to half of the problems suffered by couples trying to conceive, however, are due to the man's fertility.<br />Now research into a key aspect of male fertility - how sperm cells swim - has enabled scientists at the University of Birmingham to identify potential new treatments that can "supercharge" men's reproductive cells.<br />The scientists have discovered chemical compounds that increase the swimming ability of sperm cells and they believe this can help to boost the number of cells capable of reaching a woman's egg.<br />They are now using the compounds to develop a new gel they hope will increase the chance of couples conceiving naturally without the need for expensive treatments such as IVF.<br /><br /></span></div>Omo Francahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602656256699309246noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78763417001305263.post-88616615453333794822012-03-28T18:12:00.001-07:002012-03-28T18:16:37.080-07:00Father speaks of his pride at IVF baby daughter who took 21 years to arrive<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Nrmux-psEtRsi-ryXvBL7azVPssCRvapRXd9lOnEnq2lPw2GoJ2jr_VmWQa8G4gdxrtNyiGW_1wjZnKWMcou-V-coMLlZRMo4kD1mRjH1Z3OgZxDBAj2kuIlzoA0xJ2BLeCnHd5Wm3MC/s1600/john+n+chenphen+powell+with+jasmine.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 144px; height: 200px; float: left; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725121647670291762" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Nrmux-psEtRsi-ryXvBL7azVPssCRvapRXd9lOnEnq2lPw2GoJ2jr_VmWQa8G4gdxrtNyiGW_1wjZnKWMcou-V-coMLlZRMo4kD1mRjH1Z3OgZxDBAj2kuIlzoA0xJ2BLeCnHd5Wm3MC/s200/john+n+chenphen+powell+with+jasmine.jpg" /></a><div><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">The news could hardly have been more devastating for policeman John Powell.<br />Diagnosed with testicular cancer at the age of 32, he was given only six<br />months to live and told that aggressive chemo- therapy would leave him<br />infertile.<br />That was 21 years ago – and now he and his wife are celebrating the arrival<br />of a daughter.<br />Mr Powell had a sperm sample frozen before he began the treatment and, when he<br />was finally given the all-clear after two decades, it was used to create baby<br />Jasmine.<br />‘We couldn’t be happier – she is a wonder of medical science,’ said Mr<br />Powell at home with wife Chenphen in Orpington, Kent.<br />‘I look at little Jasmine and think she is nothing less than miraculous. I<br />honestly didn’t believe she was real until the moment she was born and I saw<br />her face. Now I hold her and think she is part of me from 20 years ago, before<br />I had chemotherapy.<br />‘It’s astonishing that something as beautiful and perfect as Jasmine could<br />come out of a time that was so painful and difficult.’<br />For Mr and Mrs Powell, the birth of their daughter on February 20 is even<br />more of a wonder because they had enough money to fund only one cycle of IVF.<br />They were also fighting against the clock because strict rules meant Mr<br />Powell’s sperm would have had to be destroyed when he reached the age of 55.<br />Medical staff at the Bridge Centre in London, where they underwent the<br />treatment, believe it is a British record for 20-year-old sperm to be<br />successful in its first cycle.<br />Trevor White, an engineer from Manchester, became a father in 2004 after his<br />sperm had been frozen for 21 years. However baby Daniel was conceived after<br />four separate rounds of IVF.<br />‘I never thought we would be lucky enough for it to work,’ said 53-year-old<br />Mr Powell, a former superintendent with the Metropolitan force. ‘I didn’t allow<br />myself to believe it had been a success until the moment Jasmine was born.’<br />Mr Powell already had a daughter, now 23, with his first wife when he was<br />diagnosed with cancer in 1990. They split a few years later and after a period<br />alone he visited Thailand, where friends introduced him to Chenphen.<br /><strong><span style="font-size:78%;">Source: ukonlinenigeria.com</span></strong><br /></span></div>Omo Francahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602656256699309246noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78763417001305263.post-37343075009006179072012-02-17T16:07:00.000-08:002012-02-17T16:12:35.429-08:00Single Frozen Sperm produces ‘Miracle Baby’ through IVF<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijXBi11ywOv4yaR6AOTVbxEp9vyLZsJ9671mrLwLZ6maVxiZIiz1Gw-Z2meFBU_kUcKWN2kHUnP7PVwBjMJRMliZYEOunwOGYxE74Ikjy7T-ImUcVuPXRpw4i7STCO1hamqTUSpKmvGDgf/s1600/single+frozen+sperm+miracle.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 380px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 285px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5710261781275486882" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijXBi11ywOv4yaR6AOTVbxEp9vyLZsJ9671mrLwLZ6maVxiZIiz1Gw-Z2meFBU_kUcKWN2kHUnP7PVwBjMJRMliZYEOunwOGYxE74Ikjy7T-ImUcVuPXRpw4i7STCO1hamqTUSpKmvGDgf/s400/single+frozen+sperm+miracle.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">While we all know that just one sperm and one egg are needed to produce a baby, we also know that the average male produces a lot more (60 million to 100 million per ejaculation), just to make sure one sperm makes it. So the odds of just one produced sperm being able to make an actual baby are pretty slim. Yet Jason and Jennifer Schiraldi have little Kenley to prove that it is possible – a miracle, but possible.<br />Jason and Jennifer were high school sweethearts. They had always known they wanted children, but after nine years of being together, they still hadn’t conceived even once. So, like most couples, they visited the doctor to find out why.<br />“I’d never had any woman problems and you never think it’s the guy,” Jennifer stated. But the tests proved she was wrong. “They took a sample and we found out immediately: There’s no sperm.”<br />So, as it turned out, Jason and Jennifer were among the 30 to 40 percent of infertile couples in which the male was the infertile partner. But this determined couple was unwilling to admit defeat.<br />“We always wanted kids and I didn’t want to be the one who couldn’t do that for her,” Jason stated.<br />He underwent an aggressive infertility treatment which included a testicular biopsy: a procedure in which small amounts of testicular tissue are removed to search for viable sperm. Jason shared that the surgical procedure was extremely challenging. But searching for viable sperm proved to be even more challenging for the lab staff.<br />The surgeon sent down three total samples. They used microscopes to scan each and every tissue sample. They searched for nine hours in total. Out of all of the samples, only one viable sperm was found…just one.<br />That one sperm would be used in a procedure known as intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), a special in-vitro fertilization technique developed by Nina Desai, the director of the IVF laboratory at the Clinic Cleveland that Jason and Jennifer went to. Tiny amounts of sperm are stored in a drop of fluid inside a straw as thin as a sewing needle. The sperm can then be frozen until it is ready to be thawed and used.<br />This new method is the result of almost two decades of research and development to save the smallest amounts of sperm possible. It is hoped to be a success for other men like Jason that struggle with extremely low sperm counts. In fact, since Jason and Jennifer’s success, another patient has already signed up to start to procedure.<br />Still, as promising as scientists and researchers hope the procedure to be, they usually have more than just one sperm to perform the fertilization process. Desai was skeptical that Jason and Jennifer would be able to walk away with a viable pregnancy.<br />“We froze that one sperm and we saved the rest of the specimens,” stated Desai. “It was like a shot in the dark….We really had no hope of it doing anything.”<br />Desai and her team were even more disheartened when it came time to harvest Jennifer’s eggs. She had fewer eggs than normal.<br />“I got 12 but only eight were good,” she stated.<br />With eight good eggs, the IVF experts went back to check Jason’s samples again, hoping they would find a few more sperm. They wanted to try and fertilize as many of Jennifer’s eggs as possible. But all they came up with was a few dead sperm. The one sperm was their only option.<br />“They got the one sperm and implanted the one egg,” explained Jennifer. “People don’t usually get pregnant when they only have one egg.”<br />Yet, despite all odds, scientists were able to fertilize the one egg with the one sperm. In three days, the fertilized egg started to divide into a viable embryo, which was then implanted into Jennifer’s uterus.<br />Sixteen days later, Jennifer was confirmed to be pregnant.<br />“It was very emotional,” Jason stated. “Miracle is not a large enough word to describe it. Of all of the fascinating and amazing things we do in the health care field, it’s amazing that this happens to us.”<br />Even the clinic joined in on the celebration.<br />“I was really surprised when I saw she had a positive pregnancy,” Desai stated. “This has been one of the real miracles in our IVF program.”<br />Jennifer had a pretty normal pregnancy – some morning sickness was her biggest complaint. Kenely did have to be delivered by C-section because she was breech, but other than that, she was a beautiful, healthy baby girl born on April 20th, 2011.<br />Now nine months old, Jason and Jennifer can’t help but be amazed at the wonderful miracle that is their daughter.<br />“It’s crazy. Sometimes I’m like, ‘Did we cheat?’” Jennifer said. “People ask if we’re going to have another child, but we made it this far to get her. I don’t know if I even want to press my luck.”<br />And while the Schiraldi family doesn’t plan to have any more children, they hope that their story can help encourage other couples faced with male fertility problems.<br />“People think once you’re stuck, you’re stuck,” Jason stated. “But there are people who can make wonderful things happen.”<br /></span></div>Omo Francahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602656256699309246noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78763417001305263.post-73325036922210791412012-01-22T11:52:00.001-08:002012-01-22T11:54:03.635-08:00Junk Food Shown To Cause Infertility In Younger Men<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">A joint American and Spanish study released this week shows that Junk food, especially foods with trans fats, can make healthy young men infertile</span><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;"> by damaging their sperm. </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">Fertility experts from Harvard University and the University of Murcia, in southern Spain, analyzed sperm from hundreds of men aged between 18 and 22 and found those whose diet consisted more of junk food had lower quality sperm than those with a healthier diet.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">The men were all assessed to ensure they were in good health and had no other issues that might effect their fertility and the sperm of those with "junk" diets seemed less likely to survive inside the womb so they could fertilize the egg and this was even the case if the men were at a balanced weight and took regular exercise.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">Japanese scientists looking for similar traits focused more around exercise, showed that of the 215 men they studied those who took moderate exercise, even just brisk walking, had sperm with better swimming abilities than those who were less active.</span>Omo Francahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602656256699309246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78763417001305263.post-61727591088825777292011-11-23T05:32:00.000-08:002011-11-23T05:34:20.637-08:00Male Fertility Breakthrough Achieved By Researchers<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">A Ben-Gurion University of the Negev researcher has achieved a significant breakthrough in male fertility, producing normal sperm from mouse cells. "This study may open new therapeutic strategies for </span><a title="What Is Infertility? What Causes Infertility? How Is Infertility Treated?" href="http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/165748.php"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">infertile</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;"> men who cannot generate sperm and/or pre-pubertal </span><a title="What is Cancer?" href="http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/info/cancer-oncology/"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">cancer</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;"> patients at risk of infertility due to aggressive chemo- or radiotherapy and cannot cryopreserve sperm as in adult patients," explains Prof. Mahmoud Huleihel, of BGU's Shraga Segal Department of Microbiology and Immunology in the Faculty of Health Sciences. The article was just published online in Nature's Asian Journal of Andrology, and according to the authors is "the first original report revealing the generation of morphologically normal spermatozoa from mouse testicular germ cells." It outlines the generation of spermatozoa from mouse testicular germ cells under in vitro culture. Huleihel and his team used a three-dimensional Soft Agar Culture System (SACS) to generate the sperm. Previously, Huleihel pioneered the use of SACS for spermatogenesis in vitro. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:78%;"><strong>source: medicalnewstoday</strong></span>Omo Francahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602656256699309246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78763417001305263.post-31119254433508909582011-11-12T01:51:00.000-08:002011-11-12T01:53:19.909-08:00MEN, ARE YOU KILLING YOUR SPERM? QUANTITY, QUALITY, MATTER IN MALE FERTILITY<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">Most men don’t give much thought to their prenatal care, but, according to male-</span><a href="http://bodyandhealth.canada.com/channel_main.asp?channel_id=2048" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">fertility</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;"> experts, what guys do now could make the difference between becoming a dad or not.<br />Unlike women -- who have all the eggs they will ever have when they’re born -- men produce sperm all day long. Sperm takes about two to three months to fully mature, so a guy’s behaviour during the past 90 days will affect the baby he makes today, or whether he can make one at all, said Dr. Sijo Parekattil, director of urology at Winter Haven Hospital, where he specializes in male infertility.<br />Although society tends to focus on women when couples can’t conceive, about half the time it’s the guy’s fault, said Parekattil, who will be among several infertility and adoption experts speaking Saturday at a free conference in Lake Mary, Fla.<br />Among the more common sperm-killing behaviours guys engage in are keeping cellphones in pants pockets, and working with laptops on their laps, which raises sperm temperature.<br />Other behaviours not conducive to fatherhood are smoking; excessive drinking; frequenting saunas and hot tubs; wearing tight underwear; using recreational drugs, including marijuana; taking male supplements; and getting sick. Studies show that such behaviours can reduce sperm quality and quantity.<br />Ashok Agarwal, director of the </span><a href="http://www.clevelandclinic.org/reproductiveresearchcenter/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">Center for Reproductive Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">, has conducted several studies on the effects of cellphone radiation on sperm. In one lab study, he found that the viability of sperm exposed to cellphone radiation for one hour dropped by 11 per cent compared with control samples.<br />His research also found that sperm count, motility and viability dropped more as cellphone exposure went up.<br />"Cellphones emit radiation, which can potentially harm the sperm in men who carry their phones in their pockets or on their belts," Agarwal said. "We believe these harmful effects are due to the proximity of the phones to the groin area."<br />A bout with the </span><a href="http://bodyandhealth.canada.com/channel_condition_info_details.asp?disease_id=76&channel_id=2113&relation_id=95948" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">flu</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;"> can lower sperm count, too, which is why experts recommend that men trying to have children get flu shots. Chronic diseases, such as </span><a href="http://bodyandhealth.canada.com/channel_main.asp?channel_id=2049" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">high blood pressure</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;"> and </span><a href="http://bodyandhealth.canada.com/channel_main.asp?channel_id=1013" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">diabetes</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">, also take their toll. Obesity can foster low sperm counts because excess fat causes men to produce more female hormones, Parekattil said.<br />When men take male supplements, including anabolic steroids, their bodies think they’re making too much testosterone and shut down the testicles, which actually atrophy, Parekattil said. Once guys stop taking supplements, sperm production can take a year to resume.<br />"A man’s lifestyle can impact the DNA organization inside the sperm and the surface properties of the sperm, which are critical for penetrating the egg, fertilizing it and helping the embryo get to full term," said Dr. Michael Witt, a urologist and male-fertility specialist who divides his time between Winter Park, Fla., and Atlanta.<br />Avoiding these sperm-unfriendly behaviours and conditions are sometimes all men need to do to give their sperm a boost, Witt said.<br />Besides having a better understanding of how lifestyle and anatomical stresses can affect sperm, men trying to become dads also benefit from another advance in male infertility: in-home sperm-test kits.<br />Although the home tests aren’t as sensitive as those in the urologist’s office, they’re a lot more convenient and less embarrassing than giving a sample at the doctor’s office.<br />A normal sperm count is about 40 million motile sperm per ejaculation, according to the World Health Organization. Most men produce that well into their 70s. However, of those men who have problems with infertility, about 10 per cent to 15 per cent make no sperm, and an additional 30 per cent have low sperm.<br />Among all men, about one in seven has a varicocele, in which excess blood vessels impair the count and quality of sperm, Witt said. Surgery to remove the veins often restores fertility.<br />Like 15 per cent of American couples, Clay and Wendi Harris of Orlando, Fla., couldn’t have a baby, despite trying for five years.<br />"We were tested seven ways to Sunday" to look for the cause, Clay Harris said.<br />After five failed rounds of in vitro fertilization, they had just about given up. Then tests showed that Harris, 38, had a sperm count in "the midrange." However, Witt reviewed Harris’ sample and thought the sperm quality would improve if he had varicocele surgery.<br />In November 2010, Harris had the surgery, and afterward, "my sperm count went through the roof. It skyrocketed to 90 million."<br />Now, the Harrises are expecting a baby boy in early February.<br />"When we go for our weekly ultrasound," said Clay Harris, "we just stare at the baby on the monitor and hold hands."</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:130%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:78%;"><strong>SOURCE: VANCOUVER SUN</strong></span>Omo Francahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602656256699309246noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78763417001305263.post-53051668012692272362011-08-26T15:55:00.000-07:002011-08-26T16:07:54.014-07:00Skeletons may hold the key to male infertility<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzSHcy2GYPAeYww5MzWonDyQoEJ6eDNNcSCEsu5nW4Fd2hFHUVpJB1oDUkLVTBJJYNdmYJz5f9opUk5M59P01HxVMRIbCmfhUVbQmOoPQ7qUzrvDawbFQO9G8r6xbgXf21nh9ZOgm0aLlk/s1600/art-353-skeleton-200x0.jpg"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 133px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5645303639130879986" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzSHcy2GYPAeYww5MzWonDyQoEJ6eDNNcSCEsu5nW4Fd2hFHUVpJB1oDUkLVTBJJYNdmYJz5f9opUk5M59P01HxVMRIbCmfhUVbQmOoPQ7qUzrvDawbFQO9G8r6xbgXf21nh9ZOgm0aLlk/s200/art-353-skeleton-200x0.jpg" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">
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<br /><p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 5" class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-family:'Arial', 'sans-serif';color:#666666;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:78%;">Amanda Schaffer <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></b></p>
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<br /><p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 7.5pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN;font-family:'Arial', 'sans-serif';color:black;" lang="EN" ><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">FOR years, scientists thought they understood the skeleton. It serves as structural support for the body. It stores calcium and phosphate. It contributes to blood-cell development. And it serves, indispensably, as the creepy mascot of horror movies.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p>
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<br /><p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family:'Arial', 'sans-serif';color:black;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">But as it turns out, there might be still more to bone.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p>
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<br /><p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family:'Arial', 'sans-serif';color:black;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">A few years ago, researchers at Columbia University Medical Centre discovered, to everyone's surprise, that the skeleton seems to help regulate blood sugar. Now the team, led by a geneticist and endocrinologist at the university, Dr Gerard Karsenty, has found that bone might also play an unexpected role in reproduction. If the work pans out, it might help to explain some cases of low fertility in men.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p>
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<br /><p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family:'Arial', 'sans-serif';color:black;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">''It's definitely an attention-grabber,'' says Dr William Crowley, of Harvard Medical School, who was not part of the research.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p>
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<br /><p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family:'Arial', 'sans-serif';color:black;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">It is well known that the hormones oestrogen and testosterone, produced in the ovaries and testes, help to regulate bone growth. When women reach menopause, oestrogen levels decrease along with bone mass, putting them at increased risk of osteoporosis. As men age, their testosterone and oestrogen levels also decline. Men lose bone but much more slowly than women do. ''We thought that if the sex organs talk to the skeleton, then the skeleton should talk back to the sex organs,'' Karsenty says.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p>
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<br /><p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family:'Arial', 'sans-serif';color:black;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">And, apparently, it does.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p>
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<br /><p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family:'Arial', 'sans-serif';color:black;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Early this year, Karsenty's team published a study demonstrating that in mice a protein called osteocalcin, which is produced by bone-forming cells called osteoblasts, binds to a specific receptor on cells of the testes. Male mice that were unable to make osteocalcin (due to genetic manipulation) produced less testosterone and were less fertile. When they mated, they had fewer and smaller offspring.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p>
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<br /><p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family:'Arial', 'sans-serif';color:black;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Fertility in female mice, on the other hand, was not affected by osteocalcin. Cells in their ovaries lacked the receptors to which the bone hormone binds. ''We were surprised by that,'' Karsenty says. ''We thought we'd find a hormone that regulated fertility in both sexes.'' Another compound, as yet unknown, might play the analogous role in females. Human testicular cells also have receptors for the hormone osteocalcin, Karsenty has found.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p>
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<br /><p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family:'Arial', 'sans-serif';color:black;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">''I don't know of any hormone that functions in mice but not to some extent in humans,'' says a researcher at Maryland's Johns Hopkins University, Thomas Clemens. Still, the magnitude of the effect might not be the same as in mice.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p>
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<br /><p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family:'Arial', 'sans-serif';color:black;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">The main hormone that stimulates testosterone production, in mice and men, is luteinizing, a protein made in the brain. Luteinizing hormone is ''the on-off switch'' for testosterone, Crowley says. Osteocalcin, on the other hand, looks more like a ''dimmer switch'' that modulates the process.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p>
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<br /><p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family:'Arial', 'sans-serif';color:black;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">The question is, is it a critical mechanism or a back-up system? Does osteocalcin play a large role in problems such as low sperm count and low testosterone, or is it more peripheral?<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p>
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<br /><p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family:'Arial', 'sans-serif';color:black;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Scientists now plan to study men with these problems and to measure their osteocalcin levels, Crowley says. Some of them might have a defect in osteocalcin that underlies their condition.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p>
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<br /><p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family:'Arial', 'sans-serif';color:black;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">But, he says: ''I suspect this will turn out to be one chapter in an interesting and more complicated mystery.''<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p>
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<br /><p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family:'Arial', 'sans-serif';color:black;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Karsenty has long argued that bone plays a central role in regulating body physiology. ''The body is not an assembly of silos that don't speak to each other but is full of surprising examples of crosstalk,'' he says.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p>
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<br /><p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family:'Arial', 'sans-serif';color:black;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">In 2007, he showed that bone helps to regulate blood sugar, a result that startled hormone specialists. Working with mice, he reported that osteocalcin boosts insulin production in the pancreas and increases insulin sensitivity. Insulin, in turn, acts to lower blood sugar.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p>
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<br /><p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family:'Arial', 'sans-serif';color:black;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">That work could prove relevant to diabetes, in which the body either does not produce enough insulin or stops heeding it. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p>
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<br /><p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family:'Arial', 'sans-serif';color:black;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Now, Karsenty hopes to unravel the complicated links binding the skeleton, sugar and gender. Bone mass tends to decline with age, he notes, as do blood-sugar control and fertility.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p>
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<br /><p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family:'Arial', 'sans-serif';color:black;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">''One idea is that bone might not just be a victim of ageing. It might also be a contributor.'' <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p>
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<br /><p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-family:'Arial', 'sans-serif';font-size:78%;color:black;">The New York Times</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family:'Arial', 'sans-serif';color:black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
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<br />Omo Francahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602656256699309246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78763417001305263.post-83608617781562885602011-08-11T11:01:00.000-07:002011-08-11T11:03:42.812-07:00Infertility Cured In Mice; Are Human Males Next?<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 12pt; BACKGROUND: white" class="MsoNormal"><span style="LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'; COLOR: #333333; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN" lang="EN"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">Male </span><a title="What Is Infertility? What Causes Infertility? How Is Infertility Treated?" href="http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/165748.php"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;color:#0000cd;">infertility</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;"> may soon be a thing of the past according to mice. This week new research has been released that Japanese scientists have used laboratory-made sperm, using embryonic cells, to restore fertility in sterile mice. This may open up new avenues for researching and treating infertility in people. For example, men may be able to reprogram cells from the skin to act like sperm producing entities. Read on for details.
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<br />Historically, researchers have tried for years to make sperm and eggs in a dish, with limited success and some controversy. In 2003, several groups of scientists showed that it was possible to transform mouse embryonic </span><a title="What are Stem Cells?" href="http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/info/stem_cell/"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;color:#0000cd;">stem cells</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"> into both sperm and eggs, but pregnancy failed.
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<br />In 2006 another team used lab-grown sperm to produce six mice, but the animals suffered genetic abnormalities and all died early and in 2009, researchers at Newcastle University made headlines by reporting the creation of human sperm in a test tube. Their paper was retracted weeks later on charges of plagiarism.
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<br />Now, the researchers added growth factors and other chemicals that are known to control activities such as cell proliferation and differentiation to mouse embryonic stem cells which had the effect of turning the embryonic cells into epiblast-like cells in a lab dish. These cell types are deposited early in embryogenesis in developing organs and persist in several organs into adulthood.
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<br />Next, by replicating the signaling process learned from the 2009 experiment, they coaxed the epiblast-like cells to become primordial germ cells. These primitive germ cells were transplanted into the testes of 7-day-old mice that were sterile and therefore couldn't produce sperm naturally. But they now produced normal-looking sperm. Quite the breakthrough.
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<br />The lab-made sperm were used to fertilize eggs in a dish, creating 214 embryos, each comprising two cells. The embryos were transplanted into several female mice, which gave birth to a total of 65 healthy male and female pups.
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<br />Dr. Saitou, the research team leader stated: <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p>
<br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; BACKGROUND: white" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><i><span style="LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'; COLOR: #555555; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN" lang="EN">"The mouse babies are just fine and they've had normal, fertile babies of their own. The pregnancy rate achieved in the mice was comparable to what's typically seen using naturally produced sperm and artificial insemination."</span></i><span style="LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'; COLOR: #555555; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN" lang="EN"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p>
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<br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Now this exact process can't be identically replicated in adult male humans, but it may be possible to reprogram a man's mature cells into an embryonic-like state, and coax those cells to become healthy sperm in a dish.
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<br />The Japanese scientists did just that. They got reprogrammed mouse cells to turn into lab-made sperm, and then used the sperm to fertilize eggs and produce babies in the mice.
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<br />The ability to reprogram cells into an embryonic-like state is one of the most exciting advances in biology. But it is still an unreliable technique since it often requires the use of viruses that can trigger tumors. Not surprisingly, the Kyoto scientists found that 20% of the baby mice produced via reprogramming died prematurely, some from tumors.
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<br />George Daley, director of the stem-cell transplantation program at Children's Hospital Boston commented: <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p>
<br /><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; BACKGROUND: white" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><i><span style="LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'; COLOR: #555555; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN" lang="EN">"It's a brilliant set of experiments. They restored fertility in the mice. It lays the groundwork for major insights into sperm development and fertility. It would be a monumental achievement since there's currently no method for restoring female fertility."</span></i><span style="LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'; COLOR: #555555; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN" lang="EN"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:78%;">SOURCE:MEDICALNEWSTODAY</span></p>
<br />Omo Francahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602656256699309246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78763417001305263.post-69732772068910800102011-05-23T04:17:00.000-07:002011-05-23T04:24:28.550-07:00Male Fertility May Be Affected By Cell Phone Use<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE5pRqGOpEYeDNKdbQEx0WTARlrPzjYIsYdgLO3QafQIORHl-6B6sQmGaV8HM-3ORYD9VB5rbHSBSzLAvPRkaNVnZpsGoabLh65G0g_lGPVKNPIDRQWYs-luxLxhkbNNlRMWiX6WIsuiPD/s1600/cell+phone+user.bmp"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 89px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 94px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5609870857303309058" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE5pRqGOpEYeDNKdbQEx0WTARlrPzjYIsYdgLO3QafQIORHl-6B6sQmGaV8HM-3ORYD9VB5rbHSBSzLAvPRkaNVnZpsGoabLh65G0g_lGPVKNPIDRQWYs-luxLxhkbNNlRMWiX6WIsuiPD/s200/cell+phone+user.bmp" /></a><br /><br /><div><span style="LINE-HEIGHT: 115%; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-: minor-latinfont-family:Calibri;color:#333333;" lang="EN" ><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">Men who have been diagnosed with poor sperm quality and who are trying to have children should limit their cell phone use. Researchers have found that while cell phone use appears to increase the level of testosterone circulating in the body, it may also lead to low sperm quality and a decrease in fertility.<br /><br />"Our findings were a little bit puzzling," says Rany Shamloul, a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology and lead researcher on the project. "We were expecting to find different results, but the results we did find suggest that there could be some intriguing mechanisms at work."<br /><br />The research team discovered that men who reported cell phone use had higher levels of circulating testosterone but they also had lower levels of luteinizing hormone (LH), an important reproductive hormone that is secreted by the pituitary gland in the brain.<br /><br />The researchers hypothesize that electromagnetic waves (EMW) emitted by cell phones may have a dual action on male hormone levels and fertility. EMW may increase the number of cells in the testes that produce testosterone; however, by lowering the levels of LH excreted by the pituitary gland, EMW may also block the conversion of this basic circulating type of testosterone to the more active, potent form of testosterone associated with sperm production and fertility.<br /><br />More in-depth research is needed to determine the exact ways in which EMW affects male fertility.<br /><br />Source:<br />Christina Archibald<br />Queen's University </span><a name="ratethis"></a><br style="mso-special-character: line-break" clear="all"></span></div>Omo Francahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602656256699309246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78763417001305263.post-86578381058960157402011-05-07T09:57:00.000-07:002011-05-07T09:58:51.729-07:00Laptops Can Seriously Affect A Man's Sperm Quality<p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; BACKGROUND: white" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'; COLOR: #333333; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'" lang="EN"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Males who use laptops on their laps are likely to experience scrotal hyperthermia - elevated temperatures in their testicles - which can significantly affect the quality of their sperm, and consequently their fertility, US scientists report in the medical journal <i>Fertility and Sterility</i>. The authors add that even if they protect their laps with a lap pad, scrotal hyperthermia still occurs. The only way a male can be sure to protect his fertility when using a laptop is by placing it on a desk, using it with legs apart while using a lap pad for no longer than 28 minutes, or using the laptop on his lap with knees together for very short periods.<br /><br />Yelim Sheynkin, M.D. (urologist) and team from the State University of New York at Stony Brook set out to evaluate how to prevent scrotal hyperthermia among male laptop users. Their study involved 29 health male volunteers.<br /><br />The scientists measured the temperatures of the left and right side of the scrotum, as well as the laptop and lap pad during three separate 60-minute sessions - all the participants were using a laptop in the following ways: <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><br /><p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt 150pt; BACKGROUND: white; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Symbol; COLOR: #333333; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol" lang="EN"><span style="mso-list: Ignore">·<span style="FONT: 7pt 'Times New Roman'"> </span></span></span><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'; COLOR: #333333; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'" lang="EN">Sitting with their knees together (approximated legs) and the laptop on their laps <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><br /><p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt 150pt; BACKGROUND: white; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Symbol; COLOR: #333333; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol" lang="EN"><span style="mso-list: Ignore">·<span style="FONT: 7pt 'Times New Roman'"> </span></span></span><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'; COLOR: #333333; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'" lang="EN">Sitting with their knees together, laptop on lap, and with lap pad between their laptops and their laps <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><br /><p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt 150pt; BACKGROUND: white; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Symbol; COLOR: #333333; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol" lang="EN"><span style="mso-list: Ignore">·<span style="FONT: 7pt 'Times New Roman'"> </span></span></span><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'; COLOR: #333333; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'" lang="EN">Sitting with their legs apart at a 70° angle, laptop on lap, and with lap pad between their laptops and their laps <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><br /><p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; BACKGROUND: white" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'; COLOR: #333333; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'" lang="EN"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Their goal was to measure any rise in scrotal temperatures.<br /><br />The authors wrote that scrotal temperatures went up considerably, in spite of the position of their legs and whether or not they used a lap pad.<br /><br />Scrotal temperature did go up less and the rise occurred later when the men had their legs apart at a 70° angle. However, even then, the rise in scrotal temperature was cause for concern.<br /><br />Below are some of the highlighted results: <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><br /><p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt 150pt; BACKGROUND: white; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Symbol; COLOR: #333333; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol" lang="EN"><span style="mso-list: Ignore"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">·<span style="FONT: 7pt 'Times New Roman'"> </span></span></span></span></span><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'; COLOR: #333333; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'" lang="EN"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Knees together, laptop on lap (no lap pad)<br />Scrotal temperature rise - left side from 0.96C to 2.31C, right side from 0.91C to 2.56C.<br />The scrotum started rising in temperature within 11 minutes. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><br /><p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt 150pt; BACKGROUND: white; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Symbol; COLOR: #333333; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol" lang="EN"><span style="mso-list: Ignore"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">·<span style="FONT: 7pt 'Times New Roman'"> </span></span></span></span></span><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'; COLOR: #333333; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'" lang="EN"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Knees together, laptop on lap, using lap pad<br />Scrotal temperature rise - left side from 0.69C to 2.18C, right side from 0.72C to 2.06C.<br />The scrotum started rising in temperature within 14 minutes. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><br /><p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt 150pt; BACKGROUND: white; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Symbol; COLOR: #333333; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol" lang="EN"><span style="mso-list: Ignore"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">·<span style="FONT: 7pt 'Times New Roman'"> </span></span></span></span></span><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'; COLOR: #333333; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'" lang="EN"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Legs apart, laptop on lap, using lap pad<br />Scrotal temperature rise - left side from 0.66C to 1.41C, right side from 0.62C to 1.47C.<br />The scrotum started rising in temperature within 28 minutes. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><br /><p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 12pt; BACKGROUND: white" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'; COLOR: #333333; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'" lang="EN"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">The authors wrote in conclusion:<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><br /><p style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; BACKGROUND: white" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><i><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'; COLOR: #555555; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'" lang="EN">Sitting position with closely approximated legs is the major cause of scrotal hyperthermia. Scrotal shielding with a lap pad does not protect from scrotal temperature elevation. Prevention of scrotal hyperthermia in LC users presently is not feasible. However, scrotal hyperthermia may be reduced by a modified sitting position (legs apart) and significantly shorter use of LC.</span></i><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'; COLOR: #555555; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'" lang="EN"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p>Omo Francahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602656256699309246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78763417001305263.post-53141878906812124092011-01-27T01:36:00.000-08:002011-01-27T01:38:02.053-08:00Antioxidants May Improve Male Fertility<p style="LINE-HEIGHT: 16pt; BACKGROUND: white; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top"><span style="COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 8.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN" lang="EN"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Couples who struggle to conceive could find baby-making help from antioxidants such as vitamin E and zinc, hints a new review of more than 30 studies.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p style="LINE-HEIGHT: 16pt; BACKGROUND: white; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top"><span style="COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 8.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN" lang="EN"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">The researchers focused on men who were subfertile — less fertile than average but still capable of making a baby — and found that those who took antioxidants were more than four times as likely to get their partners pregnant than subfertile men who did not take the supplements.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p style="LINE-HEIGHT: 16pt; BACKGROUND: white; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top"><span style="COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 8.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN" lang="EN"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">The New Zealand team stops short of saying that antioxidants actually improve fertility, however. More research is needed to be sure.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p style="LINE-HEIGHT: 16pt; BACKGROUND: white; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top"><span style="COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 8.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN" lang="EN"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Subfertility affects one in 20 men and is responsible for half of delayed conceptions. Up to 80 percent of cases are thought to be due to the effects of oxidative stress on sperm cells, lowering both their numbers and their quality.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p style="LINE-HEIGHT: 16pt; BACKGROUND: white; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top"><span style="COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 8.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN" lang="EN"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Oxidative stress happens when molecules known as free radicals, byproducts of cell metabolism, damage DNA and cells' ability to function. Antioxidants, including certain vitamins and nutrients, help to protect cells by stabilizing free radicals.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p style="LINE-HEIGHT: 16pt; BACKGROUND: white; VERTICAL-ALIGN: top"><span style="COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 8.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN" lang="EN"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">This has led some experts to wonder if antioxidants might help sperm stay swimmingly healthy.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p style="LINE-HEIGHT: 19.2pt; BACKGROUND: white"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Helvetica', 'sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN" lang="EN"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">"Oral supplementation with antioxidants may go some way to improve a couple's chance of conception," lead researcher Marian Showell of the University of Auckland, in New Zealand, told Reuters Health in an e-mail.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p style="LINE-HEIGHT: 19.2pt; BACKGROUND: white" jquery1296120185055="49"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Helvetica', 'sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN" lang="EN"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">To see if the research to date backs up that idea, Showell and her colleagues reviewed 34 studies that involved nearly 3,000 couples undergoing fertility treatments, including in vitro fertilization and intrauterine insemination — two of the most commonly used methods of boosting conception odds when sperm-related issues are involved. Each study investigated the potential role of one or more antioxidants.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p style="LINE-HEIGHT: 19.2pt; BACKGROUND: white" jquery1296120185055="50"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Helvetica', 'sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN" lang="EN"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Based on 96 pregnancies among 964 couples in 15 of the studies, the researchers found that antioxidant use by the male partner increased the odds of conception four-fold.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p style="LINE-HEIGHT: 19.2pt; BACKGROUND: white" jquery1296120185055="51"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Helvetica', 'sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN" lang="EN"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Further, men taking antioxidants improved the likelihood of their partners giving birth to a live baby by a factor of five, the researchers report in The Cochrane Library. Only three of the studies contained data on live births, however.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p style="LINE-HEIGHT: 19.2pt; BACKGROUND: white" jquery1296120185055="52"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Helvetica', 'sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN" lang="EN"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">"The findings of increased live birth rates with antioxidants are based on a total of only 20 births — a relatively small number," Dr. Mark Sigman of Brown University, in Providence, R.I., who was not involved in the review, told Reuters Health in an e-mail.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p style="LINE-HEIGHT: 19.2pt; BACKGROUND: white" jquery1296120185055="53"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Helvetica', 'sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN" lang="EN"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Sigman, whose research found no improvement in semen quality with the antioxidant carnitine, was cautious about making too much of the review's results.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p style="LINE-HEIGHT: 19.2pt; BACKGROUND: white" jquery1296120185055="54"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Helvetica', 'sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN" lang="EN"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">The included studies did not use the same types or numbers of antioxidants, he added. As a result, the researchers could not determine the effectiveness of individual supplements.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p style="LINE-HEIGHT: 19.2pt; BACKGROUND: white" jquery1296120185055="55"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Helvetica', 'sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN" lang="EN"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">In addition to oral supplements, antioxidants can be found in a range of foods, from cranberries to collard greens, tomatoes and mozzarella cheese.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p style="LINE-HEIGHT: 19.2pt; BACKGROUND: white" jquery1296120185055="56"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Helvetica', 'sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN" lang="EN"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Both Sigman and Showell cautioned that couples should not count on antioxidants to overcome their fertility challenges. Even if certain supplements prove effective, further research is needed to determine which couples could reap the specific benefits.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p style="LINE-HEIGHT: 19.2pt; BACKGROUND: white" jquery1296120185055="57"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Helvetica', 'sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN" lang="EN"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">"It is unrealistic to think one treatment will be good for most couples," noted Sigman.<br />"There is no evidence that antioxidants cause harm," he added. "But since we also don't know which antioxidants or doses are beneficial, and none have FDA approval for infertility — consumers are left with purchasing these based on very limited data."</span></span></span></p><p style="LINE-HEIGHT: 19.2pt; BACKGROUND: white" jquery1296120185055="57"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Helvetica', 'sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN" lang="EN"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;color:#009900;">SOURCE: fertilityauthority.com</span></span></span></p>Omo Francahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602656256699309246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78763417001305263.post-6819283609477219092010-10-26T16:23:00.000-07:002010-10-28T03:54:06.936-07:00STUDY FINDS GENE LINKED TO MALE INFERTILITY<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">A study has shown that mutations in the NR5A1 gene may be responsible for many unexplained cases of male infertility.<br />The research team, led by scientists from the Pasteur Institute in Paris and Institute of Child Health in London, screened a group of 315 men who were unable to produce sperm, for mutations in the gene NR5A1.<br />The gene encodes for a protein that has a critical role in the development of the reproductive organs and in reproduction, and has previously been linked to problems with sexual development in both men and women.<br />The researchers found that seven of the effected individuals had mutations in this gene, while no mutations were found in a control group of 729 men who had normal sperm production.<br />Four of these men were also found to have altered levels of sex hormones, and another had testicular abnormalities, suggesting a link between the mutations and the problems with sperm production.<br />The study, published in the American Journal of Human Genetics, represents an important step in the search for genes that may be responsible for male infertility, which accounts for 30 to 50 percent of the fertility problems faced by couples trying to conceive.<br />The authors told the BBC: 'Approximately four percent of men with otherwise unexplained failure to produce sperm carry mutations in the NR5A1 gene'.<br />To date only a small number of genes have been linked to male infertility, with the majority of sperm production problems having no obvious cause.<br />Dr Allan Pacey, a fertility expert from Sheffield University said: 'Although this gene defect affects only a small number of men, we need more studies like this so we can fill in the gaps in<br /><br />SOURCE: BIONEWS.ORG</span>Omo Francahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602656256699309246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78763417001305263.post-10757662378201102492010-05-18T09:15:00.000-07:002010-05-18T09:20:22.106-07:00Cola lowers sperm count, study shows<p style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><b>If you're trying to have a baby, it might be a good idea to keep an eye on your partner's cola intake, as a Danish researchers have found that big cola drinkers can have sperm counts up to 30 percent lower than normal.</b></span></p> <p style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Researchers at Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen University Hospital, were looking for a link between caffeine and male fertility but found lower sperm counts were not the result of the caffeine in cola, as was previously thought, PhysOrg.com reported.</span></p><p style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">The researchers studied sperm samples taken from 2554 young men during their physical examinations for Danish military service between 2001 and 2005. The men were also surveyed regarding their intake of caffeine from various sources, including cola, and asked questions about their lifestyle and diet.</span></p> <p style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Results showed that those with low to moderate total caffeine intake and cola consumption (up to 800mg per day caffeine and up to 14 500ml bottles of cola per week) didn't display any lowering of sperm count. But those with a high intake of caffeine and cola (more than 800mg per day and more than 14 500ml bottles a week) did show a lower sperm count, although the figure was only significant for those who drank a lot of cola.</span></p> <p style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">The 93 men who drank a litre or more of cola a day displayed a much lower count.</span></p>Omo Francahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602656256699309246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78763417001305263.post-87218896679230276742010-03-12T02:08:00.000-08:002010-03-12T02:11:13.485-08:00Reliable Home Male Fertility Test? Accurate Sperm Counts Now Possible<span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">A new 'fertility chip', developed by researchers at the University of Twente's MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology, can accurately count spermatozoa in sperm. This is an important step towards the development of a compact device for reliable 'pre-scanning' of male fertility.</span><br /></span><p style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">The researchers are publishing the invention of the chip in the scientific journal <em>Lab on a Chip</em>.</span></p> <p style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Every year more than 10,000 couples in the Netherlands apply for help because of involuntary childlessness. A sperm analysis is typically the first step of fertility research. Testing sperm quality requires stringent pre-test preparations and a specialized laboratory. Tests often have to be repeated two to five times for sufficient reliability. If men can carry out the tests in the privacy of their own home this makes the procedure much less awkward for them. Moreover, the probability of a reliable diagnosis is increased as well. Finally, the researchers think that the costs for health insurers can be decreased too.</span></p> <p style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong>Sperm counts</strong></span></p> <p style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">The chip developed by researcher Loes Segerink can accurately count spermatozoa. Concentration is an important indication of the sperm count: the norm for fertility is 20 million spermatozoa per millilitre of ejaculate. Simple home tests are available, but these can only indicate that the sperm count is 'above or below the norm'. These tests are too limited because they do not actually measure the concentration of spermatozoa.</span></p> <p style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">On the new chip, the spermatozoa flow through a fluid channel, above which electrodes are fitted. When a cell flows under this 'bridge', its electrical resistance changes momentarily, and this event is counted. It is important that the count distinguishes between spermatozoa and other particles or cells in the fluid: if other particles are included the count will be unreliable. Segerink added minuscule balls to the fluid to test its selectivity. The method proved to be selective enough to distinguish between the balls and the spermatozoa. White blood cells were also distinguished by the chip. The number of white blood cells tells us something about sperm quality and so this is important additional information for the gynaecologist.</span></p> <p style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong>Activity and shape</strong></span></p> <p style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Concentration is not the only indicator of sperm quality. Spontaneous activity -- also known as <em>motility</em> -- and the shape of the spermatozoa are also important factors. Further research will need to establish whether these two quality characteristics can be measured in a similar manner, so that a compact device can be developed in which a chip can be inserted for single use. The user will only be able to see that the test has been completed successfully; the gynaecologist will inform him of the actual results personally.</span></p> <p style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Loes Segerink developed the 'fertility chip' in Prof. Albert van den Berg's BIOS Lab-on-a-Chip research group. This group is part of the University of Twente's MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology. The research is financed by Technology Foundation STW.</span></p> <p style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">The publication 'On-chip determination of spermatozoa concentration using electrical impedance measurements' by Loes Segerink, Ad Sprenkels, Paul ter Braak, Istvan Vermes and Albert van den Berg, has been published online in the form of an Advance Publication, and will appear in the scientific journal <em>Lab on a Chip</em> in the near future.</span></p><p style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">SOURCE:SCIENCEDAILY<br /></span></p><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span>Omo Francahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602656256699309246noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78763417001305263.post-56612564616487282822010-01-15T17:07:00.000-08:002010-01-15T17:10:41.316-08:00New Study: Innovative Technique Allows Male Cancer Survivors Sterile From Treatment To Father Children<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">Men who were previously deemed sterile due to aggressive </span><a title="What is Cancer?" href="http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/info/cancer-oncology/whatiscancer.php"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">cancer</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;"> treatments may still be able to biologically father children according to a new study published in the journal, Bone Marrow Transplantation. </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">The study's lead author, Paul Turek, MD, former professor and endowed chair at the University of California San Francisco and founder of The Turek Clinic, pioneered the technique, called<strong><span style="color:#cc33cc;"> FNA Sperm Mapping</span></strong>, that is able to discover pockets of viable sperm in the testes. The sperm can then be extracted with minimally invasive procedures and used for in vitro fertilization and single sperm injection. </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">"This advance in medicine has been a long time in the making, but we have reached a point where a critical mass of physicians believe in and are using sperm mapping as a state-of-the-art tool to help couples conceive," said Dr. Turek, a men's reproductive health expert. "Sperm mapping offers men who are 'sterile' new hope for fatherhood." The study, <strong><em>"Paternity after directed collection of testicular sperm for in vitro fertilization after BMT for hematological malignancies,"</em></strong> documented two novel cases of men who had received high does of chemotherapy and bone marrow transplantation. The men had previously been diagnosed and treated for hemotologic cancers (chronic myelogenous </span><a title="What Is Leukemia? What Causes Leukemia?" href="http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/142595.php"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">leukemia</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;"> and Hodgkin's disease) and later, as survivors, desired to father children.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;"> </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">The men were initially found to have no sperm in their ejaculate, a condition known as azoospermia, a finding that occurs more than 70 percent of cancer survivors after bone marrow transplantation. After undergoing the testis sperm mapping technique, small pockets of sperm were discovered. With assisted reproduction using these sperm, both successfully fathered healthy children. In previously published research, investigators reported a 65 percent success rate in finding sperm in the testis of patients with azoospermia after chemotherapy for both benign and malignant disease. </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">However, the cases currently reported involve men who received much higher doses of chemotherapy that are typically associated with bone marrow transplants. And despite the use of assisted reproduction in chemotherapy-exposed sperm, no increase in birth defect rates have been noted. Dr. Turek notes, however, that for men who need radiation and chemotherapy for cancer treatment, sperm banking prior to the therapy remains the single best way to preserve their reproductive potential.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;"> "Patients undergoing cancer treatments need to be informed of the good news on the other side," Dr. Turek states. "There are sophisticated and effective ways to help men become fathers after the storm of cancer treatment has passed." About Sperm Mapping Testis sperm mapping, also known as FNA Mapping, was pioneered by Dr. Turek 13 years ago. The procedure is a breakthrough, minimally invasive reproductive treatment for men found to be sterile from genetic or other causes of </span><a title="What Is Infertility? What Causes Infertility? How Is Infertility Treated?" href="http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/165748.php"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">infertility</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">. </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">Sperm mapping involves the use of fine needle aspiration (FNA) to take small tissue samples nonsurgically from 15 designated - or mapped - areas of each testicle under local anesthesia in 30 minutes. </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">Source:The Turek Clinic </span><a name="ratethis"></a>Omo Francahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602656256699309246noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78763417001305263.post-46834625028656846122010-01-12T16:21:00.000-08:002010-01-12T16:24:32.083-08:00HMC doctors find best treatment for male infertility<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;"><strong><span style="color:#33ccff;">DOHA: </span></strong>Microsurgery is found to be the best procedure to treat infertility in men according to doctors at the Hamad Medical corporation. The Urology Depart at HMC is using some of the most advanced microsurgical procedures to successfully treat sterility in male patients in Qatar.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;"><br />A study on 298 infertile patients over a period of five years has revealed that ‘Microsurgery’ is the best procedure to treat male infertility in patients, who are afflicted by ‘Varicocele’, which is the main cause for infertility in 40 percent of the patients.<br />A paper on comparative study of Open, Laparoscopic and Microsurgical approaches to treat male infertility conducted by doctors and specialist at Urology department was selected as the Best Article for 2008, as part of the of Best Publication Award event at Medical Research Centre, HMC.<br />With world-wide statistics revealing 10 to15 percent of male population suffering from infertility of some sorts, the Urology department at HMC has pioneered the use of microsurgical varicocelectomy to treat male infertility, which has led to increased pregnancy rate in infertile couples.<br />“The microsurgery procedure is a day surgery not requiring hospitalisation and has several advantages over open technique and laparoscopy. There is no hydrocele formation, a lower incidence of recurrent varicocele, and better improvement in sperm count and motility,” said Dr Abdulla Al Ansari, Consultant Urologist, who has contributed immensely to the comparative study conducted at HMC to treat male infertility.<br />The successful mastering of microsurgical procedure to treat male infertility at HMC has led to an increased demand by patients from GCC countries such as KSA, UAE, Oman etc, for HMC services.<br />“HMC infertility clinic is now benchmarked against some of the most advanced medical facilities world-wide. We at the Urology department have now disease specific sub-specialties to deal with patients and cases”, stated Dr Sami S Al Said, Consultant Urologist and Andrologist, HMC while receiving the award.<br />The study conducted by Urology department on male infertility has been published in one of the most reputed international journals, claimed Dr Al Hareth M Al Khater, Chairman, Medical Research Centre, HMC.<br />“The Medical Research Centre at HMC was established in 1998. In 2009, we have received almost 200 proposals for research and 100 have been approved by our scientific and ethics committees. 40 research papers submitted by HMC doctors have already been published or accepted for publication this year in various international journals. Some of the medical research proposals are also funded by Qatar National Research Fund under the aegis of Qatar Foundation,” Dr. Al Hareth said.<br /><span style="font-size:78%;">SOURCE: BIOMED.COM</span></span>Omo Francahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602656256699309246noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78763417001305263.post-16138466453904405932009-12-04T23:41:00.000-08:002009-12-04T23:42:48.951-08:00Hope For Men With Nonobstructive Infertility<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">It has been thought that men with non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA), a lack of sperm in the semen not caused by an obstruction within the reproductive system, are poor candidates for IVF. Now, researchers writing in the open access journal Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology have shown that sperm from men with NOA and obstructive azoospermia (OA) are equally capable of producing embryos. Nina Desai led a team of researchers from the Cleveland Clinic Foundation who carried out an in-depth analysis of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) using frozen sperm taken from the testes of 44 men with OA and 17 men with NOA. They found that, although fertilization rates were slightly improved in the OA group, there were no significant differences in implantation rates or clinical pregnancy rates. According to Desai, "The high implantation rate per embryo transferred and the resultant live births attest to the quality of embryos being produced with both types of surgically retrieved sperm". In addition to evaluating the feasibility of NOA sperm, the researchers were also able to study paternal effect on genomic activation. One of the earliest morphologic indicators of embryonic genome activation is increased cell-to-cell adherence at the 8-cell stage, leading to compaction. Desai said, "Interestingly, we found that embryonic compaction was similar in all three groups. These results suggest that zygotic activation is independent of sperm origin and type of azoospermia".<br /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">SOURCE: MEDICALNEWSTODAY</span></span>Omo Francahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602656256699309246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78763417001305263.post-33465252147615320042009-11-21T01:34:00.000-08:002009-11-21T01:37:55.522-08:00INTERNATIONAL EVENT AT QUEENS FOCUSES ON MALE FERTILITY<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">Male </span><a title="What Is Infertility? What Causes Infertility? How Is Infertility Treated?" href="http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/165748.php"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">infertility</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;"> and tackling falling birth rates across Europe will be among the topics addressed at this year's British Andrology Society's annual conference at Queen's University in Belfast. World leaders in the field of andrology - the study of male reproduction - will meet at Queen's this week (Thursday and Friday) to discuss the latest developments in the field of fertility including the potential to create artificial sperm from </span><a title="What are Stem Cells?" href="http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/info/stem_cell/whatarestemcells.php"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">stem cells</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;">The conference organiser, Professor Sheena Lewis from the Centre of Public Health in the University's School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences, says research into male fertility is vastly underfunded. Professor Lewis said: "Male infertility is now a public health issue. Infertility affects one in six couples around Europe and the male partner is responsible for 40% of these problems. "DNA damage to sperm is a major cause of male infertility. "We know sperm DNA damage is closely associated with all fertility check points and also longer times to get pregnant and increased pregnancy loss."MORE AT… </span><a href="http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171471.php"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:130%;color:#ff0000;">http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171471.php</span></a>Omo Francahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602656256699309246noreply@blogger.com0