An analysis of donor semen quality in Chongqing Human Sperm Bank / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>Objective</b>To evaluate the quality of the donor semen in Chongqing Human Sperm Bank and the influence of age on semen parameters.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We collected semen samples from 899 donors in Chongqing Human Sperm Bank and divided them into five groups according to the age of the semen donors: 22－25, 26－30, 31－35, 36－40, and >40 years old. Using the Makler Counting Chamber, we measured the semen volume, percentage of progressively motile sperm (PMS), total motile sperm, sperm concentration, total sperm count per ejaculate, and percentage of morphologically normal sperm (MNS). Then, we compared the semen parameters obtained with the fifth percentile and median reference values published in the WHO Laboratory Manual for the Examination and Processing of Human Semen-5th Ed (WHO 5th Ed) and among different age groups using the Kruskall-Wallis H test.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The semen volume (1.8 ml), sperm concentration (25.0 × 10⁶/ml), total sperm count (100.7 × 106/ejaculate) and MNS (4.3%) in the semen samples of the 899 donors were obviously higher than the fifth percentile values published in the WHO 5th Ed, and so were the first three parameters (4.0 ml, 88.0 × 10⁶/ml, and 333.7 × 106/ejaculate) than the WHO median reference values. PMS (31.0%) and total motile (38.0%) were lower than the WHO fifth percentile values and so was MNS (11.6%) than the WHO median reference value. PMS (55.0%) and total motile sperm (61.0%), however, were coincident with the median reference values of WHO 5th Ed. Statistically significant differences were observed among the 22－25, 26－30, 31－35, 36－40 and >40 years old groups in perm concentration (88.0 ［1.0－270.0］ vs 96.0 ［5.0－335.0］ vs 100.0 ［3.0－200.0］ vs 105 ［15.0－225.0］ vs 90.0 ［22.0－159.0］ × 10⁶/ml, P < 0.05), but not in the semen volume, PMS, total sperm motility, total sperm count or MNS (P > 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The donor semen in Chongqing Human Sperm Bank is generally of high quality. Sperm concentration significantly increases with age but decreases in men aged >40 years.</p>

Bacterial culture of donor semen: Analysis of results / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>Objective</b>To investigate bacterial infection and the distribution of different bacterial species in the donor semen and the influence of different bacterial counts on semen quality.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Bacterial colonies in the semen samples from 1 126 donors were counted with the Synbiosis Protocol 3 Automatic Colony Counter and the bacterial species with a colony count ≥10⁴ cfu/ml identified with the VITEK2 Compact Automatic Biochemical Analyzer. The Makler Sperm Counting Board was used to examine the semen quality of the semen samples with a colony count = 0 cfu/ml (n = 22, group A), those with a colony count <10⁴ cfu/ml (n = 22, group B) and those with a colony count ≥10⁴ cfu/ml (n = 22, group C). Univariate analysis was employed for comparison of semen quality among different groups.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Among the 1 126 donor semen samples cultured, 5 (0.44%) showed mixed bacterial contamination and 993 (88.58%) showed none but with growth of a certain species of bacteria, 2.22% (22/993) with a colony count ≥10⁴ cfu/ml, mainly including Streptococcus bovis, tiny bacilli, Staphylococcus epidermis, and Staphylococcus aureus, among which gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria accounted for 95.45% (21/22) and 4.54% (1/22), respectively. Compared with group A, groups B and C manifested significantly reduced total sperm count (［567.5 ± 327.6］ vs ［421.9 ± 155.9］ and ［389.9 ± 110.6］ × 106 per ejaculate, P <0.05) and percentage of progressively motile sperm (［65.0 ± 6.5］ vs ［61.0 ± 3.5］ and ［61.6 ± 4.3］ %, P <0.05). There were no statistically significant differences among the three groups in the semen liquefaction time, semen pH value, total sperm motility or percentage of morphologically normal sperm (P > 0.05). Of the 284 randomly selected semen samples, 34 (11.97%) were found positive for Ureaplasma urealyticum (UU) and no significant difference was observed in the semen quality between the UU-positive and UU-negative samples (P> 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The bacteria-positive rate is high in the donor semen and the bacterial species are varied, mainly including gram-positive bacteria. Semen quality is reduced with the increased number of bacterial colonies.</p>

Analysis of the quality of cryopreserved semen from male cancer patients / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the semen quality of cancer patients and search for a better way of sperm cryopreservation for them.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We retrospectively analyzed the quality of the semen from 43 cancer patients under cryopreservation in the Sperm Bank of Zhejiang Province, and compared the semen parameters between the cancer patients and 248 normal donors as well as between the testicular cancer cases (n=22) and non-testicular cancer cases (n=21).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The cancer patients exhibited significantly lower semen quality than the normal donors as in sperm concentration (60.90 x 10(6)/ml vs 74.27 x 10(6)/ml), progressive motility (41.07% vs 51.79%), and recovery rate (49.98% vs 57.33%) (all P <0.05). Furthermore, the progressive sperm motility and sperm recovery rate after freezing were significantly decreased in the testicular cancer cases (15.68% and 42.81%) than in the non-testicular cancer cases (28.36% and 57.53%) (both P <0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Semen quality declines in cancer patients, and therefore early sperm cryopreservation is essential for them. Due to the poor sperm motility and recovery rate of testicular cancer patients after freezing, further investigation is required on the improvement of sperm cryopreservation methods.</p>