Decline in semen concentration of healthy Chinese adults: evidence from 9357 participants from 2010 to 2015 / 亚洲男科学杂志(英文版)

The present study aims to analyze sperm concentration trends among young and healthy Chinese adults in Wuhan, Central China, from 2010 to 2015. Semen analysis data from 9357 participants were collected and analyzed using a general linear model and the Cochran-Armitage trend test. A significant decline was observed in sperm concentration (β [standard deviation]: -1.53 [0.16]; P < 0.001). In addition, a decline in sperm density was observed by stratifying student versus nonstudent sperm donors and by analyzing the year of birth or birth year cohort of the participants. Furthermore, the percentage of participants with sperm densities of over 40 × 106 ml-1 significantly decreased with year. Notably, a dramatic decline in sperm density was recorded over the first 5 years of study. This research reported a decline in sperm concentration among young adults in Wuhan, Central China, in 2010-2015.

Decline in semen concentration of healthy Chinese adults: Evidence from 9357 participants from 2010 to 2015 / 亚洲男科学杂志(英文版)

The present study aims to analyze sperm concentration trends among young and healthy Chinese adults in Wuhan, Central China, from 2010 to 2015. Semen analysis data from 9357 participants were collected and analyzed using a general linear model and the Cochran-Armitage trend test. A significant decline was observed in sperm concentration (β [standard deviation]: -1.53 [0.16]; P < 0.001). In addition, a decline in sperm density was observed by stratifying student versus nonstudent sperm donors and by analyzing the year of birth or birth year cohort of the participants. Furthermore, the percentage of participants with sperm densities of over 40 × 106 ml-1 significantly decreased with year. Notably, a dramatic decline in sperm density was recorded over the first 5 years of study. This research reported a decline in sperm concentration among young adults in Wuhan, Central China, in 2010-2015.

Fatty acid intake in relation to reproductive hormones and testicular volume among young healthy men / 亚洲男科学杂志(英文版)

Emerging evidence suggests that dietary fats may influence testicular function. However, most of the published literature on this field has used semen quality parameters as the only proxy for testicular function. We examined the association of fat intake with circulating reproductive hormone levels and testicular volume among healthy young Spanish men. This is a cross-sectional study among 209 healthy male volunteers conducted between October 2010 and November 2011 in Murcia Region of Spain. Participants completed questionnaires on lifestyle, diet, and smoking, and each underwent a physical examination, and provided a blood sample. Linear regression was used to examine the association between each fatty acid type and reproductive hormone levels and testicular volumes. Monounsaturated fatty acids intake was inversely associated with serum blood levels of calculated free testosterone, total testosterone, and inhibin B. A positive association was observed between the intake of polyunsaturated fatty acids, particularly of omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids, and luteinizing hormone concentrations. In addition, the intake of trans fatty acids was associated with lower total testosterone and calculated free testosterone concentrations (P trend = 0.01 and 0.02, respectively). The intake of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids was positively related to testicular volume while the intake of omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids and trans fatty acids was inversely related to testicular volume. These data suggest that fat intake, and particularly intake of omega 3, omega 6, and trans fatty acids, may influence testicular function.

A hospital based study on reference range of serum prostate specific antigen levels.

Background & objectives: Serum prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels are known to vary with race and ethnicity, environmental factors, lifestyle, metabolic and physiologic changes and advancing age. This study was designed to determine age specific serum PSA level in healthy Indian men and its comparison with that reported in different populations of the world. Methods: A total of 1300 adult men who attended Executive Health Check-up programme in a tertiary care hospital in Haryana, India, were included in the study. Forty seven men were excluded from the analysis because of urological conditions affecting PSA values. Overall, 1253 men were analyzed for age specific PSA values. Results: The age specific reference range of serum PSA values was 0.71 ng/ml in those younger than 40 yr; 0.85 ng/ml in 40-49 yr; 1.13ng/ml in 50-59 yr group; 1.45 ng/ml in 60-69 yr group; 1.84 ng/ml in 70-79 yr group and 2.35 ng/ml in men older than 80 yr. Interpretation & conclusions: Our study provided the age-specific reference range of serum PSA in healthy men in India. The data suggested that the PSA levels were associated with increasing age.

Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) Screening among Apparently Healthy Men of African Descent in Sokoto, North Western, Nigeria.

Background: Globally prostate cancer is the sixth leading cause of cancer-related death in men. Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) is present in small amount in the serum of men with healthy prostates, but is often elevated in the presence of prostate cancer and other prostate-related disorders. The aim of this present study was to determine the PSA levels among healthy men of African descent resident in Sokoto, North Western Nigeria. Methods: Testing was carried out using the CTK Biotech PSA kit (CTK Biotech Inc, San Diego, USA). The Onsite PSA Rapid Test is a lateral flow chromatographic immunoassay for the qualitative detection of prostate specific antigen (PSA) in human serum or plasma at a cut-off level of 4.0 ng/mL. Result: We investigated the PSA levels in 106 consecutively recruited men of African descent with age range and mean age of 40-70 years and 44.75 ± 7.91 years respectively. We observed a PSA of > 4ng/mL among 7 (6.6%) of subjects studied. Men > 60 had the highest prevalence of raised PSA level (33.3%) compared to those younger men (p= 0.001). We observed a higher prevalence among farmers (11.1%) compared to business men, civil servants and students. Conclusion: In this present study we observed a high prevalence of PSA >4ng/mL and a positive and significant correlation between age and raised PSA levels among men in Sokoto, North Western Nigeria. We recommend an annual PSA blood test for men ≥ 40 years of age and that those with a PSA value > 4.0 ng/mL should be considered for further evaluation. There is also the need to build capacity among biomedical and medical staff in Nigeria to facilitate effective diagnosis of prostate cancer. There is also the need for increased prostate cancer awareness in the area to facilitate voluntary testing.

The Time Course and Determinants of B-Type Natriuretic Peptide in Healthy Men during Supine Bicycle Exercise

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Circulating B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) has been used as a marker of left ventricular hypertrophy and heart failure, and known to be increased after exercise in healthy men as well as patients with left ventricular dysfunction. However, the relationship between exercise duration and BNP level, and the determinants of circulating BNP concentration during exercise have not been fully elucidated. For these reason, we measured circulating BNP level during exercise, and exercise-induced changes of cardiac function by echocardiography in healthy men. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ten healthy male volunteers (mean age 27+/-3 year-old) underwent symptom-limited bicycle ergometer in supine position for 30 min. The workload started at 25 W for 6 min with increment of 50 W every 3 min. Blood samples for BNP were obtained at baseline, every 1 min for first 3 min, 25 W, 75 W, 125 W, peak exercise and 10 min after resting. RESULTS: BNP level was increased only at peak exercise (mean:5.3+/-0.5 vs 7.7+/-4.1 pg/ml, median:5.0 vs 6.3 pg/ml, p<0.05), not during submaximal exercise, and sustained 10 minutes after exercise (190+/-25 watt, 14.9+/-12 min). Peak BNP level was significantly correlated with baseline BNP level (r=0.723, p<0.05), E' (0.18+/-0.04 vs 0.29+/-0.08 m/sec, r=-0.649, p<0.05) and E/E' (4.18+/- 0.87 vs 5.66+/-2.31, r=0.769 p<0.01) by bivariate correlation analysis, but correlated with only baseline BNP level by multiple linear regression analysis (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Circulating BNP concentration was minimally increased only after peak exercise in young healthy men, not increased at submaximal exercise The BNP concentration after exercise is only determined by baseline BNP level, not by duration and workload of exercise.

The Age-specific Reference Ranges for Prostate-specific Antigen obtained from Health Promotion Center / 대한비뇨기과학회지

PURPOSE: We intend to define age-specific ranges for serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and to investigate the relationship of age to serum PSA in Korean healthy men. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From April 1992 to February 1997, 7,718 Korean men aged 30 to 79 years visited to Soonchunhyang health promotion center and were examined with serum PSA. We evaluated serum PSA of 2,321 Korean healthy men aged 50 to 79 years(1,943 aged 50 to 59 years, 292 aged 60 to 69 years, and 86 aged 70 to 79 years) using Hybritech Tandem-R aasay. Statistical analysis was performed by simple linear regression analysis using SPSS. RESULTS: Average serum PSA of 2,321 Korean healthy men was 1.25+/-1.02ng/ml, and mean value for serum PSA for men aged 50 to 59 years was 1.18+/-0.95ng/ml; for 60 to 69 years, 1.48+/-1.19ng/ml; and 70 to 79 years, 1.99+/-1.18ng/ml. Age-specific reference ranges for serum PSA for men aged 50 to 59 years were 0-3.1ng/ml; for 60 to 69 years, 0-3.9ng/ml; and for 70 to 79 years, 0-5.5ng/ml, respectively. Serum PSA concentration was correlated with age(r=0.35, p-value<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The serum PSA concentration was correlated with age and age-specific reference ranges for serum PSA in Korean healthy men were lower than those in white men. Therefore, we suggest that age-specific reference ranges for serum PSA in Korean should be defined in order to increase the detection rate of localizing prostate cencer in younger ages, and to decrease the risk of missing prostate cancer in older ages.

Plasma Carotenoid Levels in Healthy men and Acute Cardiovascular Disease Patients in Taegu / 대한지역사회영양학회지

Plasma carotenoid levels were compared among 64 healthy male subjects (control) and 38 patients of ischemic heart disease(IHD) and 20 ones of cerebral infarction(CI) all of whom were over 50years of age. Another 98 healthy male subjects aged 23 to 58 were selected to compare their plasma carotenoid levels by age groups, Levels of lutein, zeaxanthin and crpytoxanthin were lower in IHD(34+/-2, 13+/-1 and 62+/-7 microgram/dl)and CI(36+/-3, 12+/-2 and 41+/-6 microgram/dl)patient groups than in control group (84+/-5, 16+/-2 and 69+/-3 microgram/dl) while those of lycopene, alpha-and beta-carotene varied little among the three groups. The sum of the six carotenoid levels were levels were, therefore,highest(205+/-14 microgram/dl) in the control group followed by IHD(155+/-15 microgram/dl) and CI(128+/-17 microgram/dl) patient groups, Among the 98 healthy male subject for the age group study, levels of the three major carotenoids increased with age from the twenties to the fifities ; lutein, from 64+/-6 to 89+/-8 microgram/dl, cryptoxanthin, 57+/-8 to 73+/-4 microgram/dl and beta-carotene were more significantly correlated(r=0.30 to 0.61, p<0.01), whereas levels of lycopene and alpha-caroteme were significantly(r=0.21 - 0.23, p<0.05) correlated.