ABSTRACT
Based on studies that focused on the effect of SARS-CoV-2 on human tissues, not only pulmonary invasion was revealed, but also impaired testicular function. Thus, the study of the mechanisms of influence of SARS-CoV-2 on spermatogenesis is still relevant. Of particular interest is the study of pathomorphological changes in men of different age groups. The purpose of this study was to evaluate immunohistochemical changes in spermatogenesis during SARS-CoV-2 invasion in different age groups. In our study, for the first time, a cohort of COVID-19-positive patients of different age groups was collected, and the following were conducted--confocal microscopy of the testicles and immunohistochemical evaluation of spermatogenesis disorders in SARS-CoV-2 invasion with antibodies to the spike protein, the nucleocapsid protein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, and angiotensin convertase type 2. An IHC study and confocal microscopy of testicular autopsies from COVID-19-positive patients revealed an increase in the number of S-protein- and nucleocapsid-positively stained spermatogenic cells, which indicates SARS-CoV-2 invasion into them. A correlation was found between the number of ACE2-positive germ cells and the degree of hypospermatogenesis, and in the group of patients with confirmed coronavirus infection older than 45 years, the decrease in spermatogenic function was more pronounced than in the cohort of young people. Thus, our study found a decrease in both spermatogenic and endocrine (Leydig cells) testicular functions in patients with COVID-19 infection. In the elderly, these changes were significantly higher than in the group of young patients.
ABSTRACT
Digital pathology is a new stage in the development of pathomorphological diagnostics. This topic was most widespread during the COVID-19 pandemic. The advantages of digitization of diagnostics include the possibility of remote work of a pathologist, remote asynchronous consultation, and automation of business processes. They provide an increase in diagnostic quality and speed up the diagnosis process. These benefits are only a small part of what digital cancer diagnostics can provide. This article is written on our own experience of Russia's first fully digital pathomorphological laboratory UNIM. All advantages and disadvantages of digitization, peculiarities of using technology, differences from the conventional approach to diagnostics, the economics of the process, the importance of integration with LIS (laboratory information system) and MIS (medical information system), errors and principles of their solution, payback will be discussed, and every stage of laboratory work will be considered in detail: from logistics and registration to diagnosis and archiving. Due to the fact that all data has been digitized over several years, we will present a comprehensive analysis of statistics and observations on how to organize processes in a fully digital laboratory. A key feature of our experience is the high cost-effectiveness of the platform and approach, which allowed us to win the competition in the market. The result of the survey of doctors' attitudes towards digital pathology will also be presented.