Biomedical subjects

Nabil Aziz

Publications and source records attributed to Nabil Aziz.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Significance of sperm characteristics in the evaluation of male infertility.

OBJECTIVE: To compare sperm characteristics among: patients undergoing infertility evaluation, patients with male factor infertility (MFI), healthy sperm donors, and men with proven fertility; to examine the overlap of sperm characteristics in all four of these groups; and to identify good discriminators of fertility versus infertility among sperm characteristics. DESIGN: Retrospective study. SETTING: Male infertility clinic at a tertiary care hospital. PATIENT(S): Proven fertile men (n = 56), normal donors (n = 91), men presenting for infertility evaluation (n = 406), and MFI patients (n = 166). INTERVENTION(S): None. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Routine semen analysis. RESULT(S): Using current World Health Organization (WHO) reference values, a large group of MFI patients presented with higher sperm concentration (27.5 x 10(6) to 99.2 x 10(6)), resulting in broader overlap with fertile men and poor sensitivity (0.48). Similarly, percentage normal morphology (%) using Tygerberg's strict criteria was low in most of the MFI patients (sensitivity 0.83), almost half of the fertile men also presented with abnormal morphology (specificity 0.51). Of all the variables examined, sperm motility (%) was superior, having minimum overlap range (lower and upper cut-off values 46% and 75%) and high sensitivity (0.74) and specificity (0.90). Areas under curve were higher for motility (0.90) and concentration (0.84) compared with morphology (WHO 0.65 and Tygerberg's strict criteria 0.74). CONCLUSION(S): Sperm motility and concentration provide more accurate information than morphology (WHO and Tygerberg's criteria) during infertility evaluation. Redefining the reference values for concentration and morphology may significantly increase the importance of routine semen analysis.

Case-Control Studies↗

PubMed2006

Relationship between epidemiological features and aetiology of male infertility as diagnosed by a comprehensive infertility service provider.

This study examined the relationship between demographic features and aetiological causes of male infertility. Primary infertility was the presentation in 78% of patients. The incidence of varicocele was the highest (31%), whereas only 4.6% had vasectomy reversal and 7.4% of men were diagnosed with idiopathic infertility. Using the chi-squared test, there was no significant difference in the incidence of different causes of infertility among different ethnic groups (White, African-American, Asian, Hispanic, and other). Furthermore, there was no increased incidence of infertility aetiology with any particular occupation, race, religion, smoking or alcohol intake. In this study population, there was no association between the various risk factors (occupation, smoking, alcohol intake, and race) and the aetiologies of infertility. The proportion of patients diagnosed with idiopathic infertility was significantly less than reported in the literature.

Alcohol Drinking↗

PubMed2005

Novel association between sperm deformity index and oxidative stress-induced DNA damage in infertile male patients.

AIM: To investigate the impact of abnormal sperm morphology using the sperm deformity index (SDI) on reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and its correlation with sperm DNA damage. METHODS: Semen samples were collected from men undergoing infertility screening (n = 7) and healthy donors (n = 6). Mature spermatozoa were isolated and incubated with 5 mmol/L beta-nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) for up to 24 h to induce ROS. Sperm morphology was evaluated using strict Tygerberg's criteria and the SDI. ROS levels and DNA damage were assessed using chemiluminescence and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated fluorescein-dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assays, respectively. RESULTS: SDI values (median [interquartiles]) were higher in patients than donors (2 [1.8, 2.1] vs. 1.53 [1.52, 1.58], P = 0.008). Aliquots treated with NADPH showed higher ROS levels (1.22 [0.30, 1.87] vs. 0.39 [0.10, 0.57], P = 0.03) and higher incidence of DNA damage than those not treated (10 [4.69, 24.85] vs. 3.85 [2.58, 5.10], P = 0.008). Higher DNA damage was also seen following 24 h of incubation in patients compared to donors. SDI correlated with the percentage increase in sperm DNA damage following incubation for 24 h in samples treated with NADPH (r = 0.7, P = 0.008) and controls (r = 0.58, P = 0.04). CONCLUSION: SDI may be a useful tool in identifying potential infertile males with abnormal prevalence of oxidative stress (OS)-induced DNA damage. NADPH plays a role in ROS-mediated sperm DNA damage, which appears to be more evident in infertile patients with semen samples containing a high incidence of morphologically abnormal spermatozoa.

DNA Damage↗

PubMed2004

Novel association between sperm reactive oxygen species production, sperm morphological defects, and the sperm deformity index.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship between sperm reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and sperm morphology in a group of infertile men and healthy fertile donors. DESIGN: A prospective clinical study. SETTING: Male infertility clinic, Glickman Urological Institute, The Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio, and the Reproductive Medicine Unit, Liverpool Women's Hospital, United Kingdom PATIENT(S): Thirty-nine infertile men and 13 healthy fertile donors (control). INTERVENTION(S): Standard semen analysis, seminal leukocyte concentration, assessment of sperm morphology, and measurement of sperm ROS production. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Levels of sperm ROS production, percentages of different sperm morphological abnormalities, and the sperm deformity index (SDI) scores. RESULT(S): A significant negative correlation was observed between sperm ROS production and the proportion of sperm with normal morphology and borderline morphology. Reactive oxygen species production was positively correlated with the proportion of sperm with amorphous heads, damaged acrosomes, midpiece defects, cytoplasmic droplets, tail defects, and SDI scores. Logistic regression analysis identified a two-variable model including SDI and percentage sperm motility, which correctly identified 84% of individuals with high seminal ROS and 85% of individuals with low seminal ROS. The model had an overall accuracy of 85%. CONCLUSION(S): The standard semen analysis to assess sperm motility, sperm morphology, and the SDI scores is a useful tool in identifying infertile men with high seminal ROS in infertility clinics where facilities for measuring levels of seminal ROS are not available.

Female↗

PubMed2004

Novel associations between specific sperm morphological defects and leukocytospermia.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship between leukocyte concentrations in semen and sperm morphology in a group of infertile men and healthy fertile donors. DESIGN: A prospective clinical study. SETTING: Male infertility clinic at a tertiary care teaching hospital and a reproductive medicine unit at a Women's Hospital in the United Kingdom. PATIENT(S): Fifty-six infertile men and 13 healthy fertile sperm donors (control). INTERVENTION(S): Standard semen analysis, seminal leukocyte concentration, and the assessment of sperm morphology and sperm deformity index (SDI), applying Tygerberg's strict criteria. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Granulocyte concentrations in semen, percentages of different sperm morphological abnormalities, and SDI scores. RESULT(S): Leukocyte concentrations were statistically significantly and negatively correlated with the proportion of sperm with damaged acrosomes, cytoplasmic droplet, tail defects, and SDI scores with normal and borderline morphology. The percentage sperm motility was significantly and negatively correlated with leukocytic concentration in semen. However, the leukocytic concentration was not significantly correlated with sperm concentration. CONCLUSION(S): This is the first study to report a significant positive correlation between leukocytospermia and sperm tail defects, acrosomal damage, and high SDI scores. These observations suggest that leukocytospermia is associated with compromised sperm structural integrity.

Acrosome↗

PubMed2004

Cryopreservation of human spermatozoa: comparison of two cryopreservation methods and three cryoprotectants.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the ability of two cryopreservation methods and three cryoprotectants to preserve sperm quality. DESIGN: A prospective clinical study. SETTING: Male infertility clinic at a tertiary healthcare center. PATIENT(S): Twenty infertile men and 10 healthy donors. INTERVENTION(S): In the first experiment, semen was cryopreserved by either the Irvine Scientific method (IS) or the Cleveland Clinic Foundation (CCF) method. In the second experiment, semen was cryopreserved by the IS method and one of three cryoprotectants: TES and Tris yolk buffer, Sperm Freezing Medium, or Enhance Sperm Freeze. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Postthaw sperm motility, cryosurvival, and kinematics. RESULT(S): Percentages of postthaw sperm motility and cryosurvival were higher in the IS cryopreservation method compared with in the CCF method (15.94 +/- 9.19 vs. 12.07 +/- 7.31 and 47.42 +/- 17.44 vs. 35.76 +/- 17.56). However, the CCF method resulted in significantly better sperm kinematics. Postthaw motility in the donors and patients was highest in the samples frozen in TES and Tris yolk buffer medium. CONCLUSION(S): The IS method was associated with more flash freezing compared with the CCF method and resulted in better preservation of sperm motility and a higher cryosurvival rate. TES and Tris yolk buffer was most effective at protecting sperm from the negative effects of the cryopreservation process. This may be due to the presence of egg yolk along with glycerol.

Cryopreservation↗

PubMed2003

Sperm chromosomal abnormalities are linked to sperm morphologic deformities.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the association between specific sperm morphologic abnormalities and sperm chromosomal abnormalities on multicolor interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). DESIGN: Case report. Reproductive medicine unit in a tertiary referral center. PATIENT(S): Three infertile men with severe oligoasthenospermia and total teratozoospermia who were referred for IVF treatment. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Incidence of spermatozoal chromosomal aneuploidy for chromosome 18 and the sex chromosomes by using FISH. RESULT(S): Morphologic assessment of sperm revealed a high incidence of double heads, multinucleated sperm heads, and multiple tails. Hormone profiles and karyotyping of peripheral lymphocytes were normal in the three men. The proportion of sperm with disomy, trisomy and tetrasomy for chromosome 18, and the sex chromosomes in each patient was 100%, 76%, and 82.5%, respectively. CONCLUSION(S): Specific morphologic abnormalities of sperm may be associated with higher incidence of chromosomal abnormalities. Resolving infertility by offering patients in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection must be approached with caution because of the significant risk for embryonic aneuploidy and chromosomal abnormalities in any subsequent offspring.

Adult↗