ABSTRACT
Zika virus (ZIKV) was discovered in Uganda in 1947 and was originally isolated only in Africa and Asia. After a spike of microcephaly cases in Brazil, research has closely focused on different aspects of congenital ZIKV infection. In this review, we evaluated many aspects of the disease in order to build its natural history, with a focus on the long-term clinical and neuro-radiological outcomes in children. The authors have conducted a wide-ranging search spanning the 2012-2021 period from databases PubMed, PubMed Central, Web of Science, Medline, Scopus. Different sections reflect different points of congenital ZIKV infection syndrome: pathogenesis, prenatal diagnosis, clinical signs, neuroimaging and long-term developmental outcomes. It emerged that pathogenesis has not been fully clarified and that the clinical signs are not only limited to microcephaly. Given the current absence of treatments, we proposed schemes to optimize diagnostic protocols in endemic countries. It is essential to know the key aspects of this disease to guarantee early diagnosis, even in less severe cases, and an adequate management of the main chronic problems. Considering the relatively recent discovery of this congenital infectious syndrome, further studies and updated long-term follow-up are needed to further improve management strategies for this disease.
ABSTRACT
Medical procreation impairs both the biological and psychological lives of couples. However, male and female attitudes to infertility are different and require a different approach during the IVF journey. Thus, the gender impact assessment (GIA) method was used to analyse original studies present in the literature. We found some gender-related differences and, subsequently, possible outcomes of intervention to improve healthy reproduction management and prevent infertility. In particular, it became apparent that there was the need for an in-depth male infertility assessment and a gender-specific follow-up.