Andrology最新文献

{"title":"Epidemiology of hypospadias in China: A nationwide surveillance-based study, 2010-2020.","authors":"Chen Zhiyu, Gao Yuyang, Xu Wenli, Li Wenyan, Liu Zhen, Zhou Jiayuan, Zhu Jun, Dai Li","doi":"10.1111/andr.70090","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/andr.70090","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The prevalence of hypospadias varied internationally. However, epidemiological data on hypospadias in contemporary China remain limited.</p><p><strong>Objectives: </strong>We aim to examine the epidemiological characteristics of hypospadias in Chinese population.</p><p><strong>Materials and methods: </strong>We performed a prevalence analysis using data from the Chinese Birth Defects Monitoring Network from 2010 to 2020. We analyzed the prevalence of overall, isolated, and associated hypospadias by birth year, maternal age, maternal residence, and geographic region. We used Poisson regression with adjusted prevalence rate ratios for assessing the impact of demographic characteristics and Joinpoint regression for analyzing temporal trends.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 11,782 hypospadias cases were identified among 11,575,036 male births with a prevalence of 10.18 per 10,000 male births. Of these, 9700 (82.3%) were isolated and 2082 (17.7%) were associated hypospadias. Of these cases, 639 (5.4%) were classified as anterior hypospadias, 1052 (8.9%) as middle hypospadias, 413 (3.5%) as proximal hypospadias, and 9678 (82.1%) as unspecified hypospadias, based on their severity. The prevalence of overall, isolated, and associated hypospadias increased significantly over the study period. Prevalence also varied significantly by maternal residence, maternal age, and geographical region. Infants with associated hypospadias experienced a significant higher risk of perinatal death. The most frequent associated anomalies involved the cardiovascular, genitourinary, and musculoskeletal systems.</p><p><strong>Discussion and conclusion: </strong>This study provides contemporary national data on the epidemiology of hypospadias in China. The observed increasing prevalence and variations by severity underscore the need for further etiological, epidemiological, and clinical research.</p>","PeriodicalId":7898,"journal":{"name":"Andrology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2025-06-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144526144","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Mouse genome engineering uncovers 18 genes dispensable for male reproduction.","authors":"Hsin-Yi Chang, Yonggang Lu, Kaito Yamamoto, Jiang Sun, Keisuke Shimada, Yuki Hiradate, Yoshitaka Fujihara, Masahito Ikawa","doi":"10.1111/andr.70088","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/andr.70088","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Male infertility is an intricate multifactorial disease involving the interplay between genetic and environmental factors. Genetic anomalies account for more than 15% of all male infertility cases; however, diagnosing them exhibits enormous challenges due to variable symptomatic presentations and limited knowledge of gene functions. Therefore, a thorough investigation into gene regulatory networks underlying male reproduction is demanded to improve patient counseling and infertility treatment.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>In this study, we aimed to identify testis-expressed genes essential for male fertility.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We searched public databases, such as the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), Ensembl genome browser, the Human Protein Atlas (HPA), and the Mammalian Reproductive Genetics Database V2 (MRGDv2), to identify genes predominantly expressed in male reproductive tissues. Genetically engineered mouse lines lacking individual genes of interest were generated using either targeted gene replacement or the CRISPR/Cas9 system. To determine the gene functions, we analyzed fertility, testis weight, testis and epididymis histology, and sperm motility and morphology in adult knockout (KO) male mice.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Through the in silico screen, we identified 18 testis-expressed genes, including coiled-coil domain containing 182 (Ccdc182), EF-hand calcium-binding domain 15 (Efcab15), family with sequence similarity 187, member B (Fam187b), family with sequence similarity 24, member A (Fam24a), family with sequence similarity 24, member B (Fam24b), glial cell line derived neurotrophic factor family receptor alpha 2 (Gfra2), GLI pathogenesis-related 1 like 1, 2, and 3 (Glipr1l1-3), interleukin 3 (Il3), IZUMO family member 4 (Izumo4), peptidyl-prolyl cis/trans isomerase, NIMA-interacting 1, retrogene 1 (Pin1rt1), solute carrier family 22 (organic cation transporter), member 16 (Slc22a16), sperm microtubule inner protein 2 (Spmip2), testis expressed 51 (Tex51), transmembrane and coiled-coil domains 2 (Tmco2), and tripartite motif family-like 1 and 2 (Triml1/2). The KO males displayed no obvious health problems, and normal mating behavior, fecundity, testis and epididymis histology, and sperm morphology and motility.</p><p><strong>Discussion and conclusion: </strong>Our findings indicate that these 18 testis-expressed genes are individually dispensable for male reproduction in mice. Disseminating such genes would promote our understanding of male reproduction and expedite the discovery of novel key male factors. Although we anticipate that mutations in these genes may not impair fertility in men, their enrichment in male germ cells makes them potential biomarkers for sperm count, quality, and morphological anomalies.</p>","PeriodicalId":7898,"journal":{"name":"Andrology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2025-06-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144504667","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Re-examining cannabis and semen quality: Comments on Joseph et al. (2025) and implications for male fertility research.","authors":"Chien-Hsiu Peng, Lien-Chung Wei","doi":"10.1111/andr.70087","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/andr.70087","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":7898,"journal":{"name":"Andrology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2025-06-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144367801","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The rising role of genetics in andrology research and clinical practice","authors":"Maris Laan,&nbsp;Kenneth I. Aston,&nbsp;Donald F. Conrad","doi":"10.1111/andr.70073","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/andr.70073","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The term “androgenetics” refers to research focusing on genetics of male-specific conditions.<span>¹</span> For the first time, <i>Andrology</i> publishes a Special Issue “Genetics in Andrology” solely devoted to androgenetics—a forward-looking milestone in the field. So far, andrology has lagged behind other medical fields in taking advantage of rapid technological (r)evolution and recent breakthroughs in genetics and genomics. In this Special Issue, 10 review articles and 15 original studies authored by researchers from around the world provide a comprehensive overview of the state-of-the-art, current, and perspective clinical applications of genetics in andrology. To facilitate a broad readership, an introductory article by Akbari et al.<span>¹</span> is included covering the progress of androgenetics over 60 years and providing a glossary of the core terminology in medical genetics.</p><p>Since the discovery that the Klinefelter syndrome phenotype is linked to 47, XXY karyotype, cytogenetic analysis has been successfully introduced to the male infertility workup, explaining 3%–4% of cases<span>²</span> and adding value in clinical practice for patient counseling and management (e.g. original study by Zohdy et al. in this issue<span>³</span>). Access to whole-exome sequencing (WES) during the past 5–10 years has revealed the diverse landscape of monogenic infertility with over 600 proposed candidate genes.<span>⁴</span> A thorough review by Riera-Escamilla and Nagirnaja<span>⁵</span> including 19 WES-based studies in cohorts of unrelated cases with primary spermatogenic defects demonstrates the variability in detection rates of disease-causing variants across subphenotypes and different research settings. Across the studies, clinically relevant monogenic findings already explain 10%–20% cases of azoo/oligozoospermia and more than half of cases with 46, XY differences/disorders of sex development (DSD) or qualitative sperm defects.<span>^5-8</span> It is likely that the forthcoming years will bring along a further increase in the diagnostic yield of genetic infertility due to rapidly dropping costs of whole-genome sequencing (WGS). The richer information content of WGS compared with WES allows for reliable detection of genomic structural variants, as demonstrated in the original study by Khan et al.<span>⁹</span> analyzing family cases from Pakistan.</p><p>Due to high genetic and phenotypic heterogeneity, confirmation of novel gene–disease links has been a challenge. A large fraction of proposed gene–disease relationships has been reported in singleton cases or among the members of consanguineous families. To establish solid genotype-phenotype links, each finding must be confirmed in independent case(s), and their relevance to the routine clinical practice needs critical assessment. Stallmeyer et al.<span>⁶</span> have undertaken an important ta","PeriodicalId":7898,"journal":{"name":"Andrology","volume":"13 5","pages":"983-985"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2025-06-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/andr.70073","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144339407","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Collagen fleece versus porcine small intestinal submucosa grafting for Peyronie's disease: A comparative analysis.","authors":"Pedros Ramos, Margarida Henriques, Alberto Costa Silva, Carlos Silva, Nuno Tomada, Afonso Morgado","doi":"10.1111/andr.70081","DOIUrl":"10.1111/andr.70081","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Peyronie's disease (PD) is a fibrotic disorder affecting the tunica albuginea, leading to penile curvature and deformity, significantly impacting sexual function and quality of life. Surgical correction remains the gold standard for patients with severe curvature, yet the optimal grafting material remains undetermined. Small intestinal submucosa (SIS) and collagen fleece (CF) grafts are widely used, but their comparative efficacy is still debated.</p><p><strong>Objectives: </strong>Our aim is to compare the clinical outcomes of SIS and CF grafting techniques in penile lengthening procedures for PD, evaluating postoperative outcomes and patient satisfaction.</p><p><strong>Materials and methods: </strong>A retrospective cohort study was conducted, including 62 patients undergoing penile surgery with SIS (n = 31) or CF (n = 31) grafts. Preoperative variables included age, diabetes mellitus (DM) status, penile curvature, erectile function, and penile length. Primary outcomes assessed were operative time, postoperative penile length, erectile function, complication rates, and patient-reported satisfaction. All statistical analyses were conducted using IBM SPSS Statistics.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The CF group had significantly shorter mean operative times (105±23 vs. 159±29 min, p < 0.001) and lower rates of penile hypoesthesia (12.9% vs. 45.2%, p = 0.005) and curvature recurrence (16.1% vs. 41.9%, p = 0.025). However, CF grafting was associated with higher postoperative pain (22.6% vs. 3.2%, p = 0.023). No significant differences were found in erectile function decline, penile length gain, or patient satisfaction.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>CF grafting offers shorter surgical time and reduced recurrence rates, whereas SIS grafting results in lower postoperative pain. Both techniques provide comparable penile length preservation and erectile function outcomes.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>CF and SIS grafts are effective in PD surgery, with CF reducing operative time and complications but increasing pain. Personalized graft selection is essential for optimizing surgical outcomes and patient satisfaction.</p>","PeriodicalId":7898,"journal":{"name":"Andrology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2025-06-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144339846","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Expression of IL-33 in rodent testes and its role in Leydig cell steroidogenesis and aging.","authors":"Hu Wang, Yun Hu, Zhenni Li, Enhui Wu, Qichao Yuan, Xinyu Niu, Jingwen Liu, Hanmin Cai, Mengjie Qin, Jingfeng Xu, Jiexia Wang, Xiaoju Guan, Haolin Chen, Congde Chen","doi":"10.1111/andr.70078","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/andr.70078","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Serum testosterone (T) concentration declines with aging in men, potentially affecting reproduction, mental and physical well-beings. A role of immune factors in Leydig cell (LC) function is well-known, but the specific factors involved, especially these playing roles in LC aging, are still unclear. This study investigated effects of interleukin 33 (IL-33) on LC function and its expression during testicular aging.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Immunohistochemistry and Western blotting were used to determine IL-33 and its receptor IL1RL1 expressions in testes of young (3-month-old) and old (19-24-month-old) Wistar rats. In vitro, the effects of IL-33 on sex steroid hormone productions were evaluated in primary and MLTC-1 LCs over 2-24 h. Different steroidogenic stimulators or signaling molecules (luteinizing hormone [LH], 8-Br-cAMP, Forskolin, pertussis toxin, and MAPK activators) were compared with elucidate mechanisms. Steroidogenic pathway proteins and potential signaling molecules were explored by Western blotting.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>IL-33 is expressed by mesenchymal cells, with the number increasing significantly with aging. IL1RL1, its receptor, is expressed by LCs and remains unchanged. In vitro, IL-33 acutely inhibited LC steroidogenesis in a dose-dependent manner (1-100 ng/mL) within 2-24 h. The effect was LH-dependent; replacing LH with either 8-Br-cAMP or Forskolin abolished the inhibition. IL-33 mainly affected STAR in the steroidogenic pathway. Signaling molecules involving STAR regulation (AKT and MAPK) were down-regulated while PKA phosphorylation was increased. P38 MAPK involvement was confirmed as increased Tyr182 phosphorylation of P38 by SB203580 partly reversed the IL-33-induced steroidogenesis inhibition.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Testicular mesenchymal cells can synthesize IL-33, and LCs express the receptor IL1RL1. IL-33 inhibits LC steroidogenesis in vitro, partially via inhibiting P38 MAPK phosphorylation. As IL-33-expressing cell numbers rise significantly with aging, its role in age-related LC T production decline warrants further study.</p>","PeriodicalId":7898,"journal":{"name":"Andrology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2025-06-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144301035","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Oxidative stress markers and sperm structural integrity regarding semen processing methods followed by cryopreservation.","authors":"Ana Paula de Souza Kussler, Ivan Cunha Bustamante Filho, Elisa Negri, Edison Capp, Helena von Eye Corleta","doi":"10.1111/andr.70076","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/andr.70076","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Seminal cryopreservation causes significant sperm damage, prompting research into alternative preservation methods. This study aimed to compare the effects of washing and density gradient processing-both involving seminal plasma removal-on oxidative damage, acrosomal, and mitochondrial integrity.</p><p><strong>Materials and methods: </strong>Seminal samples from 26 normozoospermic patients were divided into three parts: one containing seminal plasma, the second processed by washing, and the third processed by selection through a density gradient. The samples were cryopreserved for at least 2 weeks. reactive oxygen species (ROS) production (measured using the DCF probe), plasma membrane peroxidation (BODIPY probe), acrosome integrity (fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled/prostate-specific antigen [FITC/PSA] probe), lipid disorder (merocyanine 540 probe), and mitochondrial potential (JC1 probe) were evaluated through flow cytometry before cryopreservation and after thawing.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Density gradient processing reduced ROS production compared to washing (p < 0.05). No increase in the ROS production was observed after thawing. In the fresh condition, both density gradient and washed samples showed a lower proportion of oxidized cells compared to raw samples (p < 0.001). Acrosomal damage was significantly higher in washed samples compared to other groups in fresh samples (p < 0.001). Cryopreservation caused acrosomal damage only in raw samples (p < 0.001), with gradient samples maintaining greater acrosomal integrity after thawing. Plasma membrane instability was lower in the gradient of the fresh group compared to raw or washed samples (p < 0.001). Cryopreservation induced plasma membrane destabilization in processed samples but not in samples frozen with seminal plasma. After thawing, plasma membrane destabilization was lower in the gradient group compared to raw and washed samples (p < 0.05 and p < 0.001). Cells in the gradient group showed higher mitochondrial potential (p < 0.001), followed by washed samples compared to raw samples (p < 0.01). Mitochondrial membrane potential was significantly impaired in all three processes, with no differences among the groups after thawing.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Cryopreservation significantly damages the acrosome and mitochondria of spermatozoa. In normozoospermic patients, the gradient method selected higher-quality spermatozoa compared to other processes, preserving functional advantages after thawing.</p>","PeriodicalId":7898,"journal":{"name":"Andrology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2025-06-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144301048","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Identification of potential drug targets for erectile dysfunction with single-cell RNA sequencing: A Mendelian randomization study.","authors":"Bo-Yu Xiang, Jie Wen, Yun-Hao Wang, Zhen-Rui Liu, Jin-Shun An, Jing-Xuan Peng, Ling-Xiao Chen, Jian Ding, Gui-Lin Wang, Quan Cheng, Dong-Jie Li","doi":"10.1111/andr.70082","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/andr.70082","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>A subset of patients with erectile dysfunction (ED) responds poorly to current pharmacological treatments, largely due to the limited availability of well-defined therapeutic targets beyond phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitors (PDE5i).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This study used Mendelian randomization (MR) to identify potential therapeutic targets for ED. Cis-expression quantitative trait loci (cis-eQTL) were sourced from the eQTLGen Consortium (31,684 individuals). ED summary statistics were derived from two cohorts (229,980 individuals: 6175 ED cases, 223,805 controls; 95,178 individuals: 1154 ED cases, 94,024 controls). Co-localization analysis assessed shared single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) influencing ED risk and gene expression. Drug prediction and molecular docking were utilized to validate the therapeutic potential of the identified drug targets, while single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq, dataset GSE206528) identified relevant cell types.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Two drug targets demonstrated significance across both cohorts and were corroborated by co-localization analysis. Phenome-wide association studies (PheWAS) revealed no associations with other traits. Molecular docking analysis indicated strong binding affinities between the drugs and proteins. ScRNA-seq results showed the target genes are predominantly expressed in endothelial cells (ECs), Schwann Cells (SWCs)  and smooth muscle cells (SMCs).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This study highlights two promising ED targets, encouraging future research on ECs and SMCs to advance drug development and improve treatment outcomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":7898,"journal":{"name":"Andrology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2025-06-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144301036","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"New insights into the pathological mechanism of varicocoele and its association with abnormal vascular remodeling in varicocoele patients.","authors":"Wenxin Li, Shuzhi Sun, Ling Fu, Yu Pan, Lin Qian, Lei Yu, Hongqiang Wang, Yunchao Zhang, Hanshu Wang, Tao Jing","doi":"10.1111/andr.70080","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/andr.70080","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The pathological mechanism of venous reflux in varicocoele (VC) remains unclear. The theory of vascular remodeling may play an important role.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>This study aims to explore the potential pathological mechanism of VC and its association with abnormal vascular remodeling in VC patients.</p><p><strong>Materials and methods: </strong>We collected specimens of spermatic veins from VC patients who received microsurgical varicocelectomies at the Department of Andrology, the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, from January 2020 to January 2024. The spermatic veins of VC patients were divided into three subgroups based on diameter (<1 mm, 1-3 mm, and >3 mm), with a control group consisting of spermatic veins from hydrocele patients. Differences in venous morphology and ultrastructure between these groups were examined using optical microscopy (OM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The expression of alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and osteopontin (OPN) was evaluated by immunohistochemical staining and Western blot analysis.</p><p><strong>Results and discussion: </strong>Substantial hyperplasia and disordered arrangement of smooth muscle cells (SMCs) in the spermatic veins of VC patients were observed. Thickness and clumpy aggregation of collagen fibers were also noted under OM, with a significantly higher proportion observed. An increase in dense bodies and mitochondrial vacuolization in the VC group were revealed by TEM. Immunohistochemical staining showed that both α-SMA and OPN were enriched in SMCs. Western blot analysis showed that the expression of OPN was significantly greater in the 1-3 mm and >3 mm subgroups compared with the control group (p < 0.05), while the expression of α-SMA did not show a significant decrease.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The pathological changes in morphology and overexpression of OPN in SMCs indicates a possible spermatic vascular transition from the contractile to secretory phenotype. This abnormal vascular remodeling might be associated with the reflux in the spermatic veins of VC patients.</p>","PeriodicalId":7898,"journal":{"name":"Andrology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2025-06-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144245879","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Sperm SCSA DNA fragmentation index does not influence the euploidy rate of viable blastocysts in advanced-age women.","authors":"Pengcheng Kong, Shanshan Liang, Jiaping Pan, Mingru Yin, Xiaoming Teng","doi":"10.1111/andr.70079","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/andr.70079","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Oocytes from older females have a diminished ability to repair sperm DNA damage compared with those from younger females. Previous research has indicated that there is no significant correlation between sperm DNA fragmentation index (DFI) and the blastocyst euploidy rate in cycles utilizing oocytes donated by young individuals. However, it is still unclear whether a high DFI impacts the euploidy rate of blastocysts derived from oocytes obtained from women of advanced reproductive age.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>The aim of this study was to investigate the potential association between sperm DFI and the euploidy rate of viable blastocysts in women of advanced age undergoing preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy (PGT-A).</p><p><strong>Materials and methods: </strong>A total of 667 blastocysts from 492 couples, all with maternal ages of 38 years or older, who underwent intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) combined with PGT-A were included in this study. The sperm DFI values were measured using the Sperm Chromatin Structure Assay (SCSA), and the couples were divided into three groups based on sperm DFI values: low DFI (DFI < 15%), moderate DFI (15% ≤ DFI ≤ 30%), and high DFI (DFI > 30%).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>No statistically significant differences were found in the rates of normal fertilization among the low, moderate, and high DFI groups (73.3%, 75.8%, and 75.4%, respectively; p > 0.05). Similarly, the rates of high-quality embryos were comparable among the groups (47.2%, 45.5%, and 45.7%, respectively; p > 0.05). The blastocyst formation rates also exhibited no significant differences among the groups (49.9%, 48.0%, and 49.3%, respectively; p > 0.05). Additionally, the aneuploidy rates of viable blastocysts were comparable across the groups (55.1%, 59.1%, and 60.6%, respectively; p > 0.05). Both the categorical analysis based on clinical DFI thresholds (<15%, 15%-30%, >30%) and the multiple linear regression treating DFI as a continuous variable (adjusted for female age, female body mass index [BMI], duration of infertility, number of miscarriages, and male age) revealed no statistically significant association between DFI and blastocyst euploidy rates (p = 0.733 for the categorical analysis; B = -0.003, standard error [SE] = 0.002; p = 0.136 for the continuous model). Furthermore, clinical pregnancy outcomes and neonatal results following the transfer of euploid blastocysts were comparable among the groups.</p><p><strong>Discussion and conclusion: </strong>This study's findings suggest that elevated sperm DFI, as measured by the SCSA, does not significantly influence the euploidy rate of viable blastocysts in couples with advanced maternal age, whereas maternal age remains the predominant factor influencing embryo euploidy.</p>","PeriodicalId":7898,"journal":{"name":"Andrology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2025-06-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144233010","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}