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Eosinophils are implicated prominently in allergic diseases and the host response to parasitic infections. Eosinophils may be activated in vitro by diverse classes of agonists such as immunoglobulins, lipid mediators, and cytokines. The leukocyte Ig-like receptors (LIRs) comprise a family of inhibitory and activating cell-surface receptors. Inhibitory LIRs down-regulate cellular responses through cytoplasmic immunoreceptor tyrosine-based inhibitory motifs. There are limited data on the action of the activating LIRs, which are thought to signal through the Fc receptor γ chain, which contains an immunoreceptor tyrosine-based activation motif. We now demonstrate the expression of LIR1 (inhibitory), LIR2 (inhibitory), LIR3 (inhibitory), and LIR7 (activating) on eosinophils from 4, 4, 12, and 11, respectively, of 12 healthy donors. Cross-linking of LIR7 with plate-bound antibody elicited the dose- and time-dependent release of eosinophil-derived neurotoxin and leukotriene C4. Eosinophils activated with antibodies to LIR7 embedded in gel-phase EliCell preparations showed leukotriene C4 generation at the nuclear envelope and the release of IL-12 but not IL-4 by vesicular transport. Thus, LIR7 is an activating receptor for eosinophils that elicited the release of cytotoxic granule proteins, de novo lipid mediator generation, and cytokine release through vesicular transport., Version of Record

The female infertility experience is well-described, but the male experience is less explored. We sought to understand if fertility motivations and quality of life differ for males undergoing fertility evaluation by a reproductive urologist (RU) versus a reproductive endocrinologist (RE). A cross-sectional study of 201 males undergoing fertility evaluation at an academic centre, by either a RU or RE, over a 2-year period, was performed. A survey was administered, with demographic, medical, and fertility motivations questions, and the validated Fertility Quality of Life (FertiQoL) questionnaire. Responses were compared by provider type using descriptive statistics, chi-square, and t -test. Most men (91.1%) pursued evaluation because of a mutual desire for children. RE evaluated males were older, earned higher incomes, and were more likely to pursue IVF versus those RU evaluated ( p  < 0.05). Men evaluated by RUs had lower FertiQoL scores, ( p  < 0.05), which correlated with having known male factor infertility ( p  < 0.05). Nearly all (96.2%) men evaluated by RUs indicated this was helpful for understanding their infertility. Our findings provide new insight into the male fertility evaluation experience. Despite the lower QoL seen by men seeing a RU, nearly all men reported that a RU evaluation was helpful for understanding their infertility experience.

Think about 6 loved ones of reproductive age in your life. Now imagine that 1 of these 6 individuals is suffering from infertility. Perhaps they feel alone and isolated, unable to discuss their heartbreak with their closest friends, family, and support network. Suffering in silence. In this editorial, we discuss the infertility journey through the lens of the patients, the providers, and the scientists who struggle with infertility each and every day. Our goal is to open a dialogue surrounding infertility, with an emphasis on dismantling the longstanding societal barriers to acknowledging male infertility as a disease. Through education, communication, compassion, and advocacy, together we can all begin to break the deafening silence of male infertility., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest Jake Anderson: Owner, FertilityIQ. The other authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

We aim to evaluate the effect of testicular trauma on male reproductive outcomes. The electronic medical record was retrospectively searched using diagnosis codes for testicular trauma and procedure codes for testicular trauma repairs, at Los Angeles County and Parkland Hospitals, for males aged 18-55 years. Charts were reviewed for trauma details, reproductive hormones, and semen analyses. Men were contacted by phone for a fertility and sexual performance survey. Fifty-six patients were identified as having testicular trauma. Twelve were reached by telephone, of which 33.3% had blunt and 66.7% had penetrating traumas. The mean duration since trauma was 41 months. One quarter reported new-onset erectile dysfunction post-trauma, 16.7% endorsed new-onset dysuria, 8.3% endorsed long-term testicular pain. Only two males (16.7%) attempted paternity post-trauma, both with primary infertility. One patient (8.3%) was attempting paternity post-trauma and experiencing primary infertility for 42 months. Two patients (16.7%) had undergone semen analysis testing, both patient-reported as 'normal'. None of the 12 patients we reached were under the care of a urologist. Both short and long-term urologic follow-up is crucial for testicular trauma patients. Despite some experiencing lasting consequences, none of these men were under the care of a urologist.

Purpose: The Internet is a ubiquitous source of medical information, and natural language processors are gaining popularity as alternatives to traditional search engines. However, suitability of their generated content for patients is not well understood. We aimed to evaluate the appropriateness and readability of natural language processor-generated responses to urology-related medical inquiries., Materials and Methods: Eighteen patient questions were developed based on Google Trends and were used as inputs in ChatGPT. Three categories were assessed: oncologic, benign, and emergency. Questions in each category were either treatment or sign/symptom-related questions. Three native English-speaking Board-Certified urologists independently assessed appropriateness of ChatGPT outputs for patient counseling using accuracy, comprehensiveness, and clarity as proxies for appropriateness. Readability was assessed using the Flesch Reading Ease and Flesh-Kincaid Reading Grade Level formulas. Additional measures were created based on validated tools and assessed by 3 independent reviewers., Results: Fourteen of 18 (77.8%) responses were deemed appropriate, with clarity having the most 4 and 5 scores ( P = .01). There was no significant difference in appropriateness of the responses between treatments and symptoms or between different categories of conditions. The most common reason from urologists for low scores was responses lacking information-sometimes vital information. The mean (SD) Flesch Reading Ease score was 35.5 (SD=10.2) and the mean Flesh-Kincaid Reading Grade Level score was 13.5 (1.74). Additional quality assessment scores showed no significant differences between different categories of conditions., Conclusions: Despite impressive capabilities, natural language processors have limitations as sources of medical information. Refinement is crucial before adoption for this purpose.

Male infertility is a common disease. Male infertility is also a core competency of urology training and clinical practice. In this white paper from the Society for the Study of Male Reproduction and the Society for Male Reproduction and Urology, we identify and define different physician productivity plans. We then describe the advantages and disadvantages of various physician productivity measurement systems for male infertility practices. We close with recommendations for measuring productivity that we hope urologists and administrators can use when creating productivity plans for male infertility practices., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Recent epidemiological data indicate that there may be a gender predisposition to COVID-19, with men predisposed to being most severely affected, and older men accounting for most deaths., Objectives: Provide a review of the research literature, propose hypotheses, and therapies based on the potential link between testosterone (T) and COVID-19 induced mortality in elderly men., Materials and Methods: A search of publications in academic electronic databases, and government and public health organization web sites on T, aging, inflammation, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) due to coronavirus (CoV) 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, and COVID-19 disease state and outcomes was performed., Results: The link between T, the immune system, and male aging is well-established, as is the progressive decline in T levels with aging. In women, T levels drop before menopause and variably increase with advanced age. Elevated IL-6 is a characteristic biomarker of patients infected with COVID-19 and has been linked to the development of the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Thus far, half of the admitted COVID-19 patients developed ARDS, half of these patients died, and elderly male patients have been more likely to develop ARDS and die. Low T is associated with ARDS. These data suggest that low T levels may exacerbate the severity of COVID-19 infection in elderly men. It may also stand to reason that normal T levels may offer some protection against COVID-19. SARS-CoV-2 binds to the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2, present in high levels in the testis., Conclusion: At present, it is not known whether low T levels in aging hypogonadal males create a permissive environment for severe responses to COVID-19 infection or if the virus inhibits androgen formation. Given the preponderance of COVID-19 related mortality in elderly males, additional testing for gonadal function and treatment with T may be merited., (© 2020 American Society of Andrology and European Academy of Andrology.)

A 65-year-old healthy woman presented with persistent, asymptomatic sterile pyuria detected by her family physician. While she did not have symptoms, the patient recounts that she has had cloudy urine for years. Cultures of the urine for bacteria showed no growth and no fungi were identified. First-morning urine samples were sent for both tuberculosis and nontuberculosis mycobacterium species testing. The culture grew genotypically identified Mycobaterium avium complex (MAC). Mantoux skin testing was positive. No urological abnormalities were detected by ultrasound and computed tomography (CT) imaging of the urinary tract.