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.

First comprehensive maps and analyses of human epigenomes revealed

Two dozen scientific papers published online simultaneously on Feb. 18, 2015 present the first comprehensive maps and analyses of the epigenomes of a wide array of human cell and tissue types. Epigenomes are patterns of chemical annotations to the genome that determine whether, how, and when genes are activated.

18 Feb 2015

UT Southwestern scientists identify new biomarker that could optimize chemotherapy response

UT Southwestern Medical Center scientists have identified a new biomarker that could help identify patients who are more likely to respond to certain chemotherapies.

18 Feb 2015

Microsurgical technique revolutionizes treatment of infertile men

A microsurgical technique credited with revolutionizing treatment of men once thought to be infertile was recently performed at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, a first for southeast Michigan.

17 Feb 2015

Study shows that de novo mutations can be detected in human in vitro fertilized embryos using PGD

Reprogenetics, the largest U.S. genetics laboratory specializing in Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD), announced today the publication of new clinical data in the March issue of Genome Research demonstrating that de novo single base mutations can be detected in embryos after in vitro fertilization (IVF).

16 Feb 2015

Jefferson, RMA of Philadelphia announce clinical partnership

Jefferson announced today its clinical partnership with RMA of Philadelphia, merging the expertise of two outstanding groups of reproductive specialists on its Center City campus.

11 Feb 2015

Parents can pass silenced genes to offspring through a specific mechanism

For more than a century, scientists have understood the basics of inheritance: if good genes help parents survive and reproduce, the parents pass those genes along to their offspring. And yet, recent research has shown that reality is much more complex: genes can be switched off, or silenced, in response to the environment or other factors, and sometimes these changes can be passed from one generation to the next.

4 Feb 2015

INRS researchers to use new specialized equipment to study environmental equity, male infertility

With the acquisition of new specialized equipment, INRS researchers Philippe Apparicio, Géraldine Delbès, and Maritza Jaramillo and their teams will be able to advance knowledge and train highly qualified people in the fields of environmental equity, reproductive toxicology, and the treatment of infections. They received a total of over $1 million from the Quebec government and the John R. Evans Leaders Fund of the Canadian Foundation for Innovation.

22 Jan 2015

Study: ICSI technique no better than conventional IVF

The use of an assisted reproduction technique known as intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) doubled between 1996 and 2012, although compared with conventional in vitro fertilization (IVF), use of ICSI was not associated with improved reproductive outcomes, according to a study in the January 20 issue of JAMA.

21 Jan 2015

Scientists image zinc atoms released by fertilized mammalian egg

Sparks literally fly when a sperm and an egg hit it off. The fertilized mammalian egg releases from its surface billions of zinc atoms in "zinc sparks," one wave after another, found a Northwestern University-led interdisciplinary research team that includes experts from the U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Photon Source at Argonne National Laboratory.

24 Dec 2014

Sensitive toxicity test aims to detect dangerous side effects in pharmaceutical development

Because of undetected toxicity problems, about a third of prescription drugs approved in the U.S. are withdrawn from the market or require added warning labels limiting their use. An exceptionally sensitive toxicity test invented at the University of Utah could make it possible to uncover more of these dangerous side effects early in pharmaceutical development so that fewer patients are given unsafe drugs.

16 Dec 2014

Scientists demonstrate technique for editing genome in sperm-producing adult stem cells

Scientists at Indiana University and colleagues at Stanford and the University of Texas have demonstrated a technique for "editing" the genome in sperm-producing adult stem cells, a result with powerful potential for basic research and for gene therapy.

16 Dec 2014

Endocrinologist examines benefits and harms of testosterone therapy

An article in the latest edition of Australian Prescriber looks at the prescribing of testosterone, often used for ‘male menopause’ symptoms such as reduced energy, poor concentration and increased body fat. Over the past decade there has been a steep rise in the amount of testosterone dispensed in Australia and globally.

4 Dec 2014

Finding could upend scientific consensus about when embryonic cells begin separating into cell types

Bioengineers at the University of California, San Diego have discovered that mouse embryos are contemplating their cellular fates in the earliest stages after fertilization when the embryo has only two to four cells, a discovery that could upend the scientific consensus about when embryonic cells begin differentiating into cell types.

28 Nov 2014

Uterine contractions have positive effect on artificial insemination

The negative impact of contractions during in vitro fertilisation is a well-known fact. What was unknown until now was the effect it had on artificial insemination.

27 Nov 2014

Researchers reveal mechanism that determines direction of egg flow in fallopian tubes

Researchers in Japan have revealed the mechanism that determines the direction of the transportation of eggs in the fallopian tube.

21 Nov 2014

Single mutation in beta-catenin gene can lead to infertility

Scientists from the RIKEN BioResource Center in Tsukuba, Japan, have discovered that a single mutation in the beta-catenin gene, which codes a protein known to be deeply involved in a number of developmental and homeostatic processes, can lead to infertility not through a disruption of the production of egg or sperm cells, but rather by leading to abnormalities in the morphology of the sexual organs, making natural reproduction impossible.

7 Nov 2014

Two major studies newly implicate dozens of genes in autism

Two major genetic studies of autism, led in part by UC San Francisco scientists and involving more than 50 laboratories worldwide, have newly implicated dozens of genes in the disorder. The research shows that rare mutations in these genes affect communication networks in the brain and compromise fundamental biological mechanisms that govern whether, when, and how genes are activated overall.

31 Oct 2014

Genetic differences contribute to risk for autism

Small differences in as many as a thousand genes contribute to risk for autism, according to a study led by Mount Sinai researchers and the Autism Sequencing Consortium, and published today in the journal Nature.

29 Oct 2014

New research suggests that exposure to aluminium may reduce male fertility

And the team of scientists, at the universities of Lyon and Saint-Etienne in France and Keele in the UK, found that the higher the aluminium, the lower sperm count.

21 Oct 2014

Whole exome sequencing can assist in early diagnosis of various disorders

Approximately one-fourth of the 3,386 patients whose DNA was submitted for clinical whole exome testing received a diagnosis related to a known genetic disease, often ending a long search for answers for them and their parents, said researchers from the Baylor College of Medicine departments of molecular and human genetics and pediatrics and the Baylor Human Genome Sequencing Center and the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.

20 Oct 2014