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Background: Bisphenol A (BPA) is known as an endocrine disruptor that has harmful effects on general health. It is commonly used in various industrial products. In this study we tried to evaluate the amount of BPA in urine samples of the men referred to an infertility center. Materials and Methods: The cross-sectional study population consisted of male partners of infertile couples, who were referred to infertility clinic in Mazandaran, a northern state of Iran. Questionnaires included demographic characteristics, medical history, lifestyle factors, physical examinations. A semen sample and a spot urine sample were taken from each participant. In the initial study group of 240 men, 3 groups were excluded, and 122 men remained for the analysis. Highperformance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was applied to measure the amount of BPA in the urine samples. Results: BPA was not detected in about half of the samples (53.3%). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that no significant relationship existed between the urine concentrations of BPA, semen parameters and male reproductive hormones. However, in a comparison with semen parameters in people with detectable urine BPA versus nondetectable ones, an inverse association was noticed with sperm concentration. In other parameters, differences were not significant. Smoking had no effects on sperm parameters, but body mass index (BMI) ≥25 reduced the percentage of normal sperm parameters. Conclusion: In most participants, urinary BPA was not detected. Probably in this study low environmental exposure to BPA is the cause of lower urine BPA concentrations compared to other industrially developed countries. Therefore, no overall relationship was observed between BPA level and male infertility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We aimed to explore the relationship between intakes of food-derived antioxidants (zinc, vitamin E, β-carotene, and selenium) and semen parameters in an infertile male population. This is a cross-sectional study among infertile men (> 18 years) referred to Isfahan Fertility and Infertility Center in Iran from March 2019 to October 2019. The main outcome measures were semen volume, sperm count, concentration, total motility, and morphology. Micronutrients considered in this analysis were zinc, selenium, β-carotene, and vitamin E. A total of 350 infertile men with a mean (SE) age of 34.77 (0.42) were included in this study. Selenium intake tended to be positively associated with higher semen volume (β = 0.79; 95% CI: - 0.01, 1.59) and sperm total motility after adjustment for main confounders (β = 2.64; 95% CI: - 3.61, 8.89). Intake of β-carotene was only associated with higher sperm total motility (β = 5.46; 95% CI: - 0.84, 11.77). No significant association was detected between intakes of zinc and vitamin E and semen parameters.In a population of infertile adult men, selenium intake was associated with higher sperm total motility and semen volume, and in the case of β-carotene, better sperm total motility. Further, prospective studies are warranted., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Objective: Infertility is a global challenge, affecting 15% of non-contracepting couples that have intercourse. Recent studies have shown that diet can directly affect sperm quality. Protein is one of the most important components of an adequate diet that can regulate metabolic profile and send signals to the reproductive axis. This study aimed to determine the relationship between plant and animal protein intake and infertility in Iranian men., Methods and Materials: In this cross-sectional study, 270 infertile men aged 18-55 years were selected from Isfahan Infertility clinic in 2018. Semen assessment was performed according to the fifth edition of the WHO laboratory manual and a 168-item questionnaire was used to determine the amount of dietary intakes of participants. Statistical analyses were carried out using SPSS for Windows software (version 20.0), SPSS Inc, and Chicago IL. P-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant., Results: There was significant association between concentration and plant protein tertiles in the crude model (OR = 0.38; 95% CI: 0.19, 0.75; P = 0.004), which became significant in the both adjusted model and participants in highest tertile had a lower risk (OR = 0.36; 95% CI: 0.18, 0.72; P = 0.003 and OR = 0.31; 95% CI: 0.14, 0.65; P = 0.002). Also, there was a significant association between sperm concentration and animal protein in the crude model, and participants in the highest tertile had a higher risk (OR = 2.32; 95% CI: 1.13, 4.76; P = 0.02). Participants in highest animal protein tertile had a higher risk (OR = 2.38; 95% CI: 1.16, 4.91; P = 0.02 and OR = 2.42; 95% CI: 1.13, 5.19; P = 0.02) in adjusted model. Furthermore, there was a significant association between morphology and animal protein in the crude model, and participants in the highest tertile had a higher risk (OR = 3.68; 95% CI: 0.97, 13.91; P = 0.04)., Conclusion: In this cross-sectional study, the relationship between plant and animal protein with semen parameters was evaluated. Although this study demonstrated the relationship between plant and animal based protein with semen parameters, more researches need to be done in this area., (Copyright © 2022 European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Previous studies have given conflicting results about the effect of generally infection and Chlamydia trachomatis on seminal ILs and semen parameters. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between semen quality and the level of seminal interleukins (ILs) in infertile couples with C. trachomatis. Blood, first void urine (FVU) and semen were obtained from 250 infertile men who had failed to conceive after 12 months of trying. Serological analysis for specific IgA, IgM and IgG antibodies to C. trachomatis in serum, the presence of C. trachomatis in FVU and semen sample and semen analysis were carried out. The main results are as follows: (i) elevated IL-6 and IL-8 are observed in C. trachomatis-positive men, but this is not significant and it varies by diagnostic method; and (ii) IL-6 and IL-8 levels were correlated with each other and the concentration of leucocytes, but IL-8 was correlated with semen volume and patient's age. This study showed that men with such an infection in FVU samples (PCR positive) had only lower semen volume compared with men without infection., (© 2015 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.)