Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: EC:3.2.1.20 (alpha-glucosidase)
 4,237 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The authors carried out a retrospective study of 162 cases of male infertility explored in a hospital unit in Lyon, France. Assays of 1 -alpha-1,4-glucosidase (epididymal function marker) backed up by clinical findings were used to select 3 types of epididymal malfunction. 1) There was complete obliteration of the epididymal duct, resulting in azoospermia. This diagnosis was based on both testicular biopsy findings, demonstrating unimpaired spermatogenesis and on the dramatically reduced level of assayed activity ( 40 mIU/ejaculation), as well as on clinical findings. 2) There was anamalous epididymal function combined with moderate oligoasthenozoospermia or normospermia. In these cases, low levels of assayed activity do not parallel fairly high sperm counts (between 20-30 million spermatozoal/ml). 3) There were those cases which were difficult to interpret and which involved severe oligoasthenozoospermia ( 5 million/ml) and reduced level of epididymal marker, suggesting partial blockage of the epididymis due to a focus of infection. Varicoceles were found more frequently among the European population, whereas a history of genital infection was more frequent among the North African population. However, when the various types of abnormality in the spermatogram were related to patient history and epididymal abnormality, no differences were found between the 2 populations. (author's modified)
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PMID:[Comparative study of epididymal disorders in two populations of male patients consulting for infertility: one from the Maghreb region of North Africa and the other of European origin]. 1231 60

A history of urogenital inflammation occurs in 5-12% of men attending infertility clinics. Usually, infection has a detrimental effect on sperm quality by reducing concentration and motility, and possibly affecting the number of morphological normal spermatozoa. In addition, infection may be the source of auto-antibodies against spermatozoa, found in about 8% of the infertile male population. In contrast to the situation in women, there is no clear evidence that male accessory gland infections can result in epididymal blockage or vassal obstruction, with the exception of genital tuberculosis. Although Chlamydia trachomatis is a well-documented source of chronic prostatitis, the infection does not seem to cause obstruction of the reproductive tract, as it does in women. If male urogenital infection causes obstruction it is most likely located at the level of the ejaculatory ducts. Chronic prostatitis has been proved to cause scarring of the prostatic and ejaculatory ducts, resulting in low seminal volume with low fructose and alpha-glucosidase. Many of these men present with severe oligozoospermia or azoospermia, normal size testis and normal gonadotrophins. We performed an excisional testicular biopsy in all men presenting with <1 million spermatozoa per millilitre and found that 39 of 78 (50%) had a normal spermatogenesis. A history of male accessory genital infection was found in 12% of the men and 10% had abnormalities found on transrectal ultrasound of the prostate (like oedema, dilatation of the seminal vesicles and ejaculatory ducts) intraprostatic calcifications and dilatation of the periprostatic venous plexus. Ejaculatory duct obstruction is a common cause of male infertility and infections are present in at least 22-50% of these men. Transurethral resection of the ejaculatory ducts may result in a significant improvement of the sperm quality and in spontaneous pregnancies in up to 25% of the couples. In case of failure sperm aspiration from the epididymis and intracytoplasmic sperm injection is the treatment of choice.
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PMID:Inflammatory-associated obstructions of the male reproductive tract. 1453 64