Materials and Methods The case control study examined100 infertile pa-
tients and 50 fertile controls were taken; the mean ages
were between 20- 45 years who attended the High Insti-
tute of Infertility Diagnosis and Assisted Reproductive
Technology / AL-Nahrain University. This prospective
study was accomplished through the period from Octo-
ber 2018 till March 2019.
Inclusion criteria Infertile patients and all subgroups of infertility
have seminal fluid analyses and they are abnormal.
Exclusion criteria Infertile male receiving immunosuppressive and
supplements drugs.
Collection and examination of samples The collection and examination of semen were done
by properly standardized procedures, as mentioned in
WHO laboratory manual.
Blood collection
Three ml blood of each patients was added to
gel tube and was separate by
Centrifuge with 3000 rpm then serum was col-
lected in plan tube (to measure zinc and copper.
Two ml blood of patients was added to heparin
tube (to measure lead).
Storage of sample a-
Seminal plasma
After performing semen analysis, the rest of the se-
men samples were centrifuged at 3000 rpm for 15 to 20
minutes. The pellet was discarded, while the supernatant
of the semen samples were aliquoted and stored at 4-6
°C for evaluation of seminal Zn and pb.
b-
Blood
Zinc
The rest of the blood samples were centrifuged at 2
000 rpm for 15 to 20 minutes. The pellet was discarded,
while the supernatant of the serum samples was aliquot-
ed and stored at 4-6 °C Zn. Determination of seminal
plasma zinc
Lead
Keeping blood in the heparin tube and keeping it in
the refrigerator in a 4-6 °C.
Statistical Analysis Data were entered using Excel Microsoft Program
(2016) and analysed by using Statistical Package for
Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21. Categorical data
described as frequency and percentage while numerical
data described means and standard deviation (SD). Chi
square test was used to estimate the association between
two categorical variables. While, independent sample t-
test used for comparison of numerical data. Level of
significance of ≤ 0.05 was considered as significant [6].
Results 4.3. Comparison of trace elements levels (Zn and
Pb) in serum and semen between fertile and infertile
males included in the present study:
In the present study comparison was done for the
levels of trace elements (zinc and lead in serum and
semen of fertile and infertile males. The results showed
highly significant difference (p<0.05) in the level of
these elements between these groups both in serum and
semen as shown in table (4-2). (Data were expressed as
mean ± standard deviation).