Purpose: To compare the efficacy and safety of intralesional hyaluronic acid (HA) as compared with verapamil injection in patients with Peyronie's disease (PD). Materials and Methods: Between January 2015 and December 2018, men in PD acute phase were prospectively recruited. This open-label, prospective study included 2 different protocols. Group A: 8-week cycle of weekly intraplaque injections with HA; Group B: 8-week cycle of weekly intraplaque injections with verapamil. Penile curvature, plaque size, International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF)-15 score and visual analogue scale (VAS) were assessed at baseline and after 3 months. Results: Two-hundred forty-four patients were enrolled. Of these, 125 received intralesional HA (Group A), 119 received intralesional verapamil (Group B). At enrollment, median age was 56.0 years (interquartile range [IQR]=47.0-63.0 years), median curvature 35.0° (IQR=25.0°-45.0°), median IIEF-15 score 19.0 (IQR=16.0-23.0), median VAS 4.0 (IQR=4.0-5.0). Median difference for IIEF-15 was 1.0 (95% confidence interval [CI]=1.12-1.94) in Group A and 0.0 (95% CI=-0.04-0.14) in Group B (p<0.05) and median difference for VAS score was-4.0 (95% CI=-4.11-3.65) in Group A and-1.0 (95% CI=-0.50-2.01) in Group B (p<0.05). Plaque size decreased by-1.50 mm (IQR=1.60-2.10 mm) in Group A and-1.20 in Group B (p=0.10), while penile curvature decreased by-9.50° (IQR=4.50°-13.00°) in group A and-4.50 (IQR=2.50-7.50) in Group B (p<0.01). Conclusions: Intralesional HA injections could represent a reliable treatment option for the conservative management of patients with acute phase of PD.

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Background Recently, alterations in miRNAs expression profile in semen have been linked to damaged spermatogenesis, suggesting miRNAs could be used as potential infertility biomarkers. In previous animal studies, miR‐20a‐5p was found to be down‐expressed in low motile spermatozoa, implying its potential target of genes associated with cell apoptosis. Objective To investigate miR‐20a‐5p expression in blood plasma of patients suffering from non‐obstructive azoospermia (NOA), compared to normozoospermic controls. Materials and Methods Between January 2018 and December 2019, from 52 infertile couples eligible for the study, 24 couples were finally enrolled in this monocentric observational prospective pilot study. Patients were included into two groups: Group 1 comprised men with NOA (n = 14) and Group 2 fertile men partners of women with female tubal factor infertility (n = 10). All NOA patients underwent testicular sperm extraction. The expression of circulating miR‐20a‐5p in plasma samples was assessed by RT‐qPCR. A relative quantification strategy was adopted using the 2−ΔCq method to calculate the target miR‐20a‐5p expression with respect to miR‐16‐5p as endogenous control. Results Median blood plasma miR‐20a‐5p was significantly higher in patients affected by NOA (0.16 2−ΔCt, range: 0.05‐0.79 2−ΔCt) than in fertile controls (0.06 2−ΔCt, range: 0.04‐0.10 2−ΔCt), P < .001. MiR‐20a‐5p was positively correlated with follicle‐stimulating hormone (FSH) (rrho = −0.490, P = .015) and luteinizing hormone (LH) (rrho = −0.462, P = .023), and negatively correlated with serum total testosterone (TT) (rrho = −0.534, P = .007) and right and left testicular size (rrho = −0.473, P = .020 and rrho = −0.471, P = .020, respectively). Successful sperm retrieval (SR) rate was 50.0%. Median value of miR‐20a‐5p did not differ significantly among patients with successful SR and those with negative SR. Testicular histological examination showed: hypospermatogenesis in 6/14 (42.8%), maturation arrest in 4/14 (28.6%), sertoli cell‐only syndrome in 4/14 (28.6%). No significant differences in miR‐20a‐5p were found between histopathological patterns (P > .05). Conclusions MiR‐20a‐5p could represent a novel non‐invasive diagnostic biomarker of male infertility.

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PurposeThe aim was to describe our preliminary experience performing testicular fine-needle aspiration (TEFNA) with a larger needle in infertile patients with obstructive azoospermia, and to provide a systematic literature review of the different testicular sperm aspiration techniques, according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement recommendations.Materials and MethodsWe prospectively collected data between March 2017 and June 2018. All men underwent bilateral TEFNA under analgo-sedation, using a larger disposable 18-gauge butterfly needle with 60 mL Luer-Lock syringe attached to it.ResultsThirty consecutive patients were enrolled. Median operative time was 16 minutes (interquartile range [IQR]: 12–30 minutes). No intraoperative complications occurred. Two/thirty patients (6.7%) reported postoperative adverse events: 1 patient had prolonged orchialgia, 1 patient presented scrotal hematoma. Successful sperm retrieval was found in 28/30 cases (93.3%). Median sperm concentration was 0.05 ×106/mL (IQR: 0.001–0.1 ×106/mL). Median total sperm motility was 10% (IQR: 0%–15%). In 20/30 men (66.7%) sperm retrieved was used for fresh intracytoplasmic sperm injection cycle, in 8/30 (26.7%) sperm cryopreservation was necessary, because on the day of sperm retrieval the female resulted not responder to ovarian stimulation. In this cases mean number of 3 (IQR: 1–4) bio system straws was cryopreserved.ConclusionsTEFNA with 18-gauge needle proved to be a feasible, safe and effective treatment, even if future prospective studies will be addressed to clarify what type of azoospermia benefits from this procedure, and if a larger needle permits to improve Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) outcomes.

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The angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 receptor (ACE2) appears to be widely expressed in cells in the testes, predominantly in spermatogonia, Sertoli cells, and Leydig cells, and its co-expression with transmembrane protease serine 2 (TMPRSS2) is essential for the entry of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). For this reason, the male reproductive system could be considered a potential target for SARS-CoV-2, as well as a possible reservoir of infection. However, to date, there is very little evidence about the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in semen and testicular samples. The aim of this paper was to review the current evidence regarding the impact of SARS-CoV-2 on male fertility and sexual health, with a particular focus on reproductive hormones, the presence of the virus in seminal fluid and testis, and its impact on fertility parameters. We found very limited evidence reporting the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in semen and testicular samples, and the impact of SARS-CoV-2 on reproductive hormones and fertility parameters is unclear. The quality of the examined studies was poor due to the small sample size and several selection biases, precluding definitive conclusions. Hence, future well-designed prospective studies are needed to assess the real impact of SARS-CoV-2 on male reproductive function.

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