Semen News and Research

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Semen is an organic fluid, also known as seminal fluid, that usually contains spermatozoa. It is secreted by the gonads (sexual glands) and other sexual organs of male or hermaphroditic animals and can fertilize female ova. The process of discharge is called ejaculation.

Sperm epigenetics and fertility

Epigenetics is a system of information that lies atop DNA to control which genes are accessible, active and inactive. Each cell in your body essentially has identical DNA, but they have different patterns of expression.

18 May 2017

New Cap-Score Sperm Function Test can be game changer for physicians who treat infertility

Two new publications in the journal Molecular Reproduction and Development validate the usefulness of a test that determines if sperm can capacitate, a process that allows them to fertilize an egg.

26 Apr 2017

Spermidine supplement may prolong lifespan, prevent liver fibrosis and cancer

Spermidine-; a compound found in foods like aged cheese, mushrooms, soy products, legumes, corn and whole grains-; seems to prevent (at least in animal models) liver fibrosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, which is the most common type of liver cancer. There is also some evidence that it may prolong lifespan, according to a study published recently in the journal Cancer Research.

20 Apr 2017

Study shows how interplay between semen and female reproductive tract could impact fertility

For a mammal's sperm to succeed, it must complete the swim of its life to reach and fertilize an egg. That's easier if it swims through water, not goo.

19 Apr 2017

SLU researchers predict potential high-risk areas for Zika virus transmission in the U.S.

Where in the continental United States is Zika most likely to occur? An early online article in the American Journal of Public Health by Saint Louis University researchers puts the bulls-eye of Zika transmission on the Mississippi delta.

27 Mar 2017

Pre-existing immunity to dengue virus modulates T cell response to Zika infection

Although Zika and dengue are considered different virus "species," they are so closely related that the immune system treats Zika just like another version of dengue, report researchers at La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology.

13 Mar 2017

Walnut-enriched diet may improve sperm quality, animal research suggests

New animal research suggests eating a walnut-enriched diet may improve sperm quality by reducing lipid peroxidation, a process that can damage sperm cells.

28 Feb 2017

Carotenoids increase attractiveness but not actual health, study shows

Findings published in the journal Behavioral Ecology reveal that skin with yellow and red pigments is perceived as more attractive in Caucasian males, but this skin coloring does not necessarily signal actual good health.

13 Feb 2017

Quest Diagnostics introduces new HBV test service to help evaluate patient’s response to drug therapies

24 Jan 2017

A test to evaluate Hepatitis B therapy launched by Quest Diagnostics

Quest Diagnostics, the world’s leading provider of diagnostic information services, today announced the launch of a new test service that helps physicians evaluate a patient’s response to drug therapies used to treat infection with the hepatitis B virus (HBV). The first test of its kind available in the United States, the test is significant because it may help physicians tailor more effective treatments for the up to 2.2 million individuals infected with HBV.

23 Jan 2017

Study shows clinical and psychosocial consequences following survival of Ebola infection

The long-term clinical and social sequelae following survival of Ebola infection are unknown.

18 Jan 2017

Study finds that T cells play important role in control of Zika infections

The worst of the global Zika virus outbreak may be over but many key questions remain, such as why the virus persists in certain tissues after the systemic infection has cleared; how does the immune system counteract the virus and protect against reinfection; what determines the likelihood of long-term complications?

12 Jan 2017

New antiretroviral treatments show potential to reduce chances of sexual transmission of HIV virus

More than 2 million people got infected by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in 2015, being sexual transmission the main channel of infection.

22 Nov 2016

Zika virus infection can break down and damage testes of male mice, new research shows

New research in male mice has revealed that Zika virus infection can break down and severely damage the animals' testes.

1 Nov 2016

Men can take contraceptives to prevent pregnancy in female partners, study shows

Men can take birth control shots to prevent pregnancy in their female partners, according to a new study published in the Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

27 Oct 2016

Episona unveils first innovative new male fertility test at ASRM 2016

Episona Inc., an epigenetics data company focused on improving outcomes in reproductive health, announced today the launch of Seed, an innovative new male fertility test, at the American Society for Reproductive Medicine Scientific Congress& Expo.

19 Oct 2016

Researchers develop new technique that measures speed of rotating semen

The maths of collective behaviour has provided a new technique for selecting the best semen for artificial insemination in livestock.

17 Oct 2016

Study provides new insights into Zika's rapid infection and risk for transmission

Though first documented 70 years ago, the Zika virus was poorly understood when it burst onto the scene in the Americas in 2015.

7 Oct 2016

Researchers confirm long persistence of Zika virus in semen and reveal its presence within spermatozoa

Recent work has shown that Zika virus persists in semen for up to 6 months after infection. In a correspondence published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases, the researchers, in addition to confirming its long persistence in semen (in this case for more than 130 days, i.e., over 4 months), reveal the presence of the virus even within spermatozoa.

4 Oct 2016

Endogenous cannabinoid plays crucial role in activating spermatozoa for fertilization

During fertilization, a sperm must first fuse with the plasma membrane and then penetrate the female egg in order to penetrate it.

30 Aug 2016