Clinical outcomes of microdissection testicular sperm extraction and intracytoplasmic sperm injection in Japanese men with Y chromosome microdeletions.

PURPOSE: We investigated the clinical results of Japanese men with Y chromosome microdeletions. METHODS: This study retrospectively examined 2163 azoospermic or severe oligozoospermic patients. We investigated the frequency of azoospermia factor (AZF) deletions and sperm retrieval rate (SRR) by microTESE in patients with these deletions, then analyzed the ICSI outcomes. RESULTS: Azoospermia factor deletions were found in 201 patients. SRR was significantly higher than that of the control group (74.0% vs 20.4%, P < .001). Thirty-three couples underwent ICSI using testicular spermatozoa retrieved by microTESE, and eight couples underwent ICSI using ejaculatory spermatozoa. The fertilization rate and clinical pregnancy rate per embryo transfer cycle were significantly higher in the ejaculatory group than that of the testicular group (66.4% vs 43.7%, P < .001, 53.3% vs 24.7%, P = .03, respectively). When compared with the control group, the fertilization rate was significantly lower in the testicular group with AZFc microdeletions (43.7% vs 53.6%, P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Our study highlights that although microTESE in azoospermic men with AZFc microdeletions led to a higher SRR, ICSI outcomes of these men were worse than that of men without AZF deletions, even if testicular spermatozoa were retrieved.

Clinical Background of Patients with Sperm in Their Urinary Sediment.

INTRODUCTION: The detection rate and associated factors of at least one sperm in urinary sediment is not well-known in real clinical practice. AIMS: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the clinical features associated with the presence of sperm in urinary sediment in a large number of samples. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study at Tokyo Saiseikai Central Hospital. We identified 5,005 males who were aged ≥20 years in whom urinary sedimentation had been performed at least twice between May 2011 and June 2012. The sperm group included patients in whom at least one urinary sediment test performed under a microscope had detected at least one sperm. We evaluated the associations between the presence of at least one sperm in urinary sediment and clinical parameters such as various diseases and the use of particular oral medicines. MAIN OUTCOMES: In total, 1.6% (339/20,937) of urinary sediment samples contained at least one sperm. The sperm group consisted of 282 subjects (5.6%), and the no-sperm group included 4,723 subjects (94.3%). RESULTS: Multivariate analysis demonstrated that younger age (<65) (odds ratio [OR]: 1.71, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.32-2.21), the total number of examinations (≥4) (OR: 1.46, 95%CI: 1.11-1.92), diabetes (OR: 1.72, 95%CI: 1.31-2.25), a history of pelvic surgery for colon cancer (OR: 4.89, 95%CI: 2.38-10.02), alpha-1 blocker use (OR: 1.55, 95%CI: 1.16-2.08), a history of trans-urethral resection of the prostate (OR: 2.77, 95%CI: 1.46-5.13), and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor use (OR: 2.12, 95%CI: 1.07-4.19) were independent predictors of the presence of at least one sperm in urinary sediment. CONCLUSION: There is considerable overlap between the factors associated with the presence of at least one sperm in urinary sediment and those that are strongly associated with ejaculatory disorders.

[Synchronous male bladder cancer and breast cancer - a case report].

A 74-year-old man complained of blood in his urine over a 1-week period beginning in early October 2013, and was examined in the urology department of our hospital. A thorough examination revealed bladder cancer, and surgery was planned after two cycles of preoperative gemcitabine plus cisplatin chemotherapy. A chest computed tomography (CT) performed to evaluate the response to chemotherapy revealed a mass in the right breast. The patient had previously complained about the same site, and mammography and ultrasonography had suggested the possibility of a malignant mammary gland tumor. The results of aspiration cytology were Class V, and based on that finding, a diagnosis of cancer of the right breast was made. In February 2014, we performed a mastectomy, while preserving the pectoral muscles, along with sentinel node biopsy, total cystectomy, urethrectomy, pelvic lymph node dissection, and ureteroileal anastomosis. The histopathological diagnosis of the right breast tumor was invasive ductal carcinoma[scirrhous carcinoma, ly (+), v (-), g (+), f (+), s (+), nuclear grade 1=atypia 2+mitosis 1, EIC (-), ICT (-), NCAT (-)]. A micrometastatic tumor measuring approximately 1mm was observed in the sentinel lymph node. The breast disease was classified as pT1N1mi(sn)M0, Stage IIA, and the tumor was ER (+), PgR (+), HER2/neu (2+), and FISH (-). The bladder cancer was diagnosed as urothelial carcinoma, non-papillary, invasive G2>G3, pT2a; no pelvic lymph node metastases were detected, and it was classified as pT2aN0M0, Stage II. Synchronous male breast cancer and bladder cancer is a very rare condition, and we report the case with a review of the literature.

Transient response of blue organic electroluminescence devices with short fluorescence lifetime of substituted phenyl/vinyl compound as an emissive layer.

We have demonstrated a short fluorescence lifetime of the substituted phenyl/vinyl compound, 1,4-bis[2-[4-[N,N-di(p-tolyl)amino]phenyl]vinyl]benzene (DSB). The fluorescence lifetime of the 0.5 mol.% DSB-doped 4,4'-bis(9-carbazolyl)biphenyl film is 1.2 ns, which is desirable for organic light-emitting diode (OLED) light sources for optical interconnect applications. We have also examined frequency dependences on the electroluminescence (EL) intensity of the OLED and the photoluminescence (PL) intensity of the DSB film. The -3 dB cutoff frequency of the EL intensity is about 3 MHz for the optimized device, and the -3dB cutoff frequency of the PL intensity is about 160 MHz for the optically pumping DSB film.

"Pocket dendrimers" as nanoscale receptors for bimolecular guest accommodation.

A new series of dendrimer receptors was prepared by combining a (tetraphenylporphinato)zinc(II) core and benzyl ether type dendritic substituents. Since one direction of the (tetraphenylporphinato)zinc(II) was not substituted by a dendritic residue, the resulting unsymmetrical dendrimers have "pockets" available for access of external substrates. Molecular modeling, NMR measurements, and zinc-coordination experiments revealed that the third-generation dendrimer of this type exhibited characteristic inclusion of coordinative pyridine guests. When diamidopyridine moiety was introduced into the dendrimer pocket, a thymine derivative was bound through complementary hydrogen bonding. Two different kinds of substrates, pyridine and thymine derivatives, were simultaneously accommodated in the nanoscale pocket and bimolecular guest accommodation was realized with the designed dendrimer receptor.

Warm-white light-emitting diode with yellowish orange SiALON ceramic phosphor.

A warm-white light-emitting diode (LED) without blending of different kinds of phosphors is demonstrated. An approach that consists of a blue LED chip and a wavelength-conversion phosphor is carried out. The phosphor is a newly developed yellowish orange CaEuSiAlON ceramic phosphor with high efficiency. The CIE1931 chromaticity coordinates (x, y) are (0.458, 0.414), the color temperature is 2750 K, and the luminous efficacy of this LED is 25.9 lm/W at room temperature and with a forward-bias current of 20 mA. The chromaticity of the assembled LED is more thermally stable than that of a LED with a conventional oxide phosphor (YAG:Ce) because of the better thermal stability of the oxynitride phosphor.

Comparison of Gas-less laparoscopy-assisted surgery, hand-assisted laparoscopic surgery and pure laparoscopic surgery for radical nephrectomy.

BACKGROUND: We report our experience with Gas-less laparoscopy-assisted surgery (Gas-less LAS), hand-assisted laparoscopic surgery (HALS) and pure laparoscopic surgery (LS) for renal carcinoma and compare the characteristics and usefulness of these methods. METHODS: Seventeen, 14 and 16 patients were subjected to Gas-less LAS, HALS and LS, respectively. The study started with Gas-less LAS and then gradually shifted to HALS and LS. We evaluated the operative and postoperative parameters for each group. The learning curve effect was evaluated based on data from the first 10 cases of each group, which were operated on by the same surgeon and operation team. RESULTS: The learning curve of operation times in the LS group demonstrated that the operation time for this procedure is acceptable even in early-stage cases. Differences in mean operative time between the three surgical groups, excluding the conversion cases, were not statistically significant; however, there was a significant difference in blood loss volume between the groups (P

Gastric cancer recognized by metastasis to the ureter.

Although ureteral obstruction is rarely noted in patients with gastric cancer at an advanced stage or at autopsy, the condition caused by authentic ureteral metastasis of gastric cancer is extremely rare. We experienced a case of gastric cancer in a 51-year-old woman who showed bilateral ureteral metastasis. The patient initially complained of right flank pain, caused by right ureteral obstruction, and was referred to our hospital, where she underwent a right nephroureterectomy, with suspicion of primary ureteral neoplasm. Histopathological examination of the resected specimen showed that metastatic growth of adenocarcinoma in the ureteral wall had caused the obstruction, and the subsequent extensive search for the primary lesion revealed asymptomatic gastric cancer. Soon after the nephroureterectomy, the patient developed left hydronephrosis, possibly caused by left ureteral metastasis, and a left percutaneous nephrostomy was performed. She then received chemotherapeutic reagents. However, she finally developed peritoneal carcinomatosis, and died of the disease about 1 year after the onset of the disease. In this report, we also review true ureteral metastasis from the stomach, and discuss the clinicopathologic features.