Evidence map›Paper›PMID 26228577›Full record

Trial reportInternational urology and nephrology2015

Diagnostic accuracy of sperm DNA degradation index (DDSi) as a potential noninvasive biomarker to identify men with varicocele-associated infertility.

Sandro C Esteves, Jaime Gosálvez, Carmen López-Fernández, Rocío Núñez-Calonge, Pedro Caballero, Ashok Agarwal, José Luis Fernández

Open access · greenAbstract readClinical Trial
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in International urology and nephrology, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 50 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
50citing papers in PubMed, 3 pooled it
19.0field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
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

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

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

50 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 100 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Pooled it
  4. Review
  5. Review
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Review
  9. Article
  10. Review
  11. Article
  12. Article
  13. Article
  14. Article
  15. Review
  16. Review
  17. Article
  18. Effect of varicocele repair on sperm DNA fragmentation: a review.International urology and nephrology · 2018
    Review
  19. Article
  20. Developing a deeper insight into reproductive biomarkers.Clinical and experimental reproductive medicine · 2017
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.

Sandro C EstevesAndrofert, Andrology and Human Reproduction Clinic, Referral Center for Male Reproduction, Campinas, Brazil, s.esteves@androfert.com.br.
Jaime Gosálvez
Carmen López-Fernández
Rocío Núñez-Calonge
Pedro Caballero
Ashok Agarwal
José Luis Fernández
Universidad Autónoma de Madrid · ESCleveland Clinic · USComplexo Hospitalario Universitario A Coruña · ES

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeVaricocele is a frequent cause of impaired testicular function that has been associated with increased levels of sperm DNA fragmentation (SDF). Sperm with degraded DNA (DDS), as observed using the sperm chromatin dispersion (SCD) test, represent a subpopulation of spermatozoa with extensive DNA and nuclear protein damage. The aim of this work was to determine the usefulness of sperm DNA degradation index (DDSi) as a novel noninvasive biomarker to identify infertile men with varicocele.

methodsA total of 593 semen samples obtained from men attending infertility clinics were analyzed for SDF and DDS with the SCD test. These samples were classified as: (1) fertile donors; (2) infertile patients with least two failed assisted reproduction cycles; (3) leukocytospermia; (4) Chlamydia trachomatis infection; (5) testicular cancer, and (6) infertile men with varicocele. The DDSi was obtained by determining the proportion of DDS in the whole sperm population presenting with fragmented DNA. The diagnostic accuracy of DDSi was evaluated by correlation coefficient and receiver operating characteristics analyses.

resultsA positive correlation (r ≥ 0.52) was observed between the SDF and the frequency of degraded sperm in all patient groups. The sperm DNA degradation index (DDSi) was at least twice as higher in infertile men with varicocele (mean: 0.54) compared with other clinical conditions and fertile donors (means ranging from 0.02 to 0.21; P < 0.0001). A DDSi ≥ 0.33 identified patients with varicocele with 94 % accuracy.

conclusionAlthough DDS is not pathognomonic of varicocele, the DDSi is a useful noninvasive biomaker to identify infertile individuals with varicocele when examining sperm DNA damage during a routine semen analysis. This finding may alert practitioners and laboratories performing semen analysis that in the presence of an abnormal DDSi it is likely that a given patient has varicocele. It is therefore strongly recommended that such patients be referred to urologists in order to undergo a full andrological examination and be properly counseled.

Indexed as

DNA FragmentationAdultBiomarkersDNAHumansInfertility, MaleMaleROC CurveSemen AnalysisSpermatozoaSperm CountSperm MotilityVaricoceleBiomarkersDNA

Identifiers

PMID26228577
OpenAlexW941570738

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.