Inter-observer agreement on varicoceles diagnosis among patients referred to Shiraz Namazi Hospital

Background: Varicocele is the collection of dilated veins of pampiniform plexus which is the most common cause of infertility occurred in 35-40 percent of infertile men. Despite all the diagnostic tools exist for varicocele diagnosis; still, a physical examination is the first step

Objective: This study was done to determine the inter-observer agreement on varicoceles diagnosis

Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, two expert examiners evaluated 93 men with infertility, scrotal pain, and enlarged scrotum for the presence of varicocele. The urologists examined patients independently in two separate rooms. The inter-observer agreement on varicocele grading analyzed by the Spearman Rho correlation coefficient

Results: The grading of varicocele were similar in 34 [36.5 percent] and 59 [63.4 percent] cases in the left and right side, respectively with correlation coefficient of 0.65 [0.51-0.75] and 0.25 [0.04-0.43], respectively. It implies that inter-observer agreement was substantial for left varicocele assessment and moderate for right varicocele assessment

Conclusion: Physical exam is the essential diagnostic tool for varicocele. As long as the observers educated with the same standard method the disagreements reduced to the negligible extent

Intrascrotal solitary neurofibroma: a case report and review of the literature

Solitary Neurofibroma of the scrotum is an extremely rare benign tumor, particularly when it is not associated with neurofibromatosis type I. To the best of our knowledge, less than 10 cases have been reported in the English literature. Herein, we report a 52-year-old man with the diagnosis of scrotal solitary neurofibroma

Clitoromegaly caused by cavernous hemangioma: a rare case report and review of the literature

Hemangioma is a common benign neoplasm, but a location such as the clitoris is very rare. However, it is very important to differentiate clitoral hemangioma from enlargement of the clitoris secondary to androgen excess. To the best of our knowledge, only three cases of clitoromegaly caused by cavernous hemangioma have been reported in the English literature. Herein, we report our experience with a 16-year-old girl who presented with clitoromegaly and normal hormonal assay that turned out to be clitoral cavernous hemangioma after pathologic examination of the clitoral mass

Evaluation of plasma interleukin-8 concentration in patients with prostate cancer and benign prostate hyperplasia

Prostate specific antigen [PSA] has been used as a screening test for the early detection of prostate cancer [PC] for many years. Although the introduction of PSA test led to a considerable increase in reported prostate cancer cases, there is still some controversy over the sensitivity and specificity of this marker in distinguishing PC patients from those with benign prostate hyperplasia [BPH], the most common benign prostate condition. An attempt is made to elucidate if the plasma level of Interleukin 8 [IL-8] could be used effectively as a marker for the detection of prostate cancer. Plasma levels of IL-8 and PSA were measured in two groups of 40 BPH and PC patients using enzyme-linked immunosorbent [ELISA] and radioimmunoassay [RIA] techniques, respectively. In addition IL-8 levels in PC3 and DU145 cell line supernatants were measured by ELISA technique. The concentration of IL-8 in the plasma of PC patients was not significantly higher than the BPH subjects. Although, a correlation between plasma IL-8 concentration and the Gleason score of PC patients was found, no indicated correlation was detected between the concentration of IL-8 or PSA and age of the patients in both groups. DU145 and PC3 cell lines produced and secreted IL-8 in the media. Data of this investigation collectively conclude no correlation between IL-8 concentration in PC and BPH patients

Can thymic tissue induce tolerance to kidney allografts?

The aim of this study was to investigate the beneficial effect of donor thymic tissue to induce tolerance in thymokidney allografts, transplanted to thymectomized cross-bred canines. Seven pairs of transplant donors and recipients were selected from 3- to 4-month-old cross-bred canines with major histocompatibility complex [MHC] mismatches. Recipients underwent partial thymectomy 4 weeks before transplantation and received an autologous thymic graft under the renal capsule, which had been engrafted in the donors 3 months before transplantation [thymokidney]. Successful engraftment with evidence of thymocyte development in the donors was determined by gross and histologic examination at the time of transplantation. Biopsy specimens were obtained at the transplant day and 3 months after transplantation and were studied histologically for evidence of hyperacute or acute rejection. At 90 days after the operation, all 7 juvenile thymic grafts had developed with normal thymic structure under the renal capsule. Hyperacute rejection was not observed in allografts, and all of them were functioning until the end of follow-up; however, all of the allografts showed acute cell-mediated rejection 3 months after transplantation. No tolerance was induced by vascularized donor thymokidneys in MHCmismatched canines. The advantages of tolerance over chronic immunosuppression are so great that a potentially tolerogenic approach such as thymic transplantation would seem worthy of further investigations on large animal models. To evaluate the beneficial effects of thymic tissue in tolerance induction, utilizing a short course, lowdose adjuvant immunosuppressant to this regimen and/or application of in-bred MHCmatched canines is suggested