scholarly journals Reproductive Function during Summer and Winter in Norwegian Men Living North and South of the Arctic Circle

2004 ◽  
Vol 89 (9) ◽  
pp. 4397-4402 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gunilla Malm ◽  
Trine B. Haugen ◽  
Trine Henrichsen ◽  
Cathrine Bjørsvik ◽  
Tom Grotmol ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Semen Quality ◽  
Reproductive Function ◽  
Inhibin B ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Volume Percentage ◽  
Arctic Circle ◽  
Semen Volume ◽  
North And South ◽  
Abstinence Period ◽  
North Latitude

Seasonal, daylight-dependent variation in human spermatozoa counts, with lowest values during summer, has been suggested. To test this hypothesis, we performed a longitudinal study of semen quality and reproductive hormone levels in Norwegian men living north and south of the Arctic Circle. An ejaculate and a serum specimen were obtained both in summer and in winter from 92 volunteers in Tromsoe (69° north latitude) and 112 in Oslo (60° north latitude). Semen analyses were performed, and serum was assayed for FSH and inhibin B. The median spermatozoa concentration in Tromsoe after adjustment for abstinence period length was 49 × 106/ml in summer and 54 × 106/ml in winter. Corresponding values for Oslo were 59 × 106/ml and 54 × 106/ml. The seasonal differences in spermatozoa concentration were not statistically significant, nor were significant differences observed in median total spermatozoa count, semen volume, percentage progressive motile spermatozoa, or FSH. In Tromsoe, but not Oslo, inhibin B concentration was slightly, but significantly (P = 0.02) higher in winter than summer (229 ng/liter vs. 223 ng/liter). The length of the daylight period may have a slight impact on hormonal markers of spermatogenesis but does not cause substantial changes in spermatozoa numbers and motility.

scholarly journals Association between GH receptor polymorphism (exon 3 deletion), serum IGF1, semen quality, and reproductive hormone levels in 838 healthy young men

2014 ◽  
Vol 170 (4) ◽  
pp. 555-563 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Andreassen ◽  
R B Jensen ◽  
N Jørgensen ◽  
A Juul
Keyword(s):  
Semen Quality ◽  
Final Height ◽  
Reproductive Function ◽  
Postnatal Growth ◽  
Reproductive Hormones ◽  
Inhibin B ◽  
Sex Hormone Binding Globulin ◽  
Gh Receptor ◽  
Male Reproductive Function ◽  
Semen Volume

IntroductionGH activity may be involved in male reproductive function. A common genetic polymorphism in the gene encoding the GH receptor (GHR) results in deletion of the entire exon 3 sequence (GHRd3 isoform). The short GHRd3/d3 isoform seems more sensitive compared with full-length receptors (GHRfl/fl).AimTo investigate the associations between GH activity, evaluated by exon 3 GHR polymorphism, and serum IGF1 vs reproductive hormones, semen quality, and pre- and postnatal growth in healthy young males (n=838, mean age: 19.4 years).ResultsCompared with GHRfl/fl homozygous individuals (n=467) GHRd3/d3 homozygous individuals (n=69) tended to have larger semen volume (3.2 (2.4–4.3) vs 3.6 (2.6–4.7) ml, P=0.053) and higher serum inhibin-B levels (208 pg/ml (158–257) vs 227 pg/ml (185–264), P=0.050). Semen quality, levels of gonadotropins, testosterone, estradiol, sex hormone-binding globulin, and IGF1 were not associated with GHRd3 genotype.A twofold increase in serum IGF1 was associated with a 13% (4–23) increase in calculated free testosterone (P=0.004). By contrast IGF1 was inversely associated with serum inhibin-B (P=0.027), but showed no associations to semen quality. GHR genotype and serum IGF1 were not associated with size at birth or final height.ConclusionsGHRd3 polymorphism seemed only to have a weak influence on male reproductive function of borderline significance. The sensitive GHRd3/d3 genotype may slightly increase testicular function, as evaluated by semen volume and levels of inhibin-B, but does not seem to influence Leydig cell steroidogenesis. GHR genotype did not influence pre- and postnatal growth.

THE EFFECT OF A 15-H PHOTOPERIOD ON REPRODUCTIVE FUNCTION IN BOARS AT 2, 3, 4 OR 5 MONTHS OF AGE

1981 ◽  
Vol 61 (4) ◽  
pp. 925-934 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. G. GREENBERG ◽  
J. P. MAHONE
Keyword(s):  
Seminal Plasma ◽  
Zinc Concentration ◽  
Semen Quality ◽  
Reproductive Function ◽  
Group Iv ◽  
Artificial Light ◽  
Group Iii ◽  
Group I ◽  
Semen Volume ◽  
Viable Sperm

The effects of supplemental lighting in stimulating reproductive function in prepuberal boars were studied using littermate boars divided equally into four groups (n = 9). All boars received natural daylight (9.2–12.8 h) until 2 mo of age, followed by artificial light given daily according to the following schedule: boars were exposed to a 15-h photoperiod beginning at the age of 2 (group I); 3 (group II); 4 (group III) or 5 mo (group IV). Libido scores of the four groups increased with age (P < 0.001). Seminal plasma protein (P < 0.01) and zinc concentration (P < 0.05), sperm-rich concentration, sperm-rich volume, total semen volume and total viable sperm increased (P < 0.05) with age in all four groups. The photoperiod treatment had no effect on semen quality on a per ejaculate basis between the groups; 15 h of light per day was not effective in accelerating the onset of puberty when administered from 2, 3, 4 or 5 mo of age onward.

The Prevalence of Bacteriospermia in Infertile Men and Association with Semen Quality in Southwestern Iran

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 198-202 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Motamedifar ◽  
Yalda Malekzadegan ◽  
Parisa Namdari ◽  
Behzad Dehghani ◽  
Bahia Namavar Jahromi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Semen Quality ◽  
Sperm Quality ◽  
Reproductive Function ◽  
World Health ◽  
Public Health Issue ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Microbiological Analysis ◽  
Male Reproductive Function ◽  
Infertile Men ◽  
Southwestern Iran

Introduction: Infertility considered as a social and public health issue and estimated that most of these infertile couples are residents of developing countries. Infectious diseases including the history of Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) may impact on male reproductive function. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the prevalence of bacterial contaminants of semen and probable association with sperm quality of infertile men in Iranian population. Methods: The study population consisted of 200 infertile men and 150 fertile men attending an infertility Center in southwestern Iran during the study period in 2015. The assessment of sperm parameters was according to the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. The presumptive pathogens were identified using standard microbiology tests and confirmed by specific PCR primers. Results: The prevalence of bacteriospermia in the semen of the infertile group was significantly higher than that in the fertile group (48% vs. 26.7%, P <0.001). The microbiological analysis of samples showed that the most abundant species of bacteria in semen of infertile men were Chlamydia trachomatis (12.5%) followed by Neisseria gonorrhoeae (11%). On the other hand, in the control group, Lactobacillus spp. (17.3%) was the most isolated pathogen. Results showed that the presence of N. gonorrhoeae, C. trachomatis, Mycoplasma genitalium, Haemophilus, and Klebsiella was significantly associated with sperm abnormality. Conclusion: Based on our findings, it seems that bacteriospermia is associated with alterations in the properties of semen which may lead to a decrease in the fertilization potential of sperm. Therefore, immediate and appropriate treatment is necessary before investigating every other possible cause of infertility.

Energy outlook for the Arctic: 2020 and beyond

Polar Record ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 52 (2) ◽  
pp. 170-175 ◽  
Author(s):  
Graça Ermida
Keyword(s):  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Oil Prices ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Hydrocarbon Production ◽  
Arctic Circle ◽  
The Us ◽  
Energy Issues

ABSTRACTAt least four littoral countries have Arctic strategies that address energy issues. However, US, Canada, Russia and Norway strategies up to 2020 and beyond, reveal different interests in exploring Arctic resources. While Arctic oil and gas are of strategic importance to Russia and to Norway, Canada and the US seem content with continuing their current extraction predominantly south of the Arctic Circle. Despite the different approaches, the outcomes seem strangely similar. Indeed, despite the hype concerning the Arctic in the last decade, and for very diverse reasons, it is unlikely that any of these four countries will increase hydrocarbon production in the Arctic during the period under analysis. This was true even before the recent drop in oil prices. For all its potential, it is unclear what lies ahead for the region.

Pseudoditrichum mirabile gen. et sp. nov. (Musci: Pseudoditrichaceae fam. nov.), a unique moss from Great Bear Lake, Northwest Territories

1974 ◽  
Vol 52 (4) ◽  
pp. 701-705 ◽  
Author(s):  
William Campbell Steere ◽  
Zennoske Iwatsuki
Keyword(s):  
Northwest Territories ◽  
New Genus ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Phylogenetic Position ◽  
New Genus And Species ◽  
Arctic Circle ◽  
New Family ◽  
Bear Lake ◽  
Evolutionary Level

The name Pseudoditrichum mirabile Steere et Iwatsuki is proposed for a minute moss with leafy stem 1-3 mm high and seta 6 mm long; it was collected on calcareous silt near the Sloan River, Great Bear Lake, Northwest Territories, only a few miles south of the Arctic Circle. The gametophytic characters agree well with those of the Ditrichaceae, a relatively primitive family, but the peristome is clearly double, with the inner and outer teeth opposite, which thereby indicates a much more advanced phylogenetic position, perhaps at the evolutionary level of the Funariaceae. As the combination of gametophytic and sporophytic characteristics exhibited by this moss does not occur in any existing family of mosses, it is therefore deemed necessary to create the new family Pseudoditrichaceae for the new genus and species described here.

Northward ho! Obama, Diefenbaker and the North American Arctic

Polar Record ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 52 (2) ◽  
pp. 252-255
Author(s):  
Klaus J. Dodds
Keyword(s):  
Native American ◽  
Aleutian Islands ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Arctic Circle ◽  
The North ◽  
American President ◽  
North American Arctic ◽  
To Come ◽  
Franklin Delano Roosevelt ◽  
Lying Down

President Barrack Obama became, in September 2015, the first US president to travel north of the Arctic Circle. Having started his Alaskan itinerary in Anchorage, attending and speaking at a conference involving Secretary of State John Kerry and invited guests, the president travelled north to the small town of Kotzebue, a community of some 3000 people with the majority of inhabitants identifying as native American. Delivered to an audience in the local high school numbering around 1000, the 41st US president placed his visit within a longer presidential tradition of northern visitation: I did have my team look into what other Presidents have done when they visited Alaska. I’m not the first President to come to Alaska.Warren Harding spent more than two weeks here – which I would love to do. But I can't leave Congress alone that long. (Laughter.) Something might happen. When FDR visited – Franklin Delano Roosevelt – his opponents started a rumor that he left his dog, Fala, on the Aleutian Islands – and spent 20 million taxpayer dollars to send a destroyer to pick him up. Now, I’m astonished that anybody would make something up about a President. (Laughter.) But FDR did not take it lying down. He said, “I don't resent attacks, and my family doesn't resent attacks – but Fala does resent attacks. He's not been the same dog since.” (Laughter.) President Carter did some fishing when he visited. And I wouldn't mind coming back to Alaska to do some fly-fishing someday. You cannot see Alaska in three days. It's too big. It's too vast. It's too diverse. (Applause.) So I’m going to have to come back. I may not be President anymore, but hopefully I’d still get a pretty good reception. (Applause.) And just in case, I’ll bring Michelle, who I know will get a good reception. (Applause.) . . .. But there's one thing no American President has done before – and that's travel above the Arctic Circle. (Applause.) So I couldn't be prouder to be the first, and to spend some time with all of you (Obama 2015a).

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