Varicocele occurs in approximately 15% to 20% of the general male population and it is the most common cause of poor semen production and decreased semen quality. It has been demonstrated that patients with varicocele have a significantly higher DNA fragmentation index (DFI) and spermatozoa with nuclear anomalies than healthy fertile men. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate sperm chromatin integrity in these patients. Sixty men referring to the andrology laboratory were categorised into three different groups: 20 infertile men with varicocele, 20 infertile men with abnormal semen parameters and 20 fertile men who had normal spermatogram were considered as control group. Semen analysis was performed according to WHO criteria. To evaluate sperm chromatin quality and DNA integrity, after fixation of sperm smears, aniline blue, toluidine blue, chromomycin A(3) and acridine orange staining were applied in three groups. The slides were analysed by light and fluorescent microscopy and to determine the percentage of mature or immature spermatozoa, 200 spermatozoa were counted in each slide. The results showed that the rates of aniline blue-reacted spermatozoa were significantly higher in infertile and varicocele patients than in the normal group (P < 0.001). In addition, with regard to chromomycin A(3), acridine orange and toluidine blue staining, there was a significant difference between the three groups (P < 0.001). The results showed that the varicocele samples contain a higher proportion of spermatozoa with abnormal DNA and immature chromatin than those from fertile men as well as infertile men without varicocele. Therefore, varicocele results in the production of spermatozoa with less condensed chromatin and this is one of the possible causes of infertility due to varicocele.

The aim of this study was to examine the possible relationship between sperm DNA integrity and chromatin packaging evaluated by cytochemical assays, traditional sperm parameters and recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA) of unknown origin. In this cohort study, 40 couples with a history of RSA and 40 couples with proven fertility were considered as case and control groups respectively. The semen samples of all husbands were analysed for sperm parameters and also sperm chromatin and DNA integrity assessed using cytochemical tests including aniline blue (AB), chromomycin A3 (CMA3), toluidine blue (TB), acridine orange (AOT) and nuclear chromatin stability assay. Among different sperm parameters, only slow motility was significantly different between the two groups. In sperm chromatin evaluations, there were significant differences between the two groups in all of the tests. In addition, the majority of semen samples in RSA patients exhibited upper percentages of abnormal spermatozoa than the cut-off values regarding different cytochemical assays. Our study showed that in the cases of RSA, slow motility had a significant reduction in comparison with controls and also spermatozoa of men from RSA group had less chromatin condensation and poorer DNA integrity than spermatozoa that obtained from fertile men with no history of RSA.

Background:Over the past two decades, there has been a growing trend in using oral hygienic products originating from natural resources such as essential oils (EOs) and plant extracts. Seven aromatic plants used in this study are among popular traditional Iranian medicinal plants with potential application in modern medicine as anti-oral infectious diseases.Objectives:This study was conducted to determine the chemical composition and antimicrobial activities of essential oils from seven medicinal plants against pathogens causing oral infections.Materials and Methods:The chemical compositions of EOs distilled from seven plants were analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). These plants included Satureja khuzestanica, S. bachtiarica, Ocimum sanctum, Artemisia sieberi, Zataria multiflora, Carum copticum and Oliveria decumbens. The antimicrobial activity of the essential oils was evaluated by broth micro-dilution in 96 well plates as recommended by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) methods.Results:The tested EOs inhibited the growth of examined oral pathogens at concentrations of 0.015-16 µL/mL. Among the examined oral pathogens, Enterococcus faecalis had the highest Minimum Inhibitory Concentrations (MICs) and Minimum Microbicidal Concentrations (MMCs). Of the examined EOs, S. khuzestanica, Z. multiflora and S. bachtiarica, showed the highest antimicrobial activities, respectively, while Artemisia sieberi exhibited the lowest antimicrobial activity.Conclusions:The excellent antimicrobial activities of the tested EOs might be due to their major phenolic or alcoholic monoterpenes with known antimicrobial activities. Hence, these EOs can be possibly used as an antimicrobial agent in treatment and control of oral pathogens.

Uropathogens in many Asian countries had high resistance to broad-spectrum antibiotics. Knowledge of regional and local resistance data and prudent use of antibiotics are important for proper management of UTI in Asian countries.

Overweight and obese men have been reported to have lower sperm quality. The aim of this study was to evaluate, whether body mass index (BMI) is related to changes in semen parameters. In a cross-sectional study, sperm parameters were reviewed in 852 normal, healthy men, of reproductive age (25-50). BMI was divided into four groups: underweight, normal, overweight and obese. Sperm concentration of overweight and obese men were 63 and 62, respectively, which were lower than subjects with normal BMI (71). Total sperm count and sperm motility in overweight and obese men were significantly lower than men with normal BMI too. Sperm morphology in study groups was similar. The results revealed a significant inverse correlation between the BMI and the sperm parameters.