AIMTo test the hypothesis that levels of sperm disomy fell significantly in six men treated by traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).

METHODSFluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) was done on the sperm heads of six men before and during treatment by TCM.

RESULTSThere was a significant reduction in sperm disomy in all six men. This coincided with TCM treatment.

CONCLUSIONThis is the first study reporting a significant reduction in sperm disomy in men over a given time course. The fact that this coincided with TCM treatment is intriguing but no conclusions can be drawn from this until placebo-controlled clinical trials are implemented.

Adult ; Aneuploidy ; Chromosomes, Human, X ; genetics ; Chromosomes, Human, Y ; genetics ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; administration & dosage ; Humans ; In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence ; Infertility, Male ; drug therapy ; genetics ; pathology ; Male ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Spermatozoa ; pathology ; physiology ; Treatment Outcome

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), oxidative stress (OS) is a significant contributor to male infertility. Seminal OS can be measured by a number of assays, all of which are either costly or time sensitive and/or require large semen volume and complex instrumentation. One less expensive alternative is to quantify the oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) with the MiOXSYS. In this international multi-center study, we assessed whether ORP levels measured by the MiOXSYS could distinguish semen samples that fall within the 2010 WHO normal reference values from those that do not. Semen samples were collected from 2092 patients in 9 countries; ORP was normalized to sperm concentration (mV/10⁶ sperm/ml). Only those samples with a concentration >1 × 10⁶ sperm ml^-1 were included. The results showed that 199 samples fell within the WHO normal reference range while the remaining 1893 samples did not meet one or more of the criteria. ORP was negatively correlated with all semen parameters (P < 0.01) except volume. The area under the curve for ORP was 0.765. The ORP cut-off value (1.34 mV/10⁶ sperm/ml) was able to differentiate specimens with abnormal semen parameters with 98.1% sensitivity, 40.6% specificity, 94.7% positive predictive value (PPV) and 66.6% negative predictive value (NPV). When used as an adjunct to traditional semen analysis, ORP levels may help identify altered functional status of spermatozoa caused by OS in cases of idiopathic male infertility and in male partners of couples suffering recurrent pregnancy loss, and thereby directing these men to relevant medical therapies and lifestyle modifications.
Adult ; Area Under Curve ; Humans ; Infertility, Male/metabolism* ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Oxidation-Reduction ; Oxidative Stress ; ROC Curve ; Reference Values ; Semen/metabolism* ; Semen Analysis/standards* ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Sperm Count/standards* ; Spermatozoa/metabolism* ; Young Adult

Artificial intelligence (AI) in medicine has gained a lot of momentum in the last decades and has been applied to various fields of medicine. Advances in computer science, medical informatics, robotics, and the need for personalized medicine have facilitated the role of AI in modern healthcare. Similarly, as in other fields, AI applications, such as machine learning, artificial neural networks, and deep learning, have shown great potential in andrology and reproductive medicine. AI-based tools are poised to become valuable assets with abilities to support and aid in diagnosing and treating male infertility, and in improving the accuracy of patient care. These automated, AI-based predictions may offer consistency and efficiency in terms of time and cost in infertility research and clinical management. In andrology and reproductive medicine, AI has been used for objective sperm, oocyte, and embryo selection, prediction of surgical outcomes, cost-effective assessment, development of robotic surgery, and clinical decision-making systems. In the future, better integration and implementation of AI into medicine will undoubtedly lead to pioneering evidence-based breakthroughs and the reshaping of andrology and reproductive medicine.

Despite advances in the field of male reproductive health, idiopathic male infertility, in which a man has altered semen characteristics without an identifiable cause and there is no female factor infertility, remains a challenging condition to diagnose and manage. Increasing evidence suggests that oxidative stress (OS) plays an independent role in the etiology of male infertility, with 30% to 80% of infertile men having elevated seminal reactive oxygen species levels. OS can negatively affect fertility via a number of pathways, including interference with capacitation and possible damage to sperm membrane and DNA, which may impair the sperm's potential to fertilize an egg and develop into a healthy embryo. Adequate evaluation of male reproductive potential should therefore include an assessment of sperm OS. We propose the term Male Oxidative Stress Infertility, or MOSI, as a novel descriptor for infertile men with abnormal semen characteristics and OS, including many patients who were previously classified as having idiopathic male infertility. Oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) can be a useful clinical biomarker for the classification of MOSI, as it takes into account the levels of both oxidants and reductants (antioxidants). Current treatment protocols for OS, including the use of antioxidants, are not evidence-based and have the potential for complications and increased healthcare-related expenditures. Utilizing an easy, reproducible, and cost-effective test to measure ORP may provide a more targeted, reliable approach for administering antioxidant therapy while minimizing the risk of antioxidant overdose. With the increasing awareness and understanding of MOSI as a distinct male infertility diagnosis, future research endeavors can facilitate the development of evidence-based treatments that target its underlying cause.
Antioxidants ; Classification ; Clinical Protocols ; Diagnosis ; DNA ; Embryonic Structures ; Female ; Fertility ; Health Expenditures ; Humans ; Infertility ; Infertility, Male ; Male ; Membranes ; Ovum ; Oxidants ; Oxidation-Reduction ; Oxidative Stress ; Reactive Oxygen Species ; Reducing Agents ; Reproductive Health ; Semen ; Spermatozoa ; Subject Headings