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The study objective is to analyze the content of spermatozoa with single and double-stranded DNA breaks in different age groups.Materials and methods. The level of DNA fragmentation was studied in 300 ejaculate samples obtained from 266 sub- or infertile men. The group 1 included 150 samples obtained from 131 patients under the age of 45 (21–44 years), the group 2 included 150 samples obtained from 135 patients above the age of 45 (45–68 years). Mean ages were 34.8 ± 3.9 and 48.6 ± 3.1 years, respectively. The number of sperm with fragmented DNA was evaluated using the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) method on ejaculate smears. The number of spermatozoa with >15 % of fragmented DNA was considered elevated. Standard semen analysis was performed in 117 and 97 men from the groups 1 and 2, respectively.Results. The number of sperm with fragmented DNA varied in ejaculated samples from 1.5 to 64.5 %. Mean number of sperm with DNA breaks in the group 1 (12.0 ± 6.0 %) was significantly lower than in the group 2 (16.1 ± 8.3 %, p Conclusion. We revealed that in men over the age of 45 years, the percentage of spermatozoa with DNA fragmentation is higher than in men under 45 years of age, it may indirectly indicate an increased level of reactive oxygen species in the seminal plasma in older patients.

The paper covers the legal and ethical aspects of sex selection, and the dynamics of public opinion on this issue in different countries and regions of the world. Also, the results of two questionnaires, organized by Research Centre for Medical Genetics (2000 and 2017), are analyzed.

The paper covers legal and ethical aspects of the sperm donor anonymity, and the dynamics of public opinion on the anonymity of germ cells donation according to the results of the survey conducted in1994 and 2017 by the Laboratory of Genetics of Reproductive Disorders at the Research Centre of Medical Genetics.

We analyzed 755 semen samples from men with infertility in marriage and/or disorders of reproductive system. Standard semen analysis (WHO, 2010) was performed for all the samples. Only 11 % of the samples were normozoospermic. Various types of semen pathology were found in 89 % of the investigated samples. Necrozoospermia was detected in 1 % of the samples. Oligospermia was revealed in 12 % of the samples, in 98 % cases it was accompanied by pathozoospermia (abnormal morphology, low sperm concentration or motility). The most common types of pathozoospermia were asthenozoospermia (41 % of all studied samples), asthenoteratozoospermia (26 %) and oligoasthenoteratozoospermia (15 %). Azoospermia and cryptozoospermia were totally observed in 4 % of the samples. 3 % of the samples were defined as other types of pathozoospermia (teratozoospermia, oligozoospermia etc.). Positive correlations between the percentage of morphologically normal spermatozoa and the percentage of motile, percentage of progressively motile spermatozoa, concentration and total number of spermatozoa were found.

Polyzoospermia is extremely high (above 250 mln/ml) sperm concentration with normal volume of ejaculate. In the laboratory of genetic disorders of reproduction of Research Centre for Medical Genetics in 2007–2012 years we analyzed more than 14 000 semen samples from infertile men and men with reproductive disorders in order to study the distribution and characteristics of spermatogenesis in polyzoospermic men. Only polyzoospermic men semen analysis results were interpretered in present article. Polyzoospermia (sperm count over 250 mln/ml in volume over 1,5 ml) was detected in 191 semen samples (1.3 %). At the same time 15 % of the samples with polyzoospermia were normozoospermic. Among 85 % of the sperm pathology samples asthenozoospermia occured most frequently (77 %), astenoteratozoospermia was detected in 8 % of cases with polyzoospermia. The average proportion of vitality was 90.09 ± 10.02 %, normal morphology – 14.93 ± 8.51 %, and progressive motility – 17.72 ± 11.81 %. The average concentration of spermatozoa in the ejaculate in the examined samples was 313.29 ± 64.78 mln/ml. More than half of the tested samples with polyzoospermia had a concentration 250–300 mln/ml. Concentration of 450 mln/ml and more detected in 3 % of samples. The maximum total number of spermatozoa in the ejaculate in our study was more than 2 billion sperm cells and was observed in two polyzoospermic men. One of these patients had the maximum concentration (615 mln/ml) also. We found a high correlation (r = 0.89; p < 0.01) between the volume of ejaculate and the total number of spermatozoa. Immature germ cells from ejaculate were estimated in 7 patients. There was a partial spermatogenesis arrest at meiosis I prophase in 5 out 7 of the examined semen samples.

A number of lifestyle factors (such as smoking, alcohol abuse, etc.) are known to impact negatively overall health and wellbeing. Tobacco use is a risk factor for serious disease development. Still in the view of many scientists smoking is the easy preventable risk factor for some diseases. It is necessary to study the prevalence and influence of tobacco smoking on people who are planning to conceive a child in order to prevent the effects of damaging factors on future generations. In 2012–2013 years we questioned 255 men from infertile couples and men with proven reproductive disorders about their smoking experience, number of cigarettes smoked per day, type of cigarettes, etc. The majority of respondents were Moscow dwellers. Our survey found out that 35 % of the respondents have never smoked, 27 % quitted smoking; 38 % of the respondents smoked and 70 % of them do it regularly. The 58 % of regular smokers reported more than 10 years of smoking experience. A half of non-regular smokers have 6 or more years of smoking experience. Most of daily smokers consume more than half a pack cigarettes per day. Both regular and non-regular smokers preferred “light” and “medium” cigarettes. Among former smokers 63 % reported six or more years experience of smoking. It is typical that 54 % of quitters gave up smoking less than a year ago. The prevalence of smoking among men surveyed is more than 20 % lower than indicated for the whole country male population by most authors. We assume that it may be due to the care of men who plan to become fathers of their health and health of future children. Also long waiting time to pregnancy is likely to give rise to lifestyle habits reevaluation. On the other hand, a lot of respondents don,t give up the habit and continue to smoke more than ten cigarettes a day despite pregnancy planning.

We analyzed 10 178 semen samples from men in infertile couples within a retrospective clinical study (2007–2012). Basic semen parameters at different sperm concentrations were evaluated, immature germ cells in polyzoospermic men were estimated.

Overview of national and world literature on sexual autoidentification is analyzed. Prenatal brain development abnormalities leading to transsexualism are discussed. Results of own cytogenetic analysis, ооgenesis and spermatоgenesis examination are reported.

Ultrastructure of the flagellum is highly conserved and is composed of a number of cytoskeletal elements whose proper assembly is critical for sperm motility. Ultrastructural mechanisms damage as cause of asthenozoospermia development are discussed.