Impaired semen parameters in patients with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection: A prospective cohort study

In this prospective study, we investigated the impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection on semen parameters in a cohort of men who had recently recovered from COVID-19. A total of 24 men who had recently recovered from mild COVID-19 were included in the study. Their semen parameters were normal before COVID-19 according to the World Health Organization 2010 reference values. Semen samples were collected from these participants in the recovery phases of COVID-19. To determine the effect of SARS-CoV-2 infection on semen parameters, the patients' pre-COVID-19 and post-COVID-19 semen analyses were compared. The mean age of the participants was 34.7 ± 6.4 years. The median interval between the positive nasopharyngeal swab test and obtaining semen samples was 111.5 (158) days. There was no significant difference in semen parameters before and after COVID-19 in terms of semen volume (p = .56), sperm concentration (p = .06), and progressive motility (p = .14). Total motility (p = .01) and total motile sperm count (p = .02) decreased significantly after SARS-CoV-2 infection compared to the pre-infection values. This study demonstrated that sperm motility and total motile sperm count were the semen parameters which showed a significant reduction in cases with a history of mild COVID-19.     

Resorufin Enters the Photodynamic Therapy Arena: A Monoamine Oxidase Activatable Agent for Selective Cytotoxicity

A red-absorbing, water-soluble, and iodinated resorufin derivative (R1) that can be selectively activated with a monoamine oxidase (MAO) enzyme was synthesized, and its potential as a photodynamic therapy (PDT) agent was evaluated. R1 showed high ¹O₂ generation yields in aqueous solutions upon addition of MAO isoforms, and it was further tested in cell culture studies. R1 induced photocytotoxicity after being triggered by endogenous MAO enzyme in cancer cells with a much higher efficiency in SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells with high MAO-A expression. Additionally, R1 displayed differential cytotoxicity between cancer and normal cells, without any considerable dark toxicity. To the best of our knowledge, R1 marks the first example of a resorufin-based photosensitizer (PS) as well as the first anticancer drug that is activated by a MAO enzyme. Remarkably, the target PDT agent was obtained only in three steps as a result of versatile resorufin chemistry.     

Influence of Glass Forming Ability on the Physical Stability of Supersaturated Amorphous Solid Dispersions

In this study, the influence of the glass-forming ability (GFA) of a drug on its physical stability in a supersaturated solid dispersion was investigated. Nine drugs were classified according to their GFA using their respective critical cooling rate. Their respective solubility in poly(vinylpyrrolidone-co-vinyl acetate) 6:4 (PVPVA64) was predicted using the melting point depression method based on the Flory-Huggins lattice theory. Supersaturated amorphous solid dispersions at a level of 25% w/w drug above saturation solubility in the polymer were prepared by film-casting, and their respective physical stability at temperatures of 10°C or 20°C above or below their respective T_g (dry conditions) was monitored by the use of polarized light microscopy. This study showed that drugs with good GFA (class 3) on average have higher physical stability in supersaturated amorphous solid dispersion compared to drug with modest GFA (class 2), which in turn have higher physical stability in supersaturated amorphous solid dispersion than drugs with poor GFA (class 1). These results indicate that the GFA of a drug and its physical stability in a supersaturated amorphous solid dispersion stored at a temperature above or below its T_g are correlated.     

Pulmonary and upper limbs function in children with early stage Duchenne muscular dystrophy compared to their healthy peers

BackgroundPulmonary and upper limbs function of children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) are known to deteriorate throughout the disease process. However, there is a lack of information on the extent of impairments in the early stages of DMD when compared to healthy peers.ObjectiveTo investigate to what extent pulmonary and upper limbs function of children with early stage DMD are impaired.MethodsSixty-one children participated in the study: 31 with Grade 1 DMD (study group) according to the Brooke Upper and Lower Extremity Functional Classification Systems, and 30 age matched healthy peers (control group). Pulmonary function was determined with pulmonary function tests. The Performance of Upper Limb test was used to evaluate the upper limbs function.ResultsStudy and control groups were homogenous in terms of physical characteristics (p > 0.05). Pulmonary and upper limbs function of children with DMD were about 85% and 93% of healthy peers, respectively.ConclusionThis study provides evidence for deterioration of pulmonary and upper limbs function in children with early stage DMD. Better knowledge of deterioration rate over time may help therapists to better plan and update their plan of care.