Diagnostic value of routine semen analysis in clinical andrology

Infertility is a major health issue affecting over 48.5 million couples around the world, with the male factor accounting for about 50% of the cases. The conventional semen analysis recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) is the cornerstone in the evaluation of male fertility status. It includes macroscopic and microscopic evaluation of the ejaculate, which reflects the production of spermatozoa in the testes, the patency of the duct system and the glandular secretory activity. Evaluation of seminal fructose, sperm vitality and leucocytes (Endtz test) are useful adjuncts to semen analysis that provide information on specific clinical conditions. Though several computer-assisted sperm analysis (CASA) systems have been developed, conventional methods for semen analysis are still widely accepted in clinical practice. This review summarises the conventional techniques used in routine semen analysis and their diagnostic value in clinical andrology.     

Diagnostic Utility of Platelet Count/Lymphocyte Count Ratio and Platelet Count/Mean Platelet Volume Ratio in Periprosthetic Joint Infection Following Total Knee Arthroplasty

BackgroundDiagnosing a periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) can be challenging and often requires a combination of clinical and laboratory findings. Monocyte/lymphocyte ratio, neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio, platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and platelet/mean platelet volume ratio (PVR) are simple predictors for inflammation that can be readily obtained from complete blood count. The aim of this study is to evaluate the diagnostic utility of these markers in predicting PJI in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) patients.MethodsA total of 538 patients who underwent revision TKA with calculable marker ratios prerevision in 2 groups were evaluated: (1) 206 patients with a preoperative diagnosis of PJI (group I) and (2) 332 patients treated for revision TKA for aseptic failures (group II). The diagnostic abilities of the markers were assessed via receiver operator characteristic curve analysis.ResultsThe optimal threshold of PVR at 30.82 had the highest sensitivity of 87.7%, while the optimal threshold of PLR at 234.13 had the highest specificity of 82.5%. Both PLR and PVR, when combined with Musculoskeletal Infection Society thresholds for erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein, synovial WBC, and PMN%, achieve significantly higher sensitivity and specificity rates for PJI at or above 97% (PLR: 99.03%; 98.80%; PVR: 98.54%;97.89%).ConclusionOur study demonstrates that PVR and PLR, which are readily available and inexpensive to obtain from complete blood counts, when combined with serum and synovial fluid markers have increased sensitivity and specificity comparable to that of alpha defensin. This suggests that PVR and PLR can be used together with other hematologic and aspirate markers to increase the accuracy of PJI diagnosis in TKA patients.     

Utility and Prognostic Ability of a Diagnostic Injection Before Revision Total Knee Arthroplasty

BackgroundDiagnostic injections are commonly utilized in the workup of painful total knee arthroplasties (TKA), particularly when the diagnosis remains unclear. However, current literature provides limited evidence regarding the utility and prognostic capability of anesthetic injections in this scenario. This study sought to establish the role of diagnostic injections in predicting successful revision TKA.MethodsA retrospective review was conducted on 144 consecutive aseptic revision TKAs receiving diagnostic anesthetic injections. Instability (57.6%) and aseptic loosening (33.3%) comprised most revision etiologies. Patient-reported percentage pain relief after the injection was statistically correlated with KOOS JR, Knee Society Score, UCLA Activity Level, and satisfaction scores.ResultsAbout 74.3% (107/144) of revision TKAs reported >50% pain relief after injection. There were no differences in pain relief based on revision indication (P = .841). Improvement from preoperative activity level was greater in the >50% pain relief group (P = .024). Four-month patient satisfaction did not differ between patients who reported >50% and ≤50% pain relief (67% vs. 66%, P = .130). About 64% of patients who reported >50% pain relief were satisfied at minimum 1-year follow-up, compared with only 47% of those who reported ≤50% pain relief after diagnostic injection (P < .001).ConclusionStudy results show that patients reporting >50% pain relief after diagnostic injection have improvements in activity level and maintain greater satisfaction at minimum 1-year than those reporting ≤50% pain relief. Expectations for improvement after revision TKA should be tempered if diagnostic anesthetic injection yields minimal subjective pain relief.     

Diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers in salivary gland tumours

Salivary glands are a heterogeneous group of neoplasms and are diagnostically challenging with overlapping microscopic features between tumours as well as intra-tumour morphological diversity. Correct diagnosis is essential to ensure appropriate management and follow-up. Morphological and cytological analysis of haematoxylin and eosin stained tissue sections is supplemented by a large number of immunohistochemical and special stains as well as molecular rearrangements. A broad literature search was performed to provide an overview of all biomarkers used for diagnosis and prognosis prediction of salivary gland tumours. The wide range of biomarkers reported in the literature can be overwhelming but used in the correct context can aid diagnosis and predict the behaviour of these challenging tumours. They can also help identify recently described new entities.     

十二指肠原发性去分化脂肪肉瘤1例

患者男,79岁,外院腹部CT发现十二指肠病变1周;既往有胃溃疡病史。查体未见明显异常。腹部CT:十二指肠降段管壁增厚、管腔狭窄,增强后局部明显不均匀强化,内见条状稍高密度影,部分层面紧邻胰头(图1A、1B)。MRI:十二指肠降段管壁明显不均匀增厚达2.3 cm,肠腔狭窄,T1WI呈稍低信号,T2WI为稍高信号,扩散加权成像(b=800 s/mm 2)呈高信号;增强后管壁不均匀明显强化,周围脂肪间隙尚清晰,部分层面与邻近胰头分界欠清(图1C)。     

肺隐球菌病累及中枢神经系统1例

正患者女,43岁,10余天前无明显诱因出现头痛,伴呕吐、发热;既往体健。查体未见明显异常。实验室检查:甲胎蛋白1.78ng/ml,癌胚抗原0.98 ng/ml,糖类抗原19-9为7.70U/ml,糖类抗原12-5为42.80U/ml。头部MRI:双侧大脑半球灰白质交界区见多发长T1、稍长T2结节,双侧基底节区见囊状长T1、长T2结节,于弥散加权成像(diffusion weighted imaging,DWI)(b=1 000s/mm2)中呈低信号(图1A),表观弥散系数(apparent diffusion coefficient,     

基于慢性乙型病毒性肝炎诊断路径的实验诊断学教学模式初探

探讨建立涵盖慢性乙型病毒性肝炎(CHB)诊断与鉴别诊断、治疗、药物选择及毒副作用预测、疗效监测、预后评估等全过程的疾病临床检验诊断路径的教学模式。根据CHB临床诊疗指南, 制订与疾病不同阶段相关的实验室检查检测策略, 建立CHB临床检验诊断路径, 以武汉大学第一临床学院2016级和2017级八年制本科生为研究对象, 通过随堂问卷比较其课堂教学效果。本研究首先建立了获得临床医生认可的CHB临床检验诊断路径, 其涵盖CHB疾病的诊断与鉴别诊断、治疗、药物选择及毒副作用预测、疗效监测、预后评估等全过程。该路径应用于2017级临床医学本科生课堂教学后, 教学质量评估指标均有较大程度的提升。此外, 随堂测验得分也有显著提高。综上, 基于CHB临床检验诊断路径的实验诊断学教学模式, 实现了实验诊断学与临床医学的融合, 提升了学生对CHB诊疗中各种实验室检查检测的整体认识, 教学质量得到了提高。     

突发声嘶诊断性治疗1例

本文报道了1例以声嘶为唯一表现的声门闭合不全病例,该病例经非甾体类抗炎药、消炎治疗及推压嗓音训练等诊断性治疗,声嘶逐渐痊愈,最终诊断为双侧环杓关节炎。声门闭合不全以对因治疗为主,在病因尚无法确定时,可通过诊断性治疗间接确定病因。     

HPV6b L1蛋白在昆虫细胞中的表达及其作为特异性诊断抗原的初步研究

目的：研究人乳头瘤病毒6b结构蛋白（HPV6b L1)在昆虫细胞系统的表达及其作为特异性诊断抗原的可行性,为HPV感染的血清学诊断及基因工程疫苗研究作准备。方法：采用HPV6b L1重组杆状病毒感染sf-9昆虫细胞制备HPV6b L1,经氯化梯度离心纯化,Western blot分析及电镜观察鉴定;用1μg、5μg和20μg三种剂量免疫小鼠,以检测小鼠血清抗体反应;并用HPV6b L1作为诊断抗原检测HPV感染者（尖锐湿疣及宫颈癌）和健康对照者共112例血清特异性抗体。结果：HPV6b L1在昆虫细胞中得到表达,并可自行组装形成VLPs,且予1μg剂量免疫小鼠就能产生阳性血清抗体反应,HPV6b L1 VLPs特异性抗体对HPV6感染的敏感性和特异性分别为78．6％和97．1％。结论：HPV6b L1 VLPs具较强的免疫原性和抗原性,血清中检测到的HPV6b L1抗体对HPV6感染具较高的特异性,可进一步用于HPV感染的血清学诊断及防治尖锐湿疣的基因工程疫苗研究。