Tratamiento quirúrgico de la infertilidad masculina / Surgical treatment for male infertility

Dada la naturaleza de las múltiples causas de infertilidad masculina, algunas de ellas son «reversibles» y pueden manejarse con un procedimiento en cirugía para recuperar, en algunos casos, la capacidad fertilizante del tracto reproductivo masculino. Con la adecuada utilización de herramientas diagnósticas y del juicio clínico, el médico puede identificar candidatos ideales para estos procedimientos, y sumado a la pericia y experiencia del cirujano, conseguir resolver la barrera para retornar la posibilidad al varón para fecundar a su pareja. En este capítulo revisaremos algunos de los procedimientos quirúrgicos más utilizados en infertilidad masculina y realizaremos una breve descripción de sus detalles técnicos

Given the nature of the multiple causes of male infertility, some of them are «reversible» and can be managed with a surgical procedure to recover, in some cases, the fertilizing capacity of the male reproductive tract. With appropriate use of diagnostic tools and clinical judgement, the physician can identify the ideal candidates for these procedures. Together with the expertise and experience of the surgeon, these treatments can manage to resolve the barrier, and men may become fertile again. In this chapter, we will review some of the most commonly used surgical procedures for the treatment of male infertility and make a brief description of their technical details

Diagnóstico y tratamiento hormonal de la infertilidad masculina / Diagnosis and hormonal treatment of male infertility

La infertilidad masculina es una condición médica que se observa con alta frecuencia y que está relacionada con el funcionamiento de órganos extremadamente complejos como la hipófisis y las gónadas. El diagnosticar y dirigir adecuadamente el tratamiento de un hombre infértil es un reto para el médico moderno, dadas las altas expectativas y exigencias de los pacientes actuales, principalmente por los gastos económicos y emocionales que cursan con este problema de pareja. En muchos casos, los pacientes deben ser tratados con terapias no dirigidas a su problema de base, sino encaminados a mejorar el funcionamiento de ese eje hormonal complejo y buscan optimizar la producción de gametos de mejores condiciones, para mejorar las tasas de fertilización a veces de manera espontánea

Male infertility is a frequently observed medical condition that is related to the functioning of extremely complex organs such as the pituitary gland and the gonads. The diagnosis and proper management of infertile men is challenging for modern medicine, given the high expectations and demands of current patients, mainly due to the economic and emotional expenses aroused by this "relationship issue". In many cases, patients should receive therapies aimed at improving the functioning of that complex hormonal axis, instead of treating their underlying problem; thus, seeking to optimize the production of gametes with better conditions and improve fertilization rates without requiring assisted procedures

Diagnosis and hormonal treatment of male infertility. / Diagnóstico y tratamiento hormonal de la infertilidad masculina.

Male infertility is a frequently observed medical condition that is related to the functioning of extremely complex organs such as the pituitary gland and the gonads. The diagnosis and proper management of infertile men is challenging for modern medicine, given the high expectations and demands of current patients, mainly due to the economic and emotional expenses aroused by this "relationship issue". In many cases, patients should receive therapies aimed at improving the functioning of that complex hormonal axis, instead of treating their underlying problem; thus, seeking to optimize the production of gametes with better conditions and improve fertilization rates without requiring assisted procedures.

Surgical treatment for male infertility. / Tratamiento quirúrgico de la infertilidad masculina.

Given the nature of the multiple causes of male infertility, some of them are «reversible¼ and can be managed with a surgical procedure to recover, in some cases, the fertilizing capacity of the male reproductive tract. With appropriate use of diagnostic tools and clinical judgement, the physician can identify the ideal candidates for these procedures. Together with the expertise and experience of the surgeon, these treatments can manage to resolve the barrier, and men may become fertile again. In this chapter, we will review some of the most commonly used surgical procedures for the treatment of male infertility and make a brief description of their technical details.

Lymphokine activated killer cells enhance IL-2 prevention of sepsis-related death in a murine model of thermal injury.

It has previously been shown by this laboratory that immunomodulation of thermally injured animals with low-dose interleukin-1 (IL-2) and indomethacin (Indo) improves survival following septic challenge. Lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) cells have been shown to be effective in certain viral infections and to act in synergy with IL-2 in the treatment of certain types of cancer. We have studied the effect of LAK cells in combination with IL-2 and Indo in a murine model of thermal injury and sepsis. Male A/J mice received a 25% scald burn injury or sham burn and were randomized into five groups: (a) sham/vehicle, (b) burn/vehicle, (c) burn/IL-2 (250 U) + Indo (5 micrograms), (d) burn/LAK cells (2 x 10(6) cells), or (e) burn/LAK cells+IL-2+Indo and were treated accordingly for 6 days following injury. LAK cells were generated by in vitro IL-2 treatment of syngeneic spleen cells for 72 hr and cytotoxic activity was confirmed by standard 51Cr release assay using natural killer (NK)-sensitive and NK-resistant targets. In the groups receiving LAK cells they were administered on Day 1 and Day 6 postinjury. On Day 10, septic challenge by cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) or splenectomy, for in vitro studies, was performed. Five-day survival after CLP was 80% in the sham/vehicle group compared to 0% in the burn/vehicle group (P < 0.01). IL-2/Indo and LAK/IL-2/Indo improved survival to 25% (P < 0.05) and 57.1% (P < 0.01), respectively.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Comparison of adjuvant chemotherapy with methotrexate and fluorouracil with and without cyclophosphamide in breast cancer patients with one to three positive axillary lymph nodes.

BACKGROUND: Alkylating agents administered as single agents or in combination with antimetabolites or anthracyclines delay the appearance of metastases and prolong the survival of breast cancer patients after surgery. PURPOSE: This phase III clinical trial was designed to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy and toxicity of the alkylating agent cyclophosphamide in combination with the antimetabolites methotrexate and fluorouracil adjuvant to breast cancer surgery. METHODS: This study consisted of 255 breast cancer patients (a) with one to three histologically positive axillary lymph nodes and either no detectable primary tumor or operable primary tumors 5 cm or less (T0-T2) (95% of the patients) or (b) with tumors larger than 5 cm (T3) and with negative axillary nodes. Patients were randomly allocated to receive either methotrexate (60 mg/m2) and fluorouracil (600 mg/m2) (MF) intravenously on days 1 and 8 every 28 days for eight cycles or cyclophosphamide (100 mg/m2) orally on days 1-14 plus MF (CMF) every 28 days for the same duration. Median follow-up was 7.8 years, and maximum follow-up was 13 years. RESULTS: There were no statistically significant differences in time to treatment failure or overall survival for patients treated with MF or CMF. At 8 years after completion of treatment, time to treatment failure was 55% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 50%-60%) and 59% (95% CI = 54%-64%) and overall survival was 69% (95% CI = 65%-73%) and 67% (95% CI = 62%-72%) for MF- and CMF-treated patients, respectively. The hazard ratios (MF to CMF) for time to treatment failure and for survival, estimated with a proportional hazards model, were 1.02 (95% CI = 0.69-1.50) and 0.87 (95% CI = 0.56-1.34), respectively. Myelosuppression was significantly greater (P < .0001) in CMF-treated patients during cycles 1-6. Median white blood cell count nadirs were between 4.4 x 10(3)/microL and 3.5 x 10(3)/microL in patients receiving MF and between 3.0 x 10(3)/microL and 2.4 x 10(3)/microL in those receiving CMF. Dose reductions were more frequent in CMF-treated patients, which led to statistically significant differences (P < .0001) in amounts of methotrexate and fluorouracil administered. Primary cancers at other sites occurred in 14 patients (5.5%)--six treated with MF and eight treated with CMF. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that the addition of cyclophosphamide to adjuvant chemotherapy with MF offers no therapeutic advantage but results in increased myelosuppression. IMPLICATIONS: Future trials will define the possible advantages of antimetabolites in adjuvant therapy. Further information will also become available when results of the ongoing National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project trial comparing adjuvant MF to CMF in node-negative breast cancer patients are presented.