SUMMARY This paper presents a panoramic survey of the ultrastructure of the outer surface of the eggshells of Birds. Scanning electron microscopy has revealed, in the different species, characteristic patterns of cuticle texture, thickness and porosity and of pore-canals density in the subjacent layer. The patterns appear to be related to the amount of gaseous and fluid exchange through the eggshell, and seem to be somewhat constant in the major systematic groups, many of them recognizable by the sub-microscopic pattern of the egg surface.

The spermatozoon of Macrobiotus hufelandii Schultze is composed of three regions: (i) a cylindrical acrosome showing a halo of electron dense material and a more transparent core with slender fibre...

SUMMARY Fine resolutions obtained with positive or negative staining on dissociated and non-fixed collagen fibrils of Holothuria tubulosa confirm that Echinodermata collagen has the same period (640 A) as is typical of Mammalia, but indicates that there are slight differences in the number of lines, or sub-bands (10, with the addition of a «b» line). These differences can be related to the constitution of amino acids which have been demonstrated by previous Authors.

Objective: To verify clinical outcome after injection of spermatozoa that have undergone the acrosome reaction (reacted spermatozoa) vs. those still having an intact acrosome (nonreacted spermatozoa).Design: Prospective, randomized study.Setting: Reproductive Medicine Unit, Italian Society for the Study of Reproductive Medicine, Bologna, Italy.Patient(s): According to a prospective randomization including 71 couples with severe male factor infertility, intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) was performed under polarized light that permitted analysis of the pattern of birefringence, in the sperm head. Twenty-three patients had their oocytes injected with reacted spermatozoa, 26 patient's oocytes were injected with nonreacted spermatozoa, and in 22 patients both reacted and nonreacted spermatozoa were injected.Intervention(s): Intracytoplasmic sperm injection was performed under polarized light to selectively inject acrosome-reacted and acrosome-non reacted spermatozoa.Main Outcome Measure(s): Rates of fertilization, cleavage, pregnancy, implantation, and ongoing implantation.Result(s): There was no effect on the fertilizing capacity and embryo development of either type of sperm, whereas the implantation rate was higher in oocytes injected with reacted spermatozoa (39.0%) vs. those injected with nonreacted spermatozoa (8.6%). The implantation rate was 24.4% in the group injected with both reacted and nonreacted spermatozoa. The delivery rate per cycle followed the same trend.Conclusion(s): Spermatozoa that have undergone the acrosome reaction seem to be more prone to supporting the development of viable ICSI embryos. (Fertil Steril (R) 2010;93:807-13. (C)2010 by American Society for Reproductive Medicine.)

Several cases of sterile mammalian males having rudimentary sperm tails have been described. Most of the literature concerns the bull: after the first descriptions by light microscopy of the ‘stump’ defect by ‘Maqsood (1951) in rabbits, and by Coubrough & Barker (1964) and by Blom (1976) in bulls, electron microscopy demonstrated that, as the bull tail and motility are concerned, the defect results in a generalized blocked formation of the flagellum inducing the absence of axoneme and accessory fibres (Blom & Birch Andersen, 1980; Vierula et al. 1983, 1987). Only a few slightly longer tail stump present accessory fibres and 9 + 2 short axonemes. In the same years the ‘stump’ defect was found in a stallion and a dog (Barker, 1979), while Baccetti et al. (1975) described a related defect occurring in humans, where the sperm immotility was due to the general presence of more or less short tails, having two centrioles, both of them producing abortive axonemes where accessory fibres and tubules are extremely short, badly assembled, and devoid of dynein. This defect was named ‘short tail’ defect. More recently, even in a human, Barthelemy et al. (1990) described reduced 9+0 tails with doublet arms, and suggested the presence of the ‘stump’ defect in men.

This presentation starts with Galileo's discovery of the microscope and the first Lyncei. Giovanni Heckius and Francesco Stelluti demonstrated different kinds of mosquitoes. Later, in Florence, the Academy of Cimento solved the problem of mosquito reproduction with the discoveries of Francesco Redi, Pietro Paolo da Sangallo, Giuseppe Del Papa and Giovanni Maria Lancisi in the 18th century. In 19th century Eugenio Ficalbi reviewed the Italian Culicids. Once Battista Grassi solved the cycle of Anopheles and Plasmodia, further researches followed by Golgi, Celli, Marchiafava, Bastianelli and Bignami, as well as by Roland Ross.

Objective: To investigate the characteristics of birefringence inhuman sperm heads and apply polarization microscopy for sperm selection at intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).Design: Prospective randomized study.Setting: Reproductive Medicine Unit, Societa Italiana Studi Medicina della Riproduzione, Bologna, Italy.Patient(s): A total of 112 male patients had birefringent sperm selected for ICSI (study group). The clinical out-come was compared with that obtained in 119 couples who underwent a conventional ICSI cycle (control group).Intervention(s): The proportion of birefringent spermatozoa was evaluated before and after treatment in relation to the sperm sample quality. Embryo development and clinical outcome in the study group were compared with those in the controls.Main Outcome Measure(s): Proportion of birefringent sperm heads, rates of fertilization, cleavage, pregnancy, implantation, and ongoing implantation.Result(s): The proportion of birefringent spermatozoa was significantly higher in normospermic samples when compared with oligoasthenoteratospermic samples with no progressive motility and testicular sperm extraction samples. Although fertilization and cleavage rates did not differ between the study and control groups, in the most severe male factor condition (oligoasthenoteratospermic with no progressive motility and testicular sperm extraction), the rates of clinical pregnancy, ongoing pregnancy, and implantation were significantly higher in the study group versus the controls.Conclusion(s): The analysis of birefringence in the sperm head could represent both a diagnostic tool and a novel method for sperm selection.

Purpose: Azoospermia may sometimes be related to the use of androgenic anabolic steroids. We report the case of an azoospermic man who had abused androgenic anabolic steroids and who recovered spermatogenesis six months after cessation of abuse and the administration of hormonal therapy. Methods: An azoospermic 34-year-old man came to Regional Referral Center for Male Infertility. The recovery of spermatogenesis was observed after the cessation of abuse of steroids and the administration of hormonal therapy. Ultrastructural analysis of sperm was carried out by transmission electron microscopy, and the meiotic segregation of chromosomes 1, 9, 18, X, Y was investigated. Results: Mathematically elaborated transmission electron microscopy data highlighted seminal features close to normal fertility. Fluorescence in situ hybridisation showed a high frequency of XY disomy in sperm. Conclusions: Our findings confirm the recovery of spermatogenesis but suggest a possible relationship between altered meiotic segregation and the abuse of androgenic anabolic steroids.

AIM:To perform screening, related to A-kinase anchoring proteins 4 (AKAP4) and tubulin proteins, in spermatozoa with absent or severely reduced motility in order to detect the status of the fibrous sheath and the axonemal structure.METHODS:An immunocytochemical study of tubulin, used as a positive control, and AKAP4 was carried out to detect the presence and the distribution of these proteins in different sperm samples. The morphological characteristics of sperm were studied by transmission electron microscope (TEM) and the results were elaborated using a formula reported in previous studies. PCR was carried out on DNA extracted from peripheral blood lymphocytes to analyse partial sequences of the Akap4 and Akap3 genes.RESULTS:Immunolabelling of tubulin and AKAP4 showed different patterns, which led us to divide the patients into groups. In group I, the absence of AKAP4 and tubulin was revealed, although these patients did not show alterations in the Akap4/Akap3 binding site. TEM evaluation highlighted that a high presence of necrosis was associated with total sperm immotility. In group II, a regular AKAP4 and tubulin signal was present, although motility was reduced and TEM analysis revealed the presence of immaturity. In group III, in which a weak AKAP4 label associated with normal tubulin staining and reduced motility was observed, a severe disorganization of the fibrous sheath was highlighted by TEM.CONCLUSION:While the role of AKAP4 in sperm motility is unclear, absent or weak AKAP4-labelling seems to be associated with absent or weak sperm motility.

BACKGROUND:Patients with poor semen quality show increased sperm disomy and diploidy rates. Oligozoospermia and teratozoospermia are known to influence sperm aneuploidy, but there is still a debate about whether aneuploidies are associated with reduced motility.METHODS:Ejaculates from a large group of patients were examined by light microscopy to evaluate sperm concentration, motility and morphology, and by fluorescence in-situ hybridization (FISH) to analyse the presence of aneuploidies. Statistical analysis was performed to compare differences and to evaluate the relationship between sperm aneuploidy rate and semen quality.RESULTS:Five groups were established following the motility parameter, and total aneuploidy rates were statistically significantly higher in the groups where motility was <30% compared to the controls. A homogeneous group of men with asthenozoospermia showed higher FISH values compared to control data, although the difference was not statistically significant. Motility and sperm morphology were each found to be statistically related to aneuploidy using a multiple linear regression analysis, whereas sperm concentration was only related to aneuploidy by the equation of a hyperbolic curve.CONCLUSIONS:In conclusion, biological and statistical data from the present research support the idea that the presence of aneuploidies could also be associated with reduced sperm motility.

ABSTRACT: The idea that varicocele plays a detrimental role in fertility is supported by the presence of a higher frequency of affected men among the infertile population than among men with normal semen parameters. In this research we examined ejaculates from a large group of selected men affected by varicocele by light and electron microscopy. The effect of varicocele on chromosome meiotic segregation was investigated by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). The potential benefits of varicocelectomy on sperm quality were evaluated by analyzing sperm characteristics before and after surgical correction of varicocele. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis, elaborated previously, showed that the incidence of immaturity, apoptosis, and necrosis was higher in the varicocele group than in controls. FISH analysis performed on sperm nuclei from selected patients with varicocele showed that the mean frequencies of disomies and diploidies were generally out of the normal range, indicating a severe disturbance in meiotic segregation. Sperm characteristics evaluated before and after varicocele repair showed a general improvement. As a consequence, the varicocele seem to affect sperm morphology and function concomitantly with meiotic segregation derangement. In consideration of these data, we suggest that TEM and FISH analyses should be performed for all varicocele patients.

Seventeen sperm samples were evaluated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) before and after swim-up separation. DNA-fragmentation was tested by terminal d-UTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) in unselected and selected semen samples, and the results were analyzed in relation to sperm ultrastructural characteristics detected by TEM. A significant improvement in mean numbers and percentages of structurally normal sperm was observed after swim-up selection, corresponding to a significant decrease in the percentage of necrotic and apoptotic sperm, while the percentage of sperm with immature nuclei did not change significantly. TUNEL indicated a significant decrease in chromatin-fragmented sperm after swim-up. Swim up selection based on sperm motility excludes many sperm with ultrastructural evidence of necrosis (absent or reacted acrosome, disrupted chromatin, broken plasma membrane) and apoptosis (misshapen nuclei with marginated chromatin), as confirmed by TUNEL analysis. Nevertheless, immature sperm with elliptical or roundish nuclei, misshapen acrosomes and uncondensed chromatin remain part of fertilizing pool.

Objective: To evaluate the ultramorphologic sperm features of idiopathic infertile men after acupuncture therapy.Design: Prospective controlled study.Setting: Christian-Lauritzen-Institut, Ulm, IVF center Munich, Germany, and Department of General Biology, University of Siena, Siena, Italy.Patient(s): Forty men with idiopathic oligospermia, asthenospermia, or teratozoospermia,Intervention(s): Twenty eight of the patients received acupuncture twice a week over a period of 5 weeks. The samples from the treatment group were randomized with semen samples from the 12 men in the untreated control group.Main Outcome Measure(s): Quantitative analysis by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used to evaluate the samples, using the mathematical formula based on submicroscopic characteristics.Result(s): Statistical evaluation of the TEM data showed a statistically significant increase after acupuncture in the percentage and number of sperm without ultrastructural defects in the total ejaculates. A statistically significant improvement was detected in acrosome position and shape, nuclear shape, axonemal pattern and shape, and accessory fibers of sperm organelles. However, specific sperm pathologies in the form of apoptosis, immaturity, and necrosis showed no statistically significant changes between the control and treatment groups before and after treatment.Conclusion(s): The treatment of idiopathic male infertility could benefit from employing acupuncture. A general improvement of sperm quality, specifically in the ultrastructural integrity of spermatozoa, was seen after acupuncture, although we did not identify specific sperm pathologies that could be particularly sensitive to this therapy, (c) 2005 by American Society for Reproductive Medicine.

Cryptorchidism is a pathological condition defined as the failure of the testis to descend into the scrotum, the location of the cryptorchid testis can be in the inguinal canal or in the prescrotal and abdominal area, sometimes resulting in atrophic seminiferous tubules. The aim of this study was to analyze semen quality of men who underwent orchidopexy for unilateral or bilateral cryptorchidism during childhood. Semen quality was investigated by light microscopy to evaluate sperm concentration and motility. Sperm morphology was performed by transmission electron microscope (TEM), and the data were mathematically elaborated. The presence of Y microdeletions was investigated by polymerase chain reaction. The effect of cryptorchidism on meiosis was explored by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). The incidence of azoospermia was higher in the group with bilateral compared with unilateral cryptorchidism, and semen parameters were better in the unilateral group. Sperm pathologies detected by TEM indicated a severe deterioration of sperm quality in both groups. Necrosis and apoptosis appeared to be the most frequent pathologies, and their values reached statistical significance compared with those from fertile controls. The presence of chromosome Y microdeletions in patients with cryptorchidism and severe spermatogenetic defects is controversial. No microdeletions were found in this study. FISH values indicated that the mean percentage of gonosome disomies and diploidies were generally out of normal range, indicating a severe disturbance of meiotic segregation. The effects induced by cryptorchidism resolved in childhood seem to include a spermatogenetic impairment, leading to recommendation of detailed ultrastructural and chromosomal sperm analyses before undertaking assisted reproductive techniques.

No AccessJournal of UrologyAdult urology1 Feb 2006Quantitative Evaluation of Spermatozoa Ultrastructure After Acupuncture Treatment for Idiopathic Male Infertility J. Pei, E. Strehler, U. Noss, M. Abt, P. Piomboni, B. Baccetti, and K. Sterzik J. PeiJ. Pei More articles by this author , E. StrehlerE. Strehler More articles by this author , U. NossU. Noss More articles by this author , M. AbtM. Abt More articles by this author , P. PiomboniP. Piomboni More articles by this author , B. BaccettiB. Baccetti More articles by this author , and K. SterzikK. Sterzik More articles by this author View All Author Informationhttps://doi.org/10.1016/S0022-5347(05)00443-XAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints ShareFacebookLinked InTwitterEmail "Quantitative Evaluation of Spermatozoa Ultrastructure After Acupuncture Treatment for Idiopathic Male Infertility." The Journal of Urology, 175(2), pp. 663–664 Longhua Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China© 2006 by American Urological AssociationFiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Volume 175Issue 2February 2006Page: 663-664 Advertisement Copyright & Permissions© 2006 by American Urological AssociationMetricsAuthor Information J. Pei More articles by this author E. Strehler More articles by this author U. Noss More articles by this author M. Abt More articles by this author P. Piomboni More articles by this author B. Baccetti More articles by this author K. Sterzik More articles by this author Expand All Advertisement PDF downloadLoading ...