Paternal Influences on Human Reproductive Success

Historically, sperm have been seen as simply a mechanism of transferring a haploid set of chromosomes to the oocyte. However, data from assisted reproduction therapies (ART) have demonstrated that in many couples the sperm appears to be responsible for abnormal embryogenesis. Recent advances in genetic and epigenetic techniques have identified key mechanisms by which the sperm, and the DNA carried by the sperm, can affect early embryonic development. Paternal Influences on Human Reproductive Success examines the genetic and epigenetic influences on embryogenesis, as well as practical clinical factors related to the male contribution to reproductive success. It also provides 'cutting edge' data and analysis of recent evaluations of the role of advanced paternal age, environmental influences and lifestyle factors on male reproductive fitness, making this an invaluable text for physicians treating patients for infertility, recurrent pregnancy loss, and developmental anomalies, as well as basic scientists studying embryogenesis and spermatogenesis.

Preface; Part I. Advances in Understanding the Male Gamete: 1. The reproductive fitness of the human male gamete Douglas T. Carrell; 2. The sperm genome: effect of aneuploidies, structural variations, single nucleotide changes and DNA damage on embryogenesis and development Kenneth I. Aston and Donald F. Conrad; 3. The sperm epigenome: a role in embryogenesis and fetal health? Douglas T. Carrell and Jessie Dorais; 4. Imprinted gene anomalies in sperm C. Joana Marques and Mário Sousa; 5. Has the renewed interest in sperm RNA led to fresh insights? A critical review and hypothesis David Miller and David Iles; 6. The role of the sperm centrosome in reproductive fitness Heide Schatten and Qing-Yuan Sun; Part II. The Influence of Aging and Environmental Factors on Male Reproductive Fitness: 7. The male biological clock Harry Fisch; 8. The role of aging on fecundity in the male Csilla Krausz and Chiara Chianese; 9. Aging, DNA damage, and reproductive outcome Aleksander Giwercman and Jens Peter Bonde; 10. Paternal aging and increased risk of congenital disease, psychiatric disorders, and cancer Simon L. Conti and Michael L. Eisenberg; 11. Sexual function in the aging male John R. Gannon, Jeremy B. Myers and William O. Brant; 12. Supplements and replacement therapies for the aging male and their effects on reproductive fitness Armand Zini and Naif Al-hathal; 13. Environment and lifestyle effects on fertility Marc A. Beal and Christopher M. Somers; 14. Obesity and male infertility: is there an effect on embryogenesis? Oumar Kuzbari and Ahmad O. Hammoud; Part III. Clinical Laboratory Concepts and Considerations: 15. ICSI: does the sperm matter? Gianpiero D. Palermo, Queenie V. Neri and Zev Rosenwaks; 16. Sperm selection and ART outcome: a means to overcome the effects of aging and abnormal spermatogenesis? Denny Sakkas; 17. Variability of human semen quality: caution in interpreting semen analysis data Kenneth I. Aston; 18. Semen characteristics and aging: technical considerations regarding variability Lars Björndahl; Index.

Douglas T. Carrell is Professor of Surgery, Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Genetics, and Director of the Andrology and IVF Laboratories, at University of Utah Health Care, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.