Medicine
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In the process of spermatogenesis and maturation, histones of the sperm nucleus were gradually replaced by protamine. Abnormal sperm nucleoprotein histotype conversion can make sperm DNA unstable and affect sperm function. The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of high and low proportion of sperm histone positivity in semen sample on embryonic development and assisted reproductive technology results, and to evaluate its diagnostic value in assisted reproduction. ⋯ Using the in vitro fertilization procedure, the effect of sperm histone positive ratio on each index was not statistically different. Overall the study provides some preliminary evidence that abnormal sperm histones may be a factor that affects the fertilization success of intracytoplasmic sperm injection procedures. However, more research is needed to confirm this finding to determine the exact mechanism by which abnormal sperm histones affect fertilization.
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Thickening of the cervical ligamentum flavum (CLF) has been considered as a main cause of cervical spinal stenosis (CSS). A previous study reported that cervical ligamentum flavum thickness (CLFT) is correlated with CSS. However, the whole hypertrophy is different from focal thickness. ⋯ The optimal cut off-point of the CLFT was 1.79 mm, with a sensitivity of 83.5%, specificity of 84.5%, and an area under the curve of 0.92 (95% CI, 0.87-0.96). Both CLFT and CLFA were significantly related to CSS, but CLFA was the more sensitive measurement parameter. Therefore, to evaluate patients with CSS, treating physicians should test for CLFA.
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To investigate the efficacy of a nursing approach using B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA)-targeted universal chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (BCMA-UCART) immunotherapy in the treatment of 8 patients with relapsed refractory multiple myeloma (MM). In this study, 16 patients with relapsed and refractory MM who were treated with BCMA-targeted UCART in our department from May 2020 to November 2022 were selected, and were divided into a control group and an experimental group of 8 cases each according to the difference in the nursing methods, and the control group adopted the conventional universal nursing program. The experimental group used the nursing protocol that cooperated with the immunotherapy of this study, and the main points of nursing care included timely assessment of organ functional status, safe and accurate infusion of BCMA-UCART, identification and management of hyperthermia, hypotension, arrhythmia and central nervous system adverse reactions caused by cytokine release after BCMA-UCART infusion, as well as management of fluid imbalance, maintenance of stable blood pressure, and cooperation with physicians to effectively control of inflammatory factors. ⋯ The duration of hospitalization was compared between the two groups after the intervention. The discharge time of the experimental group was significantly shorter than that of the control group (P he.05), and the experimental group effectively controlled cytokine release syndrome, immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome and acute graft-versus-host disease. The nursing program with BCMA-UCART immunotherapy is effective in intervening MM patients and promotes their early recovery and discharge from the hospital.
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Appropriate usage of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) suppresses human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) replication. One of such HAART is dolutegravir (DTG) containing regimen which Nigeria included in her national protocol, as the preferred first-line option, with particularly fixed dose combination of tenofovir/lamivudine/dolutegravir (TLD) in 2018. ⋯ Some hematological parameters (such as Hb, total white cell counts and CD4 + count) were lower in people living with HIV than values seen in control group. The 3 regimens used in the management of HIV infection in the locality revealed comparable Packed cell volume and Hemoglobin levels. Total white cell count of those on Efavirenz and DTG is comparable with higher values than those on Ritonavir.
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The internal mammary lymph nodes (IMLNs) are a main pathway of metastasis in breast cancer, and breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) plays an important role in staging that disease. We investigated the MRI parameters that can predict metastatic IMLNs and evaluated their diagnostic performance by comparing the breast MRI findings for metastatic and benign IMLNs. From January 2016 to December 2020, 474 cases of enlarged IMLNs on breast MRI were identified. ⋯ Significant differences in the breast MRI findings for the short and long axes, fatty hilum, necrosis, margin characteristics, diffusion restriction, and tumor location were observed between benign and metastatic IMLNs. Compared with the long axis and the ratio of the axes, the short axis had the best diagnostic value (higher area under the ROC curve) for predicting metastatic IMLNs. In conclusion, breast MRI parameters such as short axis, presence of fatty hilum, necrosis, margin characteristics, and diffusion restriction can be used to evaluate and differentiate benign from metastatic IMLNs, offering valuable insights to improve diagnosis and treatment planning in breast cancer.