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The purpose of this study is to clarify the pathological and endocrinological variations of male idiopathic hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (IHH) from the viewpoint of testicular maturation. Twenty-five patients with IHH were classified into 3 groups according to the degree of germ cell maturation. The most mature germ cells in patients with severe IHH, moderate IHH and mild IHH were spermatogonia, primary spermatocytes and postmeiotic germ cells, respectively. All patients were treated with hCG alone or a combination of hMG-hCG for 1 year or more. The therapeutic efficacy of gonadotropin therapy was evaluated by findings of semen analysis, spermatogenesis and sexual maturation. The total GCI, which was expressed as the number of germ cells per Sertoli cell, diameter of the seminiferous tubules and testicular volume in mild IHH were the largest among the 3 IHH groups, and those in severe IHH were the smallest. Even in mild IHH, spermatogonial proliferation and meiotic activity were quantitatively smaller than those of normal pubertal boys. All patients showed extremely low basal testosterone levels. Response of serum testosterone to hCG administration correlated to the maturity of germ cells. Basal serum gonadotropin levels and responses to GnRH administration varied widely among the 3 groups. In particular, the response of serum gonadotropin to GnRH correlated to the maturity of the germ cells. Spermatogenesis could be initiated by hCG alone in IHH patients without cryptorchidism. Normal sperm density was obtained by hCG alone in the case of mild IHH; however, in moderate and severe IHH groups, hMG-hCG therapy was required for sufficient spermiogenesis. Sexual maturation was completely obtained by gonadotropin therapy within 1 year in moderate and mild IHH. However, in severe IHH, satisfactory sexual maturation could not be obtained within 1 year. The therapeutic prognosis for sexual maturation could be made based on the response to the hCG test at 6 months of gonadotropin therapy. In conclusion, the maturity of germ cells before treatment, which varies widely among patients with IHH, is a sensitive parameter for hypothalamo-pituitary-testicular function and the efficacy of gonadotropin therapy for testicular function. In severe IHH groups, to obtain satisfactory sexual maturation, the administration of testosterone should be considered in addition to gonadotropin replacement.

We examined an application of in vitro fertilization--embryo culture--embryo transfer system for reproductive and developmental study on the drug safety evaluation in mice. The male mice at 10 weeks of age were administered intravenously with a single dose of 75 mg/kg of the anticancer platinum complex (DWA 2114R) which inhibits DNA synthesis. Four to six weeks after administration, the males were mated with the superovulated females. Fertilization rates were significantly lower than the controls at each weeks after the administration. Furthermore, delayed formation of pronucleus was observed as compared with the control. Four weeks after administration, the preimplantation development to blastocyst stage of those embryos in vitro and the survival rates on the day 17 of gestation after embryo transfer suggested that a DNA synthesis in germ cells during maturation was inhibited and/or prevented by DWA 2114R. The results of in vitro fertilization reflected its sperm concentration rather than the administration of DWA 2114R. Thus, an analysis of the delayed formation of pronucleus observed fertilization in vivo could not done in detail. To use for the drug safety evaluation, there exist plenty of room for improvement in this system. These results have showed that the embryo culture and the embryo transfer are useful techniques as the reproductive and developmental study on the drug safety evaluation. These techniques bring additional informations on the pre- and post-implantation development in vivo.

Testicular toxicity induced by adriamycin (ADR) was studied using quantitative histopathological methods. Nine-week old male rats were received a single dose of 8 mg/kg ADR. At 3, 7, 14 and 21 days after the treatment, animals were sacrificed for histopathological evaluation. Numbers of seminiferous epithelia were counted in seminiferous tubule of spermatogenic stages I, II, V, VII and XII. A decrease in spermatogonia was observed in seminiferous tubules of stages I, II and V at 3 days after the treatment. Thereafter, numbers of other types of seminiferous epithelia decreased following progress of spermatogenic cycle. Analysis of spermatogenic cycle movement and germ cell differentiation suggested that ADR was highly effective in killing spermatogonia type A, and the severity of ADR damage would be different depending on subtypes of spermatogonia type A and spermatogenic stages.

Genome editing technology can be used to extensively modify genetic information in DNA, and such applications are expected to be widely applied in the fields of medicine and agriculture. In chickens, genome editing of primordial germ cells has made it possible to create genome-edited chickens, which may lead to improvements in breeds that have been difficult to achieve using conventional breeding methods. The development of products derived from genome-edited chickens for the market should be approached with caution, and identification of problems and consumer acceptance should be carefully considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Biopsy of contralateral testis of 20 patients with an unilateral testicular tumor was carried out to evaluate the morphological changes of the contralateral testis caused by the tumor. Serum beta-chorionic gonadotropin (beta-hCG), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH) and alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels before orchiectomy were examined as a function influencing morphological changes of the contralateral testis. Typical carcinoma in situ was found in a case of ipsilateral testis. The presence of a few atypical germ cells, however, was the only finding of the contralateral testis of three patients. Five of 20 patients revealed hypospermatogenesis in the contralateral intact testis. Most of the other patients also showed sloughing of germinal epithelium suggesting disorder of spermatogenesis. Johnsen's mean score count and tubular wall thickening were related to neither clinical stages, ESR, serum beta-hCG, AFP, LH nor FSH levels. Tubular wall thickening was observed in 8 of 10 patients with a tumor weighting over 150 g, but was found in only 1 of 10 patients with a lighter tumor (p less than 0.01).

A recent clinical trial reported that dietary supplementation with docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) improved seminal antioxidant status and decreased sperm DNA fragmentation. To determine the effects of the intake of dietary supplements containing 150 mg of DHA and 60 mg of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) derived from salmon roe oil on sperm. We performed a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial between February 2020 and November 2020. Healthy males (110) aged 35-65 years were randomly assigned to two groups in a 1:1 ratio for 12 weeks. Those in the intervention group (n = 55) received 1000 mg of salmon roe oil (containing 150 mg of DHA and 60 mg of EPA), whereas those in the control group (n = 55) received the placebo (safflower oil). The primary endpoint was the influence on semen analysis, and the secondary endpoints were alterations in health-related quality (evaluated using a 36-item short-form health survey, Profile of Mood States. Second Edition-Adult Short, post-intake questionnaire, luteinizing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone, and testosterone). Salmon roe oil-derived DHA and EPA supplements increased sperm concentrations in males aged 35-44 years. No significant differences were observed in any item of the semen analysis or secondary endpoints. In the subgroup analysis of the primary endpoint (semen analysis) by age, the change in sperm concentration in individuals aged 35-44 years was significantly increased in the intervention group as compared with that in the placebo group. There were no significant changes in sperm concentration in individuals aged 45-65 years. The sperm concentration after 12 weeks in the 35-14 years group significantly increased in the intervention group as compared with that in the placebo group. Whether this increase is associated with fertility requires further clinical investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Nervous System in Children is the property of Japanese Society for Pediatric Neurosurgey and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Nishinihon Journal of Urology is the property of West Japan Urological Association and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)