On the basis of the concept that immunogenetic factors play a role in the incidence of unexplained male infertility, the so-called idiopathic infertility, HLA antigen analyses were performed for (1) azoospermia cases among the infertile males diagnosed by testicular biopsies as having germ cell aplasia and (2) unexplained infertile couples. The results were as follows. (1) The detection frequency of the various HLA antigens of locus A in the azoospermia cases with germ cell aplasia did not differ from that in the controls, but there was a significant increase of BW 35 at locus B (corrected P value< 0.017). (2) In the unexplained infertile couples, frequencies of locus A antigens closely resembled the controls, but there was a significantly higher frequency of BW 35 at locus B. An important future topic for investigation concerning the correlation between infertility and the HLA antigens will be the HLA-D loci on the basis of their correlation with BW 35

Female↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Kallikrein and male subfertility. Usefulness of high-unit kallikrein tablets.

We studied the therapeutic effect of long-term oral administration of Kallikrein tablets on male subfertility. Subjects were 26 patients with poor sperm motility and divided into two groups according to the rate of motile spermatozoa: less than 40% (Group A: 9 cases) and 40% or more (Group B: 17 cases). Patients in Group A administered with 600 K.U./day orally for 6 months and those of Group B received 300 K.U./day for initial 3 months and 600 K.U/day for the ensuing 3 months. The changes of semen parameters during the treatment were as follows. a) No increase in sperm count. b) significant improvement of quantitative and qualitative sperm motility. c) Improvement of sperm morphology. d) Significant increase in total number of motile spermatozoa. e) Volume of semen was increased without statistical significance. Testosterone, FSH, and LH levels in blood plasma did not change significantly. The constituents of seminal plasma (fructose, cholesterol, ALP, ACP, GOT and LDH) were determined. Although ACP and GOT showed an increasing tendency and ALP tended to decrease during treatment, we found no biochemical parameter changing parallel with therapeutic results. Eight out of the 26 subjects successfully impregnated their wives (conception rate: 30.8%). No remarkable side effect was detected.

Administration, Oral↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Study on human spermatozoal motility: preliminary report on newly developed multiple exposure photography method.

We have developed a multiple exposure photography (MEP) method for objectively evaluating the spermatozoal motility. The semen specimen placed in a 10-microns chamber was photographed through the phase-contrast microscope. Light pulses were generated with the aid of a multipulser using a xenon stroboscope (pulse interval: 160 msec., exposure: 1 sec.). In the photomicrographs, motile spermatozoa produced images of six-ringed chains, while nonmotile spermatozoa appeared as brighter images which clearly visualized spermatozoa from the head to the tail. When 30 semen specimens from fertile males were analyzed 1 hour after their collection, the mean spermatozoal concentration was found to be 79 x 10(6) per ml the mean rate of motile spermatozoa 39.7% and the mean spermatozoal velocity 29.3 microns per sec. The rate of motile spermatozoa estimated by the MEP method (39.7%) was lower than that estimated by the direct observation method (60% or more) by ca. 20%. The MEP method enables concurrent accurate estimation of the spermatozoal concentration, the rate of motile spermatozoa and the velocity of individual spermatozoa.

Humans↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Hyperprolactinaemia among infertile patients and its effect on sperm functions.

The effects of hyperprolactinaemia on sperm function were investigated in 264 men with oligozoo-, asthenozoo-, or teratozoospermia and who were attending a male infertility clinic. None of the patients exhibited galactorrhea or complained of impotence. There was no correlation between abnormal values in spermiogram and hyperprolactinaemia. After multiple measurements of serum prolactin concentration, 15 cases (5.7%) were diagnosed as hyperprolactinaemic (> or = 10 ng ml-1). Six of these patients were taking cimetidine and six were taking anti-anxiety drugs. Serum prolactin returned to the normal level after discontinuation of these drugs; thus these 12 cases were considered as drug-induced hyperprolactinaemia. The other three patients were diagnosed as having pituitary microadenomas and received bromocriptine treatment; the serum prolactin levels normalized within 1 month. No changes in sperm concentration, motility or morphology were found after normalization of serum prolactin levels. Sperm fertilizing ability was monitored by the hamster test for 10 months in the three patients with pituitary microadenoma, and no improvement was observed. Results suggest that hyperprolactinaemia, which does not cause symptoms, has little effect on the impairment of sperm functions. Measurement of serum prolactin in infertile men could be justified, however, for early detection of pituitary adenomas.

Adenoma↗

PubMedDate not supplied

A case of sclerosing hemangioma of the lung: correlation of MR images with pathological findings.

The authors present a case of sclerosing hemangioma of the lung in which MRI was performed. The tumor had areas of various signal intensities on both T1- and T2-weighted images, including high-intensity areas and isointensity areas relative to muscle. We compared the signal intensity of the tumor with its pathological findings. The relatively high signal intensity of the tumor on T1-weighted images was thought to be a reflection of lipids of clear cells, and the isointensity relative to muscle on T1-weighted images to be a reflection of fibrosis. Hyperintensity was also seen on both T1- and T2-weighted images, and was intralesional hemorrhage. Use of Gd-DTPA strongly enhanced the tumor. This enhancement was thought to be abundant blood cavities, since not many capillaries were seen in the specimen. The signal intensity of the tumor corresponded closely to the pathognomonic findings, and it is thought that MRI may be helpful in diagnosing sclerosing hemangioma of the lung because of its high contrast resolution.

Contrast Media↗