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The article provides an overview of the most significant publications on the topic of male infertility. The main selection criteria were the practical significance of the article, as well as the impact factor of the journal in which it was published, according to the SCImago Journal Rank (SJR). As a result, a list of 10 works published in the first quarter (January - March) of 2021 was formed. The review included articles related to the following issues: sperm DNA fragmentation, the use of testicular spermatozoa in ART programs (assisted reproductive technologies), advanced paternal age, the role of the human papillomavirus for male fertility, hormonal modulation by clomiphene, the risk of birth defects in children in ART programs, andrological examination of patients with CFTR gene mutations. And also, an analysis of the new clinical guidelines of the American Urological Association (AUA) was carried out.

This article highlights the issues of using a hardware technique for assessing the functional state of patients by indicators of a short recording of heart rate variability. The aim of the study is to assess the clinical and diagnostic capabilities of a short recording of heart rate variability in displaying systemic informational energy processes of the human body to increase the effectiveness of measures for the prevention and treatment of non-communicable diseases in Ukraine by introducing the latest science-based technologies into medical practice. An open-label, nonrandomized controlled trial was performed. We studied the wave characteristics of the heart rate in functionally healthy individuals (group 1, n=104) and patients with coronary heart disease including exertional angina, myocardial infarction (in the subacute period) and comorbid pathology (group 2, n=66) by the method of short recording of heart rate variability using spectral analysis and variational pulsometry. The study has demonstrated coronary heart disease is accompanied by a decrease in the overall activity of regulatory systems, inhibition of the energy level of the heart (TP=931.8±710.4 at a rate of 3466±1018 ms²), a low level of hormonal modulation of regulatory mechanisms (VLF=527.3±502.1 ms², which is HF+LF), in a state of pronounced distress (SI=256.7±264.7; SI=325.2±297.7; PAPR=71.76±30.3). Using the method of short recording of heart rate variability can allow doctors to determine the current state of physiological circulatory mechanisms, adaptive responses, diagnose maladaptive disorders, stress, monitor the effectiveness of prevention of noncommunicable diseases in respondents.

We present a robot architecture and experiments to investigate some of the roles that pleasure plays in the decision making (action selection) process of an autonomous robot that must survive in its environment. We have conducted three sets of experiments to assess the effect of different types of pleasure—related versus unrelated to the satisfaction of physiological needs—under different environmental circumstances. Our results indicate that pleasure, including pleasure unrelated to need satisfaction, has value for homeostatic management in terms of improved viability and increased flexibility in adaptive behavior.

Background: Human cultured osteoblasts from pre-Ob, post-Ob or m-Ob express different mRNAs and respond to different hormones. Aims: To test expression and hormonal modulation of VDR and 1OHase and 1,25D production in hObs. Methods: hObs obtained from bone explants were prepared, treated and analyzed as before. Results: (i) VDR and 1OHase were expressed in all hObs. (ii) 1,25D was produced similarly. (iii) Treatment with E2, DPN (ER agonist), but not PPT (ER agonist) increased VDR. (iv) These hormones increased 1OHase. (v) Vitamin D analog JKF and PTH 1-84 increased similarly mRNAs. (vi) Treatment with E2, DPN and PPT increased 1,25D. (vii) JKF and PTH increased similarly 1,25D. (viii) DNA synthesis and CK were stimulated by all hormones in hObs. Conclusions: Hormonal modulation of VDR and 1OHase and 1,25D production is important for bone physiology but their correlation, activity and bone physiology is not yet clear.

Prepartum nesting opportunities may improve maternal characteristics and welfare of sows during parturition and lactation. We investigated the effects of provision of space and nesting material prior to parturition on circulating oxytocin concentrations, maternal characteristics and their interrelation in early lactating sows. A total of 33 sows were kept in: 1) CRATE: the farrowing crate closed (210×80cm) with provision of a bucketful of sawdust, 2) PEN: the farrowing crate opened with provision of a bucketful of sawdust, 3) NEST: the farrowing crate opened with provision of abundant nest-building materials. Sow blood samples were collected for hormonal assays via indwelling ear vein catheters on days −3, −2, −1, +1, +2, +4, and +7 from parturition, twice a day. Pigs were video-recorded for 24h on days 3 and 6 of lactation to assess nursing and maternal behaviour. During the periods from days −3 to −1 and from days −3 to +7, NEST brought about an increase in sow oxytocin concentrations compared with CRATE and PEN ( P P r =0.39, P P P P r s =0.26, P

Objective: This study aims at examining "parent-of-origin effect" (POE) in dermatoglyphic patterns among patients with schizophrenia and non-affective psychoses. Materials and Methods: Dermatoglyphic comparison was carried out for schizophrenia patients (n=200) and healthy controls (HC) (n=100). In addition, the effect of family history and POE was examined in the dermatoglyphic pattern. Results: Schizophrenia patients compared to HC had significantly lower left total finger ridge count (LTFRC) (t=3.63, P

Some gymnotiform electric fish species rapidly modify their electric signal waveforms by altering the action potential (AP) waveforms of their electrocytes, the excitable cells that produce the electric organ discharge (EOD). The fish Brachyhypopomus gauderio alters EOD amplitude and pulse duration as a social signal in accordance with the prevailing social conditions, under the dual regulation of melanocortins and androgens. We show here that B. gauderio uses two distinct cellular mechanisms to change signal amplitude, and its use of these two mechanisms varies with age and sex of the signaler. EOD amplitude and waveform are regulated by the coordinated timing and shaping of two APs generated from two opposing excitable membranes in each electrocyte. The two membranes fire in sequence within 100 μs of each other with the second AP being broader than the first. We have shown previously that mature males increase EOD amplitude and duration when melanocortin peptide hormones act directly on electrocytes to selectively broaden the second AP and increase the delay between the two APs by approximately 25 μs. Here we show that females selectively broaden only the second AP as males do, but increase amplitude of both APs with no change in delay between them, a previously unreported second mechanism of EOD amplitude change in B. gauderio. Juvenile fish broaden both APs and increase the delay between the APs. Cellular mechanisms of EOD plasticity are therefore shaped during development, presumably by sex steroids, becoming sexually dimorphic at maturity.

In this chapter, we review differential molecular mechanisms in memory formation in female and male animals. Whereas delineating the receptors, intracellular signaling cascades, transcriptional mechanisms, and de novo protein synthesis required for memory formation has been a focus of research, the vast majority of this work has been solely in males. Evidence suggests, however, that females differ from males in strategies used to execute memory tasks, neural circuits engaged, and mechanisms required for memory formation. We discuss the influences of chromosomal complement and hormonal modulation in driving sex differences in intracellular signaling cascades and gene expression underlying memory processes. Finally, we explore how sex differences in molecular mechanisms of memory might be used as a comparative approach for understanding how different molecular network activation can give rise to the same functional outcome.

The pharmaceutical industry and regulatory agency toxicology testing paradigms in the United States currently appear successful, in part because of the continuously increasing life expectancy and the declining age-adjusted cancer rates in the United States. Although drugs likely have a minimal impact on the population statistics for cancer rates, pharmaceutical pathologists and toxicologists must focus on the individual risk for pharmaceutical carcinogenesis. As our understanding of carcinogenesis increases exponentially, and after hundreds if not thousands of rodent cancer tests, significant improvement in the precision of human pharmaceutical carcinogenesis hazard identification should now be possible and would enable a reduction in the substantial false-negative and false positive-rates reported herein. The appropriate use of acute, subchronic, chronic, and special toxicology tests to identify the major associated cancer risk factors, specifically, hormonal modulation, immunosuppression, genetic toxicity, and chronic toxicity, can be recognized through this review of pharmaceutical carcinogens. Significant opportunities exist for improving the effectiveness and efficiency of the current cancer risk assessment paradigm.

Cortical spreading depression, a slowly propagating wave of transient neuronal and glial depolarization, is widely accepted as the electrophysiologic substrate of migraine aura and a trigger for headache. Recent clinical and experimental evidence reinforces the putative role of cortical spreading depression in migraine pathophysiology. Imaging studies in migraineurs demonstrated hemodynamic changes consistent with cortical spreading depression during aura, whereas recent animal studies helped unravel pathophysiologic aspects such as the triggering mechanisms, genetic and hormonal modulation, and potential therapeutic targets. Here, we provide an overview of recent advances in our understanding of migraine pathophysiology and treatment.

Yoga represents a fascinating mind-body approach, wherein body movements (asana), breathing exercises (pranayama) and meditation are integrated into a single multidimensional practice. Numerous beneficial mental and physical effects have been classically ascribed to this holistic ancient method. The purpose of the present study has been to examine the effects of long-term yoga practice on Subjective Sleep Quality (SSQ) and on several hormonal parameters of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Twenty-six subjects (16 experimental and 10 controls) were recruited to be part of the study. Experimental subjects were regular yoga practitioners with a minimum of 3 years of practice. Blood samples for the quantification of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEA-S) were drawn from all subjects. Likewise, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was employed to assess SSQ. As statistical analysis, Mann-Whitney U-test was performed. The yoga group displayed lower PSQI scores and higher blood cortisol levels than control subjects. Therefore, it can be concluded that long-term yoga practice is associated with significant psycho-biological differences, including better sleep quality as well as a modulatory action on the levels of cortisol. These preliminary results suggest interesting clinical implications which should be further researched.

The majority of anuran amphibians (frogs and toads) use acoustic communication to mediate sexual behavior and reproduction. Generally, females find and select their mates using acoustic cues provided by males in the form of conspicuous advertisement calls. In these species, vocal signal production and reception are intimately tied to successful reproduction. Research with anurans has demonstrated that acoustic communication is modulated by reproductive hormones, including gonadal steroids and peptide neuromodulators. Most of these studies have focused on the ways in which hormonal systems influence vocal signal production; however, here we will concentrate on a growing body of literature that examines hormonal modulation of call reception. This literature suggests that reproductive hormones contribute to the coordination of reproductive behaviors between signaler and receiver by modulating sensitivity and spectral filtering of the anuran auditory system. It has become evident that the hormonal systems that influence reproductive behaviors are highly conserved among vertebrate taxa. Thus, studying the endocrine and neuromodulatory bases of acoustic communication in frogs and toads can lead to insights of broader applicability to hormonal modulation of vertebrate sensory physiology and behavior.

Preclinical and clinical models of depression suggest sex differences may be mediated at least in part, by differences in hormonal modulation of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity. Unraveling the consequences of moderating influences from the effect of sexual dimorphism will be vital to elaborating models of pathophysiology.The current study investigated urinary free cortisol (UFC) among younger adults with mild to moderate major depressive disorder to clarify the relationship with potential demographic and clinical moderators.Male patients had higher mean UFC levels than female patients. Moreover, significant interactions between age and severity were found among men, but not women. In contrast to prior findings, neither age nor severity effects on UFC levels were found among female patients.Conclusions from the current study are limited by the absence of cortisol data from matched controls. Thus it was not possible to disentangle sex differences in baseline physiology from that of pathophysiological differences tied specifically to depression.Despite several methodological limitations, the interactions between sex and both age and severity in this large sample of depressed patients are suggestive of differential pathophysiology for regulation of UFC excretion, and could reflect a neuroprotective effect for estrogen among younger depressed women.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) places an enormous burden on individuals, families and society. Consequently, a tremendous effort is being devoted to the development of drugs that prevent or delay neurodegeneration. Current pharmacological treatments are based on the use of acetylcholinesterase inhibitors or memantine, a N-methyl-D-aspartate channel blocker. However, new therapeutic approaches, including those more closely targeted to the pathogenesis of the disease, are being developed. These potentially disease-modifying therapeutics include secretase inhibitors, cholesterol-lowering drugs, amyloid-beta immunotherapy, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, hormonal modulation and the use of antioxidants. The possibility that oxidative stress is a primary event in AD indicates that antioxidant-based therapies are perhaps the most promising weapons against this devastating neurodegenerative disorder.

The present study examines differences in functional cerebral asymmetries modulated by gonadal steroid hormones during the menstrual cycle in women. Twenty-one right-handed women with regular menstrual cycles performed a double-stream rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) task, with one stream in each visual field, during the low steroid menses and the high steroid midluteal phase. They were required to detect a target item, and then a probe item, each of which could appear in either stream. If the probe item appeared 200 ms after the target, detection of the probe was impaired—a phenomenon known as the “attentional blink.” This occurred in both streams in the midluteal phase, but only in the right visual field during menses. Thus low steroid levels appeared to restrict the attentional blink to the left hemisphere, while high levels of estradiol and progesterone in the midluteal phase appeared to reduce functional asymmetries by selectively increasing the attentional blink in the right hemisphere. This effect appears to be mediated by estradiol rather than progesterone, and it is compatible with the assumption of a hormone-related suppression of right hemisphere functions during the midluteal phase. (JINS, 2005,11, 263–272.)

Arterial pathology is a major contributor to cardiovascular disease, morbidity and mortality. Women are at higher risk of cardiovascular disease after menopause. Arterial stiffness determined by pulse wave velocity, increases with age both in men and women, whereas arterial compliance in premenopausal women is greater than in men of similar age. This difference is lost in the postmenopausal years, with evidence of rapid decline in arterial compliance in the perimenopausal period. Loss of hormonal modulation is a likely explanation for reduced arterial compliance in postmenopausal women. Long-term treatment with hormone replacement therapy (HRT) may be expected to partially reverse the increase in arterial stiffness. The aim of the study was to analyse the effect of HRT on blood pressure and arterial compliance in postmenopausal women with arterial hypertension receiving hypotensive drugs. The results in the present study of postmenopausal women with mild to moderate arterial hypertension receiving HRT showed only a transient tendency towards lower blood pressure. In our study HRT was found to improve arterial compliance at 3 months after HRT, and the effect was maintained throughout 12 months. The increased arterial compliance in women receiving HRT was independent of blood pressure. In parallel with decreasing pulse wave velocity women receiving HRT had lower total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. The conclusions were that after 1 year HRT in postmenopausal women with arterial hypertension improves circadian blood pressure pattern, but it does not affect significantly blood pressure values and variability. The present study also shows that HRT significantly inhibits age-related rigidity of large arteries.

This paper is a transcription of a virtual symposium on the neurobiology of depression, which was organized by the Brazilian Society for Neuroscience and Behavior (SBNeC). There is a consensus that the monoaminergic theory is still valid, but its initial formulation suffered several modifications to explain more recent findings. Moreover, it is naive to suppose that depression has only one substratum and probably various neurotransmitter systems should be involved. Although nowadays the focus is mainly put on the serotonin (5-HT) system, there are several evidences suggesting an important role for other systems. It is expected that neuroimaging research with more specific tracers will give important information on this subject. The hormonal modulation is another important aspect of this picture, particularly in relation to the gender differences observed in depression. The neurobiological relationship between mania and depression states is also discussed. The intracellular transduction mechanisms are a growing field in depression research, representing the central focus of the “molecular theory” of depression, and it is indicated as the most fruitful theory to the development of really new drugs to treat depression.

Epigenetic like mechanism potentially have a critical role to play in the long term modulation of behaviour, interaction and adaptation. In this study we implement an model of these mechanism, the upward and downward regulation of hormone receptors located in a simply hormone driven autonomous agent. We frame this study in a multi agent setup using competition as a way to change the dynamics of the environment and the challenges the agents face. We found that this simply epigenetic mechanism has the potential to significantly alter the behaviour of the agents, allowing them to develop not only unique individual behaviour but also group like structures that permit them to better adapt to the different challenges that the environment presents

Intriguing sex differences both in multiple sclerosis (MS) susceptibility and its disease course may offer important insights into MS disease pathophysiology, prevention and treatment. In this review, we first summarize the key sex-related differences in MS risk, heritability and disease progression. One promising hypothesis we explore is whether sexually-dimorphic responsiveness to cultural and environmental changes may explain the observation of an increasing female:male sex ratio in MS. We then review the evidence for hormonal modulation of MS, during such transitions as puberty and pregnancy. Finally, we review sex differences in the non-inflammatory facets of MS. We highlight those research gaps that may point to important sex or sex hormone-mediated mechanistic and therapeutic insights.

Erectile dysfunction (ED), metabolic syndrome (MetS), and hypogonadism are closely related, often coexisting in the aging male. Obesity was shown to raise the risk of ED and hypogonadism, as well as other endocrinological disturbances with impact on erectile function. We selected 179 patients referred for ED to our andrology unit, aiming to evaluate gonadotropins and estradiol interplay in context of ED, MetS, and hypogonadism. Patients were stratified into groups in accordance with the presence (or not) of MetS and/or hypogonadism. Noticeable differences in total testosterone (TT) and free testosterone (FT) levels were found between patients with and without MetS. Men with MetS evidenced lower TT circulating levels with an increasing number of MetS parameters, for which hypertriglyceridemia and waist circumference strongly contributed. Regarding the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis, patients with hypogonadism did not exhibit raised LH levels. Interestingly, among those with higher LH levels, estradiol values were also increased. Possible explanations for this unexpected profile of estradiol may be the age-related adiposity, other estrogen-raising pathways, or even unknown mechanisms. Estradiol is possibly a molecule with further interactions beyond the currently described. Our results further enlighten this still unclear multidisciplinary and complex subject, raising new investigational opportunities.

Women disproportionately suffer from many deep tissue pain conditions. Experimental studies show that women have lower pain thresholds, higher pain ratings and less tolerance to a range of painful stimuli. Most clinical and epidemiological reports suggest female gonadal hormones modulate pain for some, but not all, conditions. Similarly, animal studies support greater nociceptive sensitivity in females in many deep tissue pain models. Gonadal hormones modulate responses in primary afferents, dorsal horn neurons and supraspinal sites, but the direction of modulation is variable. This review will examine sex differences in deep tissue pain in humans and animals focusing on the role of gonadal hormones (mainly estradiol) as an underlying component of the modulation of pain sensitivity.

Aggression is one of the important emotional behaviors displayed by animals while acquiring and/or defending resources. Recent studies have revealed that peptide hormones modulate various social behaviors, including aggression, among vertebrates. Comparison among teleosts, birds, and rodents shows marked species differences in effects of peptides on aggression. A correlation between peptide function and social structure has been suggested to explain these differences; however, the species differences reported in part might also be due to the methodological differences among the studies. In teleosts, the action sites for peptide ­hormones in modulating aggression are unclear, because in most behavioral studies these peptide hormones were administered systemically rather than locally. This chapter reviews the modulatory actions of peptide hormones, with particular emphasis on the known action sites for peptide hormones in teleosts. Further studies are necessary to precisely determine localized peptide modulation of aggression in teleosts, as well as to compare its modulatory effects among vertebrates.