The influence of oral antioxidants on men with infertility: a systemic review.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to investigate the current evidence regarding the impact of oral antioxidant supplementation on semen parameters of infertile men. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a systematic search of PubMed, and Cochrane electronic databases, adhering to modified Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The focus was on studies exploring the effects of antioxidant therapy on infertile men, with an examination of antioxidants in terms of types, doses, rationale for use, and their impact on semen parameters measures. RESULTS: A total of 18 studies that met the inclusion criteria were included in this study. Out of these, 14 studies reported a significantly positive influence of antioxidant therapy on basic semen parameters and advanced sperm function. These comprised 11 randomized clinical trials and 7 prospective studies. Commonly utilized antioxidants included Vitamin E, Vitamin C, carnitines, co-enzyme Q10, N-acetyl cysteine, zinc, selenium, folic acid, and lycopene. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, antioxidants generally demonstrate a favorable effect on semen parameters of infertile men. However, further research is necessary to pinpoint the optimal antioxidant regimen that can be applied safely and effectively in clinical practice.

Effects of antisperm antibodies post vasectomy reversal on pregnancy rates.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the correlation between antisperm antibodies (ASAs), pregnancy rates, and the method of conception following vasectomy reversal. This is particularly relevant as patients undergoing vasectomy reversal often express concerns about the potential inhibitory effects of ASAs on achieving pregnancy. Additionally, the American Urological Association guidelines for vasectomy emphasize the need for further research to address this question. PATIENT AND METHODS: We conducted a retrospective analysis involving chart reviews and phone interviews with individuals who underwent vasectomy reversal at our institution between May 2015 and April 2023. Patients who underwent vasectomy reversal for reasons other than fertility, as well as those lacking postoperative semen analysis with ASA data, were excluded. We classified patients based on low (below 50%) or high (50% or above) ASA levels determined by their initial postoperative semen analysis. The primary outcome measured was the pregnancy rate, including details on the method of conception. RESULTS: A total of 145 patients were subjected to chart review. The median age at the time of surgery was 43 years, with a median obstruction interval of 7.7 years. The median age of their partners was 29 years. The majority (80%) of patients underwent bilateral vasovasostomy. Among them, 60 patients (41.4%) exhibited low (< 50%) ASA levels, while 85 (58.6%) had high (≥ 50%) ASA levels. Follow-up phone interviews were completed by 48 patients. Among them, the 19 men with low ASA levels, 13 (68.4%) achieved pregnancy, with 6 (31.6%) experiencing spontaneous conception. For the 29 men with high ASA levels, 21 (72.4%) achieved pregnancy, including 11 (38%) through spontaneous conception. The p-value from Fisher's exact test was 0.2. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that ASA levels do not show a significant association with either the pregnancy rate or the method of conception following vasectomy reversal.

Arabic translation, cultural adaptation, and validation of the BDDQ-AS for rhinoplasty patients.

BACKGROUND: Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) is a significant aspect that compromises patient satisfaction after rhinoplasty. BDDQ-AS (Body Dysmorphic Disorder Questionnaire-Aesthetic Surgery) is a validated, simple, reliable patient-reported outcome measure. It is a screening tool to detect body dysmorphic disorder in rhinoplasty patients. This study aimed to translate, culturally adapt, and validate BDDQ-AS to Arabic as a novel tool for screening and detecting BDD in Arabic rhinoplasty individuals. METHODS: BDDQ-AS was translated from English to Arabic following the international consensus guidelines. We tested the translation on ten Arabic-speaking rhinoplasty patients to ensure that the final version was understandable and acceptable. The proposed Arabic version was then completed by 112 patients whose average age was 28.79 ± 9.32 years. The screening is assumed positive if the patients expressed bother and preoccupation about their appearance (questions 1 and 2 "yes"), as well as a moderately disrupted everyday life (question 7 "yes" or questions 3, 4, 5, or 6 are equal to or greater than "3''). The internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and item-response theory (IRT) were used to evaluate psychometric validations. RESULTS: The Arabic BDDQ had a high level of internal consistency, as measured by Cronbach's alpha 0.995. The A-BDDQ-AS was deemed reliable with an Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) of 0.989. A-BDDQ had good discrimination scores (above 2.0) with adequate difficulty parameters. The overall scale content validity average was 0.83, affirming that all items were relevant, clear, and straightforward. CONCLUSION: The Arabic version of the BDDQ-AS is reliable, culturally adapted, and psychometrically validated to be readily used and incorporated into clinical practice. It is a beneficial tool that can guide the screening of Arabic rhinoplasty patients suffering from body dysmorphic disorder and be utilized in further studies to optimize patient outcomes.

Molecular breeding for rust resistance in wheat genotypes.

Rusts are a group of major diseases that have an adverse effect on crop production. Those targeting wheat are found in three principal forms: leaf, stripe, and stem rust. Leaf rust causes foliar disease in wheat; in Egypt, this causes a significant annual yield loss. The deployment of resistant genotypes has proved to be a relatively economical and environmentally sustainable method of controlling the disease. Gene pyramiding can be performed using traditional breeding techniques. Additionally, pathotypes can be introduced to examine specific leaf rust genes, or the breeder may conduct more complex breeding methods. Indirect selection via DNA markers linked to resistance genes may facilitate the transfer of targeted genes, either individually or in combination, even in a disease-free environment. The use of selective crosses to counter virulent races of leaf, stripe, and stem rust has resulted in the transfer of several resistance genes into new wheat germplasm from cultivated or wild species. Quantitative trait locus (QTL) technology has been adopted in a wide variety of novel approaches and is becoming increasingly recognized in wheat breeding. Moreover, several researchers have reported the transference of leaf and stripe rust resistance genes into susceptible wheat cultivars.

Early recovery patterns of olfactory disorders in COVID-19 patients; a clinical cohort study.

INTRODUCTION: A rapidly evolving evidence suggests that smell dysfunction is a common symptom in COVID-19 infection with paucity of data on its duration and recovery rate. OBJECTIVES: Delineate the different patterns of olfactory disorders recovery in patients with COVID-19. METHODS: This cross-sectional cohort study included 96 patients with olfactory complaint confirmed to be COVID-19 positive with recent onset of anosmia. All patients were inquired for smell recovery patterns using self-assessment questionnaires. RESULTS: Ninety six patients completed the study with mean age 34.26 ±â€¯11.91 years. Most patients had sudden anosmia 83%. Loss of smell was accompanied by nonspecific inflammatory symptoms as low-grade fever (17%) and generalized body ache (25%). Nasal symptoms were reported by 33% of patients. Some patients reported comorbidities as D.M (16%), hypertension (8%) or associated allergic rhinitis (25%), different patterns of olfactory recovery showed 32 patients experiencing full recovery (33.3%) while, 40 patients showed partial recovery (41.7%) after a mean of 11 days while 24 patients (25%) showed no recovery within one month from onset of anosmia. CONCLUSION: The sudden olfactory dysfunction is a common symptom in patients with COVID-19. Hyposmia patients recover more rapidly than anosmic ones while the middle age group carried the best prognosis in olfactory recovery. Females possess better potentiality in regaining smell after recovery and the association of comorbidities worsen the recovery rate of olfactory dysfunction in patients with COVID19. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 2b a cross-sectional cohort study.

Positive effects of systemic sodium benzoate and olanzapine treatment on activities of daily life, spatial learning and working memory in ketamine-induced rat model of schizophrenia.

BACKGROUND: Sodium Benzoate (SB) significantly improved positive, negative, and cognitive symptoms as add on treatment in schizophrenia. Olanzapine (Ola), the most effective atypical antipsychotic drug, has been linked to hepatic steatosis, acute kidney injury, reproductive side effects and poor effect on negative symptoms in some patients. GOALS: is to compare the efficacy and check the safety of long-term monotherapy with SB 0.01 mg/Kg versus Ola on male cognitive, memory, hepatic, renal and testicular functions in rat model of schizophrenia. METHODS: 48 young adult male rats were divided into 6 groups; C: control; O: received Ola; SB: received SB; K: received single IP ketamine (Ket) injection; K+O: received Ola and Ket and K+SB: received SB and Ket. Ola and SB given orally for 3 or 10 weeks for behavioral or serological studies respectively. We measured activities of daily life (ADL), spatial learning and memory in radial arm water maze (RAWM), serum parameters of hepatic, renal and testicular functions. RESULTS: Both Ola and SB significantly improved hoarding and burrowing, caused significant decrease in time to reach target (TRT), working memory errors (WME) in K+O and K+SB groups compared to K group. Ola caused significant increase in ALT, AST and creatinine and decrease in serum LH, testosterone compared to controls. SB caused significant rise in serum LH, ALT, AST and decrease in protein and albumin compared to both C and O groups. CONCLUSION: Both Ola and SB improved ADL, cognitive and memory functions. Although SB saved testicular and renal functions, it worsened liver function compared to Ola.

Long-term follow-up of repair of external nasal deformities in rhinoscleroma patients.

INTRODUCTION: Rhinoscleroma (RS) is a chronic, progressive, granulomatous infectious disease endemic in Egypt and the Middle East, affecting the nose in 95-100% of cases, and resulting in functional and esthetic sequelae. The aim of the study was to investigate the feasibility of performing reconstructive procedures to improve external deformities in RS patients, with long-term follow up. PATIENTS & METHODS: This prospective, controlled cohort study included 25 patients who were seeking rhinoplasty to improve their esthetic appearance, with evident clinical and histopathological history of RS. Another 25 patients seeking esthetic augmentation rhinoplasty in the same period formed the control group. All the participants were evaluated objectively by two independent rhinoplasty surgeons, and subjectively with ROE 2 years postoperatively. RESULTS: All the participants showed significant improvement in esthetic facial evaluation postoperatively, with a correlative rise in ROE score. There was an insignificant difference between the studied groups. Inconsequential complications were encountered throughout the follow-up period, but with insignificant incidence in both groups. CONCLUSION: Rhinoplasty for correction of RS external deformities is both safe and beneficial, with no risks of flaring up or increased complications. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 2b.

Validation and cross-cultural adaptation of the arabic version of the nasal obstruction symptom evaluation scale.

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: Validation and cross-cultural adaptation of the Nasal Obstruction Symptom Evaluation (NOSE) scale into the Arabic language with studying of its psychometric properties. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective instrument-validation study. METHODS: Guidelines for the cross-cultural adaptation process from the original English language scale into the Arabic language version were followed. We assessed the psychometric properties of the Arabic version of the NOSE scale (A-NOSE) (feasibility, reproducibility, internal consistency, reliability, discriminatory validity, responsiveness to change) in 101 consecutive patients who underwent septal surgery (preoperatively and 3 months postoperatively) and 102 asymptomatic controls. RESULTS: The Mann-Whitney test showed a statistically significant difference for the mean score between the patients and the control group denoting good clinical validity. The Cronbach's α coefficient value for the A-NOSE scale for 101 cases was 0.995, demonstrating good internal consistency. The Wilcoxon signed rank test showed a marked improvement in the patients score 3 months postoperatively. Correlation and level of agreement of the mean score of the A-NOSE scale for each question were studied using Spearman's rank correlation for each question, and Pearson's correlation for the total score showed statistically significant results. CONCLUSIONS: The A-NOSE scale is a valid instrument for evaluating the subjective severity of nasal obstruction and is recommended to be used in rhinology research and daily practice. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 3b. Laryngoscope, 127:2455-2459, 2017.

Cardioprotective and antioxidant effects of oleogum resin "Olibanum" from Bos Boswellia carteri Birdw. (Bursearceae).

One of the leading causes of death worldwide is cardiovascular disease, hence searching for a cure is an important endeavor. The totally safe, edible, and inexpensive Boswellia plant exudate, known as olibanum or frankincense, is considered to possess diverse medicinal values in traditional medicine and from recent biological studies. Investigating the cardioprotective and antioxidant activities of olibanum from a Boswellia species, family Bursearaceae, namely Boswellia carteri Birdw. was the aim of this study. Cardioprotective activity was evaluated using a model of myocardial infarction induced by isoprenaline (ISO), while antioxidant activity was tested adopting nitric oxide scavenging (NOS) and azino-bis-3-ethyl benzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) assays. The results revealed a mild cardioprotective effect and weak antioxidant activity.

Assessment of anti-quorum sensing activity for some ornamental and medicinal plants native to egypt.

This study investigated the effects of some plant extracts on the bacterial communication system, expressed as quorum sensing (QS) activity. Quorum sensing has a directly proportional effect on the amount of certain compounds, such as pigments, produced by the bacteria. Alcohol extracts of 23 ornamental and medicinal plants were tested for anti-QS activity by the Chromobacterium violaceum assay using the agar cup diffusion method. The screening revealed the anti-QS activity of six plants; namely the leaves of Adhatoda vasica Nees, Bauhinia purpurea L., Lantana camara L., Myoporum laetum G. Forst.; the fruits of Piper longum L.; and the aerial parts of Taraxacum officinale F.H. Wigg.

Effect of surface treatments on the tensile bond strength of repaired water-aged anterior restorative micro-fine hybrid resin composite.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to characterize changes in surface topography associated with different surface treatments and their effect on tensile bond strength (TBS) of repaired water-aged anterior restorative micro-fine hybrid resin composite. METHODS: The TBS of repaired resin-based composite slabs either non-treated or exposed to different mechanical and/or chemical surface treatment procedures were measured. The cohesive tensile strength of non-repaired intact slabs was used as a control group. The topographical effects of acid etching, grinding, and grinding followed by acid etching were characterized by AFM and SEM. RESULTS: All repaired groups showed significantly lower TBS than the control group. The TBS of repaired groups was ranged from 15% to 59% of the cohesive tensile strength of the control group (18.8+/-4.5MPa). The surface roughness of the non-treated aged specimens was significantly higher than other treated specimens. Specimens treated by acid etching showed significant increase in surface area compared to the non-treated and treated specimens. CONCLUSIONS: Aging process resulted in the formation of degradable surface layer which adversely affects the repair bond strength. The use of silane primer prior to the application of the adhesive after mechanical grinding, with or without the use of 37% phosphoric acid etching; improves the repair bond strength.

Sodium hypochlorite as dentin pretreatment for etch-and-rinse single-bottle and two-step self-etching adhesives: atomic force microscope and tensile bond strength evaluation.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of using 5.25% commercial sodium hypochlorite treatment prior to the application of etch-and-rinse and self-etching adhesives on dentin surface microtopography and tensile bond strength. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-two noncarious, nonrestored human third molars were collected. The occlusal enamel of all teeth was removed using diamond disks to expose flat dentin surfaces. The exposed dentin surfaces were abraded using 600-grit SiC disks, to create a uniform dentin smear layer. For AFM characterization, 12 teeth were equally divided into 4 groups according to the proposed dentin surface treatment. Three dentin disks, 2 mm thick, were evaluated per group using tapping mode assessment. Twenty teeth were used for TBS and SEM evaluation and were equally divided into 4 groups, according to the proposed dentin surface treatment. For TBS, 8 dentin/composite slabs, 2 mm thick, were used in each group, while for SEM evaluation 2 slabs were used. Each slab was tested in tension at a crosshead speed of 0.5 mm/min until failure occurred. The samples were examined using SEM operated at 30 kv to evaluate the hybrid layer photographically at 1500X. Statistical analysis was carried out using StatsDirect 2.5.7. One-way ANOVA followed by Tukey-Kramer multiple-comparison post-hoc tests were performed to test the difference between roughness parameters and TBS between groups. RESULTS: Sodium hypochlorite followed by the application of 37% phosphoric acid significantly increased the arithmetic average of the absolute values of surface height deviations (Sa), the surface area ratio which expresses the ratio between the surface area (taking the z height into account) and the area of the flat x,y plane (Sdr), and the surface bearing index (Sbi) parameters, while the application of sodium hypochlorite prior to the application of the self-etching primer significantly increased the valley fluid retention index (Svi) parameter. Self-etching primer without sodium hypochlorite pretreatment significantly increased the core fluid retention index (Sci) parameter. Sodium hypochlorite/AdheSE (7.42 +/- 2.16 MPa) significantly increased TBS value compared to other groups. However, no statistically significant difference was found between sodium hypochlorite/Excite (4.68 +/- 1.26 MPa), AdheSE (4.42 +/- 1.36), and Excite (4.06 +/- 1.35). Remnants of smear layer were detected with areas devoid of resin tags in SEM images of samples bonded with AdheSE self-etching adhesive, in contrast to samples bonded with sodium hypochlorite followed by AdheSE self-etching adhesive. CONCLUSION: The application of 5.25% commercial sodium hypochlorite with rubbing action for 60 s (total application time 120 s) seems to positively influence the TBS of the self-etching adhesive; however, it has no significant effect on TBS of etch-and-rinse single-bottle adhesive to dentin. The addition of functional roughness parameters to study the dentin surface was shown to be of importance in evaluating the relationship between bond strength and surface topography of conditioned dentin.