Recurrent miscarriage and the quality of semen and sperm: a case-control study / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To analyze the relation between recurrent miscarriage and routine semen parameters.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We compared the semen parameters of normal healthy men with those of the spouses of recurrent miscarriage women through 1: 1 age-matched case-control study.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with the healthy controls, the men of the case group showed a significantly lower mean semen volume ([1.95 +/- 1.11] ml vs [2.74 +/- 1.43] ml), sperm concentration ([48.68 +/- 20.07] x 10(6)/ml vs [59.26 +/- 25.35] x 10(6)/ml), percentage of grade b sperm ([12.07 +/- 3.34] % vs [16.18 +/- 6.74] %), fruit-sugar content ([1.73 +/- 0.64] g/L vs [2.21 +/- 0.75] g/L), acrosomal enzyme activity ([84.34 +/- 26.69] U/mg prot vs [94.20 +/- 26.35] U/mg prot), alpha-glucuronidase (alpha-GLU) content ([36.28 +/- 15.98] U/ml vs [44.45 +/- 12. 54] U/ml), and acid phosphatase (ACP) content ([68.55 +/- 35.45] U/ml vs [84.78 +/- 51. 10] U/ml) (P < 0.05), but remarkably higher percentages of head teratospermia ([47.36 +/- 4.59] % vs [46.50 +/- 6.32] %) and tail teratospermia ([7.56 +/- 2.27] % vs [7.28 +/- 3.10] %), and elastase content ([885.64 +/- 1 272.30] ng/ml vs [661.08 +/- 764.64] ng/ml) (P < 0.05). Based on the results of discriminant analysis, the semen volume, percentages of grade b sperm and combined teratospermia, and contents of fruit-sugar, alpha-GLU and ACP could be used to evaluate the semen and sperm quality of the spouses of recurrent miscarriage women.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Routine semen and sperm tests might help evaluate the seminal factors of recurrent miscarriage, but they lack specificity and need comprehensive analysis. Poorer semen quality is associated with higher incidence of recurrent miscarriage.</p>

Infection of cytomegalovirus and herpes simplex virus and morphology of the infected spermatogenic cells in infertile men / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the infection of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) and herpes simplex virus type II (HSV-I) and the morphological characteristics of the infected spermatogenic cells in the semen of infertile men.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We washed and concentrated the spermatogenic cells obtained from 83 semen samples of infertile men, extracted DNA and then screened HCMV and HSV-II by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Immunocytochemistry (ICC) was used to detect the expression of correlative virus antigens of the positive semen cells, and the cytology smear was employed to observe the morphological changes of the spermatogenic cells under the microscope after cytology staining.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Of all the semen samples, 8 were HCMV positive, 4 HSV-II positive, but none were both HCMV and HSV-II positive. HCMV late antigens were positively and HCMV early antigens negatively expressed in the spermatogenic cells of the 8 HCMV positive cases. In the 4 HSV-II positive cases, 3 were positively and 1 weakly positively expressed. In the semen of the 12 positive cases were found large numbers of immature spermatogenic cells, with different manifestations of apoptosis, such as chromatin pycnosis, vacuoles, damaged nuclear membrane, and apoptotic bodies, but without virus infection-induced specific morphological alteration. Sperm concentration of the positive group was significantly lower than that of the negative (P < 0. 05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Spermatogenic cells infected by HCMV and HSV-II may cause pathologic lesions and affect spermatogenesis. Morphologically, the infected spermatogenic cells may undergo some pathologic alteration, such as apoptosis. The rate of HCMV infection is higher among infertile males with pathologic cells in the semen.</p>