Intracytoplasmic sperm injection with cryopreserved testicular spermatozoa

To assess if testicular sperm cryopreservation is a valid alternative to repetition of testicular sperm retrieval techniques, results of a cryopreservation technique in pills have been retrospectively analyzed. Enough motile spermatozoa for ICSI were obtained in 172 from 190 (90.5%) frozen-thawed testicular sperm samples. Overall, 249 couples underwent 390 ICSI cycles, 156 using fresh and 234 using cryopreserved testicular sperm. Mean two-pronuclear fertilization rates per cycle were not significantly different after ICSI with fresh (62.0%) or with cryopreserved (63.2%) spermatozoa. Mean embryo cleavage rate per cycle was higher in the fresh (90.6%) than in the cryopreserved (84.6%) group (P = 0.016). However, clinical pregnancy rates per cycle (28.2% with fresh vs 27.8% with cryopreserved), implantation rates (12.2% vs 13.1%) and ongoing pregnancy rates per cycle (22.4% vs 21.8%) were not significantly different. Cryopreservation of testicular spermatozoa is an effective technique that can be used both in obstructive and in non-obstructive azoospermia.     

Alternating proliferative capacity in the rat gastrointestinal mucosa. Effects of E2 prostaglandins and indomethacin

Having previously observed an apparent uneven distribution of proliferating cells in the gastric corporic mucosa of the rat, we examined the mitotic distribution along 8-mm sections of gastric and jejunal epithelia. Metaphases were arrested with vincristine to facilitate mitotic count, and the effects of treatment with a prostaglandin E2 analogue and a cyclooxygenase blocker were examined. Clusters of mitotic figures alternating with non-proliferating areas were observed in the gastric corporic epithelium of control rats. During 4 h mitotic activity was absent over 21% of the corporic mucosa. Extending the examined area to about 240 glands reduced substantially the error of mitotic counts. An uneven distribution of mitoses was found in the antral and jejunal epithelium, but areas without proliferating cells were uncommon. Treatment with the prostaglandin E2 analogue reduced the number of mitosis-free areas in the gastric corpus to 13%, and clusters were less easily identified. The total mitotic count was unaffected by treatment. In the jejunum prostaglandin increased the absolute number of mitoses. The mitotic span was also increased, reflecting the uneven distribution. Indomethacin produced the opposite effects to the prostaglandin analogue, including reduction of epithelial height. Of the gastric corporic mucosa 35% was non-proliferating during the observation period, but the clustering phenomenon was still apparent. Absence of dose relationship was attributed to ulcerogenic actions of high doses of indomethacin. It is concluded that mitoses are unevenly distributed in the upper gastrointestinal epithelium of the rat and that safe estimates of mitotic count require examination of large corporic areas.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

The effect of arachidonic acid and its metabolites on acid production in isolated human parietal cells

The effect of arachidonic acid and its metabolites on the histamine-stimulated acid production in human isolated parietal cells provenient from endoscopic biopsies was examined. 14C-aminopyrine (14C-AP) accumulation in the parietal cells was used for evaluation of acid production. Histamine dose-dependently increased AP uptake. Histamine stimulation (taken as 100% at 10(-5) M) was significantly inhibited by prostaglandin (PG) E2 to 66 +/- 7% at 10(-8) M, 42 +/- 8% at 10(-6) M, and 13 +/- 10% at 10(-4) M (mean +/- SEM, n = 10). PGF2 alpha, PGD2, and PGI2 showed significant inhibitory effects only at very high concentrations (10(-5)-10(-4) M). Leukotriene (LT) B4 and LTC4 were without effect. The basal acid production (taken as 0%) was lowered significantly by 10(-6) M arachidonic acid to -20 +/- 7.4% (p less than 0.02, n = 10), and the histamine-stimulated (10(-6) M) acid production from 100% to 64 +/- 7.2% (p less than 0.001, n = 10). Aspirin (10(-3) M) increased basal (45 +/- 9.6%, p less than 0.001, n = 10) and histamine-stimulated (10(-6) M) acid production (164 +/- 16.3%, p less than 0.001). It is concluded that PGE2, the major product from arachidonic acid metabolism in the human gastric mucosa, is a significant inhibitor of the histamine-stimulated human parietal cell and may, in humans, play a role as a local physiologic inhibitor of acid secretion.     

Elder abuse among Spanish and Iranian people: new methodological approach to the same old story

International Journal of Legal Medicine - Elder abuse continues to be a taboo, mostly underestimated, ignored by societies across the world. Recent systematic reviews and meta-analyses have...     

The phosphatase PRL-3 affects intestinal homeostasis by altering the crypt cell composition

Expression of the phosphatase of regenerating liver-3 (PRL-3) is known to promote tumor growth in gastrointestinal adenocarcinomas, and the incidence of tumor formation upon inflammatory events correlates with PRL-3 levels in mouse models. These carcinomas and their onset are associated with the impairment of intestinal cell homeostasis, which is regulated by a balanced number of Paneth cells and Lgr5 expressing intestinal stem cells (Lgr5+ ISCs). Nevertheless, the consequences of PRL-3 overexpression on cellular homeostasis and ISC fitness in vivo are unexplored. Here, we employ a doxycycline-inducible PRL-3 mouse strain to show that aberrant PRL-3 expression within a non-cancerous background leads to the death of Lgr5+ ISCs and to Paneth cell expansion. A higher dose of PRL-3, resulting from homozygous expression, led to mice dying early. A primary 3D intestinal culture model obtained from these mice confirmed the loss of Lgr5+ ISCs upon PRL-3 expression. The impaired intestinal organoid formation was rescued by a PRL inhibitor, providing a functional link to the observed phenotypes. These results demonstrate that elevated PRL-3 phosphatase activity in healthy intestinal epithelium impairs intestinal cell homeostasis, which correlates this cellular mechanism of tumor onset with PRL-3-mediated higher susceptibility to tumor formation upon inflammatory or mutational events.

Key messages

? Transgenic mice homozygous for PRL-3 overexpression die early.

? PRL-3 heterozygous mice display disrupted intestinal self-renewal capacity.

? PRL-3 overexpression alone does not induce tumorigenesis in the mouse intestine.

? PRL-3 activity leads to the death of Lgr5+ ISCs and Paneth cell expansion.

? Impairment of cell homeostasis correlates PRL-3 action with tumor onset mechanisms.

     

Hallazgos iniciales en la radiografía de tórax como predictores de empeoramiento en la infección pulmonar por SARS-CoV-2. Correlación en 265 pacientes

Background and aimsWe aimed to analyze the relationship between the initial chest X-ray findings in patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome due to infection with SARS-CoV-2 and eventual clinical worsening and to compare three systems of quantifying these findings.Material and methodsThis retrospective study reviewed the clinical and radiological evolution of 265 adult patients with COVID-19 attended at our center between March 2020 and April 2020. We recorded data related to patients’ comorbidities, hospital stay, and clinical worsening (admission to the ICU, intubation, and death). We used three scoring systems taking into consideration 6 or 8 lung fields (designated 6 A, 6 B, and 8) to quantify lung involvement in each patient's initial abnormal chest X-ray and to classify its severity as mild, moderate, or severe, and we compared these three systems. We also recorded the presence of alveolar opacities and linear opacities (fundamentally linear atelectasis) in the first chest X-ray with pathologic findings.ResultsIn the χ2 analysis, moderate or severe involvement in the three classification systems correlated with hospital admission (p = 0.009 in 6 A, p = 0.001 in 6 B, and p = 0.001 in 8) and with death (p = 0.02 in 6 A, p = 0.01 in 6 B, and p = 0.006 in 8). In the regression analysis, the most significant associations were 6 B with alveolar involvement (OR 2.3; 95%CI 1.1.–4.7; p = 0.025;) and 8 with alveolar involvement (OR 2.07; 95% CI 1.01.–4.25; p = 0.046). No differences were observed in the ability of the three systems to predict clinical worsening by classifications of involvement in chest X-rays as moderate or severe.ConclusionModerate/severe extension in the three chest X-ray scoring systems evaluating the extent of involvement over 6 or 8 lung fields and the finding of alveolar opacities in the first abnormal X-ray correlated with mortality and the rate of hospitalization in the patients studied. No significant difference was found in the predictive ability of the three classification systems proposed.