Evidence map›Paper›PMID 29713537›Full record

ArticleArab journal of urology2018

A systematic review on sperm DNA fragmentation in male factor infertility: Laboratory assessment.

Manesh Kumar Panner Selvam, Ashok Agarwal

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Arab journal of urology, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 43 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
43citing papers in PubMed, 3 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

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

43 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
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  9. Review
  10. The role of sperm DNA fragmentation in reproduction: a SWOT analysis.Journal of assisted reproduction and genetics · 2025
    Review
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  20. Coenzyme Q10, oxidative stress, and male infertility: A review.Clinical and experimental reproductive medicine · 2021
    Article
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

2 authors.

Manesh Kumar Panner SelvamAmerican Center for Reproductive Medicine, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA.
Ashok AgarwalAmerican Center for Reproductive Medicine, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveTo review sperm DNA fragmentation (SDF) testing as an important sperm function test in addition to conventional semen analysis. High SDF is negatively associated with semen quality, the fertilisation process, embryo quality, and pregnancy outcome. Over recent decades, different SDF assays have been developed and reviewed extensively to assess their applicability and accuracy as advanced sperm function tests. Amongst them, the standardisation of the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferased UTP nick-end labelling (TUNEL) assay with a bench top flow cytometer in clinical practice deserves special mention with a threshold value of 16.8% to differentiate infertile men with DNA damage from fertile men. MATERIALS AND

methodsA systematic literature search was performed through the PubMed, Medline, and ScienceDirect databases using the keywords 'sperm DNA fragmentation' and 'laboratory assessment'. Non-English articles were excluded and studies related to humans were only included.

resultsOf the 618 identified, 87 studies (original research and reviews) and in addition eight book chapters meeting the selection criteria were included in this review. In all, 366 articles were rejected in the preliminary screening and a further 165 articles related to non-human subjects were excluded.

conclusionThere are pros and cons to all the available SDF assays. TUNEL is a reliable technique with greater accuracy and as an additional diagnostic test in Andrology laboratories along with basic semen analysis can predict fertility outcome, and thus direct the choice of an assisted reproductive technology procedure for infertile couples. Also, the TUNEL assay can be used as a prognostic test and results are beneficial in deciding personalised treatment for infertile men.

Indexed as

AO, acridine orangeART, assisted reproductive technologyCMA3, chromomysin A3DFI, DNA fragmentation indexDNA damagedsDNA, double-stranded DNAdUTP, 2′-deoxyuridine 5′-triphosphateFITC, Fluorescein isothiocyanateICSI, intracytoplasmic sperm injectionIUI, intrauterine inseminationIVF, in vitro fertilisationPI, propidium iodideROS, reactive oxygen speciesSCD, sperm chromatin dispersionSCSA, sperm chromatin structure assaySDF, sperm DNA fragmentationSperm DNA fragmentation (SDF)Sperm DNA fragmentation (SDF) assayssDNA, single-strand DNATdT, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferaseTerminal deoxynucleotidyl transferased UTP nick-end labelling (TUNEL)TUNEL, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferased UTP nick-end labelling

Identifiers

PMID29713537
PMCPMC5922187

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Registered trials

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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.