Evaluation of the effect of shift working and sleep quality on semen parameters in men attending infertility clinic

We aimed to evaluate the effect of shift work on semen parameters together with the effect of sleep quality in men attending infertility clinic. The participants were divided into two groups as follows: 104 shift worker men (Group 1) and 116 nonshift worker men (Group 2). Groups were compared in terms of semen parameters, Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21), and Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) scores. A higher rate of oligozoospermia and poor sleep quality and a lower mean normal morphology percentage was observed in shift workers than nonshift workers (p = .006, .039 and .036 respectively). In addition, a positive correlation was seen between sleep duration and sperm concentration, while a negative correlation was found between sleep latency and total sperm count. Shift working together with high PSQI score was also a significant association with oligozoospermia when controlling for the other variables of age, total testosterone, DASS-21 stress score, smoking and varicocele (OR = 2.11, 95% CI 1.03–4.34 and OR = 1.18, 95% CI 1.01–1.39 respectively). In this study, infertile shift workers had a lower percentage of normal morphology and higher rates of oligozoospermia and poor sleep quality. Considering that shift workers have lower sleep quality, it seems that shift working negatively affects the circadian rhythm.     

Weightbearing and Activity Restriction Treatments and Quality of Life in Patients with Perthes Disease

BackgroundWeightbearing and activity restrictions are commonly prescribed during the active stages of Perthes disease. These restrictions, ranging from cast or brace treatment with nonweightbearing to full weightbearing with activity restrictions, may have a substantial influence on the physical, mental, and social health of a child. However, their impact on the patient’s quality of life is not well-described.Questions/purposesAfter controlling for confounding variables, we asked (1) are restrictions on weightbearing and activity associated with physical health measures (as expressed by the Patient-Reported Outcome Measurement Information System [PROMIS] mobility, PROMIS pain interference, and PROMIS fatigue) of children in the active stages of Perthes disease? (2) Are these restrictions associated with poorer scores for mental health measures (PROMIS depressive symptoms and PROMIS anxiety)? (3) Are these restrictions associated with poorer scores for social health measures (PROMIS peer relationships)?MethodsBetween 2013 and 2020, 211 patients with Perthes disease at a single institution were assigned six PROMIS measures to assess physical, mental, and social health. Patients who met the following eligibility criteria were analyzed: age 8 to 14 years old, completion of six PROMIS measures, English-speaking, and active stage of Perthes disease (Waldenstrom Stage I, II, or III). Weightbearing and activity restrictions were clinically recommended to patients in the initial through early reossification stages of Perthes disease when patients had increasing pain, loss of hip motion, loss of hip containment, progression of femoral head deformity, increased hip synovitis, and femoral head involvement on MRI or as a postoperative regimen. Patients were categorized into four intervention groups based on weightbearing and activity regimen. We excluded 111 patients who did not meet the inclusion criteria. The following six pediatric self-report PROMIS measures were assessed: mobility, pain interference, fatigue, depressive symptoms, anxiety, and peer relationships. Of the 100 patients, 36 were categorized into the no-restriction regimen, 27 into the mild-restriction regimen, 25 into the moderate-restriction regimen, and 12 into the severe-restriction regimen at the time of PROMIS administration. The median (range) age at diagnosis was 8 years old (range 2 to 13 years). There were 85 boys and 15 girls. Eleven patients had hips in Waldenstrom Stage I, 10 were in Stage II, and 79 were in Stage III. Forty-four patients had hips classified as lateral pillar B and 47 patients as lateral pillar C. Nine patients had not reached the mid-fragmentation stage for appropriate lateral pillar classification by the time they took the PROMIS survey. ANOVA was used to compare differences between the mean PROMIS T-scores of these weightbearing/activity regimens. Results were assessed with a significance of p < 0.05 and adjusted for Waldenstrom stage, gender, age at diagnosis, and history of major surgery using multivariate regression analysis.ResultsAfter controlling for confounding variables, the mild- (β regression coefficient -15 [95% CI -19 to -10]; p < 0.001), moderate- (β -19 [95% CI -24 to -14]; p < 0.001), and severe- (β -25 [95% CI -30 to -19]; p < 0.001) restriction groups were associated with worse mobility T-scores compared with the no-restriction group, but no association was detected for the pain interference or fatigue measures. Weightbearing and activity restrictions were not associated with mental health measures (depressive symptoms and anxiety). Weightbearing and activity restrictions were not associated with social health measures (peer relationships). Earlier Waldenstrom stage was associated with worse pain interference (β 10 [95% CI 2 to 17]; p = 0.01) and peer relationships scores (β -8 [95% CI -15 to -1]; p = 0.03); female gender was linked with worse depressive symptoms (β 7 [95% CI 2 to 12]; p = 0.005) and peer relationships scores (β -6 [95% CI -12 to 0]; p = 0.04); and earlier age at diagnosis was associated with worse peer relationships scores (β 1 [95% CI 0 to 2]; p = 0.03). History of major surgery had no connection to any of the six PROMIS measures.ConclusionWe found that weightbearing and activity restriction treatments are associated with poorer patient-reported mobility in the active stages of Perthes disease after controlling for Waldenstrom stage, gender, age at diagnosis, and history of surgery. Weightbearing/activity restrictions, however, are not associated with pain interference, fatigue, depressive symptoms, anxiety, and peer relationships. Understanding how these treatments are associated with quality of life in patients with Perthes disease can aid in decision-making for providers, help set expectations for patients and their parents, and provide opportunities for better education and preparation. Because of the chronic nature of Perthes disease, future studies may focus on longitudinal trends in patient-reported outcomes to better understand the overall impact of this disease and its treatment.Level of EvidenceLevel III, therapeutic study.     

A digest of the Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guideline for Nephrotic Syndrome 2020

Clinical and Experimental Nephrology -     

Diagnostic accuracy of Raman spectroscopy for prostate cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BackgroundAlthough various studies have been conducted to demonstrate the possibility of Raman spectroscopy (RS) as a diagnostic tool for prostate cancer (PC), it is difficult to use it in the real clinical area because of imitations in various research processes. Therefore, we did a systematic review and meta-analysis about the accuracy in diagnostic use of RS for PC.MethodsA literature search was done using PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane library databases in March 2019 to analyze the accuracy of RS for diagnosis of PC. The accuracy of RS for diagnosis of PC was evaluated by means of pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio (PLR), negative likelihood ratio (NLR), diagnostic odds ratio (DOR), and summary receiver operating characteristic (SROC).ResultsFive studies were included for qualitative analysis by screening the remaining articles according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria by means of a systematic review. The pooled sensitivity and specificity of RS were 0.89 (95% CI: 0.87–0.91) and 0.91 (95% CI: 0.89–0.93), respectively. The overall PLR and NLR were 9.12 (95% CI: 4.15–20.08) and 0.14 (95% CI: 0.07–0.29), respectively. The DOR of RS demonstrated high accuracy (73.32; 95% CI: 18.43–291.73). The area under the curves (AUCs) of SROC curves was 0.93.ConclusionsRS is an optical diagnostic method with high potential for diagnosis and grading of PC and has advantages of real-time and convenient use. In order to consider real-time use of RS in an actual clinical setting, more studies for standardization and generalization of RS performance and analytical method must be conducted.     

用层析法研究X—CT的论证问题

为改善技术论证的定量程度，作者用层析法对Ｘ－ＣＴ的选型操作进行了研究，并提出此方法可推广应用于一般医院的大型装备。     

偏头痛患儿的大脑血流动力学变化

目的　研究偏头痛患儿的脑动脉血流动力学改变 ,探讨其在小儿偏头痛发生中的作用。方法　应用经颅多普勒 (TCD)技术 ,检测 90例 7～ 14岁头痛间歇期的偏头痛患儿和 80例健康同龄儿童脑动脉血管血流动力学指标。结果　 90例偏头痛患儿中脑动脉血流动力学异常者 77例 (86 % ) ,其中 6 0例 (6 7% )流速增快 ,9例 (10 % )减慢 ,与对照组相比 ,差异具有显著性 (P <0 0 1) ;90例中 2 3例 (2 6 % )存在双侧同名动脉血流速度不对称 ,其中伴有血流速度异常者15例 ,血流速度正常者 8例 ,差异具有显著性 (P <0 0 1)。结论　脑动脉血流动力学因素异常改变 ,在小儿偏头痛的发生中具有重要作用。尤其值得注意的是 ,双侧同名动脉流速不对称的改变 ,在小儿偏头痛的发生中同样可能起着重要的作用。     

两种不同血管紧张素ⅡⅠ型受体拮抗剂治疗轻中度原发性高血压的临床研究

目的:探讨缬沙坦和氯沙坦治疗轻中度原发性高血压的临床疗效及安全性。方法:117例轻中度原发性高血压患者随机分为两组,缬沙坦(治疗)组59例,80～160mg/d,口服,疗程半年;氯沙坦(对照)组58例,50～100mg/d,口服,疗程半年。治疗前后测偶测血压、动态血压、肝肾功能、血脂、血糖、血尿酸,血浆肾素活性(PRA)、血管紧张素Ⅱ(AngⅡ)醛固酮(ALd)、内皮素(ET)等,并观察心脑事件发生情况。结果:治疗组总有效率74.6％(44/59例),降压幅度26.2/15.1mmHg,谷/峰(T/P)比值:收缩压(SBP)0.28、舒张压(DBP)0.78,与对照组总有效率74.1％(43/58例),降压幅度25.9/15.8mmHg,T/P比值:SBP 0.81、DBP 0.79均相似(P均>0.05)。两组治疗后PRA、AngⅡ均升高(P均<0.05);Ald、ET均降低(P均<0.05),但组间对照无显著性差异(P>0.05)。血尿酸也明显下降(P均<0.05),且基础值越高,降幅越大,对于治疗前高尿酸血症患者,对照组降压大于治疗组(P<0.05)。半年随访,两组心脑血管事件发生率相似(P>0.05),治疗组不良么应轻微。结论:缬沙坦是一种安全、作用持久、稳定、耐受性好、用药方便的治疗轻中度原发性高血压的新型AngⅡⅠ型受(AT1)拮抗药物之一,值得临床推广应用。