Table 4.
The correlation analysis of the overall study group
| Variable | RNA/spermatozoon, r (P) | PRM1:PRM2, r (P) | PRM1, r (P) | PRM2, r (P) | TH2B, r (P) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall study group | 0.42 (0.02)* | 0.17 (NS) | −0.04 (NS) | −0.05 (NS) | 0.15 (NS) |
| Male age | 0.02 (NS) | 0.05 (NS) | 0.38 (0.03) | 0.30 (NS) | 0.08 (NS) |
| Male BMI | −0.24 (NS) | 0.06 (NS) | 0.43 (NS) | 0.36 (NS) | 0.25 (NS) |
| Smoking status | −0.15 (NS) | −0.15 (NS) | −0.17 (NS) | −0.06 (NS) | −0.33 (NS) |
| Semen volume | −0.55 (0.002)** | −0.34 (0.060) | −0.06 (NS) | 0.17 (NS) | 0.07 (NS) |
| Total sperm count | −0.65 (<0.0001)** | −0.21 (NS) | 0.17 (NS) | 0.29 (NS) | 0.05 (NS) |
| Sperm concentration | −0.05 (0.004)** | −0.11 (NS) | 0.27 (NS) | 0.32 (NS) | 0.06 (NS) |
| Sperm motility | −0.20 (NS) | −0.16 (NS) | −0.11 (NS) | 0.09 (NS) | −0.33 (0.07) |
| Sperm nonprogressive motility | −0.18 (NS) | 0.13 (NS) | −0.29 (NS) | −0.41 (0.04)* | 0.30 (NS) |
| Sperm morphology | −0.21 (NS) | −0.14 (NS) | 0.09 (NS) | 0.05 (NS) | −0.31 (NS) |
| Fertilization | 0.08 (NS) | −0.04 (NS) | −0.16 (NS) | −0.16 (NS) | 0.10 (NS) |
| D2 good-quality embryos | 0.25 (NS) | −0.05 (NS) | 0.03 (NS) | 0.07 (NS) | 0.21 (NS) |
| D2 low-quality embryos | −0.16 (NS) | −0.19 (NS) | 0.02 (NS) | 0.26 (NS) | −0.05 (NS) |
| D3 good-quality embryos | 0.27 (NS) | 0.29 (NS) | 0.16 (NS) | 0.06 (NS) | 0.09 (NS) |
| D3 low-quality embryos | 0.05 (NS) | 0.02 (NS) | 0.01 (NS) | 0.06 (NS) | −0.02 (NS) |
| D2 arrest | −0.07 (NS) | 0.17 (NS) | −0.35 (0.06) | −0.46 (0.02)* | −0.12 (NS) |
| D3 arrest | −0.57 (0.02)* | 0.26 (NS) | −0.28 (NS) | −0.19 (NS) | −0.09 (NS) |
| Implantation | 0.01 (NS) | −0.06 (NS) | 0.25 (NS) | 0.31 (NS) | 0.21 (NS) |
| Abortus | 0.25 (NS) | 0.13 (NS) | 0.50 (NS) | 0.38 (NS) | 0.38 (NS) |
| Birth | 0.22 (NS) | 0.02 (NS) | 0.01 (NS) | −0.09 (NS) | 0.05 (NS) |
*P<0.05, **P<0.01, correlation is significant (two-tailed). Correlations were analyzed by the Spearman nonparametric correlation test. Correlations between RNA quantity per spermatozoon and gene expressions and male age, smoking status and sperm parameters and embryonic development are presented. r: Spearman correlation value; OT: oligoteratozoospermia; PRM1: protamine 1; PRM2: protamine 2; TH2B: testis-specific histone 2B; BMI: body mass index; D2: day 2 of embryo development; D3: day 3 of embryo development; NS: not significant