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.

Infertility - discovery could mean new treatment

A team of Japanese scientists at Osaka University led by Dr Masaru Okabe have discovered a protein essential for human sperm to fuse to an egg. The findings could well lead to new methods of treating infertility and the development of new contraceptive strategies.

9 Mar 2005

Protein circulating in the blood delivers selenium to germ cells, enabling normal development of sperm

A paper to be published in the journal Biology of Reproduction offers evidence that a protein circulating in the blood of mammals delivers the dietary micronutrient selenium to germ cells, enabling these cells to develop into normal sperm.

7 Mar 2005

HIV virus removed from fathers sperm

27 babies in Japan have been born virus-free after the virus was removed from the the sperm of HIV-positive fathers.

7 Mar 2005

British call for more sperm

The UK needs more sperm and egg donors to meet an increasing demand, the Government has announced.

26 Jan 2005

Increasing trend in society to be more open about the use of sperm donors

Two studies to be published tomorrow (Thursday 27 January) in Europe's leading reproductive medicine journal, Human Reproduction provide a generally optimistic picture about attitudes towards the increasing trend in society to be more open about the use of sperm donors.

26 Jan 2005

New ideas for creating a new generation of oral medications to treat infertility

Researchers now have a much better picture of how follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), one of the most frequently used fertility drugs, works, and with it new ideas for creating a new generation of oral medications to treat infertility.

20 Jan 2005

Home HIV-AIDS test could be a reality within two years

A portable device similar to a home pregnancy test that can quickly detect the presence of infectious diseases, including HIV-AIDS and measles as well as biological agents such as Ricin and anthrax, is the goal of a new joint research project

17 Jan 2005

New portable infectious disease detector

A portable device similar to today's home pregnancy tests that can quickly detect the presence of infectious diseases, including HIV-AIDS and measles, as well as biological agents such as ricin and anthrax, is the object of a new joint university/industry research project.

10 Jan 2005

Old fashioned cod piece helps shield male gonads when X-rayed

Shielding the male gonads using a type of lead capsule previously only used in X-ray imaging also reduces indirect radiation to the testes during MDCT of the abdomen and pelvis, according to a new study by researchers from the University of Technology of Aachen in Germany.

5 Jan 2005

Needling chromosomes yields insights into cell division

By impaling individual chromosomes with glass needles one thousandth the diameter of a human hair, a Duke University graduate student has tested their "stickiness" to one another during cell division. Her uncanny surgical skills have added a piece to the large and intricate puzzle of how one cell divides into two -- a process fundamental to all organisms.

23 Dec 2004

Notebook computers can have a negative effect on male fertility

US fertility experts are warning teenage boys and young men to consider limiting the time that they use notebook computers positioned on their laps, as long-term use may affect their fertility.

13 Dec 2004

One embryo as good as two to maximize the chance of pregnancy

Nearly as many women who received only one embryo at a time gave birth as women who received two embryos. At the same time the risk of giving birth to twins is minimized. These are the findings of a major study from the Sahlgrenska Academy, at Göteborg University in Sweden.

3 Dec 2004

Safe, effective and reversible alternative contraceptives for men

Most men know when their family is complete, and vasectomy remains the most effective and safest form of sterilization. Around 10% of vasectomized men in the U.S desire vasectomy reversal due to the high divorce rate in this country and other life circumstances.

16 Nov 2004

Five advanced tests provide answers to couples with unexplained infertility

For couples struggling with infertility, "all routine tests came back negative" are not the words they want to hear. With up to 15% of couples with "unexplained infertility" and another 3% struggling with recurrent pregnancy loss, advanced tests help doctors find answers for their most challenging cases.

16 Nov 2004

Novel enzyme in sperm is essential for spontaneous and independent movement

A study led by scientists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has found that a novel enzyme in sperm is essential for spontaneous and independent sperm movement as well as male fertility.

16 Nov 2004

Sexual competition among males is evident at the molecular level, as well as at behavioral and physiological levels

In what could be termed a truly seminal discovery, researchers have shown that when females are more promiscuous, males have to work harder -- at the genetic level, that is. More specifically, they determined that a protein controlling semen viscosity evolves more rapidly in primate species with promiscuous females than in monogamous species.

8 Nov 2004