metabolic processes and transcription from RNA polymerase type II promoter. The main molecular functions enriched were the protein, enhancer, chromatin, and transcription factor binding. In particular, the transcription factors ZF5, E2F, and Kaiso showed the highest statistical significance.CONCLUSIONS: IVF modifies the DNA methylation signature in the adult liver, resulting in the hypomethylation of genes involved in metabolism and regulation of gene transcription. These findings may shed light into the mechanisms underlying the developmental origin of health and disease.SUPPORT: R01HD092267 to PFR and UC MEXUS-CONACYT to SLA.
OBJECTIVE: The American Urologic Association (AUA) Vasectomy Guidelines recommend that a post-vasectomy semen analysis (PVSA) be done 8-16 weeks after vasectomy with either azoospermia or <100,000 non-motile sperm/mL serving as the criteria for vasectomy success. 1 The impact of the period of abstinence (POA) on the results of a PVSA is unknown. A short POA prior to PVSA may serve as a marker of higher sexual activity (i.e. more ejaculations) in the post-vasectomy interval and thus lead to an increased chance of an acceptable PVSA. However, while studies have shown alterations in sperm concentration and motility with variable POAs for a routine semen analysis, it is unclear if POA has an impact on the chance of finding <100,000 non-motile sperm/mL on PVSA.DESIGN: Retrospective review of patients who had a vasectomy by a single urologist.MATERIALS AND METHODS: With institutional board approval, the PVSAs of men who had a vasectomy by a single urologist between January 2000 and July 2017 were retrospectively analyzed. Information was collected on the time since vasectomy, days of abstinence prior to collection, sperm count, and motility. Student t-tests were performed to examine the impact of POA on PVSA.RESULTS: In total, 875 men who underwent a vasectomy returned for a PVSA. Of these, 794 men (90.7%) had a PVSA demonstrating azoospermia and 48 (5.5%) had >100,000 sperm/mL or motile sperm. In the azoospermic men, the mean time since vasectomy was 151 days (range 10-1989) compared to 100 days (range 24-189) in those with >100,000 sperm or motile sperm (p ¼ 0.15), and no difference in the POA was observed (4.4 vs 5.3 days respectively, p ¼ 0.27). When examining men whose PVSA was done within the recommended 8-16 weeks after vasectomy, no difference in the POA between men with azoospermia and those with >100,000 sperm/ mL or motile sperm was observed (3.4 vs 3.3 days, p ¼ 0.84). Even when azoospermic men were compared to those with the presence of any sperm on PVSA, there was no difference in the POA (3.4 vs 3.5 days, p ¼ 0.84). Of those men tested < 8 weeks after vasectomy, 23/25 were azoospermic with intervals since vasectomy as short as 10 days and 2/25 demonstrated >100,000 sperm/mL or motile sperm.CONCLUSIONS: The POA does not appear to affect the results of a PVSA. As such, the length of the POA does not need to be considered with regards to when men should provide a PVSA.
Left scrotal temperature was significantly negatively correlated with sperm concentration (-0.268, p¼0.004), total motility (-0.337, p<0.001), normal morphology (-0.282, p¼0.003) & left testicular size (-0.292, p¼0.002). While it was significantly positively correlated with ORP (0.374, p¼0.01), left inguinal temperature (0.521, p<0.001) & right scrotal & inguinal temperatures (0.843, p<0.001; 0.521, p<0.001).CONCLUSIONS: Increased scrotal and inguinal temperatures are detected in patients with testicular dysfunction secondary to clinical varicocele.
Purpose To analyze the content of websites of ACGME-accredited REI fellowship programs in the USA and to determine whether there are differences in content across geographic regions. Methods All ACGME-accredited REI fellowship websites active as of September 2020 were evaluated and reviewed using 20 criteria in the following nine domains: program overview, contact information, application information, curriculum, current fellows, research, alumni, faculty, and fellowship benefits. Website content was compared across geographic regions (Northeast, Midwest, South, and West) of the USA. Analyses were completed using chi-squared univariate tests with p < 0.05 considered statistically significant. Results Out of the 49 accredited REI fellowship programs, 45 (92%) had a dedicated website. The most commonly available information included a program description (88%), clinical sites (84%), and application requirements (78%). Programs less commonly shared information regarding research requirements and didactics (65% for each). Current fellows were featured in 55% of websites with their pictures displayed in 41% and ongoing research in 20%. Salary and alumni information were included in only 14% and 12% of sites, respectively. When comparing content by geographic region, programs in the South had less information regarding application requirements (p < 0.001), interview dates (p = 0.03), and clinical sites (p = 0.04) compared to all other regions. Conclusions REI fellowship websites have significant variability in content available to applicants, and many are lacking information about core fellowship requirements. An informative and well-constructed website has the potential to improve perception of a graduate program.
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