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Urinary Tract Infections, Genital Ulcers and Syphilis
Published in Miriam Orcutt, Clare Shortall, Sarah Walpole, Aula Abbara, Sylvia Garry, Rita Issa, Alimuddin Zumla, Ibrahim Abubakar, Handbook of Refugee Health, 2021
Epididymitis is infection or inflammation of the epididymis. It can be caused by STIs (e.g. Chlamydia and gonorrhoea) or non-STI bacteria. It usually presents unilaterally with tenderness and swelling over the scrotum; it can become epididymo-orchitis with associated hydrocele. Consider TB.
A New Theory on the Acquisition of Sperm Motility During Epididymal Transit
Published in Claude Gagnon, Controls of Sperm Motility, 2020
Dale D. Hoskins, S. Vijayaraghavan
Mammalian sperm acquire the capacity to fertilize the ovum and display motility during passage through the epididymis.1 At the same time, they undergo changes in shape, metabolic patterns, enzymatic activities, surface and electrophoretic properties, and ability to bind to the zona pellucida.1,2 The epididymis (from the Greek “upon the testicle”) is a highly convoluted tubular organ, measuring some 20 ft in length in man, which secretes specific proteins and low molecular compounds which then interact with sperm in specific regions of the epididymis. Epithelial cells from different segments of the epididymis secrete and absorb specific proteins, and the secretion of some of these is androgen-dependent.2 Although the binding of specific epididymal secretory proteins to sperm in transit has been amply documented and, in fact, the genes for some of these proteins cloned,3 only one highly characterized protein, acrosomal stabilizing factor,4 has been shown to have a defined function.
Regulation of Reproduction by Dopamine
Published in Nira Ben-Jonathan, Dopamine, 2020
The male genital tract transports sperm from the site of production to the exterior of the body, provides storage capacity for the sperm and assists in its maturation. The epididymis is a coiled segment of the spermatic ducts that stores spermatozoa while they mature and then transports them to the vas deferens, which connects to the urethra. The epididymis is composed of a head (caput), body (corpus), and tail (cauda). A significant portion of sperm maturation (i.e., the acquisition of motility and fertility) is carried out in the caput, while storage occurs in the cauda. Final sperm maturation (capacitation) is completed within the female reproductive tract, as discussed later in this chapter. The ampulla of the vas deferens serves as an accessory storage site for sperm. Heightened sexual activity and frequent ejaculation can result in the appearance of immature and immotile sperm in the ejaculate.
Sperm quality and testicular histopathology of Wistar albino male rats treated with hydroethanolic extract of Cordia dichotoma fruits
Published in Pharmaceutical Biology, 2022
Samah A. El-Newary, Mohamed S. Aly, Amal R. Abd El Hameed, Mohamed S. Kotp, Abdelghany A. Youssef, Naglaa A. Ali
The hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis controls the spermatogenesis process. The hypothalamus gland secretes gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) that promotes FSH and LH hormones from pituitary glands. Leydig cells in interstitial tissue of tests produce TS under the LH effect. FSH stimulates Sertoli function. FSH and TS synergistically work to produce sperm cells in seminiferous tubules by meiotic division. Produced sperms pass through the epididymis, those secret substances for sperm maturation. Finally, seminal vesicles and prostate glands secret semen components as fructose, citrate, inositol, and prostaglandins. Success spermatogenesis process is dependent on the harmony between the previous steps. Therefore, any pathological alternation in the male reproductive system may interfere with fertility via impairment of TS level or disturbing spermatogenesis and sperm maturation (Cooper 2002; Hafez and Hafez 2005).
The impact of COVID-19 on the male reproductive tract and fertility: A systematic review
Published in Arab Journal of Urology, 2021
Pallav Sengupta, Kristian Leisegang, Ashok Agarwal
Additional information is reported in a study categorised under semen quality, where Li et al. [43] (2020) reported testicular damage in six age-matched case-controlled autopsies on testicular tissue. This included inflammatory infiltration into testicular and epididymal tissue, signs of oedema, congestion and red blood cell exudates. The seminiferous tubules were thinned with an increased number of apoptotic cells were present, as well as increased CD3+ and CD68+ in the interstitial cells of testicular tissue and the presence of immunoglobulin G (IgG) within seminiferous tubules of autopsied testes. Furthermore, Song et al. [36] (2020) reported that there was no detection of SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA in the testis of an autopsied 67-year-old male who had succumbed to COVID-19.
Extracellular vesicle cargo of the male reproductive tract and the paternal preconception environment
Published in Systems Biology in Reproductive Medicine, 2021
Ahmet Ayaz, Emily Houle, J. Richard Pilsner
In addition to the presence of prostasomes, EVs originating from the epididymis (referred to as epididymosomes) have been identified in human seminal fluid. Sperm are initially non-motile when they exit the seminiferous tubules of the testes and undergo maturation process during their passage in the epididymis (which can last up to 14 days). The epididymis is a coiled structure (4–6 m in length), which is positioned posterior to the surface of the testes and bridges the efferent ductus and vas deferens. It is divided into three main regions: proximal caput (head), elongated corpus (body), and distal cauda (tail), where sperm are ultimately stored until ejaculation. The epididymis provides an alkaline intraluminal environment to stimulate sperm motility. The complexity of epididymal intraluminal secretions arises from absorptive activity, secretory activity, and more importantly, bi-directional vesicle trafficking (Hermo et al. 2019).