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J Rubes

Publications and source records attributed to J Rubes.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed2000

[Air pollution and sperm quality].

BACKGROUND: It has been described that an exposition of males to chemical substances may significantly impoverish quality and quantity of produced spermatozoa. The aim of our study was to test whether the polluted air in the Teplice district has negative effects on the quality of sperm of males living in this district. METHODS AND RESULTS: 325 males 18-year-old living in the Teplice district and in the control district of Prachatice were tested. Samples were taken in 1992 and 1994, always at the end of winter and in autumn. According to WHO laboratory manual for investigation of the human sperm, basic parameters were determined: volume of the semen, pH, motility, number and morphology of spermatozoa. In selected groups of males the frequency of aneuploidia of spermatozoa was also examined. Examination of aneuploidia was done using three color fluorescence in situ hybridisation with satellite DNA proves specific for X, Z and 8 chromosomes. Logistic regression was used for the data analysis and Odd's Ratio was estimated (OR's). OR's was found for the morphology of spermatozoa (4.1 and 10.1 for medium and high exposition respectively), for the head morphology (6.1 and 4.1) and in the percentage of motile spermatozoa (9.8 and 3.5). More intensively exposed males had higher frequency of disomy in chromosomes X (p = 0.012), XY (p = 0.01), and Y (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Bio-indicators of toxic and genetic impairment have shown lower quality of sperm in males in Teplice district.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Evaluation of aneuploidy and DNA damage in human spermatozoa: applications in field studies.

With the goal of incorporating measures of sperm nuclear integrity in an epidemiology study, semen samples from young Czech men were analysed for sperm aneuploidy and sperm chromatin structure in addition to routine measures of sperm production and quality. The exposure in question was to high seasonal air pollution containing reactive polyaromatic hydrocarbons potentially capable of affecting spermatogenesis and damaging sperm DNA. The sperm aneuploidy assay uses fluorescence in situ hybridization to label selected sperm chromosomes; as applied in this study, the sex chromosomes (X,Y) and chromosome 8 were targeted. The sperm chromatin structure assay detects sperm nuclei with increased susceptibility to denaturation, a feature that is associated with DNA damage. Logistically, these assays were relatively easy to incorporate into the study design. The aneuploidy assay provided information suggesting that exposure to high levels of air pollution may increase the risk of sperm aneuploidy and that it is important to control for exposure to cigarette smoke and/or alcohol in such studies. The sperm chromatin structure assay provided valuable baseline information about Czech semen donors and data suggestive of an adverse effect of smoking and air pollution on spermatozoa that merits further investigation.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Semen quality and reproductive health of young Czech men exposed to seasonal air pollution.

This study of male reproductive health in the Czech Republic resulted from community concern about potential adverse effects of air pollution. We compared young men (18 years of age) living in Teplice, a highly industrialized district with seasonally elevated levels of air pollution, to those from Prachatice, a rural district with relatively clean air. Surveys were scheduled for either late winter, after the season of higher air pollution, or at the end of summer, when pollution was low. Participation included a physical examination, donation of a semen sample, and completion of a questionnaire on health, personal habits, and exposure to solvents and metals through work or hobby. Analysis of data from 408 volunteers showed that the men from Teplice and Prachatice were similar in physical characteristics, personal habits, and work- or hobby-related exposures. Sixty-six percent (272) of these men donated a single semen sample for routine semen analysis, computer-aided sperm motion analysis, and sperm chromatin structure assay. The mean (median) sperm concentration and sperm count were 61. 2 (44.0) million/mL semen and 113.3 (81.5) million, respectively, and were not associated with district of residence or period of elevated air pollution. However, periods of elevated air pollution in Teplice were significantly associated with decrements in other semen measures including proportionately fewer motile sperm, proportionately fewer sperm with normal morphology or normal head shape, and proportionately more sperm with abnormal chromatin. These results suggest that young men may experience alterations in sperm quality after exposure to periods of elevated air pollution, without changes in sperm numbers.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Adverse reproductive outcomes from exposure to environmental mutagens.

The effect of environmental pollution on reproductive outcomes has been studied in the research project 'Teplice Program' analyzing the impact of air pollution on human health. Genotoxicity of urban air particles <10 microm (PM10) in in vitro system was determined by the analysis of DNA adducts. The highest DNA binding activity was observed in aromatic fraction, identifying DNA adducts of carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) presumably diolepoxide-derived from: 9-hydroxybenzo[a]pyrene (9-OH-B[a]P), benzo[a]pyrene-r-7,-dihydrodiol-t-9,10-epoxide[+] (anti-BPDE), benzo[b]fluoranthene (B[b]F), chrysene (CHRY), benz[a]antracene (B[a]A), indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene (I[cd]P). Reproductive studies were conducted in both females and males. A study of the effects of PM10 exposure on pregnancy outcomes found the relationship between the intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) and PM10 levels over 40 microg/m(3) in the first gestational month (Odds Ratio for 40-50 microg/m(3)50 microg/m(3)=1.9). Selected biomarkers were analyzed in venous blood, cord blood (chromosomal aberrations, comet assay) and placenta (DNA adducts, genetic polymorphisms of GSTM1 and NAT2 genotypes) of women enrolled in a nested case-control study. DNA adduct levels were higher in polluted vs. control districts, in smoking vs. nonsmoking mothers, and in GSTM1 null genotype, which was more pronounced in polluted district. No effect of air pollution was observed by cytogenetic analysis of chromosomal aberrations or by comet assay. The reproductive development of young men was followed by measures of semen quality, adjusted for ambient SO(2) exposure. The analysis identified significant associations with air pollution for <13% morphologically normal sperm, <29% sperm with normal head shape, <24% motile sperm. Analysis of aneuploidy in human sperm by FISH showed, aneuploidy YY8 was associated with season of heaviest air pollution. These findings are suggestive for an influence of air pollution on YY8 disomy. All these results indicate that air pollution may increase DNA damage in human population, which may be even higher for susceptible groups. Biomarkers of exposure (DNA adducts) and susceptibility (GSTM1 and NAT2) may indicate the risk of presumable low environmental exposure. Pregnancy outcome and semen studies imply that relatively low air pollution (higher than 40 microg PM10/m(3)) can significantly increase the adverse reproductive outcomes affecting both genders.

Air Pollutants↗
PubMed1999

A potential relationship between the 16;20 and 14;20 Robertsonian translocations and low in vitro embryo development.

A possible effect of 16;20 and 14;20 Robertsonian translocations on the development of bovine oocytes matured and fertilized in vitro was assessed on the basis of embryo yield and blastocyst formation. Oocytes fertilized with semen from 2 bulls (A and B), which were heterozygous for these translocations, showed a significantly lower cleavage rate (36.3 +/- 2.25%; 39.8 +/- 3.88%) and percentage of blastocysts (3.7 +/- 1.24%; 3.2 +/- 1.20%) than those fertilized with semen from a bull (C) with a normal karyotype (control, 58.1 +/- 2.14%; 20.1 +/- 1.92%; P < 0.01). There was also a difference in the rate of further blastocyst development between the tested bulls and the control. The rates of expanded blastocysts were 6.6 and 11.1% for Bulls A and B, respectively, and 38.7% for the control bull on Day 7; while on Day 8 these values were 41.7 and 55.5% vs 76.0%. These results demonstrated that in the bulls carrying the 16;20 and 14;20 translocations, in vitro preimplantation embryo development was reduced, probably due to genetically unbalanced spermatozoa.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Aneuploidy in pig sperm: multicolor fluorescence in situ hybridization using probes for chromosomes 1, 10, and Y.

The objective of this research was to develop chromosome-specific probes for use in evaluating aneuploidy in boar spermatozoa through the application of fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) technology. A multicolor FISH method was developed to detect aneuploidy in the sperm of boars using DNA probes specific for small regions of chromosomes 1, 10, and Y. The average frequencies of sperm with disomy for chromosomes 1, 10, and Y were 0.075%, 0.067%, and 0.094%, respectively. The incidence of disomy did not differ significantly by chromosome. The average frequencies of diploidy were 0.177% for 1-1-10-10 and 0.022% for Y-Y-10-10. Thus, the incidence of overall diploidy (1-1-10-10) was significantly higher than that of disomy for the chromosomes examined (P < 0.01 for disomy of the autosomes and P < 0.05 for disomy of the Y chromosome). No significant age or breed effects on disomy and diploidy rates and no significant interindividual variations in disomy or diploidy were found. The observed level of numerical chromosome aberrations in pig sperm appear to be within the range of the baseline frequencies reported so far in men.

Aneuploidy↗
PubMed1998

Cytogenetic analysis of peripheral lymphocytes in medical personnel by means of FISH.

Genotoxic effects of occupational exposure to cytostatics were investigated in 20 nurses and physicians working in various departments of one hospital. The group was divided into two equal subgroups one of which was involved in the administration of cytostatics (exposed subgroup) and the other was not (unexposed subgroup). The whole group and the two subgroups were compared with a control group of 11 healthy blood donors. Two differently labeled whole chromosome painting (WCP) probes specific for the chromosomes 1 and 4 were used simultaneously. Chromosome aberrations were classified in terms of the Protocol for Aberration Identification and Nomenclature (PAINT) nomenclature. The results obtained by the painting method were compared with findings of conventional unbanded chromosome analysis. Significant differences in the numbers of translocations (FG/100 = 2.25 +/- 1.50 vs. 0.66 +/- 0.21, p < 0.01) and unstable chromosome aberrations determined by the conventional method (AB.C/100 = 2.70 +/- 2.31 vs. 1.63 +/- 1.59, p < 0.05) were found between the exposed subgroup and controls. The unexposed subgroup differed from the controls only in the number of translocations (FG/100 = 2.93 +/- 2.79 vs. 0.66 +/- 0.51, p < 0.05). No significant differences in the number of stable and unstable aberrations were found between the exposed and the unexposed subgroups. On the other hand, highly significant differences (p < 0.01) were demonstrated by the two methods between the whole group (all medical personnel) and the controls. All differences which were found to be significant when translocations were compared were also found to be significant when total stable chromosome exchanges, i.e., the sum of translocations and insertions, were considered. Multicolour chromosome painting is apparently a more sensitive method than the conventional metaphase-based analysis.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Smoking cigarettes is associated with increased sperm disomy in teenage men.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether moderate cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption in teenage men is associated with increases in disomic sperm and detectable changes in semen quality. DESIGN: Cohort study. SETTING: Military recruiting station, Teplice, Czech Republic. PATIENT(S): Ten current smokers (20 cigarettes per day for at least 2 years, exposure confirmed by urine cotinine) who also consumed alcohol and 15 nonsmokers. All patients were exactly 18 years old, healthy, and of unproven fertility. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Sperm aneuploidy by multicolor fluorescence in situ hybridization for chromosomes 8, X, and Y; conventional semen analyses; computer-aided sperm analysis for motility; and sperm chromatin structure analysis. RESULTS: Smokers showed elevated frequencies of sperm aneuploidy (Y disomy, P <0.001; aggregate of X, Y, and 8 disomies, P <0.01); reduced linearity of sperm motion (P <0.05); and more "round-headed" sperm (P <0.01). Smokers' semen contained fewer sperm (P <0.001) and fewer motile sperm (P <0.02), which was attributable, in part, to shorter abstinence intervals among smokers (P <0.02). CONCLUSION(S): Cigarette smoking among teenagers was associated with increases in disomic sperm and a diminution in specific aspects of semen quality. Such defects may affect male fertility and may increase future chances of fathering offspring with aneuploidy syndromes.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

The porcine proteasome subunit A4 (PSMA4) gene: isolation of a partial cDNA, linkage and physical mapping.

A partial cDNA clone encoding the porcine proteasome subunit A4 (PSMA4 or proteasome subunit C9) has been isolated from a porcine muscle cDNA library and sequenced. A biallelic TaqI RFLP was identified in Large White, Landrace and Duroc breeds. Moreover, the 3'-untranslated region of the gene showed a triallelic SSCP. By linkage analysis the PSMA4 locus was assigned to pig chromosome 7 and by radioactive in situ hybridization this locus was mapped to the region 7q13-q14.

3' Untranslated Regions↗
PubMed1997

Dairy cattle as a bioindicator of exposure to genotoxic substances in a heavily polluted area in northern Bohemia.

The exposure of dairy cattle to genotoxic agents in two districts with different levels of environmental pollution was estimated using cytogenetic analysis of bovine peripheral lymphocytes. The Teplice district represented an industrialized area where the air pollution rate is extremely high mainly in the winter, and the Prachatice district--an agricultural area with a relatively low level of pollution. The Ames test was used to examine feed samples for the content of mutagenic substances. Cows in the Teplice district showed a significantly higher count of aberrant cells (4.83 +/- 2.36) than cows in the Prachatice district (3.63 +/- 2.12). The sum of revertants induced by rinsings or extracts of feeds in both of the two test strains (Salmonella typhimurium TA 98 and TA 100) was significantly higher in the district of Teplice than in the district of Prachatice. The percentages of findings with mutagenic responses were 56.3 and 34.8% for the districts of Teplice and Prachatice, respectively. No mutagenic activity was found in milk samples collected in any of the districts. Apparently, the cows kept in the Teplice district were more exposed to genotoxic substances than the cows in the Prachatice district. The major source of this exposure was probably fresh fodder contaminated by industrial emissions.

Air Pollutants↗