Disease relevance of Semen

• We have detected deletions of portions of the Y chromosome long arm in 12 of 89 men with azoospermia (no sperm in semen) [1].
• OBJECTIVE--To determine the prevalence and temporal expression of infectious human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) in the semen of HIV-1 seropositive men and to determine whether the detection of HIV-1 in semen is associated with disease stage, zidovudine treatment status, or other clinical factors [2].
• Zidovudine was present in the semen and serum of six patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome or the related complex who were receiving 200 mg of the drug orally every four to six hours [3].
• Concurrent zidovudine levels in semen and serum determined by radioimmunoassay in patients with AIDS or AIDS-related complex [3].
• In patients treated with zidovudine alone, 1, 3 and 6 months after the start of therapy, the mean HIV-1 load in plasma was reduced by 0.57, 0.38 and 0.21 log10 and in semen by 0.66, 0.50 and 0.15 log10, respectively [4].

Psychiatry related information on Semen

• This study provides evidence for a significant decline in semen quality of male IVF patients at egg retrieval and demonstrates an inverse relationship between semen quality and specific aspects of psychological stress [5].
• In summary, lutalyse increased libido scores, but did not affect the number of boars trained for semen collection [6].
• Results obtained showed that AlCl3 significantly (P<0.05) decreased libido (by increasing the reaction time), ejaculate volume, sperm concentration, total sperm output, sperm motility (%), total motile sperm per ejaculate (TMS), packed sperm volume (PSV), total functional sperm fraction (TFSF), normal and live sperm and semen initial fructose [7].

High impact information on Semen

• In his scheme, hot semen generated males, whereas cold semen made females (Jacquart, D., and C. Thomasset. Sexuality and Medicine in the Middle Ages, 1988) [8].
• Specifically, we show that the evolution of SEMG2, the gene encoding semenogelin II, a main structural component of semen coagulum, is accelerated in polyandrous primates relative to monandrous primates [9].
• We compared the results of semen analyses and measurements of testicular volume, serum testosterone, inhibin B, and gonadotropins in these men with the results in 24 men with classic GnRH deficiency before and during GnRH-replacement therapy and in 29 normal men of similar age [10].
• Decline in semen quality among fertile men in Paris during the past 20 years [11].
• Semen from normal and vasectomized men contains high levels of p30 (mean, 1.55 mg per milliliter of seminal plasma), and urine from men contains low levels (mean, 260 ng per milliliter) [12].

Chemical compound and disease context of Semen

• In patients treated with zidovudine plus didanosine at months 1, 3 and 6, the mean decrease in plasma HIV-1 RNA was 1.40, 1.25 and 1.12 log10 and in semen 1.10, 1.41 and 1.32 log10, respectively [4].
• However, highest levels were seen in prostatic tissue extracts and seminal plasma. hK11 in seminal plasma and prostatic extracts is present at approximately 300-fold lower levels than prostate-specific antigen and at approximately the same levels as hK2. hK11 expression in breast cancer cell lines is up-regulated by estradiol [13].
• Earlier observations on infertility related to sulphasalazine treatment were extended and semen samples obtained from 28 patients with inflammatory bowel disease on treatment with sulphasalazine at 2-4 g per day [14].
• In a patient hypophysectomized because of a pituitary tumor, who, despite undetectable serum gonadotropin levels, had normal testis volume and semen parameters and fathered three children under testosterone substitution alone, we hypothesized an activating mutation of the FSH receptor [15].
• We suggest that plasma protein carbonyls, and protein thiols and ascorbic acid of seminal plasma are useful markers for the assessment of oxidative stress in patients with varicocele and subclinical varicocele [16].

Biological context of Semen

• The data on the semen samples were collected at one sperm bank in Paris. The data in each calendar year were analyzed as a function of the year of donation, the age of each patient, the year of birth, and the duration of sexual abstinence before semen collection [11].
• We propose that PGE2 in human semen might directly facilitate the infection of AIDS-associated virus and cause the efficient transmission of the virus during sexual activities [17].
• Endocervical biopsy specimens were obtained from women in Chicago, Illinois. PARTICIPANTS: Eighty-six men (not receiving antiretroviral therapy) in whom CD4 cell count and semen volume were available, and 24 women in whom the number of endocervical CCR5 receptors were determined [18].
• This result indicates that sperm motility is not O2 limited and suggests that seminal fluid contains a volatile inhibitor of motility which is responsible for the paralysis of sperm in semen [19].
• Prior hCG/human menopausal gonadotropin therapy had resulted in high normal serum T levels and near-normal semen quality, but during subsequent hCG therapy, spermatogenesis markedly decreased [20].

Anatomical context of Semen

• As PCI antigen was absent from seminal plasma of patients with dysfunctional seminal vesicles, the seminal vesicle glands would appear to be the major source of seminal plasma PCI, a conclusion supported by immunohistochemical demonstration of the presence of PCI epitopes in the secretory epithelium of the seminal vesicles [21].
• Seminalplasmin, the major basic protein of bull semen, an important regulator of calcium transport in bovine sperm and a positive modulator of the zona pellucida-induced acrosome reaction, is shown to be a recently created member of the neuropeptide Y gene family [22].
• In 11-week-old adult Tslc1(-/-) mice, the weight of a testis was 88% that in Tslc1(+/+) mice, and the number of sperm in the semen was approximately 0.01% that in Tslc1(+/+) mice [23].
• Highest levels were observed in the breast, skin, prostate, seminal plasma, and amniotic fluid, with almost undetectable levels in normal serum. hK14 concentration was higher in 40% of ovarian cancer tissues compared with normal ovarian tissues [24].
• Immunoenzymatic analysis revealed that this cysteine proteinase inhibitor is present in human saliva and tears at concentrations of 3.8 and 0.5 mg/liter, respectively, while it was not detected in seminal plasma, blood plasma, milk, or cerebrospinal fluid [25].

Associations of Semen with chemical compounds

• Ratios of semen/serum zidovudine levels ranged from 1.3 to 20 [3].
• A 33-kD glycoprotein, known as the "prostate-specific antigen," was purified to homogeneity from human seminal plasma [26].
• We assessed pubertal staging, measured plasma sex steroid hormone concentrations, and analysed semen quality, including spermatozoal DNA integrity [27].
• Reintroduction of sulphasalazine was followed by rapid deterioration in the semen of two patients [28].
• Semen quality after prenatal exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls and dibenzofurans [29].

Gene context of Semen

• We report the crystal structures of porcine seminal plasma PSP-I/PSP-II, a heterodimer of two glycosylated spermadhesins, and bovine aSFP at 2.4 A and 1.9 A resolution respectively [30].
• The recombinant pro-PSA was also activated by recombinant human glandular kallikrein, another prostate-specific serine protease, as well as by a partially purified protease(s) from seminal plasma [31].
• Most of the hK2 in seminal plasma forms an inactive complex with protein C inhibitor (PCI), a serpin secreted by seminal vesicles [32].
• Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is an insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 protease found in seminal plasma [33].
• The crystal structure of porcine seminal plasma spermadhesin PSP-I/PSP-II heterodimer has been determined in two crystal forms by multiple isomorphous replacement in an hexagonal crystal (space group P6(1)22) and molecular replacement in a trigonal crystal of space group P3(2)21 [34].

Analytical, diagnostic and therapeutic context of Semen

• The inhibitor in seminal plasma was unable to form complexes with activated protein C. Gel filtration and immunoblotting findings indicated that the inhibitor in seminal plasma is present in a high molecular mass complex or cleaved to its modified form [21].
• Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis revealed charge differences between clusterin purified from semen and the serum-derived material [35].
• DESIGN: HIV-1 in seminal plasma, and endocervical CCR5 receptors were correlated with epidemiological studies of HIV-1 transmission to develop a probabilistic model [18].
• TFPI levels also correlated with semen liquefaction time, normal semen viscosity, sperm progression, percentage of motile sperm and sperm counts (density) [36].
• TFPI antigen levels in seminal plasma were measured in a total of 176 subjects using an Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) [36].

References