Evaluation of inactivated COVID-19 vaccine on semen parameters in reproductive-age males: a retrospective cohort study.

During the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) epidemic, there have been concerns about the impact of vaccines on people's fertility, including the fertility of those who are currently preparing for pregnancy and those who might become pregnant in future. However, there is still a lack of research on the effect of the COVID-19 vaccine on male fertility, and it is not surprising that couples and donors have concerns regarding vaccination. In this study, a retrospective cohort study was conducted to examine semen quality before and after receipt of the inactivated COVID-19 vaccine. There were no statistically significant changes in semen parameters (volume, sperm concentration, progressive motility, and total progressive motile count) after two doses of vaccine (all P > 0.05). In summary, our study updates the most recent studies on the effects of the COVID-19 vaccine on male fertility, and the information from this study could be used to guide fertility recommendations for assisted reproductive technology (ART) patients and donors.

A correlation between acute kidney injury and myonecrosis after scheduled percutaneous coronary intervention.

Slight elevations in cardiac troponin I and T are frequently observed after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CI-AKI) is a complex syndrome induced by exposure to intravascular contrast media (CM). Currently, the relationships between the CM, pre-existing kidney insufficiency, CI-AKI, and myonecrosis after elective PCI are unclear. To investigate the relationship between CI-AKI and post-procedural myonecrosis (PMN) after PCI, we analyzed 327 non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome subjects undertaking elective PCI. The levels of cardiac troponins (cTns), cTnI and cTnT, at baseline and on at least one occasion 18-24 h after PCI were measured. We also recorded serum levels of creatinine (SCr) and the urine albumin:creatinine ratio (ACR) before coronary angiography, and 24-48 h and 48-72 h after contrast administration. A post-procedure increase in cTns was detected in 16.21% (53/327) of subjects with cTns levels >99th to 5×99th percentile upper reference limit (URL). Twenty-seven patients (8.26%) developed CI-AKI. CI-AKI occurred more often in subjects with PMN than in those without PMN (20.8% versus 5.8%, respectively, P=0.001). Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that pre-existing microalbuminuria (MA) was an important independent predictor of PMN (OR: 3.31; 95% CI: 1.26-8.65, P=0.01). However, there was no correlation between the incidence of CI-AKI and PMN (OR: 2.38; 95% CI: 0.88-6.46, P=0.09). We conclude that pre-existing MA was not only an important independent predictor of CI-AKI but also of PMN.