Seminal plasma anti-Müllerian hormone level correlates with semen parameters but does not predict success of testicular sperm extraction (TESE) / 亚洲男科学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>AIM</b>To assess seminal plasma anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) level relationships in fertile and infertile males.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Eighty-four male cases were studied and divided into four groups: fertile normozoospermia (n = 16), oligoasthenoteratozoospermia (n = 15), obstructive azoospermia (OA) (n = 13) and non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA) (n = 40). Conventional semen analysis was done for all cases. Testicular biopsy was done with histopathology and fresh tissue examination for testicular sperm extraction (TESE) in NOA cases. NOA group was subdivided according to TESE results into unsuccessful TESE (n = 19) and successful TESE (n = 21). Seminal plasma AMH was estimated by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and serum follicular stimulating hormone (FSH) was estimated in NOA cases only by radioimmunoassay (RIA).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Mean seminal AMH was significantly higher in fertile group than in oligoasthenoteratozoospermia with significance (41.5 +/- 10.9 pmol/L vs. 30.5 +/- 10.3 pmol/L, P < 0.05). Seminal AMH was not detected in any OA patients. Seminal AMH was correlated positively with testicular volume (r = 0.329, P = 0.005), sperm count (r = 0.483, P = 0.007), sperm motility percent (r = 0.419, P = 0.021) and negatively with sperm abnormal forms percent (r = -0.413, P = 0.023). Nonsignificant correlation was evident with age (r = -0.155, P = 0.414) and plasma FSH (r = -0.014, P = 0.943). In NOA cases, seminal AMH was detectable in 23/40 cases, 14 of them were successful TESE (57.5%) and was undetectable in 17/40 cases, 10 of them were unsuccessful TESE (58.2%).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Seminal plasma AMH is an absolute testicular marker being absent in all OA cases. However, seminal AMH has a poor predictability for successful testicular sperm retrieval in NOA cases.</p>

Assessment of anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies and selected serum pro-inflammatory cytokines in systemic lupus erythematosus: prevalence and clinical significance

This study was designed to elucidate the prevalence and clinical implications of various cytokines such as TNF-alpha, IL-6 and IL-2 in presence or absence of anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic auto- antibodies [ANCAs] in children with SLE. The present study was conducted on 29 children with SLE and 20 healthy children of matched age and sex as controls. Patients were selected from the Rheumatology Clinic, Cairo University Pediatric Hospital. Serum levels of ANCAs, ANA, anti-ds-DNA were assayed by an indirect immuno-fluorescence technique [IIP]. Serum levels of cytokines [TNF-alpha, IL-6 and IL-2] were assayed by ELISA technique. The anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic auto- antibodies were present in 55% of children with SLE. Furthermore, serum levels of TNF-alpha, IL-6 were increased and IL-2 level was decreased in SLE children positive for ANCAs. In addition, SLE complications were increased in those children. These results demonstrate that ANCAs may be detectable in SLE sera and their presence could be associated with particular clinical manifestations

value of PCR in the diagnosis of HCV infection in chronic liver disease patients

Hepatitis C virus is a single stranded RNA virus. HCV strains could be grouped into at least 12 genotypes. Diagnosis of HCV infection was made in chronic liver disease patients and the presence of HCV-RNA in the circulation was correlated with the severity of the liver disease in anti- HCV positive chronic liver diseased patients using the polymerase chain reaction [PCR] technique in 159 cases and 50 controls. The prevalence of anti-HCV among the chronic liver disease patients was 83.6% and 38% in the control group. The PCR results were 72.3% in the patient group and 26% in the control group. The percentage of RNA positive cases in the RIBA positive samples was 87.4%. HCV-RNA was present in 89.7% of the cirrhotic patients. ALT level correlated with anti-HCV positivity and there was a significant difference between the patient and control regarding ALT level, 51.6% of the cases in the patient group had elevated ALT and 84.1% of the cases who had elevated ALT were HCV-RNA positive. We concluded that there was a high prevalence of HCV infection among chronic liver disease patients and HCV-RNA was found to correlate with the liver pathology, symptom free HCV infected patients exist and some have normal liver function tests, despite the presence of liver affection which might be severe

Some studies on the hemostatic function of professional blood donors

The regulations which keep the coagulation processes stable and active are working in blood donors. So, the blood donation even in the high rate of the professional blood could not affect this compensation. The platelet count was normal in spite of the great number of platelet which was in each donation. The resultant significant decrease of platelet aggregation could be attributed to the fact that the injection of medications produce a defect in the platelet. This decrease greatly affects their aggregation and is corrected only when new platelets that have not exposed to the drug have been released from megakaryocytes. There was a decrease in IgA of each group of blood donors when compared to its control. No effect of blood donation on IgM. The elevation of IgG is an indication for a large scale of chronic infections