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Query: UNIPROT:P56851 (epididymal)
 11,273 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Agglomeration of spermatozoa (pseudo-autagglutination, clumping of spermatozoa) is distinguished from agglutination in immunological processes by the coarse meshwork of the spermatozoa clumps and the central inclusion of epithelia, leukocytes, residual bodies, spermatozoa with persisting cytoplasmatic droplets, as well as parts of viscous seminal plasma. In 658 semen samples of out-patients with barried marriage, spermatozoa agglomerations were seen in 13.4% of the samples immediately after liquefaction while in additional 6.7%, they were found up to three hours later. The agglomeration phenomenon is typical but not specific of the so-called vegetative congestion syndrome, appearing concomitant with high spermatozoa counts, normal rate of spermatozoa motility and morphology, as well as an increase in residual bodies and spermatozoa with persisting cytoplasmatic droplets. Next to congestion syndrome, spermatozoa agglomerations may also result from post-inflammatory disturbances of epididymal or accessory gland function whereas in florid stages of inflammation, they are rarely observed. As the congestion syndrome may give rise to male infertility in some cases, andrologists should be acquainted with its clinical and spermatological symptoms with special regard to therapy.
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PMID:[Findings and significance of spermatozoa agglomeration in the semen]. 77

Epididymal disease is in our experience responsible for about 40 per cent of male infertility situations. The diagnosis of epididymal oligospermia can be suspected by the presence of firm normal volume testicles, by the absence of any elevation of FSH, and eventually, by a (slightly) hardened epididymis at palpation. The definite diagnosis however will only be established by quantitative reading of the testicular biopsy. Besides in oligospermic patients clinical information isolates an eventual new group where healthy epididymis could interfere with sperm quality by its malposition.
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PMID:Oligospermia associated with normal testicular function and epididymal lesions or malpositions. 134 38

Of the 595 infertile African males studied, 192 (30.8%) were azoospermic and 413 (69.40%) had oligospermia. Azoospermia was caused by obstruction to the vas and/or epididymis in 44% of cases and testicular lesions in the remaining 56% of cases, whilst the oligospermia was probably caused by obstruction in 4.7% of cases and testicular lesions in 85.3%. Bilateral testicular biopsies were performed on 302 patients. A variety of pathological conditions were observed; the most prevalent was hypospermatogenesis, in 12% of cases. A significant portion (37.2%) of patients without testicular biopsies had clinically detectable testicular or epididymal abnormalities. There was a higher incidence (12%) of inflammatory testicular or prostatic conditions in this study as compared with those found in Europeans, suggesting that inflammatory conditions contribute more to male infertility in Africa. Only a single case of chromosomal abnormality was detected.
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PMID:Etiological factors of male infertility in Africa. 135 43

We made a trial of our method by which sperm are collected directly from epididymal duct, then subjected to in vitro fertilization. The subjects were a total of 22 cases comprising 14 of obstructed azoospermia and 8 of severe oligoasthenozoospermia, on which the surgery was performed 26 times. Using the microscope, an epididymal duct was directly punctured to make a suction of the fluid or was slightly incised to make a suction of the outflow. Sperms thus collected were preincubated for 4 to 6 hours, then subjected to in vitro fertilization. Condition of collected sperms; 32 x 10(4)-15300 x 10(4) sperms were obtained in real number. Sperm motility rate was 0-82%, averaging 25.0%. Sperm forward motility were fairly good in 18 of 26 test cases. Sperm condition was so poor as to make the insemination impossible in 4 test cases (16%). Fertility rate for cases of obstructed azoospermia was 53% (8/15 test cases) and 63% (55/87 eggs) in the test cases and the number of eggs, respectively, compared with 33% (2/6 test cases) and 5.4% (2/37 eggs), respectively for cases of oligo-asthenozoospermia. Pregnancy; Successful pregnancy was obtained in 2 of the cases of obstructed azoospermia, in each of which sperms were collected from the head of the epididymis, then passed into the maternal body by zygote intra fallopian tubal transfer (ZIFT); with the one case resulting in uneventful delivery in November 1991 and the other in a miscarriage. The above results suggested the present method would become an epoch-making approach in the treatment of severe male infertility.
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PMID:[Trial of in vitro fertilization via epididymal duct aspirated sperm]. 147 7

The authors report a review on the L-carnitine effects on the male genital tract. L-carnitine represents a cofactor in the transport of long chain fatty acids inside mitochondria and their subsequent oxidation. Therefore, its main role is that of intramitochondrial vehicle of acyl groups. In particular, the effects of L-carnitine on the male genital function seem connected mainly with the high concentration of L-carnitine in the epididymis; the uptake of the L-carnitine from the blood is an active, in part androgen-dependent, mechanism. Moreover, epididymal spermatozoa are able to concentrate L-carnitine (while they become progressively more impermeable to such a substance) during their passage from the caput to the cauda epididymis. The main function of the L-carnitine in the epididymis is to give to the spermatozoa an energetic substrate. In fact, this function should be of great importance since the epididymal spermatozoa employ fatty acid oxidation for their energy metabolism; on the contrary, the ejaculated sperm employ glycolytic process. As a consequence of the above-mentioned effects of L-carnitine the dosage of this substance in the evaluation of the integrity of the processes of maturation of the spermatozoa was proposed. Finally, there is growing interest in the use of L-carnitine as a therapeutic tool in some forms of male infertility.
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PMID:[Metabolism and action of L-carnitine: its possible role in sperm tail function]. 150 74

Thirty subfertile males had testicular obstruction following inguinal or pelvic surgery in childhood. All 13 patients with bilateral obstruction were azoospermic and 6 had developed antibodies to spermatozoa. Of 17 patients with unilateral obstruction, 11 had oligozoospermia and 6 had normal sperm counts: all had high titres of antibodies to spermatozoa (a significant difference from the men with bilateral obstruction). This indicates that male infertility can result from vasal or epididymal injuries in childhood due either to the obstruction itself or its immunological consequences. Following corrective surgery and prednisolone treatment for the antibodies, where appropriate, 5/17 patients with unilateral blocks and 1/11 with bilateral blocks successfully produced pregnancies.
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PMID:Vasal injuries during childhood and their effect on subsequent fertility. 199 83

This article has reviewed the diagnostic value of testicular biopsy in the evaluation of male infertility. In order to optimize the interpretation of morphologic findings, it is essential that a full medical and occupational history and careful hormonal evaluation be performed. A karyotype may be indicated in some cases. The pathologist has the opportunity to render a diagnostic opinion based on examination of seminiferous tubules and interstitium and correlated with the results of the history, physical examination, and laboratory studies. A rapid quantitative method is available for determining the likelihood that a significant epididymal obstruction exists that may be relieved surgically.
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PMID:Histology of the fertile and infertile testis. 206 24

After ultimately successful microsurgery for male infertility the delay for appearance of spermatozoa in the ejaculates of the patients is not uniformly immediate. For the older latero-lateral epididymo- vasostomy it could take several months. It is much shorter when the actual microsurgical techniques are used. Occasionally however, even in the latter group, very long delays have been observed. There is no definite satisfying answer for this. The most likely explanation is a combination of reinforced peristalsis in the previously pathologically dilated epididymal tubules and the secondary breakthrough of a plug of epithelial sloughs and fibrin at the site of microsurgical anastomosis.
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PMID:Delay of appearance of spermatozoa in the ejaculate after vaso-epididymostomy e vaso-vasostomy. 207 16

It has been known for more than a decade that in many mammalian species including man, spermatozoa once shed from the testis are immature, immotile and incapable of fertilizing the ovum. During their transit through the epididymis, they undergo various morphological and functional changes that confer on them the ability to ascend the female tract, to undergo an acrosome reaction, to penetrate the zona pellucida and to effect a successful fertilization. By the time spermatozoa have reached the cauda epididymidis, they are held in a quiescent state by factors in the epididymal fluid. The epididymis plays a vital role by creating a favourable fluid environment for sperm maturation and storage. The exact mechanisms underlying sperm maturation and storage are unclear and it appears that no single epididymal factor is held entirely responsible. In contrast, spermatozoa are directly bathed in the epididymal fluid; the fluidity of the microenvironmental has a direct effect on epididymal spermatozoa. The epididymal epithelium has been shown to transport electrolytes and water by processes involving ion pumps, ion carriers and ion channels. These components are under nervous, hormonal and paracrine control and are susceptible to interference by pharmacological agents. This paper reviews the physiology of electrolytes and fluid transport in the epididymis and describes how abnormal fluid transport across the epididymal duct could predispose towards epididymal obstruction, a condition that may occur in cystic fibrosis, Young's syndrome or other unexplained cases of male infertility.
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PMID:Abnormal fluid transport by the epididymis as a cause of obstructive azoospermia. 219 16

Studies on the human epididymis suggest that both histologically and biochemically, it can be subdivided into discrete segments with different functions. Current research attempts to isolate segment-specific secretory markers which can be used in localizing dysfunction and pathology in cases of male infertility. In cases of azoospermia, the segmental level of an occluding lesion also has prognostic relevance for the results of epididymovasostomy. Infection with Chlamydia trachomatis is the most frequent cause of acute epididymitis but an epididymal involvement is also a common feature of chronic prostato-vesiculitis, the etiology of which is unknown. This article provides a short review of the structure and function of the epididymis, the pathological changes in the organ associated with male infertility and the potential methods of treatment.
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PMID:[Epididymis. Anatomy, function and pathology]. 223 68


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