{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,11]],"date-time":"2025-10-11T02:46:19Z","timestamp":1760150779997,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":45,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,1,24]],"date-time":"2022-01-24T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1642982400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Medicina"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background and Objectives: Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a condition that affects 0.1% to 0.5% of the adult population. The aim of this case report was to investigate the possible effects of the drugs taken for treatment of AS as well as mRNA vaccination for COVID-19 on semen quality by performing a highly detailed analysis. Materials and Methods: Sperm characteristics were examined by light microscopy, DNA fragmentation (DFI) was analysed by flow cytometry and morphology was evaluated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Results: Semen analysis under therapy with (1) celecoxib and sulphasalazine showed: concentration 47 million\/mL, 53% progressive motility, 7% normal morphology and 9.6% DFI, (2) Golimumab and before mRNA Vaccination showed: concentration 108 million\/mL, 82% progressive motility, 1% normal morphology and 7.6% DFI, and (3) Golimumab and after 3 doses of mRNA Vaccination showed: concentration 142 million\/mL, 85% progressive motility, 1% normal morphology and 6.8% DFI. TEM revealed head, neck and tail abnormalities, as well as the presence of cells with incomplete spermiogenesis white cells and phagocytes in the sample under therapy with celecoxib and sulphasalazine. Golimumab treatment lead to an increased incidence of elongated heads but in general reduced inflammation as no white cells were evident in TEM. Conclusion: The anti-inflamatory drugs celecoxib and sulphasalazine had no adverse effect on sperm quality as all parameters were within normal limits and the patient achieved under that treatment 2 pregnancies following natural conception that lead to the birth of a healthy boy and girl respectively. Anti-TNFa treatment with Golimumab exerted a negative effect on morphology but not on concentration, motility and DFI. After 3 doses of mRNA Vaccination, sperm concentration increased while motility, morphology and DFI remained similar to the values before vaccination suggesting no negative effect of the mRNA vaccine for COVID-19 on sperm quality.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/medicina58020173","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,1,25]],"date-time":"2022-01-25T20:40:18Z","timestamp":1643143218000},"page":"173","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":10,"title":["Effects of Different Drug Therapies and COVID-19 mRNA Vaccination on Semen Quality in a Man with Ankylosing Spondylitis: A Case Report"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"58","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9624-6352","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Katerina","family":"Chatzimeletiou","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Unit for Human Reproduction, 1st Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, \u2018Papageorgiou\u2019 General Hospital, Aristotle University Medical School, 56403 Thessaloniki, Greece"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Alexandra","family":"Fleva","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Immunology and Histocompatibility, \u2018Papageorgiou\u2019 General Hospital, 56403 Thessaloniki, Greece"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Antonia","family":"Sioga","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Histology and Embryology, Aristotle University Medical School, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Ioannis","family":"Georgiou","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Medical Genetics, School of Medicine, University of Ioannina and Medical Genetics and Assisted Reproduction Unit, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospital of Ioannina, 45110 Ioannina, Greece"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Theodoros-Thomas","family":"Nikolopoulos","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Unit for Human Reproduction, 1st Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, \u2018Papageorgiou\u2019 General Hospital, Aristotle University Medical School, 56403 Thessaloniki, Greece"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Maria","family":"Markopoulou","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Immunology and Histocompatibility, \u2018Papageorgiou\u2019 General Hospital, 56403 Thessaloniki, Greece"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Nikos","family":"Petrogiannis","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"IVF Unit, Naval Hospital of Athens, 11521 Athens, Greece"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"George","family":"Anifandis","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Thessaly, 41200 Larisa, Greece"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Antonios","family":"Patrikiou","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Unit for Human Reproduction, 1st Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, \u2018Papageorgiou\u2019 General Hospital, Aristotle University Medical School, 56403 Thessaloniki, Greece"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Efstratios","family":"Kolibianakis","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Unit for Human Reproduction, 1st Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, \u2018Papageorgiou\u2019 General Hospital, Aristotle University Medical School, 56403 Thessaloniki, Greece"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Anastasia","family":"Giannakou","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Immunology and Histocompatibility, \u2018Papageorgiou\u2019 General Hospital, 56403 Thessaloniki, Greece"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Grigoris","family":"Grimbizis","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Unit for Human Reproduction, 1st Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, \u2018Papageorgiou\u2019 General Hospital, Aristotle University Medical School, 56403 Thessaloniki, Greece"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,1,24]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"94","DOI":"10.1111\/imm.13242","article-title":"New developments in our understanding of ankylosing spondylitis pathogenesis","volume":"161","author":"Voruganti","year":"2020","journal-title":"Immunology"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"340","DOI":"10.1007\/s11926-009-0049-6","article-title":"Recent studies on the genetic basis of ankylosing spondylitis","volume":"11","author":"Reveille","year":"2009","journal-title":"Curr. 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