Andrology

BACKGROUND: Testosterone plays an important role in collagen metabolism, transforming growth factor-β1 expression, and wound healing, which are all critical factors in pathogenesis of Peyronie's disease. Some clinical studies have suggested an association between Peyronie's disease and hypogonadism. OBJECTIVE: We sought to investigate whether baseline total testosterone levels influence response to intralesional collagenase clostridium histolyticum in Peyronie's disease...

BACKGROUND: Little is known about patients' pre-treatment expectations in Peyronie's disease (PD). OBJECTIVE: To evaluate in detail patients' expectations of conservative therapy and surgery. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This multi-center study prospectively enrolled 317 PD patients, who were scheduled to receive conservative therapy or surgery between 2019 and 2022 at the Department of Urology of the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, and the Center of Reproductive Medicine and Andrology, University Medical Center Muenster, both Germany...

BACKGROUND: Radical prostatectomy, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and androgen-deprivation therapy are among the most common treatment options for different forms of prostate cancer (PCa). However, making therapeutic decisions is difficult due to the lack of reliable prediction markers indicating therapy outcomes in clinical practice. The involvement of miRNAs in all mechanisms of the PCa development and their easy detection characterize them as attractive PCa biomarkers. Although there are extensive data on the role of miRNAs in PCa therapy resistance and sensitivity development, the issues of whether they could be used as a guide for therapy choice and, if so, how we can progress toward this goal, remain unclear...

BACKGROUND: High parental age is associated with adverse birth and genetic outcomes, but little is known about fecundity in male offspring. OBJECTIVES: We investigated if high parental age at birth was associated with biomarkers of male fecundity in a large population-based sample of young men. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a study of 1057 men from the Fetal Programming of Semen Quality (FEPOS) cohort, a sub-cohort of sons born 1998-2000 into the Danish National Birth Cohort...

BACKGROUNDS: Despite a wide spectrum of contraceptive methods for women, the unintended pregnancy rate remains high (45% in the US), with 50% resulting in abortion. Currently, 20% of global contraceptive use is male-directed, with a wide variation among countries due to limited availability and lack of efficacy. Worldwide studies indicate that >50% of men would opt to use a reversible method, and 90% of women would rely on their partner to use a contraceptive. Additional reasons for novel male contraceptive methods to be available include the increased life expectancy, sharing the reproductive risks among partners, social issues, the lack of pharma industry involvement and the lack of opinion makers advocating for male contraception...

BACKGROUND: The interaction between intestinal microbiota and erectile dysfunction (ED) is less investigated. This study was performed to explore the association between intestinal microbiota and ED. METHODS: In this two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) study, genetic variants of gut microbiota were obtained from MiBioGen consortium containing 18,340 individuals. Six methods including inverse variance weighting (IVW), MR-Egger, weighted median, maximum likelihood, MR robust adjusted profile score, and MR pleiotropy residual sum and outlier were used to investigate the causal links between intestinal microbiota and ED...

BACKGROUND: Sildenafil, a selective inhibitor of phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5), is widely used for the treatment of erectile dysfunction (ED). However, the safety profile of sildenafil, including adverse event (AEs), requires comprehensive evaluation. METHODS: This retrospective pharmacovigilance study aimed to evaluate AEs linked to sildenafil by analyzing data sourced from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) database. A case/non-case design was utilized, and various algorithms including the reporting odds ratio (ROR), the proportional reporting ratio (PRR), the Bayesian confidence propagation neural network (BCPNN), and the multiitem gamma Poisson shrinker (MGPS) were employed to measure the signals indicating the presence of sildenafil-related AEs...

INTRODUCTION: The desire for parenthood in the LGBT+ community is still a matter of critical debate worldwide. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to (i) analyse the prevalence of desire for fatherhood in a cohort of white-European sexually active men who have sex with men and (ii) explore the characteristics of men who have sex with men with respect to those without the desire for fatherhood. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An anonymous self-compiled survey with 23 closed socio-demographic general questions, one section aimed to assess medical history and recreational habits and two sections devoted to investigate genital and sexual health, was provided to each participant...

BACKGROUND: Sperm cryopreservation is an important procedure for oligozoospermic subjects at risk of azoospermia and after surgical recovery of spermatozoa in non-obstructive azoospermic men. Conventional procedures for sperm cryopreservation might be, however, not suitable for samples with a very low sperm number. OBJECTIVES: In this pilot study, we investigated the recoveries of sperm motility and viability in severe oligozoospermic subjects (n = 39) after cryopreservation with a tip-microVapour Fast Freezing, a procedure previously developed by our group for men with good semen quality...

BACKGROUND: Low testosterone concentrations affect 2-13% of adult males, with a direct association between reduction in testosterone (T) concentrations and cardiovascular events. Lifestyle habits have been linked to visceral fat accumulation and endocrine disorders like secondary hypogonadism. Alcohol intake has also been a topic of debate, with studies showing a detrimental effect on sperm production and underlying mechanisms. This meta-analysis aims to comprehensively evaluate the effect of alcohol consumption on T serum concentrations in adult men...

BACKGROUND: Surgical exploration and closure of the tunica albuginea is the recommended treatment for penile fractures. The recovery of sexual function is the main result that surgeons and patients pursue. OBJECTIVE: We sought to evaluate the sexual health effects of a surgically corrected penile fracture. Secondarily, we sought to identify risk factors that may influence long-term sexual function and their effects on genital body image satisfaction. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of patients who underwent surgical correction of penile fractures between 2007 and 2022 in a tertiary center was performed...

BACKGROUND: Erectile dysfunction (ED), premature ejaculation (PE), and low libido (LL) are reported as the most common male sexual dysfunctions. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the prevalence of ED, PE, and LL and associations with lifestyle risk factors and comorbidities in middle-aged men. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study included a population-based random sample of 2500 50-year-old men who completed validated questionnaires, including the International Index of Erectile Function, the Erection Hardness Score, the Sexual Complaints Screener, and further questionnaires...

BACKGROUND: Paroxetine, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressant, has caused male sexual dysfunction; however, the paroxetine mechanisms of action in testes are still unclear. OBJECTIVES: Paroxetine serotonergic effects in testes were evaluated, focusing on steroidogenesis and the correlation between macrophages population and possible TNF-α-derived oxidative stress. We also verified whether the changes are reversible following treatment interruption...

Testing for AZoospermia Factor (AZF) deletions of the Y chromosome is a key component of the diagnostic workup of azoospermic and severely oligozoospermic men. This revision of the 2013 European Academy of Andrology (EAA) and EMQN CIC (previously known as the European Molecular Genetics Quality Network) laboratory guidelines summarizes recent clinically relevant advances and provides an update on the results of the external quality assessment program jointly offered by both organizations. A basic multiplex PCR reaction followed by a deletion extension analysis remains the gold-standard methodology to detect and correctly interpret AZF deletions...

BACKGROUNDS: Hepatitis B virus infection could result in male infertility with sperm defects and dysfunction. Sertoli cells are essential for testis function and play a crucial role in spermatogenesis. Sertoli cell death contributes to spermatogenesis impairment, leading to poor sperm quality. Ferroptosis has been implicated as a mechanism of Sertoli cell death. The issue in studying the relationship between hepatitis B virus and Sertoli cell ferroptosis has not yet been addressed. OBJECTIVES: To explore the mechanisms underlying ferroptosis in hepatitis B virus-exposed Sertoli cells...

The activins (A and B) and their binding protein, follistatin, play crucial roles in development, immunoregulation and inflammation throughout the body. In the male reproductive tract of the mouse, activin A and B production is largely confined to the initial segment and proximal caput of the epididymis and the efferent ducts, under normal conditions, with very low expression in the corpus, cauda and vas deferens. However, activin A protein is present throughout the epididymis and vas deferens and is largely associated with the epithelium and interstitial macrophages...

BACKGROUND: Mitochondria are essential for sperm motility because they provide the energy required for the movement. Changes in sperm mtDNA, such as point mutations, large-scale deletions, or copy number variations, may interfere with ATP production and reduce sperm motility. However, it is not clear if changes in mtDNA are linked to semen quality. OBJECTIVES: To explore the association between sperm mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) changes and semen quality. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty-five oligo and/or astheno and/or terato patients (O/A/T) patients and 41 controls were recruited from couples undergoing assisted reproduction...

Despite its efficacy for treating androgenetic alopecia, finasteride, an inhibitor of 5α-reductase (i.e., the enzyme converting testosterone, T, into dihydrotestosterone, DHT), is associated with several side effects including sexual dysfunction (e.g., erectile dysfunction). These side effects may persist after drug suspension, inducing the so-called post-finasteride syndrome (PFS). The effects of subchronic treatment with finasteride (i.e., 20 days) and its withdrawal (i.e., 1 month) in rat corpus cavernosum have been explored here...

INTRODUCTION: Premature ejaculation (PE) is a prevalent sexual dysfunction in men that greatly affects their quality of life. In PE, the duration of sexual performance is considered an important aspect. However, a self-estimated value of intravaginal ejaculation latency time (perceived IELT, PIELT) as a criterion for diagnosis has not been specified. AIM: This study aimed to determine the validity and a threshold value for PIELT in PE diagnosis. METHOD: In our cross-sectional study, we recruited 550 men from March 2019 to January 2020 and interviewed them regarding their general demographic characteristics, sexual habits, PIELT and completed a premature ejaculation diagnostic tool (PEDT) questionnaire...

INTRODUCTION: The pharmacological management of erectile dysfunction (ED) in type 2 diabetes (T2D) is challenging as ED has a multifactorial etiology. The therapeutic potential of certain antihyperglycemic medications, such as glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs), has yet to be entirely studied in this setting. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted on 108 outpatients (median age 60 [56, 65] years) with T2D complaining of ED...