The aim of this thesis was to investigate the involvement of the insulin-like growth factor- and the one-carbon metabolism pathways in prostate cancer aetiology, studying both circulating biomarkers and genetic variation. Papers included in the thesis were conducted within the case-control study CAncer Prostate in Sweden (CAPS), and the two prospective studies European Prospective Investigation into nutrition and Cancer (EPIC), and Northern Sweden Health and Disease Cohort (NSHDC). In paper I, we investigated the relation between genetic variants of the IGF1 gene and prostate cancer risk within the CAPS study. We found that a common haplotype within the 3’ region of the IGF1 gene is associated with increased prostate cancer risk. In paper II, we investigated if the variants of the IGF1 gene that were associated with prostate cancer risk in paper I, are also associated with circulating levels of IGF1. Circulating levels of IGF1 were analysed in controls from the CAPS study and three haplotype tagging SNPs (htSNPs) were genotyped in subjects from the NSHDC study in which circulating IGF1 had previously been analysed. The genetic variants previously associated with increased prostate cancer risk were now also found to be associated with elevated levels of circulating IGF1. We concluded that variation in the 3’ region of the IGF1 gene affects prostate cancer risk by influencing circulating levels of IGF1. In paper III, we investigated if variants of the IGFBP1, IGFBP3 and IGFALS genes are associated with i) prostate cancer risk, ii) circulating concentrations of total and intact IGFBP3, and iii) prostate cancer-specific survival probability. In addition, we investigated if circulating concentrations of total and intact IGFBP3 are associated with prostate cancer-specific survival probability. No association between genetic variation and overall prostate cancer risk or survival was observed, but we found a strong association between elevated levels of intact IGFBP3 and increased risk of prostate cancer-specific death. We could, however, not exclude that this association was confounded by treatment or by the tumour. In paper IV, we investigated if circulating levels of folate and vitamin B12 are associated with prostate cancer risk within the EPIC study. We observed no associations between levels of folate, vitamin B12 and overall prostate cancer risk, but elevated levels of vitamin B12 were associated with increased risk of advanced stage disease. In paper V, we investigated if circulating levels of ten B-vitamins and related metabolites within the one-carbon metabolism pathway are associated with prostate cancer risk within the NSHDC study. Overall positive associations with prostate cancer risk were observed for levels of choline, vitamin B2 and vitamin B12, and inverse associations were observed for levels of homocysteine and MMA. We also observed a biologically plausible risk modification by smoking status on the association between vitamin B12 and risk; in non-smokers vitamin B12 was positively associated with risk, whereas the association between vitamin B12 and risk was inverse or null in ever/current-smokers. In summary, our results suggest that genetic variation of the IGF1 gene affects prostate cancer risk by affecting circulating levels of IGF1. The association between circulating concentrations of intact IGFBP3 and prostate cancer-specific survival is intriguing, but further studies are needed to conclude if this association is caused by confounding. We also observed associations between several factors of one-carbon metabolism and risk, but these associations were statistically week and require confirmation in other prospective studies.

Background: A large number of prospective studies have shown that overweight and diabetes are related to an increased risk of many cancers, including colorectal cancer. In contrast, diabetes has been related to a decreased risk of prostate cancer, and overweight has been related to an increased risk of fatal, but not of incident, prostate cancer. Data from studies on metabolic factors related to overweight and diabetes, and the association with cancer risk, are limited.  Aim: The aim of this thesis was to study metabolic factors in relation to risk of prostate cancer (paper I and III), colorectal cancer (paper II and V), and cancer overall (paper VI).  Methods: Study designs were i) case-control studies, nested within the Northern Sweden Health and Disease Cohort (paper I and II), and ii) cohort studies of the Swedish Construction Workers cohort (paper III), and the Metabolic syndrome and Cancer project (Me-Can) comprising seven European cohorts (paper V and VI). Paper IV was a descriptive paper of Me-Can.  Results, prostate cancer: In paper I, increasing levels of several factors related to insulin resistance (insulin, insulin resistance index, leptin, HbA1c, and glucose) were associated with a decreased risk of overall incident prostate cancer, and the associations were stronger for non-aggressive tumours. In paper III, increasing levels of blood pressure was associated with a significant decreased risk of overall incident prostate cancer and of non-aggressive tumours. Body mass index (BMI) was significantly positively related to fatal prostate cancer.   Results, colorectal cancer: In paper II, obesity, hypertension, and hyperglycaemia, were associated with an increased risk of colorectal cancer, and presence of two or three of these factors was associated with a higher risk than the presence of one single factor. In paper V, BMI was associated with a significant linear positive association with risk of colorectal cancer in men and women, and significant positive associations were also found in men for blood pressure and triglycerides. A high metabolic syndrome score, based on levels of BMI, blood pressure, glucose, cholesterol, and triglycerides, was associated with a significant increased risk of colorectal cancer in men and women. The association was stronger than for any of the factors in single, but there was no evidence of a positive interaction between these metabolic factors.  Results, cancer overall: Blood glucose was significantly positively associated with risk of incident and fatal cancer overall, and at several specific sites. The associations were stronger in women than in men, and for fatal than for incident cancer.  Conclusions: Results from these studies indicate that elevated blood glucose is related to an increased risk of cancer overall and at several specific sites, and further, that overweight and metabolic aberrations increase the risk of colorectal cancer in an additive way. The association with prostate cancer seems to be more complex; insulin resistance and high blood pressure were in our studies related to a decreased risk of overall incident prostate cancer and of non-aggressive tumours, whereas overweight increased the risk of fatal prostate cancer.

A morfologia espermática está entre as maiores causas de descarte de reprodutores nas centrais de difusão genética e, quando identificada precocemente, significa uma redução nos custos com reprodutores ociosos. O estudo objetivou avaliar a possibilidade de utilização de características testiculares (consistência à palpação manual, consistência à tonometria – tônus, ecogenicidade da imagem ultrassonográfica - em pixels, e heterogeneidade da ecogenicidade – em pixels) na identificação de reprodutores suínos com baixa qualidade de morfologia espermática. Foram avaliados 402 machos com idade média de 18,5 ± 8,8 meses, de cinco centrais de difusão genética. A avaliação espermática foi utilizada como critério de aptidão, sendo considerados aptos os reprodutores com menos de 20% de defeitos espermáticos, não ultrapassando o limite de 5% para defeitos de cabeça, acrossoma, colo e peça intermediária e 10% para defeitos de cauda (dobrada ou enrolada) e gota citoplasmática proximal. A porcentagem de animais aptos segundo a morfologia espermática foi de 71,9%. O tônus teve correlação positiva (P≤ 0,05) moderada com a consistência à palpação manual (r= 0,64). A heterogeneidade testicular foi fracamente correlacionada com a ecogenicidade (r= 0,39; P≤ 0,05) e com o percentual de anormalidades espermáticas (r= 0,11). Foram comparados os valores das características testiculares entre machos considerados aptos e inaptos, sendo a média de tônus inferior nos machos aptos (P= 0,04). A possível associação das características testiculares com o percentual de defeitos espermáticos foi analisada por regressão logística, incluindo as características (consistência à palpação manual, tônus, ecogenicidade e heterogeneidade do parênquima testicular) como variáveis contínuas ou classificatórias. A partir dos valores obtidos, foram criadas 4 classes de consistência à palpação e de tônus e 5 classes de ecogenicidade e heterogeneidade do parênquima testicular. Foi obtido um ponto de corte de 5,03mm, baseado no tônus testicular, para discriminar animais aptos e inaptos e maiores valores de tônus (variável contínua) diminuíram a chance dos machos serem aptos, no entanto, com baixo poder discriminatório (AUC= 0,66). A probabilidade de ocorrência de aptidão tendeu a ser menor na classe de tônus 4 (P= 0,07). Menores valores de tônus estão associados à maior porcentagem de normalidades espermáticas em suínos, auxiliando na identificação de animais com alta qualidade espermática. / Sperm morphology is an important cause of male culling in boar studs and if early detected may lead to a reduction on costs of exceeded males. The study aimed to evaluate the possibility for using testicular traits (testicular consistency by manual palpation and consistency by tonometry – tone, echogenicity by ultrasonography - pixels and heterogeneity of the echogenicity – pixels) on the identification of boars with high sperm morphology quality. Sperm evaluation was used as criteria for breeding soundness, being considered as satisfactory boars with less than 20% of total sperm abnormalities, with an upper limit of 5% head, acrosome, neck and mid piece defects and 10% of tail (coiled and bent) e proximal cytoplasmic droplet. The percentage of satisfactory boars was 71.9%. Tone was positively correlated (P≤ 0.05) with consistency by manual palpation (r= 0.64). Testicular heterogeneity was weakly correlated (P≤ 0.05) with echogenicity (r= 0.39) and with percentage of sperm abnormalities (r= 0.11). It was compared the values of testicular traits between satisfactory and unsatisfactory boars, and a lower mean of tone was found on satisfactory boars (P= 0.04). The possible association of testicular traits with the percentage of sperm defects was analyzed by logistic regression, including the traits (consistency by manual palpation, tone, echogenicity and heterogeneity) as continuous and categorical variables. Considering the values obtained, 4 classes were created for consistency by manual palpation and tone and 5 classes were created for echogenicity and heterogeneity of the testicular parenchyma. It was obtained a cut-off value of 5.03mm, based on testicular tone, to discriminate satisfactory and unsatisfactory boars and higher values of tone (as continuous variable) decreased the chance of boars to be satisfactory, however with low discriminatory power (AUC= 0.66). The probability of occurrence of satisfactory boars tended to be lower on class 4 of tone (P= 0.07). Lower values of tone are associated with higher percentage of sperm normality, contributing to the identification of boars with high sperm quality.

Submitted by Sandra Pereira (srpereira@ufrrj.br) on 2018-04-11T16:32:51Z No. of bitstreams: 1 2010 - Jaci de Almeida.pdf: 1762363 bytes, checksum: 6b47b0e954a40b42efe066ff6875b0af (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-04-11T16:32:51Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2010 - Jaci de Almeida.pdf: 1762363 bytes, checksum: 6b47b0e954a40b42efe066ff6875b0af (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-12-10 / Ectoparasite affects in the animals, carrying great prejudices to the health and considerable economic losses. Antiparasitic utilization of wide action spectrum has been assisting in the losses reduction in consequence of these infestations. They were objectives of this work, evaluate of the treatment antiparasitic effects, in therapeutic doses, in the preventive control of the natural infestations for Dermatobia hominis and Haematobia irritans, and about the andrological characteristics, enzymatic profile (AST and ALT) and her correlations in Nelore bulls seminal caracteristics. They were used 20 bulls from 24 to 30 age months, managed in grazing system (Brachiaria decumbens and B. brizantha). The experiment was executed in completely randomized design with four treatments (T1 = Control, without medication; T2 = Ivermectina injet?vel to 3,15%; T3 = Fipronil ?pour-on? e T4 = Doramectina to 1%), three applications (0, 60 and 120 days), five repetitions (bulls) and five semen collections (D0, D15, D30, D45 and D60). The animals were submitted to andrological examinations biweekly inside the periods, being evaluated the ponderal, testicular and seminal characteristics, and the enzymatic profiles. In the statistical analyses were used Anova and comparisons between averages according to de Kruskal-Wallis e Bonferroni Tests in the GraphPad Prism? vers?o 4.0 to Windows?. The obtained results indicate that (a) the antiparasitic treatments used in the preventive control in the natural infestations of ectoparasites do not influence negatively the ponderal and reproductive characteristics, and (b) the enzymes analyses AST and ALT, in the sanguine serum, evidenced do not be efficient methodology for evaluation of Nelore bull spermatogenesis implication. The prophylactic application of the antiparasitic drugs, in the pre-breeding season, in bulls created extensive is an efficient technique of ectoparasitism natural control to D. hominis and H. irritans, being the product choice be entailed to the application practicability and to the cost in each region. / Os ectoparasitas afetam os animais, acarretando grandes preju?zos a sa?de e consider?veis perdas econ?micas. A utiliza??o de antiparasit?rios de amplo espectro de a??o tem auxiliado na redu??o de perdas em decorr?ncia dessas infesta??es. Foram objetivos desse trabalho, avaliar os efeitos dos tratamentos antiparasit?rios, em doses terap?uticas, no controle preventivo da infesta??o natural por Dermatobia hominis e Haematobia irritans, sobre as caracter?sticas androl?gicas, perfil enzim?tico (AST e ALT) e correla??es nas caracter?sticas seminais de touros Nelore. Foram utilizados 20 touros de 24 a 30 meses de idade, criados a pasto (Brachiaria decumbens e B. brizantha). O experimento foi executado em delineamento inteiramente casualizado com quatro tratamentos (T1 = Controle, sem medica??o; T2 = Ivermectina injet?vel a 3,15%; T3 = Fipronil ?pour-on? e T4 = Doramectina a 1%), tr?s aplica??es dos tratamentos (0, 60 e 120 dias), cinco repeti??es (touros) e cinco coletas de s?men (D0, D15, D30, D45 e D60). Os animais foram submetidos a exames androl?gicos quinzenais dentro dos per?odos, sendo avaliadas as caracter?sticas ponderais, testiculares, seminais e perfil enzim?tico. Nas an?lises estat?sticas foram utilizados Anova e compara??es entre m?dias de acordo com os testes de Kruskal-Wallis e Bonferroni no programa GraphPad Prism? vers?o 4.0 para Windows?. As an?lises dos resultados obtidos indicam que (a) os tratamentos antiparasit?rios empregados no controle preventivos na infesta??o natural de ectoparasitos n?o influenciam negativamente as caracter?sticas ponderais e reprodutivas, e (b) as an?lises das enzimas AST e ALT, no soro sangu?neo, evidenciaram n?o ser metodologia eficiente para avalia??o de comprometimento da espermatog?nese de reprodutores bovinos da ra?a Nelore. A aplica??o antiparasit?ria profil?tica, na pr?-esta??o de monta, em touros criados extensivamente ? uma t?cnica eficiente para o controle de ectoparasitismo natural por D. hominis e H. irritans, devendo a escolha do produto estar vinculada ? praticidade de aplica??o e ao custo em cada regi?o.

<p>När en man diagnostiseras med prostatacancer innebär det en psykisk påfrestning för mannen och hans kvinnliga partner. Reaktioner som chock, meningsförlust, ensamhet och ångest är vanligt förekommande. Syftet med denna litteraturstudie var att beskriva hur det vardagliga livet upplevs och påverkas hos par där mannen lever med diagnostiserad prostatacancer. Resultaten i studien baseras på tio vetenskapliga artiklar med fokus på parens erfarenheter av sjukdomen. Impotens, inkontinens och fatigue var symtom som drabbade mannen till följd av sjukdomen. Dessa förändringar inverkade på parets vardag och relation. Förändringarna var psykiskt påfrestande för parets hälsa och både mannens och kvinnans livskvalitet försämrades på grund av cancersjukdomen. Psykiska problem som depression, oro, ångest och skuld var dock mer förekommande hos kvinnan. Trots att paren var i stort behov av information upplevde de att hälso- och sjukvården inte uppmärksammade deras behov. Tydligare riktlinjer inom sjukvården för hur par som lever med prostatacancer ska bemötas efterlyses. På så sätt kan sjuksköterskan lättare tillgodose parets behov av information och stöd. Sjuksköterskan bör uppmärksamma och bemöta kvinnans individuella önskemål samt visa en öppenhet gentemot de sexuella problem som kan drabba paren. Mer forskning, speciellt i Skandinavien, efterlyses för att få en klarare bild över hur både en homosexuellt och heterosexuell relation påverkas av prostatacancer.  </p> / <p>When a man is diagnosed with prostate cancer it implies a psychological strain for the man and his female partner where reactions such as shock, loss of meaning, loneliness and anxiety are common. The purpose of this literature review was to describe how everyday life is perceived and influenced in couples where the man has been diagnosed with prostate cancer. The results of the study are based on ten scientific articles focused on exploring couple’s experiences of the disease and how they are affected by the situation. Symptoms such as impotence, incontinence and fatigue were changes that affected the couple’s everyday life and their relationship. These changes were psychologically trying for the couple’s health and their quality of life decreased because of the cancer.  Psychological problems like depression, anxiety and guilt were more common for the woman. Despite the fact that the couples were in great need of information, they felt that health care providers were not attentive to these needs. Clearer guidelines are needed within the health-care system for how couples living with prostate cancer should be treated. The nurse would thereafter be better equipped to meet the couple’s needs for information and support. The nurse should highlight and approach women’s individual needs and show openness towards the sexual problems that can befall couples. More research is needed, particularly in Scandinavia, in order to get a clearer picture of how a homosexual and heterosexual relationship is affected by prostate cancer.</p>

Intravesical electrical stimulation (IVES) has been used in treatment of patients with urinary bladder dysfunctions for more than four decades. While some investigators have reported excellent results others have observed less convincing effects or outright failures. The discrepancies may reflect differences in patient selection or stimulation procedure. A better theoretical understanding of the IVES working mechanism might help to improve the success rate of the treatment. The aims of the present study were to provide such information. Experiments were performed on adult female cats and rats under /alpha/-chloralose anesthesia. IVES was delivered by a catheter electrode in the bladder. At proper intensity and frequency, IVES evoked reflex detrusor contractions that were abolished by bilateral rhizotomy of sacral dorsal roots. Stimulation parameters and response characteristics revealed that bladder mechanoreceptor A/delta/ afferents were activated by the IVES, the same afferents that drive the normal micturition reflex. Five minutes of continues IVES at 20 Hz induced a prolonged, significant decrease in the micturition threshold volume of anesthetized rats. Similarly, selective bladder A/delta/ afferent stimulation induced a long-lasting enhancement of micturition reflex discharges in cats. A comparable prolonged inhibitory effect on the micturition reflex was demonstrated after ano-genital afferent stimulation. Both modulatory effects occurred without changes in response sensitivity of stimulated afferents. The IVES induced modulation was prevented by transient exposure of the bladder to a local anesthetic and by systemic administration of a glutamate NMDA receptor antagonist. In conclusion, IVES induces a prolonged modulation of the micturition reflex by an LTP like enhancement of excitatory synaptic transmission in the central micturition reflex pathway. The findings provide an experimental explanation for the neuronal mechanisms underlying the curative effect of IVES in patients with bladder evacuation problems. / On the day of the public defence the status of article V was: Accepted.

När en man diagnostiseras med prostatacancer innebär det en psykisk påfrestning för mannen och hans kvinnliga partner. Reaktioner som chock, meningsförlust, ensamhet och ångest är vanligt förekommande. Syftet med denna litteraturstudie var att beskriva hur det vardagliga livet upplevs och påverkas hos par där mannen lever med diagnostiserad prostatacancer. Resultaten i studien baseras på tio vetenskapliga artiklar med fokus på parens erfarenheter av sjukdomen. Impotens, inkontinens och fatigue var symtom som drabbade mannen till följd av sjukdomen. Dessa förändringar inverkade på parets vardag och relation. Förändringarna var psykiskt påfrestande för parets hälsa och både mannens och kvinnans livskvalitet försämrades på grund av cancersjukdomen. Psykiska problem som depression, oro, ångest och skuld var dock mer förekommande hos kvinnan. Trots att paren var i stort behov av information upplevde de att hälso- och sjukvården inte uppmärksammade deras behov. Tydligare riktlinjer inom sjukvården för hur par som lever med prostatacancer ska bemötas efterlyses. På så sätt kan sjuksköterskan lättare tillgodose parets behov av information och stöd. Sjuksköterskan bör uppmärksamma och bemöta kvinnans individuella önskemål samt visa en öppenhet gentemot de sexuella problem som kan drabba paren. Mer forskning, speciellt i Skandinavien, efterlyses för att få en klarare bild över hur både en homosexuellt och heterosexuell relation påverkas av prostatacancer. / When a man is diagnosed with prostate cancer it implies a psychological strain for the man and his female partner where reactions such as shock, loss of meaning, loneliness and anxiety are common. The purpose of this literature review was to describe how everyday life is perceived and influenced in couples where the man has been diagnosed with prostate cancer. The results of the study are based on ten scientific articles focused on exploring couple’s experiences of the disease and how they are affected by the situation. Symptoms such as impotence, incontinence and fatigue were changes that affected the couple’s everyday life and their relationship. These changes were psychologically trying for the couple’s health and their quality of life decreased because of the cancer.  Psychological problems like depression, anxiety and guilt were more common for the woman. Despite the fact that the couples were in great need of information, they felt that health care providers were not attentive to these needs. Clearer guidelines are needed within the health-care system for how couples living with prostate cancer should be treated. The nurse would thereafter be better equipped to meet the couple’s needs for information and support. The nurse should highlight and approach women’s individual needs and show openness towards the sexual problems that can befall couples. More research is needed, particularly in Scandinavia, in order to get a clearer picture of how a homosexual and heterosexual relationship is affected by prostate cancer.

Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing has caused a steep increase in the incidence of prostate cancer, especially the incidence of localised low risk disease. In order to decrease the overdiagnosis accompanied by PSA testing, analysis of inherited genetic variants have been suggested as potential tools for clinical assessment of disease risk. With the aim of minimizing overtreatment and postpone side-effects of curative treatment for low risk prostate cancer, active surveillance, a treatment strategy with initial surveillance and deferred radical prostatectomy at the time of progression has evolved.  The aim of this thesis was to study the validity of PSA (paper I) and inherited genetic variants (paper II) for early diagnosis of prostate cancer, to assess the extent of PSA testing in Sweden (paper III), and to study the safety of deferred radical prostatectomy in localised low to intermediate risk prostate cancer (paper IV). The study designs were i) case-control studies nested within the Västerbotten intervention project (paper I and II), ii) observational study in the Cancer Register of Sweden (paper III), and iii) observational study in the NPCR Follow-up study (paper IV). PSA had a high validity in predicting a prostate cancer diagnosis with an area under the receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve of 0.86 (95% CI, 0.84 to 0.88). A combined test, including PSA, the ratio of free to total PSA, and 33 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in a genetic risk score, increased the area under curve to 0.87 (95% CI, 0.85 to 0.89). The estimated uptake of PSA testing among men aged 55 to 69 years increased from zero to 56% between 1997 and 2007 and there were large variations in the uptake of PSA testing between counties in Sweden. After a median follow-up time of eight years there was no significant difference in presence of any one or more adverse pathology features or prostate cancer specific mortality after primary compared to deferred radical prostatectomy in localised low to intermediate risk prostate cancer. Results from these studies indicate that PSA and the hitherto identified SNPs are not suitable biomarkers in single-test prostate cancer screening. It is possible to estimate the uptake of PSA testing on a population level. Initial surveillance and deferred radical prostatectomy represent a feasible treatment strategy in localised low to intermediate risk prostate cancer.

A morfologia espermática está entre as maiores causas de descarte de reprodutores nas centrais de difusão genética e, quando identificada precocemente, significa uma redução nos custos com reprodutores ociosos. O estudo objetivou avaliar a possibilidade de utilização de características testiculares (consistência à palpação manual, consistência à tonometria – tônus, ecogenicidade da imagem ultrassonográfica - em pixels, e heterogeneidade da ecogenicidade – em pixels) na identificação de reprodutores suínos com baixa qualidade de morfologia espermática. Foram avaliados 402 machos com idade média de 18,5 ± 8,8 meses, de cinco centrais de difusão genética. A avaliação espermática foi utilizada como critério de aptidão, sendo considerados aptos os reprodutores com menos de 20% de defeitos espermáticos, não ultrapassando o limite de 5% para defeitos de cabeça, acrossoma, colo e peça intermediária e 10% para defeitos de cauda (dobrada ou enrolada) e gota citoplasmática proximal. A porcentagem de animais aptos segundo a morfologia espermática foi de 71,9%. O tônus teve correlação positiva (P≤ 0,05) moderada com a consistência à palpação manual (r= 0,64). A heterogeneidade testicular foi fracamente correlacionada com a ecogenicidade (r= 0,39; P≤ 0,05) e com o percentual de anormalidades espermáticas (r= 0,11). Foram comparados os valores das características testiculares entre machos considerados aptos e inaptos, sendo a média de tônus inferior nos machos aptos (P= 0,04). A possível associação das características testiculares com o percentual de defeitos espermáticos foi analisada por regressão logística, incluindo as características (consistência à palpação manual, tônus, ecogenicidade e heterogeneidade do parênquima testicular) como variáveis contínuas ou classificatórias. A partir dos valores obtidos, foram criadas 4 classes de consistência à palpação e de tônus e 5 classes de ecogenicidade e heterogeneidade do parênquima testicular. Foi obtido um ponto de corte de 5,03mm, baseado no tônus testicular, para discriminar animais aptos e inaptos e maiores valores de tônus (variável contínua) diminuíram a chance dos machos serem aptos, no entanto, com baixo poder discriminatório (AUC= 0,66). A probabilidade de ocorrência de aptidão tendeu a ser menor na classe de tônus 4 (P= 0,07). Menores valores de tônus estão associados à maior porcentagem de normalidades espermáticas em suínos, auxiliando na identificação de animais com alta qualidade espermática. / Sperm morphology is an important cause of male culling in boar studs and if early detected may lead to a reduction on costs of exceeded males. The study aimed to evaluate the possibility for using testicular traits (testicular consistency by manual palpation and consistency by tonometry – tone, echogenicity by ultrasonography - pixels and heterogeneity of the echogenicity – pixels) on the identification of boars with high sperm morphology quality. Sperm evaluation was used as criteria for breeding soundness, being considered as satisfactory boars with less than 20% of total sperm abnormalities, with an upper limit of 5% head, acrosome, neck and mid piece defects and 10% of tail (coiled and bent) e proximal cytoplasmic droplet. The percentage of satisfactory boars was 71.9%. Tone was positively correlated (P≤ 0.05) with consistency by manual palpation (r= 0.64). Testicular heterogeneity was weakly correlated (P≤ 0.05) with echogenicity (r= 0.39) and with percentage of sperm abnormalities (r= 0.11). It was compared the values of testicular traits between satisfactory and unsatisfactory boars, and a lower mean of tone was found on satisfactory boars (P= 0.04). The possible association of testicular traits with the percentage of sperm defects was analyzed by logistic regression, including the traits (consistency by manual palpation, tone, echogenicity and heterogeneity) as continuous and categorical variables. Considering the values obtained, 4 classes were created for consistency by manual palpation and tone and 5 classes were created for echogenicity and heterogeneity of the testicular parenchyma. It was obtained a cut-off value of 5.03mm, based on testicular tone, to discriminate satisfactory and unsatisfactory boars and higher values of tone (as continuous variable) decreased the chance of boars to be satisfactory, however with low discriminatory power (AUC= 0.66). The probability of occurrence of satisfactory boars tended to be lower on class 4 of tone (P= 0.07). Lower values of tone are associated with higher percentage of sperm normality, contributing to the identification of boars with high sperm quality.

A morfologia espermática está entre as maiores causas de descarte de reprodutores nas centrais de difusão genética e, quando identificada precocemente, significa uma redução nos custos com reprodutores ociosos. O estudo objetivou avaliar a possibilidade de utilização de características testiculares (consistência à palpação manual, consistência à tonometria – tônus, ecogenicidade da imagem ultrassonográfica - em pixels, e heterogeneidade da ecogenicidade – em pixels) na identificação de reprodutores suínos com baixa qualidade de morfologia espermática. Foram avaliados 402 machos com idade média de 18,5 ± 8,8 meses, de cinco centrais de difusão genética. A avaliação espermática foi utilizada como critério de aptidão, sendo considerados aptos os reprodutores com menos de 20% de defeitos espermáticos, não ultrapassando o limite de 5% para defeitos de cabeça, acrossoma, colo e peça intermediária e 10% para defeitos de cauda (dobrada ou enrolada) e gota citoplasmática proximal. A porcentagem de animais aptos segundo a morfologia espermática foi de 71,9%. O tônus teve correlação positiva (P≤ 0,05) moderada com a consistência à palpação manual (r= 0,64). A heterogeneidade testicular foi fracamente correlacionada com a ecogenicidade (r= 0,39; P≤ 0,05) e com o percentual de anormalidades espermáticas (r= 0,11). Foram comparados os valores das características testiculares entre machos considerados aptos e inaptos, sendo a média de tônus inferior nos machos aptos (P= 0,04). A possível associação das características testiculares com o percentual de defeitos espermáticos foi analisada por regressão logística, incluindo as características (consistência à palpação manual, tônus, ecogenicidade e heterogeneidade do parênquima testicular) como variáveis contínuas ou classificatórias. A partir dos valores obtidos, foram criadas 4 classes de consistência à palpação e de tônus e 5 classes de ecogenicidade e heterogeneidade do parênquima testicular. Foi obtido um ponto de corte de 5,03mm, baseado no tônus testicular, para discriminar animais aptos e inaptos e maiores valores de tônus (variável contínua) diminuíram a chance dos machos serem aptos, no entanto, com baixo poder discriminatório (AUC= 0,66). A probabilidade de ocorrência de aptidão tendeu a ser menor na classe de tônus 4 (P= 0,07). Menores valores de tônus estão associados à maior porcentagem de normalidades espermáticas em suínos, auxiliando na identificação de animais com alta qualidade espermática. / Sperm morphology is an important cause of male culling in boar studs and if early detected may lead to a reduction on costs of exceeded males. The study aimed to evaluate the possibility for using testicular traits (testicular consistency by manual palpation and consistency by tonometry – tone, echogenicity by ultrasonography - pixels and heterogeneity of the echogenicity – pixels) on the identification of boars with high sperm morphology quality. Sperm evaluation was used as criteria for breeding soundness, being considered as satisfactory boars with less than 20% of total sperm abnormalities, with an upper limit of 5% head, acrosome, neck and mid piece defects and 10% of tail (coiled and bent) e proximal cytoplasmic droplet. The percentage of satisfactory boars was 71.9%. Tone was positively correlated (P≤ 0.05) with consistency by manual palpation (r= 0.64). Testicular heterogeneity was weakly correlated (P≤ 0.05) with echogenicity (r= 0.39) and with percentage of sperm abnormalities (r= 0.11). It was compared the values of testicular traits between satisfactory and unsatisfactory boars, and a lower mean of tone was found on satisfactory boars (P= 0.04). The possible association of testicular traits with the percentage of sperm defects was analyzed by logistic regression, including the traits (consistency by manual palpation, tone, echogenicity and heterogeneity) as continuous and categorical variables. Considering the values obtained, 4 classes were created for consistency by manual palpation and tone and 5 classes were created for echogenicity and heterogeneity of the testicular parenchyma. It was obtained a cut-off value of 5.03mm, based on testicular tone, to discriminate satisfactory and unsatisfactory boars and higher values of tone (as continuous variable) decreased the chance of boars to be satisfactory, however with low discriminatory power (AUC= 0.66). The probability of occurrence of satisfactory boars tended to be lower on class 4 of tone (P= 0.07). Lower values of tone are associated with higher percentage of sperm normality, contributing to the identification of boars with high sperm quality.