{"title":"Loss-of-function mutations in Ccdc113 cause male infertility in both humans and mice.","authors":"Hong-Tao Yu, Fu-Lin Liu, Xiao-Xiao Zhang, Wei Li","doi":"10.4103/aja202585","DOIUrl":"10.4103/aja202585","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Although genetic factors contribute significantly to male infertility, the underlying mechanisms remain incompletely understood. Coiled-coil domain-containing protein 113 ( CCDC113 ) encodes a coiled-coil domain-containing protein critical for the assembly of cilia and flagella. Using whole-exome sequencing, we identified biallelic CCDC113 mutations in two unrelated families affected by oligoasthenoteratozoospermia. The mutations (c.901A>C; p.K301Q and c.404A>C; p.E135A) cosegregated with infertility phenotypes and were associated with defective sperm flagella. Functional analyses demonstrated that these mutations led to less stable CCDC113 protein and severely disrupted axonemal structures in spermatozoa from our three human patients. We generated Ccdc113 knockout mice, which recapitulated the human infertility phenotypes, including abnormal sperm morphology, impaired motility, and defective spermatogenesis. Importantly, one patient achieved successful pregnancy by intracytoplasmic sperm injection, highlighting the translational potential of genetic diagnostics. These findings suggest that CCDC113 is essential for male fertility and contribute to the understanding of the genetic landscape of infertility, offering novel insights into its diagnosis and management.</p>","PeriodicalId":93889,"journal":{"name":"Asian journal of andrology","volume":" ","pages":"500-508"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13623311/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146127772","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Hattan Badr, Carlo Bettocchi, Abdulrahman Alsalem, Anna Ricapito, Matteo Rubino, Nicolò Buffi, Andrea Gobbo, David Ralph, Omid Sedigh
{"title":"Surgical treatment of Peyronie's disease by plaque incision and buccal mucosa graft: a systematic review and meta-analysis.","authors":"Hattan Badr, Carlo Bettocchi, Abdulrahman Alsalem, Anna Ricapito, Matteo Rubino, Nicolò Buffi, Andrea Gobbo, David Ralph, Omid Sedigh","doi":"10.4103/aja202543","DOIUrl":"10.4103/aja202543","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Peyronie's disease (PD) is a debilitating condition affecting the sexual and psychological health of millions of men and their partners around the world. Plaque incision (PI) surgery with buccal mucosa graft (BMG) is a promising option for patients with PD. This systematic review aims to comprehensively assess the efficacy of PI with BMG in the management of PD. PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase, CENTRAL, and Clinicaltrials.gov were systematically searched for possible keywords to include full-text studies and abstracts. After full-text screening and extraction, the quality of included studies was assessed using the National Institutes of Health (NIH) study quality assessment tools. Open Meta-Analyst software was used with a random effect model for all analyses. Seventeen reports were included in the current systematic review, including nine full-text reports and eight abstracts. Meta-analysis of the included data revealed that PI with BMG showed a success rate of 98.6%, a satisfaction rate of 92.1%, and a very low de novo erectile dysfunction rate of 1.7%, with a penile shortening rate of 1.1%. The International Index of Erectile Dysfunction and the length of the affected side significantly increased by 1.69 points and 1.99 cm, respectively. Head-to-head analysis showed comparable outcomes between BMG and other grafting methods. PI with BMG seems to be an effective treatment for PD with comparable potential to other grafting methods. Further randomized clinical trials are needed to evaluate the efficacy of PI with BMG in comparison to other grafting techniques.</p>","PeriodicalId":93889,"journal":{"name":"Asian journal of andrology","volume":" ","pages":"485-492"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13623331/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147286613","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Megan G Paradzinsky, Mukul Sharda, Jonathan S Ellison, Yuchen Jin, Aniko Szabo, Jay I Sandlow, Peter N Dietrich
{"title":"Evaluating patient experience with in-person versus virtual vasectomy consultations.","authors":"Megan G Paradzinsky, Mukul Sharda, Jonathan S Ellison, Yuchen Jin, Aniko Szabo, Jay I Sandlow, Peter N Dietrich","doi":"10.4103/aja2025104","DOIUrl":"10.4103/aja2025104","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Since the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, there has been a rise in the use of telehealth pre-vasectomy consultations. Several studies have demonstrated that the rates of vasectomy completion do not seem to be affected by consultation type, suggesting that a pre-vasectomy physical examination is not necessary for successful procedure completion. While the current research offers a preliminary evaluation of the feasibility of virtual consultations for vasectomy, it has not included patient experiences with the consultation and the procedure. Thus, we evaluated satisfaction, procedural experience, and consultation preferences among patients undergoing vasectomy after either in-person or virtual consultation. Between October 1, 2022 and December 31, 2023, patients scheduled with two fellowship-trained infertility specialists were offered either visit type, with consistent counseling and appointment availability across modalities. Post-procedure surveys assessed satisfaction, pain, consultation preference, and anxiolytic use. Of 169 survey respondents, 40 (23.7%) had virtual and 129 (76.3%) had in-person consultations. Five (4.4%) patients who had an in-person consultation reported they would have preferred to have a virtual consultation. In the virtual cohort, 3 (8.6%) patients would have preferred an in-person consultation. No statistical difference was observed between the groups regarding preference for alternate consultation type ( P = 0.39). There were also no significant differences in pain rating or reported comfort with vas manipulation by consultation modality ( P = 0.21 and P = 0.17, respectively). Most patients still choose in-person consultations over virtual consultations for vasectomy despite equal availability to both, and patients report similar satisfaction and pain scores regardless of their consultation method. Virtual consultation can be offered without compromising patient experience.</p>","PeriodicalId":93889,"journal":{"name":"Asian journal of andrology","volume":" ","pages":"641-645"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13623313/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147476554","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Fresh or frozen testicular sperm? Guidance from an etiology-classified retrospective study on ICSI cycles for patients with azoospermia.","authors":"Zi-Jue Zhu, Liang-Hong Ma, Cun-Zhong Deng, Fu-Rong Bai, Peng Li, Li-Na Zhou, Shan Jiang, Xiao-Jin He, Zheng Li, Wei Chen","doi":"10.4103/aja2025120","DOIUrl":"10.4103/aja2025120","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Using testicular sperm, men with azoospermia can father children. Sperm cryopreservation helps avoid the risk of cycle canceling because of the failure of testicular sperm retrieval. However, cryopreservation of testicular sperm can potentially impair sperm function. In addition, the different qualities of testicular sperm retrieved from men with various etiologies of azoospermia can lead to different intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) outcomes after sperm cryopreservation. A retrospective analysis was performed to elucidate the influence of frozen testicular sperm from men with different etiologies of azoospermia on assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatment outcomes. Testicular sperm retrieval rates were also compared. The fertilization rate was found to be influenced by testicular sperm cryopreservation in most cases, especially for patients with azoospermia factor c (AZFc) deletion, and embryo development was significantly impeded when frozen testicular sperm from Klinefelter syndrome (KS) patients were used. Moreover, ART treatment outcomes after embryo transfer were not significantly influenced by testicular sperm cryopreservation for any of the etiologies. In addition, significantly higher sperm retrieval rates were achieved in cryptorchidism, KS, and AZFc deletion patients, whereas the testicular sperm retrieval rate was significantly lower in patients with idiopathic nonobstructive azoospermia. Collectively, our findings suggest that except for patients with KS, testicular sperm retrieval prior to initiating ovarian stimulation of the patient's partner should be considered the first-line approach. In addition, assisted oocyte activation should be performed in ICSI cycles using frozen testicular sperm, especially for patients with AZFc deletion.</p>","PeriodicalId":93889,"journal":{"name":"Asian journal of andrology","volume":" ","pages":"651-659"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13623333/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147847341","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A novel hemizygous missense variant in the BEND2 gene is associated with nonobstructive azoospermia.","authors":"Chun-Hai Luo, Zi-Qi Yu, Hong-Yi Wang, Hao Zhou, Yun-Hao Wu, Li-Fu Shao, Han-Chao Liu, Jun-Feng Zhan, Chong Xie, Sheng-Wei Ke, Bei-Bei Zhang","doi":"10.4103/aja2025122","DOIUrl":"10.4103/aja2025122","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Nonobstructive azoospermia (NOA), the most severe form of male infertility, frequently arises from genetic defects that disrupt spermatogenesis. In this study, a novel hemizygous missense variant (NM_001184767.2 [c.G1069A; p.V357I]) is identified in the X-linked BEN domain-containing 2 ( BEND2 ) gene of a patient with NOA characterized by spermatocyte maturation arrest. Whole-exome sequencing and Sanger validation confirmed that this rare variant is absent in fertile controls and that no pathogenic variants were detected in established NOA genes. Computational analysis predicted potential structural alterations via AlphaFold modeling, leading to the hypothesis that the ability of BEND2 to recognize genomic targets may be compromised. The patient's phenotype phenocopies the meiotic arrest observed in Bend2 -knockout mice. Expression profiling confirmed predominant BEND2 transcription in human and mouse testes, peaking in early spermatocytes and coinciding with meiotic initiation, with reduced transcript levels detected in the proband's peripheral blood compared with those in an obstructive azoospermia control. This study reports a pathogenic BEND2 variant associated with NOA with spermatocyte arrest, highlighting its critical role in human meiosis and expanding the genetic etiology of male infertility.</p>","PeriodicalId":93889,"journal":{"name":"Asian journal of andrology","volume":" ","pages":"690-696"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13623323/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147876764","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Biochanin A inhibits the activity of androgen receptor mutants to suppress the development of prostate cancer.","authors":"Yong-Nan Chi, Chen-Yang Wang, Tao Yang, Ying Liu, Deng-Long Wu, Sheng-Song Huang","doi":"10.4103/aja202632","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4103/aja202632","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Androgens and the androgen receptor (AR) play a central role in the development and progression of prostate cancer. While biochanin A (BCA) has been reported to suppress androgen synthesis and overcome resistance to abiraterone and enzalutamide, its direct effects on AR, particularly mutant AR, remain unclear. In this study, we systematically investigated the binding affinity and functional impact of BCA on a panel of clinically relevant AR mutations to identify patient subgroups that may benefit from BCA treatment. Our results demonstrated that BCA exhibits high-binding affinity toward the ART877A and ARW741C mutants. Our findings reveal a previously unrecognized mechanism by which BCA directly targets specific AR mutants, in addition to inhibiting androgen biosynthesis. This study provides mechanistic insights into the mutation-selective activity of BCA and supports its potential clinical application in molecularly stratified prostate cancer.</p>","PeriodicalId":93889,"journal":{"name":"Asian journal of andrology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148876839","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Dyslipidemia accelerates prostate volume enlargement in middle-aged Chinese men: a prospective cohort study focusing on lipid ratios.","authors":"Yang Li, Zhuo Yin, Chu-Qi Wen, Xiang-Yang Li","doi":"10.4103/aja202624","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4103/aja202624","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This prospective cohort study investigated the association between dyslipidemia and prostate volume progression in middle-aged Chinese men. A total of 5607 men aged >40 years at The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University (Changsha, China), between January 2020 and January 2023, who did not have baseline benign prostatic hyperplasia, were followed for three years. Participants were categorized by their baseline lipid status according to Chinese guidelines. Prostate volume was measured annually, using transrectal ultrasound, with enlargement defined as a volume of ≥31 ml. The results showed that 48.0% of men with dyslipidemia developed prostatic enlargement, compared to 36.5% with normal lipid levels. Elevated ratios of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and total cholesterol to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol were significantly associated with an increased risk in a dose-response manner. This association was independent of age, body mass index, and fasting glucose levels. High-density lipoprotein cholesterol demonstrated a protective effect. These findings suggest that dyslipidemia, particularly as reflected in specific lipid ratios, is an independent and modifiable risk factor for accelerated prostatic enlargement. This indicates that lipid assessment could be valuable for early risk stratification and prevention.</p>","PeriodicalId":93889,"journal":{"name":"Asian journal of andrology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148876966","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Yan Zheng, Ying-Bi Wu, Lin Yu, Yuan Liu, Jin-Tao Yuan, Cheng-Cheng Diao, Yi Ma, Ye-Lin Jia, Fu-Ping Li
{"title":"Evaluation of technicians' ability to accurately identify sperm morphology through EQA programs in China: a 5-year nationwide study (2019-2024).","authors":"Yan Zheng, Ying-Bi Wu, Lin Yu, Yuan Liu, Jin-Tao Yuan, Cheng-Cheng Diao, Yi Ma, Ye-Lin Jia, Fu-Ping Li","doi":"10.4103/aja202582","DOIUrl":"10.4103/aja202582","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study evaluated technicians' ability to identify sperm morphology via external quality assessment (EQA) and identified challenging defect types causing significant interparticipant discrepancies. A longitudinal study was conducted from 2019 to 2024 to assess the ability of technicians at various laboratories to identify sperm morphology using standardized EQA protocols and distributed sperm images. Morphological classification was performed using the criteria of the World Health Organization, 6 th edition. Correct identification rates, participant pass rates, and defect-specific accuracy rates were statistically analyzed. The overall correct identification rate (mean ± standard deviation [s.d.]) was 81.3% ± 27.0%, while the correct identification rate of normal sperm morphology (mean ± s.d.) was only 51.1% ± 25.5%. Although the overall correct identification rate of abnormal sperm morphology (mean ± s.d.) was as high as 96.1% ± 8.9%, the overall correct identification rate across all defect categories (mean ± s.d.) was only 60.2% ± 21.7%. The identification of sperm head defects was the most challenging, with a correct identification rate (mean ± s.d.) of only 57.0% ± 20.7%, while the correct identification rate of sperm tail defects (mean ± s.d.) was the highest at 70.5% ± 23.5%. Among sperm head defects, the correct identification rate of head size defects (mean ± s.d.) was the lowest at 53.4% ± 22.0%. Laboratories that participated for 5 consecutive years showed significant improvements in total and normal morphology scores. Image-based EQA effectively assesses the technicians' competency and serves as an educational tool. Normal sperm morphology evaluation should avoid overly strict criteria, while abnormal sperm morphology assessment requires enhanced focus on specific defect types.</p>","PeriodicalId":93889,"journal":{"name":"Asian journal of andrology","volume":" ","pages":"542-547"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13623329/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147346073","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Yi-An Zhao, Chong Cao, Yu-Xiao Chu, Rong Hua, Bo Xu, Qi-Wei Shen, Xiao-Jian Fu, Qi-Yuan Yao, Yi-Kai Shao
{"title":"Correlation between weight loss and testosterone restoration after sleeve gastrectomy in patients with biochemical male obesity-associated secondary hypogonadism.","authors":"Yi-An Zhao, Chong Cao, Yu-Xiao Chu, Rong Hua, Bo Xu, Qi-Wei Shen, Xiao-Jian Fu, Qi-Yuan Yao, Yi-Kai Shao","doi":"10.4103/aja2025102","DOIUrl":"10.4103/aja2025102","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Male obesity-associated secondary hypogonadism (MOSH) affects metabolic and reproductive health. We evaluated the efficacy of laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) on the remission of MOSH and testosterone concentrations and examined the association between weight loss and changes in testosterone concentrations. In this retrospective study, 304 male patients with obesity who underwent LSG at the Center for Obesity and Hernia Surgery, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University (Shanghai, China) between October 2022 and December 2024 were screened. Metabolic and hormonal parameters were evaluated at baseline and at 6 months, 12 months, and 24 months post-LSG. The primary outcome was the remission of MOSH. Secondary outcomes were changes in total testosterone concentrations and free testosterone concentrations, and their correlations with the percentage of total weight loss (TWL%). Among 304 screened patients, 212 were diagnosed with MOSH and 186 were included (mean ± standard error [s.e.]; age: 33.1 ± 0.6 years; body mass index: 43.0 ± 0.5 kg m -2 ). MOSH remission rates at 6 months, 12 months, and 24 months post-LSG were 81.4%, 79.7%, and 89.5%, respectively, accompanied by a substantial increase in total testosterone and free testosterone concentrations. TWL% (mean ± s.e.) reached 28.2% ± 0.9%, 34.4% ± 1.2%, and 32.3% ± 2.2% at the respective time points. Linear mixed models showed significant positive correlations between TWL% and total testosterone and free testosterone concentrations after surgery (both P < 0.001). LSG induced the remission of MOSH and restored testosterone concentrations. Sustained weight loss is pivotal in driving endocrine recovery, suggesting that LSG is effective for managing MOSH.</p>","PeriodicalId":93889,"journal":{"name":"Asian journal of andrology","volume":" ","pages":"493-499"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13623332/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146151372","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Commentary on \"Correlation between weight loss and testosterone restoration after sleeve gastrectomy in patients with biochemical male obesity-associated secondary hypogonadism\".","authors":"Michał Rabijewski, Jakub Wydra, Marcin Rabijewski","doi":"10.4103/aja2025118","DOIUrl":"10.4103/aja2025118","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":93889,"journal":{"name":"Asian journal of andrology","volume":" ","pages":"697-698"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13623325/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147367702","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}