Medicine
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This study is to investigate the effect of high serum uric acid (UA) level on oxidative stress and semen quality of male infertility patients. A cohort of 654 male individuals aged between 20 and 45 years old were included in this study, and their semen and venous blood samples were collected. The serum UA, blood glucose, blood lipids, and hormone levels were determined by chemiluminescence method. ⋯ The concentration of seminal plasma α-glucosidase and alkaline phosphatase in the hyperuricemia group decreased significantly (P < .05). Compared with the control group, the contents of ascorbic acid, tartaric acid, lactic acid, and UA in the seminal plasma were significantly reduced in the hyperuricemia group (P < .05). Blood UA level may become a new risk predictor of semen quality in infertile men.
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Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) is mainly used to treat acute and chronic esophageal, gastric, and intestinal variceal bleeding and refractory ascites caused by portal hypertension. The most common complication of TIPS is the development of hepatic encephalopathy (HE). Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is an emerging method for treating diseases by altering the intestinal flora. We present 2 cases of FMT that ameliorated liver function and HE after TIPS. ⋯ FMT may be another effective way to treat HE, and is worthy of further research.
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Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is an autosomal dominant genetic disorder characterized by facial angiofibromas, epilepsy, intellectual disability, and the development of hamartomas in several organs, including the heart, kidneys, brain, and lungs. Mutations in either TSC1 or TSC2 result in dysregulated mTOR activation, leading to the occurrence of TSC. ⋯ We identified a novel heterozygous TSC2 variant, c.336_336 + 15delGGTAAGGCCCAGGGCG, in a patient with classical TSC and demonstrated that this variant leads to aberrant splicing using a minigene assay. Our results extend the understanding of the mutational spectrum of TSC2.
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Can red cell distribution width in very low birth weight infants predict bronchopulmonary dysplasia?
Red cell distribution width (RDW) is a useful marker for assessing the severity and prognosis of various diseases in adults. However, whether it is applicable to children, especially in newborns, has not been determined. This study aimed to investigate the RDW values of preterm infants and evaluate whether RDW values in the early days of life can predict bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) development. ⋯ The levels remained similar at 1 month of age. RDW at birth, D7, and D28 and the changes in RDW from birth to D7 were not correlated with the development of BPD independent of its severity. The usefulness of RDW as a predictor of BPD development remains questionable and requires further study.
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To investigate the correlations between ultrasonographic morphological characteristics quantitatively assessed using a deep learning-based computer-aided diagnostic system (DL-CAD) and histopathologic features of breast cancer. This retrospective study included 282 women with invasive breast cancer (<5 cm; mean age, 54.4 [range, 29-85] years) who underwent surgery between February 2016 and April 2017. The morphological characteristics of breast cancer on B-mode ultrasonography were analyzed using DL-CAD, and quantitative scores (0-1) were obtained. ⋯ Not-circumscribed margin (P < .001) and hypoechogenicity (P = .003) scores correlated with tumor size, and non-parallel orientation score correlated with histologic grade (P = .024). Luminal A tumors exhibited more irregular features (P = .048) with no parallel orientation (P = .002), whereas triple-negative breast cancer showed a rounder/more oval and parallel orientation. Quantitative morphological characteristics of breast cancers determined using DL-CAD correlated with histopathologic features and could provide useful information about breast cancer phenotypes.