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Background: Testicular germ cell tumour is a multifactorial disease in which various genetic and environmental factors play a role. Testicular germ cell tumour is part of the testicular dysgenesis syndrome which includes also cryptorchidism, hypospadias, oligo/azoospermia and short anogenital distance., Objectives: The primary objective was to examine anogenital distance in testicular germ cell tumour cases and healthy fertile controls. The secondary objective was to assess the (CAG)n polymorphism of the Androgen Receptor gene in relationship with anogenital distances and testicular germ cell tumour development., Material and Methods: 156 testicular germ cell tumour patients and 110 tumour-free normozoospermic controls of Spanish origin. All subjects underwent full andrological workup (including semen and hormone analysis) and genetic analysis (Androgen Receptor (CAG)n). The main outcome measures were the anopenile distance (AGDap), the anoscrotal distance (AGDas) and AR(CAG)n., Result: We observed significantly shorter anogenital distances in the group of testicular germ cell tumour patients in respect to controls (P < .001) independently from sperm count and testis histology. Threshold values, applicable only to our cohort, were calculated for anogenital distances with the best sensitivity and specificity. Subjects with AGDap and AGDas below threshold showed a significantly increased risk for testicular germ cell tumour (OR = 4.97, 95% CI = 2.01-12.33, P = .001 and OR = 4.11, 95% CI = 1.89-8.92, P ≤ .001, respectively). No significant correlation was observed between AR(CAG)n polymorphism and anogenital distances. The median values of the AR(CAG)n were similar between cases and controls, excluding a major role for this polymorphism in the etiopathogenesis of these testicular dysgenesis syndrome components., Conclusions: Ours is the first study focusing on anogenital distances in testicular germ cell tumour patients. We identified short anogenital distances (which is a surrogate biomarker of androgen action during foetal life) as a significant risk factor for this disease. After further validation of our preliminary data, anogenital distance measurement could become part of testicular germ cell tumour screening in order to better define those individuals who would benefit from long-term active follow-up., (© 2020 American Society of Andrology and European Academy of Andrology.)

Background: Studies examining the association of anogenital distance (AGD), a biomarker of prenatal androgen exposure, with sexual development in children are lacking., Objective: To assess the association between AGD measures and reproductive outcomes, including puberty onset, testicular volume, reproductive hormone levels, and urogenital malformations in boys aged 9-11 years., Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among children belonging to the Spanish Environment and Childhood (INMA) Project, a population-based birth cohort study. The present sample included 279 boys for whom data were available on AGD, pubertal stage, testicular volume, and relevant covariates. Out of the boys with AGD data, 187 provided a blood sample for hormone analysis. AGD was measured from the center of the anus to the base of the scrotum. Pubertal development was assessed according to Tanner stage of genital development (G1-G5), and testicular volume was measured with an orchidometer., Results: After adjusting for potential confounders, logistic regression analysis showed that AGD was positively associated with testicular volume but not with Tanner stage (>G1 vs. G1), serum hormone levels, or undescended testis. Regardless of their age, body mass index, and Tanner stage (G1 or >G1), boys with longer AGD showed increased odds of a testicular volume >3 mL (OR = 1.06, 95%CI = 1.00-1.19 per 10% increment in AGD; and OR = 3.14, 95%CI = 0.99-9.94 for AGD >42 mm vs. <33 mm)., Discussion: Longer AGD was associated with testicular growth, an indicator of gonadarche, but not with other reproductive outcomes., Conclusions: Although AGD was positively associated with testicular volume, it remains unclear whether AGD predicts testis size at puberty or is related to puberty onset., (© 2018 American Society of Andrology and European Academy of Andrology.)

The first record of the prickly puffer Ephippion guttifer (Tetraodontidae) from Galician waters (north-west Spain) is reported based on a male specimen of 570 mm total length (L T ) caught in the Ría de Vigo. Morphometric, meristic and DNA barcode data confirmed the identification. Histological examination of reproductive tissue was carried out in this species for the first time, showing a mature male in an actively spawning phase. A historical revision invalidates a previous record and establishes this as the northernmost confirmed capture ever reported in the north-eastern Atlantic Ocean., (© 2018 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles.)

Males of all seasonal breeding mammals undergo circannual periods of testis involution resulting in almost complete ablation of the germinative epithelium. We performed a morphometric, histological, hormonal, and gene-expression study of the testes from winter and summer males of the greater white-toothed shrew, Crocidura russula, in populations of the southeastern Iberian Peninsula. Unexpectedly, we found no significant differences between the two study groups. Surprisingly, female data confirmed a non-breeding period in the summer, evidencing that males retain full testis function even when most females are not receptive. This situation, which has not been described before, does not occur in northern populations of the same species where, in addition, the reproductive cycle is inverted with respect to those in the south, as the non-breeding period occurs in winter instead in summer. Considering that the non-reproductive period shortens at lower latitude locations, we hypothesize that in southern populations the non-breeding period is short enough to make testis regression inefficient in terms of energy savings, because: (1) testes of C. russula are very small, a condition derived from their monogamy that implies low investment in spermatogenesis; and (2) the spermatogenic cycle of this species is slow and long. The inverted seasonal breeding cycle and the lack of seasonal testis regression described here are new adaptive processes that deserve further research, and provide evidence that the genetic and hormonal mechanisms controlling reproduction timing in mammals are more plastic and versatile than initially suspected., (© 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Testes mass is a key factor in male reproductive success and is potentially exposed to so-called 'parasitic castration'. This is the result of the direct destruction or alteration of reproductive cell lineages (parasitic castration sensu stricto), or the indirect detrimental effects - for example, via body condition - on the ability of progenitors to produce or rear offspring (parasitic castration sensu lato). There are enormous gaps in our knowledge on the effects of parasites on the testes of wild mammals and in an attempt to rectify this dearth of data we examined the relationship between the skin parasite Sarcoptes scabiei and testes mass in Iberian ibex Capra pyrenaica. We considered data from 222 males that were culled in the population from the Sierra Nevada in Spain. Our results provide evidence that sarcoptic mange is associated with reduced size-corrected testes mass in Iberian ibex which supports the hypothesis that parasitism is a determining factor in gonad plasticity in male mammals. We discuss several hypothetical causes of this relationship and highlight the need to deepen the sub-lethal effects of pathogens if we are to accurately understand their modulator effects on host population dynamics., (Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) is the most endangered felid in the world. Adequate genetic management of in situ and ex situ populations, and linkage between both, require knowledge on male reproductive biology and factors influencing it. We examined the influence of age, free-ranging versus captive conditions and seasonality on phenotypic, endocrine and semen traits, and links between reproductive traits and male fertility. Males had relatively small testes, produced low sperm numbers, a low proportion of normal sperm, and a high proportion of motile sperm. Young (2-year-old) males had lower testosterone levels, fewer sperm, and a lower proportion of motile and normal sperm than > or =4-year-old males. No major differences were found in semen traits before and after the mating season or between free-ranging and captive males, although the latter had better sperm motility. Males with larger relative testes weight and more sperm copulated more frequently, whereas males that produced more sperm with higher motility produced more cubs per female. In conclusion, small relative testes size and low sperm quality could indicate either low levels of sperm competition or high levels of inbreeding. Young males are probably subfertile; there is a slight trend for males in the captive breeding programme to have better semen quality than wild males, and males with higher sperm production are sexually more active and more fertile. These findings have major implications for decisions regarding which males should breed, provide samples for the genetic resource bank, or participate in programmes involving the use of assisted reproductive techniques.

A Tris-citric acid-glucose (TCG) diluent containing low concentrations (6%) of egg yolk, and a TCG extender containing lactose (without egg yolk), were compared for use in the cryopreservation of Spanish ibex (Capra pyrenaica) epididymal spermatozoa. To optimize the collection of epididymal spermatozoa, two spermatozoa recovery methods were tested: i) by using small cuts in the cauda epididymides and ii) by the application of air pressure (from a syringe) inside the vas deferens. The percentage of viable spermatozoa recovered was lower (P < 0.05) with the air pressure method. No significant differences were seen in the efficacy of the two diluents as determined by percentage viability of thawed sperm, membrane integrity (as determined by the hypo-osmotic swelling test), or acrosome integrity. The use of the TCG-lactose medium strongly reduced sperm motility (P < 0.001). The sperm samples that had been diluted with TCG-6% egg yolk extender showed a greater incidence (P < 0.05) of morphological abnormalities. TCG-lactose alone, does not well preserve motility when cryopreserving Spanish ibex epididymal spermatozoa.