ABSTRACT
Background@#Pleurodesis fails in 10%–40% of patients with recurrent malignant pleural effusions malignant pleural effusion and dyspnea. This study aimed to assess the values of pleural elastance (PEL) after the aspiration of 500 mL of pleural fluid and their relation to the pleurodesis outcome, and to compare the pleurodesis outcome with the chemical characteristics of pleural fluid. @*Methods@#A prospective study was conducted in Kasr El-Aini Hospital, Cairo University, during the period from March 2019 to January 2020. The study population consisted of 40 patients with malignant pleural effusion. The measurement of PEL after the aspiration of 500 mL of fluid was done with “PEL 0.5” (cm H2O/L), and the characteristics of the pleural fluid were chemically and cytologically analyzed. Pleurodesis was done and the patients were evaluated one month later. The PEL values were compared with pleurodesis outcomes. @*Results@#After 4-week of follow-up, the success rate of pleurodesis was 65%. The PEL 0.5 was significantly higher in failed pleurodesis than it was in successful pleurodesis. A cutoff point of PEL 0.5 >14.5 cm H2O/L was associated with pleurodesis failure with a sensitivity and specificity of 93% and 100%, respectively. The patients with failed pleurodesis had significantly lower pH levels in fluid than those in the successful group (p<0.001). @*Conclusion@#PEL measurement was a significant predictor in differentiating between failed and successful pleurodesis. The increase in acidity of the malignant pleural fluid can be used as a predictor for pleurodesis failure in patients with malignant pleural effusion.
ABSTRACT
No extensive studies were done that included the use of pentoxifylline or verify its effect on the outcome of ICSI in cases of mild and moderate asthenozoospermia. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of pentoxifylline used in preparation of semen samples which doesn't need motility enhancement prior to ICSI. The study was carried on 30 infertile patients where pentoxifylline was used for semen processing [group 1], another 30 patients without pentoxifylline [group 2] in addition to 60 infertile patients where crossing over of the semen sample was done further subdividing it into 2 subgroups in which the first half of the semen sample was incubated with pentoxifylline [group 3A] and the second half of the sample without pentoxifylline [group 3B]. The numbers of oocytes injected, numbers of oocytes fertilized, fertilization rate, the total numbers of embryos, numbers of good embryos and the numbers of embryos transferred of group 3A were found significantly higher than that of Group 3B [p=0.00]. The overall 6 month pregnancy rate of group 1 was significantly higher than that of group 2 [73.3% vs. 60% respectively, p=0.04]. The abortion rate of [Group 1] and that of [Group 2] was found non - significantly different [20% vs. 27.8% respectively, p=0.53]. Pentoxifylline can be used as a useful compound for improving ICSI outcome in semen samples preparation prior to oocytes injection regardless of the state of sperm motility or the degree of asthenozoospermia
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Pentoxifylline , Semen , Infertility, Male , AsthenozoospermiaABSTRACT
Systemic lupus erythematosus [SLE] is and autoimmune disorder which primarily affects females. It may affect virtually any organ. Abnormalities of pulmonary function have been found in children with SLE even in absence of clinical or radiological evidence of pulmonary involvement. It is unknown whether these abnormalities represent an early sign of progressive lung disease or whether they associated with disease activity. The aim of our study was to investigate the frequency of pulmonary involvement in childhood SLE and to find the relationship between pulmonary function tests and other parameters of the disease. Our study included 70 patients with SLE; pulmonary manifestations were present in 36 patients with a percentage of 51.4%. All patients with pulmonary affection whether clinical or radiological were subjected to pulmonary function tests [PFT]. These included forced vital capacity and forced expiratory volume during first second. Among those 36 patients, restrictive pulmonary function was present in 22 patients [31.4%]. A significant statistical relation was detected between pulmonary function and C3 only [p value 0.4%]. Abnormalities of pulmonary function may be found in children with SLE even in absence of radiological evidence of pulmonary involvement and it is not related to other parameters of disease activity. So, it is recommended to perform pulmonary function tests even in absence of radiological evidence of pulmonary involvement to establish a diagnosis and aid long term follow up of SLE patients with acute lupus pneumonitis and diffuse interstitial lung disease which has a major impact on the mortality and morbidity of SLE patients. Studies to demonstrate the efficacy of PFT in diagnosing pulmonary involvement in SLE patients even in absence of clinical pulmonary manifestations are needed