BACKGROUND: The relationship between surgical sperm retrieval of different etiologies and clinical pregnancy is unclear. We aimed to develop a robust and interpretable machine learning (ML) model for predicting clinical pregnancy using the SHapley Additive exPlanation (SHAP) association of surgical sperm retrieval from testes of different etiologies.
METHODS: A total of 345 infertile couples who underwent intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) treatment with surgical sperm retrieval due to different etiologies from February 2020 to March 2023 at the reproductive center were retrospectively analyzed. The six machine learning (ML) models were used to predict the clinical pregnancy of ICSI. After evaluating the performance characteristics of the six ML models, the Extreme Gradient Boosting model (XGBoost) was selected as the best model, and SHAP was utilized to interpret the XGBoost model for predicting clinical pregnancies and to reveal the decision-making process of the model.
RESULTS: Combining the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC), accuracy, precision, recall, F1 score, brier score, and the area under the precision-recall (P-R) curve (AP), the XGBoost model has the best performance (AUROC: 0.858, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.778-0.936, accuracy: 79.71%, brier score: 0.151). The global summary plot of SHAP values shows that the female age is the most important feature influencing the model output. The SHAP plot showed that younger age in females, bigger testicular volume (TV), non-tobacco use, higher anti-müllerian hormone (AMH), lower follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) in females, lower FSH in males, the temporary ejaculatory disorders (TED) group, and not the non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA) group all resulted in an increased probability of clinical pregnancy.
CONCLUSIONS: The XGBoost model predicts clinical pregnancies associated with testicular sperm retrieval of different etiologies with high accuracy, reliability, and robustness. It can provide clinical counseling decisions for patients with surgical sperm retrieval of various etiologies.

The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of sperm source on embryo morphokinetics and the clinical outcomes of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) cycles by considering the clustering of data (multiple embryos per patient that share a comparable developmental timing). This matched cohort study was performed at a private university-affiliated in vitro fertilization center. Women who underwent ICSI with epididymal sperm between January 2019 and December 2020 (the percutaneous epididymal sperm aspiration group, n = 32 cycles) were matched with women who underwent ICSI with ejaculated sperm because of idiopathic male factor infertility (the male factor infertility [MFI] group, n = 32 cycles) or female infertility (the control group, n = 32 cycles). Embryos were cultured in a time-lapse imaging incubator, and morphokinetic development was recorded and compared among the groups. Significantly slower divisions were observed in embryos derived from epididymal sperm than in those derived from the MFI and control groups. Embryos derived from epididymal sperm had a significantly lower KIDScore (3.1 ± 0.2) than did those derived from ejaculated spermatozoa from the MFI (5.4 ± 0.1) and control (5.6 ± 0.2, p < 0.001) groups. Epididymal sperm-derived embryos showed a significantly greater occurrence of multinucleation (23.2%) than did those derived from ejaculated sperm from the MFI and control groups (2.8% and 3.7%, p < 0.001, respectively). Epididymal sperm-derived embryos were significantly more likely to undergo direct or reverse cleavage (11.1%) than ejaculated sperm-derived embryos in the control group (4.3%, p = 0.001). In conclusion, delayed cell cleavage and increased incidences of blastomere multinucleation and abnormal cleavage patterns are observed when epididymal-derived sperm are used for ICSI.

UNASSIGNED: The current study estimated the levels of anti mullerian hormone (AMH) and inhibin-B and reproductive hormones in non obstructive azoospermic (NOA) cases and obstructive azoospermic (OA) cases as well as comparing between them as regards the sensitivity and specificity in determining the sperm retrieval hope in the NOA cases. Finally, we analyzed any potential correlation between all the hormones measured in the current study.
UNASSIGNED: The current case control study was conducted at the andrology outpatient clinic from June (2021) to March (2022). The study recruited 135 participants divided equally into three groups NOA cases, OA cases and controls, respectively.
UNASSIGNED: The mean inhibin-B was significantly lower in the NOA cases compared to the OA cases and the controls. There was a positive moderate correlation between AMH and Inhibin-B. Also, there was a positive moderate correlation between inhibin-B and free testosterone (FT) and positive weak correlation between beta Inhibin and leutinizing hormone (LH).
UNASSIGNED: The current study asserts the observation that inhibin-B is also expressed by Leydig cells as it has demonstrated positive correlations with FT and LH.

Male factor infertility plays a role in approximately 30% of infertility cases. Various causes of male factor infertility exist including congenital, acquired, idiopathic, or environmental factors. Identifying the underlying etiology of male factor infertility is a key step toward providing appropriate counseling, effective treatment options, and improving outcomes for couples with infertility. Although the recent advances and developments in assisted reproductive technology have undoubtedly improved fertility outcomes, clinicians must understand the scope of reproductive urologists in the evaluation and treatment of male infertility to provide comprehensive counseling, appropriate referral, comprehensive evaluation, and correct surgical sperm retrieval techniques when needed.

To determine any significant differences in the reproductive outcome from intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) with surgical sperm retrieval (SSR) between cycles using fresh and cryopreserved sperm and between cycles using epididymal and testicular sperm.
A retrospective national cohort study using data from the UK Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, including all ICSI cycles performed in the United Kingdom over a 10-year period.
Hospital.
All nondonor ICSI cycles from 2008 to 2017 categorized by sperm source and cryopreservation status.
Intracytoplasmic sperm injection with SSR using fresh or cryopreserved sperm and using ejaculated, testicular, and epididymal sperm.
Live birth rate, pregnancy rate, and implantation rate.
We analyzed data from 214,649 ICSI cycles, including 199,818 cycles of ejaculated sperm, 5,646 cycles of epididymal sperm, and 9,185 cycles of testicular sperm. Live births rates per ICSI cycle were 28.5%, 30.6%, and 28.7% for ejaculated, epididymal, and testicular sperm cycles, respectively. Epididymal sperm cycles had a higher live birth rate than that of testicular sperm cycles (odds ratio [OR], 1.067; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.014-1.123). This was despite a higher mean male age (42.5 vs. 40.6 years; 95% CI of difference, 1.81-1.85 years) and female age (34.3 vs. 34.0 years; 95% CI of difference, 0.32-0.34 years) in epididymal cycles than in testicular cycles. Implantation (61.2% vs. 58.0%; OR, 1.086; 95% CI, 1.041-1.133) and clinical pregnancy rates (34.3% vs. 31.3%; OR, 1.085; 95% CI, 1.039-1.132) were also higher in epididymal cycles than in testicular cycles. There were no statistically significant differences in outcomes between cycles using fresh sperm and those using cryopreserved sperm for SSR-ICSI.
Our study indicates that reproductive outcomes of SSR-ICSI are at least comparable with those of ICSI using ejaculated sperm and does not support the preferential use of fresh sperm over cryopreserved sperm in SSR-ICSI. Births per SSR-ICSI cycle were higher for cycles using epididymal sperm than for cycles using testicular sperm; however, the differences were small, which may provide reassurance to patients undergoing these procedures. The results must be interpreted with caution because multivariable analysis was not possible because of aggregation of data.

暂无摘要。

Klinefelter Syndrome (KS) is characterized by the presence of an extra X chromosome. It was first diagnosed in 1942 in a group of azoospermic men. KS is the most common chromosomal abnormality encountered in infertile men and accounts for more than 10% of the causes of azoospermia. Men who are azoospermic may still father children via testicular sperm extraction followed by intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). This review article summarizes the success rates of the available techniques for surgical sperm retrieval (SSR) in KS including conventional testicular sperm extraction (cTESE) and micro testicular sperm extraction (mTESE), as well as the risks of these procedures for future fertility. The evidence indicates that the SSR rate is as successful in non-mosaic men with KS as those with normal karyotypes, with retrieval rates of up to 55% reported. The influence of different factors that affect the chances of a successful outcome are discussed. In particular, the impact of aneuploidy rate, physical characteristics, co-morbidities, reproductive endocrine balance and the use of different hormone management therapies are highlighted. Evidence is presented to suggest that the single most significant determinant for successful SSR is the age of the patient. The success of SSR is also influenced by surgical technique and operative time, as well as the skills of the surgeon and embryology team. Rescue mTESE may be used successfully following failed TESE in KS patients in combination with hormone stimulation.

To demonstrate that surgical sperm retrieval (SSR) and spermatogonial stem cell retrieval (SSCR) in an oncological context are safe and successful.
This a retrospective study in a tertiary hospital in the UK. Patients requiring fertility preservation from December 2017 to January 2020 were included. Data were analysed with Microsoft Excel 2016 and the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (version 20).
Among 1264 patients referred to the Reproductive Medical Unit at the University College of London Hospitals for cryopreservation prior to gonadotoxic treatment, 39 chose to go forward with SSR/SSCR because they presented as azoo-/cryptozoospermic or an inability to masturbate/ejaculate. Interventions were testicular sperm extraction (23 patients) or aspiration (one), electroejaculation (one), and testicular wedge biopsy for SSCR (14). The median (range) age was 15.0 (10-65) years and the median testosterone level was 4.4 nmoL/L. Primary diagnoses were sarcoma in 11 patients, leukaemia in nine, lymphoma in eight, testicular tumour in five, other oncological haematological entities in two, other solid cancers in two, while two patients had non-oncological haematological diseases. SSR/SSCR could be offered within 7.5 days on average. Chemotherapy could follow within 2 days from SSR/SSCR, and bone marrow transplant occurred within 19.5 days (all expressed as medians). The success rate for SSR was 68.0% (at least one vial/straw collected). The mean (SD) Johnsen score of testicular biopsies was 5.23 (2.25) with a trend towards positive correlation with SSR success (P = 0.07). However, age, hormonal profile and type of cancer did not predict SSR outcome.
We show that SSR and SSCR in an oncological context are valid treatment options with a high success rate for patients in which sperm cryopreservation from semen is impossible. By providing an effective pathway, fertility preservation is possible with minimal delay to oncological treatment.

Surgical sperm retrieval (SSR) is currently one of the most common procedures in in vitro fertilization (IVF). However, a gap between the guidelines and routine clinical practice regarding antibiotic use in SSR, which might lead to antibiotic resistance, is a challenging problem worldwide. A cross-sectional survey was conducted from May 1, 2021, to July 15, 2021, to investigate antibiotic usage by medical professionals when performing SSR in IVF centers in Vietnam. The confidential questionnaire comprised 12 items, including characteristics of the study population, awareness of antimicrobial resistance, attitude toward prescribing antibiotics, and current practice of prescribing antibiotics when performing SSR. Surveys were completed by 30 of 45 registered IVF centers (66.7%). Among 67 physicians working at those centers, the age and work-experience years (mean ± standard deviation [s.d.]) were 38.6 ± 6.6 years and 11.2 ± 7.0 years, respectively. Over 60% of them held a degree in Obstetrics and Gynecology, and over four-fifths were men. Most respondents \"often/very often/always\" raised awareness of antimicrobial resistance to their patients (83.3%), but only half of them \"often/occasionally\" prescribed antibiotics to patients with SSR in cases where the prescription would be optional. About one-tenth of respondents followed the recommendation from the American Urological Association using \"prophylaxis only\" for SSR patients. For more invasive SSR, physicians tended to prescribe more complicated and sometimes inappropriate regimens. In conclusion, antibiotic usage in SSR was not always appropriate among IVF centers. Further studies may define specific recommendations for regimens, intervention strategies, and programs to promote appropriate antibiotic use for SSR patients among IVF specialists.

UNASSIGNED: Apart from neurological consequences, most distressing sequels of spinal cord injury (SCI) in men are erectile dysfunction, ejaculatory dysfunction and abnormal semen quality. Of these, ejaculatory dysfunction and poor semen parameters pose the biggest challenge to their biological fatherhood. Penile vibratory stimulation (PVS) and electroejaculation are first-line modalities for anejaculation, and surgical sperm retrieval (SSR) is adopted when other treatments fail. Sperms obtained using these techniques can be used for various fertility treatments for couples with spinal cord injured men. The aim of the study was to study the effectiveness of various modalities of sperm retrieval for assisted reproductive treatment in men with SCI.
UNASSIGNED: It was a prospective observational study, wherein partners of 12 men with SCI presenting for subfertility underwent assisted reproduction after retrieving sperms via various modalities. The primary outcome was to assess efficacy of PVS in obtaining sperms and of SSR if PVS failed. The secondary outcome was to assess the pregnancy rate in their partners.
UNASSIGNED: PVS was successful in obtaining ejaculate in 7 of 12 men, and SSR was fruitful in 4 of 5 men. In vitro fertilization cycle for men who underwent PVS resulted in a pregnancy rate of 57.14% and 75% in couples for men who underwent SSR with an overall pregnancy rate of 58.33%.
UNASSIGNED: With new cases of SCI occurring primarily in young men at the peak of their reproductive health, it is imperative that medical professionals involved with reproductive health should be aware of the various modalities to help them achieve biological paternity.