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To investigate the molecular etiology of low sperm quality in patients with intractable spermatocystitis, spermatozoa samples from patients with persistent hematospermia undergoing transurethral seminal vesiculoscopy and healthy volunteers were utilized. Spermatozoa samples were collected from the seminal vesicles through transurethral seminal vesiculoscopy or by masturbation ejaculation. Sperm quality was analyzed by a WLJY-9000 color semen analysis system. Measurement of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in the seminal plasma was performed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Measurement of H2O2 in the seminal plasma was performed with a hydrogen peroxide kit. The protein levels of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and phosphorylated-Nrf2 (p-Nrf2) were measured by western blot analysis and immunofluorescence assays. Low sperm quality parameters and increased levels of inflammatory cytokines (TNFα, IL-6, and H2O2) in the seminal plasma were detected among the semen samples from the patients with persistent hematospermia. Nrf2 and p-Nrf2 were strongly expressed in the nucleus and periphery of human sperm cells, according to the results of the immunofluorescence assays. The protein levels of Nrf2 and p-Nrf2 were significantly lower in the spermatozoa samples from patients with persistent hematospermia than in those from healthy volunteers with normal sperm motility. The results suggested that Nrf2 signaling might play a role in the low sperm quality of patients with intractable spermatocystitis.

To investigate the molecular etiology of low sperm quality in patients with intractable spermatocystitis, spermatozoa samples from patients with persistent hematospermia undergoing transurethral seminal vesiculoscopy and healthy volunteers were utilized. Spermatozoa samples were collected from the seminal vesicles through transurethral seminal vesiculoscopy or by masturbation ejaculation. Sperm quality was analyzed by a WLJY-9000 color semen analysis system. Measurement of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in the seminal plasma was performed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Measurement of H2O2 in the seminal plasma was performed with a hydrogen peroxide kit. The protein levels of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and phosphorylated-Nrf2 (p-Nrf2) were measured by western blot analysis and immunofluorescence assays. Low sperm quality parameters and increased levels of inflammatory cytokines (TNFα, IL-6, and H2O2) in the seminal plasma were detected among the semen samples from the patients with persistent hematospermia. Nrf2 and p-Nrf2 were strongly expressed in the nucleus and periphery of human sperm cells, according to the results of the immunofluorescence assays. The protein levels of Nrf2 and p-Nrf2 were significantly lower in the spermatozoa samples from patients with persistent hematospermia than in those from healthy volunteers with normal sperm motility. The results suggested that Nrf2 signaling might play a role in the low sperm quality of patients with intractable spermatocystitis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Questions: What are the characteristics of the spatial patterns of soil seed banks (SSBs) at local scales? How does the spatial distribution of SSBs relate to above‐ground vegetation? Location: The piedmont plain of the eastern slope of Gandur mountain, Wuhai, northwestern China. Methods: A plot of 50 m × 50 m square, divided into 100 quadrats (5 m × 5 m) and 100 subquadrats (1 m × 1 m), was prepared to conduct a field survey of vegetation and SSB sampling. We analyzed the spatial pattern of 196 samples at different scales and directions with geostatistical analysis. The relationship between above‐ground vegetation and SSB was quantified by integrating geostatistics, point pattern analysis, and spatial comparison (IGPS). Results: The SSB density in the study area was 404.5 ± 352 seeds·m−2. SSBs of shrub species and herbaceous species Ⅱ (occurring only below‐ground) had a moderate spatial autocorrelation, and their spatial dependence increased with increasing scale. The SSB of herbaceous species Ⅰ (occurring both above‐ground and below‐ground) had great spatial autocorrelation, and its spatial dependence showed an initial decrease and then increased. Furthermore, SSBs showed lower spatial heterogeneity in the prevailing wind direction than in other directions. The spatial patterns of SSBs of shrub species and herbaceous species Ⅰ correlated with shrubs within a specific range, but not with herbs, while the SSB of herbaceous species Ⅱ did not have a spatial relationship with above‐ground vegetation. Conclusion: The spatial pattern of SSBs had scale dependence features, which exhibited clustered distribution at a certain scale, and were significantly correlated with above‐ground shrubs. Therefore, we suggest subsampling larger quadrats with smaller sample units near shrubs in desert areas. Our workflow seems efficient for determining the spatial pattern of SSBs at medium small scale in arid areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]