Age-related changes in seminal polymorphonuclear elastase in men with asymptomatic inflammation of the genital tract

Aim： To investigate age-related inflammatory events in the male genital tract. Methods： In a total of 4 265 randomly collected patients attending the andrological outpatient clinic of the Center for Dermatology and Andrology, University of Giessen, Germany, ejaculate volume, pH-value, sperm concentration, total and progressive sperm motility, concentration of polymorphonuclear （PMN） elastase, number of peroxidase-positive cells and fructose were measured and correlated with patient＇s age. Results： While ejaculate volume, motility and fructose all correlated negatively with age, sperm concentration, PMN elastase and the pH-value showed a positive correlation. The prevalence of male genital tract inflammation （as defined by PMN elastase 〉 250 ng/mL） and its severity increased significantly. PMN elastase did not correlate with sperm motility. Fructose as a marker of seminal vesicle function showed a significant negative relationship with the PMN elastase levels, the number of peroxidase-positive cells and sperm motility. Conclusion： The significant increases of PMN elastase levels as marker of male genital tract inflammation in older men appear to be indicative of age-related changes in local immunoregulatory mechanisms. Because there is no association of PMN elastase with sperm motility, a direct inhibitory effect of this enzyme can be excluded.

Prostate Volume Growth Rate Changes over Time:Results from Men 18 to 92 Years Old in a Longitudinal Community-based Study

Previous investigations have shown that changes in total prostate volume（TPV） are highly variable among aging men,and a considerable proportion of aging men have a stable or decreasing prostate size.Although there is an abundance of literature describing prostatic enlargement in association with benign prostatic hyperplasia,less is known about the appropriate age cut-off points for TPV growth rate.In this community-based cohort study,TPV was examined once a year in men who had consecutive health checkup,during a follow-up of 4 years.A total of 5058 men（age 18–92 years old） were included.We applied multiple regression analyses to estimate the correlation between TPV growth rate and age.Overall,3232（63.9%） men had prostate growth,and 1826（36.1%） had a stable or decreased TPV during the study period.The TPV growth rate was correlated negatively with baseline TPV（r= –0.32,P〈0.001）.Among 2620 men with baseline TPV 〈15 cm^3,the TPV growth rate increased with age（β=0.98,95% CI：0.77%–1.18%） only up to 53 years old.Among 2188 men with baseline TPV of 15–33.6 cm3,the TPV growth rate increased with age（β=0.84,95% CI,0.66%–1.01%） only up to 61 years old after adjusting for factors of hypertension,obesity,baseline TPV,diabetes mellitus and dyslipidemia.In this longitudinal study,the TPV growth rate increased negatively with baseline TPV,only extending to a certain age and not beyond.Further research is needed to identify the mechanism underlying such differences in prostate growth.