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Evaluation of male fertility potential by Toluidine Blue test for sperm chromatin structure assessment

Tsarev, I. ; Bungum, Mona LU ; Giwercman, Aleksander LU ; Erenpreisa, J. ; Ebessen, T. ; Ernst, E. and Erenpreiss, J. (2009) In Human Reproduction 24(7). p.1569-1574
Abstract
We have previously suggested that the Toluidine Blue (TB) test can be used for sperm chromatin structure assessment. In this study, we wished to evaluate the clinical applicability of the TB test in assessing male fertility potential using well-defined groups of fertile and infertile men. Sixty-three fertile and 79 infertile men were tested. Infertility thresholds for the proportion of sperm with abnormal [TB dark cells (TBDCs)] and normal [TB light cells (TBLCs)] chromatin structure were set by the ROC curve analysis. Thresholds of 45% TBDC and 20% TBLC were highly predictive for infertility (specificity of the test: 92 and 90%, respectively), but they were poor predictors of the fertility (sensitivity of the test: 42 and 32%,... (More)
We have previously suggested that the Toluidine Blue (TB) test can be used for sperm chromatin structure assessment. In this study, we wished to evaluate the clinical applicability of the TB test in assessing male fertility potential using well-defined groups of fertile and infertile men. Sixty-three fertile and 79 infertile men were tested. Infertility thresholds for the proportion of sperm with abnormal [TB dark cells (TBDCs)] and normal [TB light cells (TBLCs)] chromatin structure were set by the ROC curve analysis. Thresholds of 45% TBDC and 20% TBLC were highly predictive for infertility (specificity of the test: 92 and 90%, respectively), but they were poor predictors of the fertility (sensitivity of the test: 42 and 32%, respectively). Odds ratio for infertility was 7.5 [95% confidence interval (CI): 2.7-20.8] when the 45% TBDC threshold was used and 4.4 (95% CI: 1.7-11.6) when the 20% TBLC threshold was used. The TB test can be suggested for clinical use as a complementary test for standard semen analysis to diagnose male infertility. (Less)
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author
; ; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Toluidine Blue, sperm chromatin, diagnostic test, male infertility
in
Human Reproduction
volume
24
issue
7
pages
1569 - 1574
publisher
Oxford University Press
external identifiers
  • wos:000267220600007
  • scopus:69149106069
  • pmid:19304993
ISSN
0268-1161
DOI
10.1093/humrep/dep068
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
ea5b8a4b-a060-4623-b1ac-294ed7753258 (old id 1441391)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 11:33:00
date last changed
2022-02-10 18:18:57
@article{ea5b8a4b-a060-4623-b1ac-294ed7753258,
  abstract     = {{We have previously suggested that the Toluidine Blue (TB) test can be used for sperm chromatin structure assessment. In this study, we wished to evaluate the clinical applicability of the TB test in assessing male fertility potential using well-defined groups of fertile and infertile men. Sixty-three fertile and 79 infertile men were tested. Infertility thresholds for the proportion of sperm with abnormal [TB dark cells (TBDCs)] and normal [TB light cells (TBLCs)] chromatin structure were set by the ROC curve analysis. Thresholds of 45% TBDC and 20% TBLC were highly predictive for infertility (specificity of the test: 92 and 90%, respectively), but they were poor predictors of the fertility (sensitivity of the test: 42 and 32%, respectively). Odds ratio for infertility was 7.5 [95% confidence interval (CI): 2.7-20.8] when the 45% TBDC threshold was used and 4.4 (95% CI: 1.7-11.6) when the 20% TBLC threshold was used. The TB test can be suggested for clinical use as a complementary test for standard semen analysis to diagnose male infertility.}},
  author       = {{Tsarev, I. and Bungum, Mona and Giwercman, Aleksander and Erenpreisa, J. and Ebessen, T. and Ernst, E. and Erenpreiss, J.}},
  issn         = {{0268-1161}},
  keywords     = {{Toluidine Blue; sperm chromatin; diagnostic test; male infertility}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{7}},
  pages        = {{1569--1574}},
  publisher    = {{Oxford University Press}},
  series       = {{Human Reproduction}},
  title        = {{Evaluation of male fertility potential by Toluidine Blue test for sperm chromatin structure assessment}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/humrep/dep068}},
  doi          = {{10.1093/humrep/dep068}},
  volume       = {{24}},
  year         = {{2009}},
}