Comparison of spermatozoa quality in male smokers and nonsmokers of Iranian infertile couples

Smoking has a negative effect on fertility and sperm quality. This study was designed to evaluate the effects of smoking on sperm quality and the related parameters such as sperm concentration, morphology and motility. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 180 infertile men with at least one year history of idiopathic infertility, who admitted to the Avicenna Infertility Center, Tehran, Iran. A complete history including smoking habits and other diseases was obtained and semen analysis was performed for all participants. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software version 16 and t test and Mann-whitney tests with a significance level of alpha = 0.05. Comparison of sperm parameters in the two groups of smoker and nonsmoker subjects showed that active smoking [p=0.04] and cigarette consumption even in small amounts [p=0.03] decreased sperm concentration, However, no significant correlation was detected between smoking status and morphology or motility of sperms. This study failed to find a significant correlation between sperm analysis and smoking status except for sperm concentration, which was significantly decreased in the active smokers ,even in those consuming small amounts of tobacco. This finding propounds that tobacco consumption may negatively affect fertility

Pheochromocytoma crisis due to glucocorticoid administration: a case report and review of the literature

We report a patient who presented with two episodes of severe hypertension after intramuscular injection of betamethasone. The first attack was associated with pulmonary edema, while the second attack was associated with high anion gap metabolic acidosis, renal failure, hyperglycemia, and hypokalemia. The attacks led to the diagnosis of pheochromocytoma, which was confirmed by appropriate diagnostic tests. The tumor was excised successfully and the patient is presently asymptomatic. We believe that these episodes were initiated by glucocorticoid injection, an event reported in a few cases. We briefly review potential mechanisms resulted in hypertensive crisis in such patients