Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UNIPROT:P56851 (epididymal)
 11,273 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

There no longer seem to be any categories of male factor infertility that cannot be treated with intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). Even for men with azoospermia caused either by obstruction or by germinal failure, ICSI may be performed successfully. The only failures will be in azoospermic men who have neither spermatozoa nor spermatids retrievable from the testis, but these men comprise a small percentage of the cases with severe male factor. The source of the spermatozoa and the cause of the sperm defect appear to have no effect on the success of the procedure, whether the spermatozoon is epididymal, fresh or frozen, testicular, ejaculated, or from the testicles of men with severe defects in spermatogenesis. Maturation arrest, Sertoli cell-only, cryptorchidism, chemotherapy and mumps do not appear to have a major impact on the pregnancy rate. Of all the factors studied in couples where the male is severely infertile or azoospermic, the only factor that seems to matter (as long as spermatozoa are retrieved) is the age of the wife and, to a considerably lesser extent, her ovarian reserve. Extensive genetic and paediatric follow-up studies of ICSI pregnancies have revealed no increased risk of congenital malformation (2.6%), no increased risk of de-novo autosomal abnormalities, and a 1.0% risk of sex chromosomal abnormalities. These results are very reassuring, but point to the need for careful counselling of couples with male infertility.
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PMID:Intracytoplasmic sperm injection today: a personal review. 966 85

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS- CoV-2) that causes COVID-19 infections penetrates body cells by binding to angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 (ACE2) receptors. Evidence shows that SARS-CoV-2 can also affect the urogenital tract. Hence, it should be given serious attention when treating COVID-19-infected male patients of reproductive age group. Other viruses like HIV, mumps, papilloma and Epstein-Barr can induce viral orchitis, germ cell apoptosis, inflammation and germ cell destruction with attending infertility and tumors. The blood-testis barrier (BTB) and blood-epididymis barrier (BEB) are essential physical barricades in the male reproductive tract located between the blood vessel and seminiferous tubules in the testes. Despite the significant role of these barriers in male reproductive function, studies have shown that a wide range of viruses can still penetrate the barriers and induce testicular dysfunctions. Therefore, this mini-review highlights the role of ACE2 receptors in promoting SARS-CoV-2-induced blood-testis/epididymal barrier infiltration and testicular dysfunction.
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PMID:Testis and blood-testis barrier in Covid-19 infestation: role of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 in male infertility. 3300 53