Biomedical subjects

T Kazama

Publications and source records attributed to T Kazama.

118 records · Page 7Linked to original sources

PubMedDate not supplied

DNA hybridization study using Y-specific probes in an XX-male.

A 30-year-old male attended the Toyama Medical and Pharmaceutical University Hospital with the chief complaint of infertility. Physical examination showed bilateral small testes and the semen contained no sperm. Hormonal studies revealed hypergonadotropic hypogonadism and cytogenetic studies showed a 46,XX karyotype. High-resolution banding showed no abnormalities in both of the X chromosomes. Histological examination of both testes showed germinal aplasia and the proliferation of Leydig cells. The diagnosis of XX-male was made from the above findings. A DNA hybridization study using 17 Y-specific probes revealed the presence of a major part of the short arm of the Y chromosome, which had presumably been translocated to the X chromosome. The translocated Y short arm had a small deletion within it.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

A case of decapitated spermatozoa in an infertile man.

A case of headless or decapitated spermatozoa of an infertile man is reported. The 33-year-old patient showed almost normal spermiogram except for a high percentage (more than 90%) of headless spermatozoa. Both hypoosmotic swelling and zona-free hamster egg tests showed that most headless spermatozoa appeared to be normal in their function as tails. The ultrastructure of the ejaculated spermatozoa was observed using a surface replica method and by conventional ultrathin sectioning. The headless spermatozoa were almost normal in structure except for the absence of the head. Tailless heads were rarely observed. Varieties of ultrastructural abnormalities were observed in spermatozoa heads. Among them, abnormalities in the nuclear membrane covering the posterior pole of the nucleus were prominent. The implantation fossa and the basal plate were not formed. Instead, the nuclear membrane with numerous nuclear pores was found in this region. The decapitation seemed to take place between the region of the basal plate and the proximal centriole.

Acrosome↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Relationship between hypoosmotic swelling test, semen analysis, and zona-free hamster ovum test.

The hypoosmotic swelling test is a simple test for measuring the functional competence of the human sperm membrane. Fifty-four patients with idiopathic infertility were assessed by hypoosmotic swelling test and the results were compared with those of routine semen analysis and zona-free hamster ovum human sperm penetration test (ZSPT). Semen samples with abnormal semen parameters had lower percentage of swollen sperm in comparison with those with normal semen parameters. A positive correlation was observed between sperm concentration and sperm swelling (r = .50, p less than .05). A strong positive correlation was observed between the percentage of sperm motility and the percentage of swollen sperm (r = 0.60, p less than .01), and between motile sperm concentration and sperm swelling (r = .62, p less than .01). On the other hand, sperm swelling correlated only weakly with the percentage of sperm penetration. The results indicate that the hypoosmotic swelling test appears to evaluate different functional qualities of sperm than ZSPT.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Hypoosmotic swelling test in patients with varicocele.

The hypoosmotic swelling test is a simple test for measuring the functional competence of human sperm membrane. Thirty-five patients with varicocele were assessed by hypoosmotic swelling test and the results were compared with those in patients with idiopathic infertility. Percentage of swollen sperm in varicocele tended to be lower than that in idiopathic infertility, especially in sperm concentration between 30 x 10(6)/mL and 40 x 10(6)/mL. Varicocele with sperm motility of 40% or more revealed lower percentage of swollen sperm than idiopathic infertility did. The results indicate that varicocele may particularly injure sperm membrane function because hypoosmotic swelling test is a test for measuring functional ability of human sperm membrane. The percentage of swollen sperm recovered after the operation earlier than did the other sperm parameters such as sperm concentration or motility, which indicates that impaired sperm membrane injury by varicocele is reversible.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Hypoosmotic swelling test with a medium of distilled water.

The functional competence of the human sperm membrane is assessed by studying the swelling reaction of sperm when suspended in a medium of distilled water (water test). Eighty-seven patients with idiopathic infertility were investigated by the water test and the results were compared with various semen parameters. High correlations with the percentage of b-g type swollen sperm in the water test were observed for sperm concentration (r = .53, p < .05) and percent motility (r = .62, p < .01). The sperm swelling values obtained by the water test correlated well with those obtained by the hypoosmotic swelling test (HOST). Correlation coefficients in b-g and g swelling pattern were 0.89 and 0.71, respectively. The percentage of g-type swelling obtained by the water test was significantly larger than that obtained by the HOST (p < .05), although the two hypoosmotic procedures gave similar percentages of b-g swelling pattern. The percentage of g swelling pattern obtained by the water test correlated well with percent motility (r = .70, p < .001). These findings suggest that the water test is more useful for assessing the integrity of the sperm membrane than the HOST. The relationship between this test and subsequent fertility, as well as to other sperm function tests, needs further investigation.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Acrosome-reacted sperm in infertile and fertile men using the triple-stain technique.

By means of a triple-stain technique, the acrosome reaction in infertile and fertile males was investigated. The highest correlations with the percentage of acrosome-reacted sperm were found for motile sperm concentration (r = .60, p < .01) and percent motility (r = .58, p < .05). Significant correlations were also demonstrated between acrosome reactivity and both sperm concentration (r = .50, p < .05) and velocity (r = .40, p < .05). There was only a weak correlation between the percentage of acrosome-reacted sperm and that of swollen sperm. The ratio of acrosome-reacted sperm demonstrated in oligoasthenozoospermic patients was significantly lower than that observed in normozoospermic or fertile males (both, p < .05). There was no significant difference in the ratio of acrosome-reacted sperm between normozoospermic and fertile males. However, all the cases in the latter group had 15% or more acrosome-reacted sperm, whereas the parameter was widely distributed in the former group and some in this group had a decreased ratio. It would appear that a disturbance of the acrosome reaction is one of the causes of reduced fertility potential in normozoospermic males.

Acrosome↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Correlation of seminal plasma transferrin concentration and hypoosmotic swelling of the sperm.

To investigate whether there is a relationship between seminal plasma transferrin concentration and hypoosmotic swelling of the sperm, semen samples from 46 infertile patients were examined. Seminal plasma transferrin concentration in oligozoospermic subjects (sperm concentration < 20 x 10(6)/mL) was significantly lower than that in normozoospermic subjects (sperm concentration > or = 20 x 10(6)/mL) (p < .05). Patients with > or = 50% swollen sperm showed significantly higher transferrin concentration in seminal plasma than those with < 50% swollen sperm (p < .05), while in oligozoospermic patients no difference was observed between seminal plasma transferrin concentration and hypoosmotic swelling. No relationship between seminal plasma transferrin concentration and serum gonadotropin levels was demonstrated. The results indicate that transferrin synthesis is important to sperm membrane integrity and functional competence. However, subsequent fertility must be examined to determine whether seminal plasma transferrin levels are predictive of fertilizing capacity.

Cell Membrane↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Acrobeads test using monoclonal antibody-coated immunobeads: clinical application.

Acrosome-reacted sperm was examined in infertile and fertile males using the Acrobeads test. The Acrobeads score was significantly higher in fertile males than in infertile males with normal or abnormal seminal findings (p < .005 and p < .001, respectively). The Acrobeads score was 2 or more in all the fertile males, but 62% of the infertile males with abnormal seminal findings (p < .02). Therefore, a disturbance in the acrosome reaction is suggested to be one of the causes of decreased fertility potential. A high correlation was found between Acrobeads score and sperm motility (r = .46, p < .001) or motile sperm concentration (r = .51, p < .0001). The Acrobeads test, the results of which reflect the acrosome condition of the sperm, is useful in the assessment of sperm function related to fertility.

Acrosome↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Effect of varicocele on fertility potential: comparison between impregnating and nonimpregnating groups.

Sixty patients with varicocele, complaining of infertility, underwent a corrective operation. Eighteen (30%) of the 60 patients impregnated their mates (impregnating group). Sperm concentration significantly increased after the operation in the impregnating group (p < .05), but not in the patients who failed to impregnate their mates (nonimpregnating group). Sperm motility was not altered after the operation in these two groups. Sperm velocity significantly increased postoperatively in the impregnating group (p < .05), while linearity was not altered in either group. Sperm swelling significantly increased postoperatively in the impregnating group (p < .05), but not in the nonimpregnating group. Preoperative sperm parameters were not different between the two groups. Varicocele may disturb sperm function including sperm motion besides spermatogenesis and may impair the fertility potential. However, a prospective large-scale controlled study is required to obtain a definitive conclusion.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Comparison of resazurin test results with various sperm parameters.

The resazurin reduction test was performed on semen samples from 83 untreated infertile and 9 pregnancy-confirmed fertile males, and the results were compared with other sperm parameters. The highest correlations with resazurin grade were found for motile sperm concentration (r = 0.65, P < 0.001), per cent motility (r = 0.58, P < 0.01), and percentage of swollen sperm (r = 0.57, P < 0.01). There were also significant but weak correlations between resazurin grade and both sperm concentration and linearity. There was a significant difference in the rate of positive tests between samples from normozoospermic and fertile males, and samples from patients exhibiting abnormal semen parameters (P < 0.001). These findings indicate that the resazurin test may be able to predict those males who may be fertile despite an abnormal semen analysis, and therefore, the test may be useful in the evaluation of the infertile patient as a part of a comprehensive male fertility assessment.

Adult↗