Sperm News and Research

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The term sperm refers to the male reproductive cells. In the types of sexual reproduction known as anisogamy and oogamy, there is a marked difference in the size of the gametes with the smaller one being termed the "male" or sperm cell. The human sperm cell is haploid, so that its 23 chromosomes can join the 23 chromosomes of the female egg to form a diploid cell.

Mother who smoke during her pregnancy may transmit asthma to future generation

Asthma is a serious public health problem. An estimated 300 million people worldwide suffer from this sometimes deadly lung disease, a number expected to increase to 400 million by 2025. One well-established risk factor for asthma is having a mother who smoked during her pregnancy.

21 Sep 2013

WUSTL engineers apply new imaging technique to understand brain’s biomechanics

The human body has a lot of jobs to do, and its mechanical features, such as strength and flexibility, are important to how well it does them. Washington University in St. Louis engineers are now applying a new imaging technique to a model of brain tissue to see how stiff or soft it might be.

20 Sep 2013

Researchers study potential role of two risk factors in preeclampsia

Although preeclampsia occurs in about 3 percent of pregnancies, it's still unforeseen in many cases. A report of new research, now in press at the Journal of Reproductive Immunology, documents how two distinct risk factors combine to affect the odds that a first-time mother could develop the sometimes life-threatening pregnancy complication.

11 Sep 2013

Research: Females can maximise genetic quality of their offspring by being promiscuous

New research from the University of East Anglia has shown that females can maximise the genetic quality of their offspring by being promiscuous.

4 Sep 2013

Researchers study reproductive stage that remains most mysterious

Mississippi State University scientists are working to find out why some pregnancies are successful and others are not.

31 Aug 2013

New book on evolution and future of human reproduction

Human beings would probably be known as pilosals rather than mammals if Carl Linnaeus had not been a proponent of breast-feeding. For social and political reasons, the famed taxonomist labeled the class of animals to which humans belong with a reference to their practice of suckling their young rather than to their evolutionarily older characteristic of having hair.

21 Aug 2013

Scientists reveal how females select 'right' sperm to fertilize their eggs

University of East Anglia scientists have revealed how females select the 'right' sperm to fertilize their eggs when faced with the risk of being fertilized by wrong sperm from a different species.

19 Aug 2013

Viewpoints: Latest Health law delay just a 'glitch;' feds' overhaul of health care gets many 'moving parts wrong'

Today brings news of another delay in the implementation of Obamacare -- the second significant glitch this summer. … If this sounds like a winner for Republicans in 2014 it probably isn't.

17 Aug 2013

Frozen sperm taken by biopsy from testicles may help couples conceive through IVF

Frozen sperm taken by biopsy from testicles in men with no sperm in their semen is as effective as fresh sperm taken by biopsy in helping couples conceive through in vitro fertilization (IVF), according to a study at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

7 Aug 2013

Cambridge scientists identify molecular 'on/off' switch in malignant germ cell tumours

Cambridge scientists have identified an 'on/off' switch in a type of cancer which typically occurs in the testes and ovaries called 'malignant germ cell tumours'. The research was published today, 01 August, in the journal Cancer Research.

1 Aug 2013

Statins: A class of cholesterol-lowering drugs may help treat Rett Syndrome

Statins, a class of cholesterol-lowering drugs found in millions of medicine cabinets, may help treat Rett Syndrome, according to a study published today in Nature Genetics. The Rett Syndrome Research Trust (RSRT) funded this work with generous support from the Rett Syndrome Research Trust UK and Rett Syndrome Research & Treatment Foundation.

30 Jul 2013

Study results suggest reexamination of biological, medical importance of X chromosome

Painstaking new analysis of the genetic sequence of the X chromosome—long perceived as the "female" counterpart to the male-associated Y chromosome—reveals that large portions of the X have evolved to play a specialized role in sperm production.

24 Jul 2013

Female cancer patients unhappy with the way doctors discussed about fertility preservation options

Young female cancer patients are unhappy about the way fertility preservation options are discussed with them by doctors before starting cancer treatment, according to a new study by researchers from the University of Sheffield and The Children's Hospital, Sheffield.

23 Jul 2013

Celgene to discontinue treatment with REVLIMID in phase III ORIGIN trial

Celgene Corporation today announced that after consultation with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Celgene will discontinue treatment with REVLIMID (lenalidomide) in the open-label, phase III ORIGIN trial, which enrolled 450 patients in over 100 sites in 26 countries.

18 Jul 2013

North Dakota judge strikes down state law on nonsurgical abortion drugs

The state judge issues an opinion from an April trial. In the meantime, new abortion and "personhood" proposals in that state rankle some medical professionals.

17 Jul 2013

Obese fathers may pass their obesity to children and grandchildren

New research from the University of Adelaide shows that the sperm of obese fathers could increase the risk of both their children and their grandchildren to inherit obesity.

16 Jul 2013

Obese fathers pass on diseases to kids

If you are obese and hope to be a father, here's another reason to lose weight: your children and grandchildren may inherit your waistline or metabolic disorders. That's because scientists have discovered in mice that obese fathers, even those who did not show any signs of diabetes, passed this negative trait on most frequently to their daughters. Sons don't entirely dodge this genetic bullet either-both sons and daughters of obese fathers have increased risks of developing metabolic diseases, such as diabetes.

12 Jul 2013

Phase III study: REVLIMID meets primary endpoint in patients newly diagnosed with multiple myeloma

Celgene International Sàrl, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Celgene Corporation, today announced that its phase III study (MM-020/IFM 07-01) of REVLIMID (lenalidomide) in combination with dexamethasone in patients newly diagnosed with multiple myeloma met its primary endpoint of progression-free survival.

11 Jul 2013

Children born after mothers hormonal fertility treatment have increased risk of mental disorders

Whether a child is conceived naturally or in a Petri dish in an incubator has no bearing at all on the child's mental health. However, researchers have identified a small but increased risk of developing a mental disorder such as autism, ADHD or behavioural problems in children whose mothers only received medical treatment to stimulate ovulation and egg development before insemination.