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.

Adverse fetal growth, exposure to maternal smoking correlated with lower measures of sperm quality

Studies over the past 20 years have suggested (though not unequivocally confirmed) that semen quality is in decline, reflected most evidently in falling sperm counts and reduced sperm motility.

8 Jul 2013

Medical ethicists find no justification to support UK's legal ban on sex selection

As Europe's leading fertility specialists gather at a conference in London this weekend, a major new publication from leading medical ethicists finds no justification to support the UK's legal ban on sex selection before pregnancy for 'social' reasons.

3 Jul 2013

Study: IVF treatment linked with increased risk of mental retardation

In a study that included more than 2.5 million children born in Sweden, compared with spontaneous conception, any in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment was not associated with autistic disorder but was associated with a small but statistically significantly increased risk of mental retardation, according to a study in the July 3 issue of JAMA. The authors note that the prevalence of these disorders was low, and the increase in absolute risk associated with IVF was small.

3 Jul 2013

Mixed results for acupuncture in improving IVF rates

Acupuncture, when used as a complementary or adjuvant therapy for in vitro fertilization (IVF), may be beneficial depending on the baseline pregnancy rates of a fertility clinic, according to research from the University of Maryland School of Medicine. The analysis from the University of Maryland Center for Integrative Medicine is published in the June 27 online edition of the journal Human Reproduction Update.

2 Jul 2013

UCSF researchers find that vitamin C may help stem cells, in vitro fertilization

Vitamin C affects whether genes are switched on or off inside mouse stem cells, and may thereby play a previously unknown and fundamental role in helping to guide normal development in mice, humans and other animals, a scientific team led by UC San Francisco researchers has discovered.

2 Jul 2013

Research shows other viruses also play a role in AIDS transmission

While antiretroviral drugs offer an efficient means of preventing the replication of HIV in the blood, shedding of HIV may occur in semen, so that other persons can become infected during unprotected sexual intercourse.

24 Jun 2013

Special type of IVF may increase risk for insulin resistance among children

A special type of in vitro fertilization, or IVF, may increase the risk for insulin resistance among children conceived in this way, according to a new study from Greece. The results will be presented Monday at The Endocrine Society's 95th Annual Meeting in San Francisco.

18 Jun 2013

European Commission amends marketing authorisation for Celgene's REVLIMID

Celgene International Sàrl was today notified that the European Commission has amended the marketing authorisation for REVLIMID. This decision means that REVLIMID is now approved to treat patients with transfusion-dependent anaemia due to low or intermediate-1 risk myelodysplastic syndromes associated with an isolated deletion 5q cytogenetic abnormality when other therapeutic options are insufficient or inadequate.

17 Jun 2013

Study: Stress felt by dad leaves lasting impression on his sperm

Sperm doesn't appear to forget anything. Stress felt by dad-whether as a preadolescent or adult-leaves a lasting impression on his sperm that gives sons and daughters a blunted reaction to stress, a response linked to several mental disorders.

13 Jun 2013

USC scientists unlock mystery of why new cases of Noonan Syndrome are so common

Scientists at USC have unlocked the mystery of why new cases of the genetic disease Noonan Syndrome are so common: a mutation that causes the disease disproportionately increases a normal father's production of sperm carrying the disease trait.

10 Jun 2013

Six top scientists studying psoriasis receive NPF research grants to discover new treatments for chronic diseases

Six of the top scientists studying psoriasis-the most common autoimmune disease in the country, affecting 7.5 million Americans-and psoriatic arthritis, an inflammatory joint and tendon disease affecting up to 30 percent of people with psoriasis, received National Psoriasis Foundation (NPF) research grants totaling $450,000 for projects that aim to discover new treatments and a cure for these chronic diseases.

5 Jun 2013

Weekend reading: Volunteers in the battle with heart disease; Psychiatry without medication; Owning your genes

Psychiatrists who take time with their patients are not the norm. It's not because others don't care. Rather the system rewards efficiency, not empathy.

17 May 2013

Research finds sharp rise of dementia, other neurological deaths in people under 74

Professor Colin Pritchard's latest research published in Public Health Journal has found that the sharp rise of dementia and other neurological deaths in people under 74 cannot be put down to the fact that we are living longer - the rise is because a higher proportion of old people are being affected by such conditions, and what is really alarming, it is starting earlier and affecting people under 55 years.

10 May 2013

Research findings have important implications for developmental and cancer biology

Researchers from Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah have discovered that while the genes provided by the father arrive at fertilization pre-programmed to the state needed by the embryo, the genes provided by the mother are in a different state and must be reprogrammed to match.

10 May 2013

Researchers explore biological processes of stem cell division

The human body contains trillions of cells, all derived from a single cell, or zygote, made by the fusion of an egg and a sperm. That single cell contains all the genetic information needed to develop into a human, and passes identical copies of that information to each new cell as it divides into the many diverse types of cells that make up a complex organism like a human being.

6 May 2013

Incidence of testicular cancer on rise among American males

The incidence of testicular cancer has increased among American males over 15 years of age for more than 20 years and while overall incidence is still highest among Caucasian males, the greatest increase was observed in the Hispanic community, according to a new study at the 108th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Urological Association.

5 May 2013

Researchers identify gene variations linked to male and female infertility

Identification of genetic variations in the genes coding for the hormone FSH may provide new treatments for male and female infertility, according to work presented at the European Congress of Endocrinology in Copenhagen.

30 Apr 2013

Scientists discover new mechanism that controls egg cell fertility

Scientists in Mainz and Aachen have discovered a new mechanism that controls egg cell fertility and that might have future therapeutic potential.

25 Apr 2013

New research sheds light on successful ovulation and fertilization

Eggs take a long time to produce in the ovary, and thus are one of a body's precious resources. It has been theorized that the body has mechanisms to help the ovary ensure that ovulated eggs enter the reproductive tract at the right time in order to maximize the chance of successful fertilization.

18 Apr 2013

Exposure to multiple estrogen-mimicking chemicals distorts hormone action

For years, scientists have been concerned about chemicals in the environment that mimic the estrogens found in the body. In study after study, researchers have found links between these "xenoestrogens" and such problems as decreased sperm viability, ovarian dysfunction, neurodevelopmental deficits and obesity.

29 Mar 2013