A Slavakis1, J Papadimas. 1. Division of Biochemistry, Laboratory of Microbiology, Ippokration General Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece. typecent@otenet.gr
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the presence or absence of procalcitonin in the seminal plasma of both normal and subfertile men. DESIGN: Controlled clinical study. SETTING: Academic research environment. PATIENT(S): Healthy male volunteers and subfertile men with varicocele or infection of the male accessory glands. INTERVENTION(S): None. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Seminal plasma procalcitonin determinations. RESULT(S): Seminal plasma procalcitonin levels from subfertile men were not significantly different from those found in healthy volunteers. CONCLUSION(S): Although procalcitonin can be detected in the seminal plasma, these preliminary results indicate that it cannot be used as a diagnostic marker.
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the presence or absence of procalcitonin in the seminal plasma of both normal and subfertile men. DESIGN: Controlled clinical study. SETTING: Academic research environment. PATIENT(S): Healthy male volunteers and subfertile men with varicocele or infection of the male accessory glands. INTERVENTION(S): None. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Seminal plasma procalcitonin determinations. RESULT(S): Seminal plasma procalcitonin levels from subfertile men were not significantly different from those found in healthy volunteers. CONCLUSION(S): Although procalcitonin can be detected in the seminal plasma, these preliminary results indicate that it cannot be used as a diagnostic marker.