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A translational medicine appraisal of specialized andrology testing in unexplained male infertility

  • Urology – Review
  • Published:
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Abstract

The diagnostic and prognostic validity of sperm function biomarkers is particularly relevant for males with unexplained infertility in which routine semen analysis fails to detect subcellular sperm dysfunctions. In this general review, we examine the role and significance of specialized andrology laboratory tests from past to present and provide a glance toward the future. We concluded that the assessment of sperm DNA damage and oxidative stress provide a relatively independent measure of fertility that yields diagnostic and prognostic information complementary to, but distinct and more significant than, standard sperm parameters. Since none of the available methods for such testing have been fully translated, further research is necessary to evaluate their cost-effectiveness when applied in large scale to daily medical practice. Application of translational medicine concepts would also be useful to accelerate the clinical application of recent discoveries in the fields of genomics, proteomics and metabolomics.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Androfert, Andrology and Human Reproduction Clinic, Av. Dr. Heitor Penteado, 1464, Campinas, São Paulo, 13075-460, Brazil

    Sandro C. Esteves

  2. Center for Reproductive Medicine, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA

    Rakesh K. Sharma & Ashok Agarwal

  3. Genetics Unit, Department of Biology, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain

    Jaime Gosálvez

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  1. Sandro C. Esteves
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  2. Rakesh K. Sharma
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  3. Jaime Gosálvez
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  4. Ashok Agarwal
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Correspondence to Sandro C. Esteves.

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Esteves, S.C., Sharma, R.K., Gosálvez, J. et al. A translational medicine appraisal of specialized andrology testing in unexplained male infertility. Int Urol Nephrol 46, 1037–1052 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11255-014-0715-0

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