Evidence map›Paper›PMID 20111081›Full record

ArticleAsian journal of andrology2010

Clinical significance of the low normal sperm morphology value as proposed in the fifth edition of the WHO Laboratory Manual for the Examination and Processing of Human Semen.

Roelof Menkveld

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Asian journal of andrology, 2010. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 60 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
60citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

60 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
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  18. Reproductive effects of sulfoxaflor in male Sprague Dawley rats.Environmental science and pollution research international · 2022
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

1 author.

Roelof MenkveldDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Tygerberg Academic Hospital and University of Stellenbosch, South Africa. rme@sun.ac.za

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The very low cut-off value for sperm morphology of 4% morphologically normal spermatozoa, as proposed in the new edition of the World Health Organization (WHO) manual on semen analysis, is in agreement with recently published values and reflects the trend of a decline in reported mean values for normal sperm morphology. The reduced value for morphologically normal spermatozoa over the years may be due to several factors. The first is the introduction of strict criteria for the evaluation of sperm morphology. Other reasons may include the introduction of additional criteria for sperm morphology abnormalities and the suggested decrease in semen parameters because of increasing negative environmental influences. Although on its own the newly proposed very low normal value may not provide the strong predictive value for a males' fertility potential, as originally reported for sperm morphology evaluated according to strict criteria, a good predictive value can still be obtained if the holistic, strict approach for sperm morphology evaluation is followed together with additional sperm morphology parameters now available, because certain morphology patterns and sperm abnormalities are now known to be of strong prognostic value. In addition, better international standardization of the technical methodology, consensus on the interpretation of sperm morphology evaluation criteria and standardized international external quality control (EQC) schemes, are of utmost importance to maintain the good predictive value of sperm morphology.

Indexed as

Manuals as TopicWorld Health OrganizationHumansInfertility, MaleMalePrognosisReference ValuesSemen AnalysisSpermatozoa

Identifiers

PMID20111081
PMCPMC3739680

What OpenQuestion holds

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.