Investigation of sperm chromatin condensation by aniline blue staining in infertile men with normal and abnormal semen parameters

Aim: To evaluate the relationship between sperm chromatin condensation assessed by aniline blue staining and semen parameters in infertile men. Methods: Infertile men applied to our urology clinics and diagnosed with normozoospermia (n=50), asthenozoospermia (n=17), oligozoospermia (n=3), teratozoospermia (n=2) oligoasthenoteratozoospermia (OAT) (n=10) according to their semen analysis were included in the study. Semen samples were evaluated for sperm chromatin condensation by aniline blue staining. Results: The percentage of aniline-positive spermatozoa in the OAT and teratozoospermia group was found to be higher than in the normozoospermic and asthenozoospermic infertile groups (p=0.002, p=0.044 with normozoospermia group and p=0.026, p=0.007 with asthenozoospermia group, respectively). Sperm chromatin condensation was negatively correlated with sperm concentration (p=0.003, r=-0.322), total sperm count (p=0.004, r=-0.313), total progressive motile sperm count (p=0.005, r=-0.307), and normal morphology (p<0.0001, r=-0.554); and positively correlated with the percentage of immotile sperm (p=0.037, r=0.230). Conclusion: Sperm chromatin condensation was found to be different in infertile men differently diagnosed based on their semen analysis. The results of the study suggest that chromatin condensation, together with routine sperm parameters, may constitute a valuable parameter in the evaluation of male fertility

Comparison of adjacent segment degeneration in patients using cervical cage and disc prosthesis in anterior cervical surgery

Aim: To examine the prevalence of adjacent segment degeneration associated with the use of cages and disc prostheses in patients who underwent cervical disc surgery via an anterior cervical approach. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 60 patients who underwent cervical disc surgery via an anterior cervical approach at our clinic between 2018 and 2023. The patients were divided into two groups based on the type of implant used: those with a cervical cage (Group 1) and those with a cervical disc prosthesis (Group 2). Patients' demographic and clinical details, including age, gender, smoking habits, follow-up durations, and any additional comorbid diseases, were recorded. Radiological evaluations focused on degeneration rates in the segments adjacent to where either the cage or disc prosthesis was implanted. Results: In the study comparing two groups, participants' average ages were 48.9 in Group 1 and 48.1 in Group 2 (p=0.720). Group 1 had a higher proportion of smokers (p=0.052) and more discopathy (p=0.196). In terms of disc degenerations, variations existed but were not statistically significant (p=0.259). Utilizing the Pfirrmann grading, Group 1 had more Grade III degeneration (p=0.088) and a significantly higher presence of ossification or osteophytes (p=0.038). Both groups showed high rates of adjacent segment degeneration, yet Group 1 had notably more proximal degeneration (p=0.012). Stenosis and facet hypertrophy differences were not significant (p=0.417, p=0.071). Follow-up duration averaged around 38 months for both groups (p=0.929). Conclusions: No substantial difference in the overall incidence of adjacent segment degeneration between the two procedures. Nevertheless, further large-scale and long-term studies are essential to draw comprehensive conclusions regarding the optimal surgical intervention for cervical disc ailments

A novel approach for breast ultrasound classification using two-dimensional empirical mode decomposition and multiple features

Aim: Breast cancer stands as a prominent cause of female mortality on a global scale, underscoring the critical need for precise and efficient diagnostic techniques. This research significantly enriches the body of knowledge pertaining to breast cancer classification, especially when employing breast ultrasound images, by introducing a novel method rooted in the two dimensional empirical mode decomposition (biEMD) method. In this study, an evaluation of the classification performance is proposed based on various texture features of breast ultrasound images and their corresponding biEMD subbands. Methods: A total of 437 benign and 210 malignant breast ultrasound images were analyzed, preprocessed, and decomposed into three biEMD sub-bands. A variety of features, including the Gray Level Co-occurrence Matrix (GLCM), Local Binary Patterns (LBP), and Histogram of Oriented Gradient (HOG), were extracted, and a feature selection process was performed using the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator method. The study employed GLCM, LBP and HOG, and machine learning techniques, including artificial neural networks (ANN), k-nearest neighbors (kNN), the ensemble method, and statistical discriminant analysis, to classify benign and malignant cases. The classification performance, measured through Area Under the Curve (AUC), accuracy, and F1 score, was evaluated using a 10-fold cross-validation approach. Results: The study showed that using the ANN method and hybrid features (GLCM+LBP+HOG) from BUS images' biEMD sub-bands led to excellent performance, with an AUC of 0.9945, an accuracy of 0.9644, and an F1 score of 0.9668. This has revealed the effectiveness of the biEMD method for classifying breast tumor types from ultrasound images. Conclusion: The obtained results have revealed the effectiveness of the biEMD method for classifying breast tumor types from ultrasound images, demonstrating high-performance classification using the proposed approach

Predictor of Hirschsprung-associated enterocolitis: A regression analysis: Hirschsprung-associated enterocolitis

Aim: To identify independent predictors for Hirschsprung-associated enterocolitis (HAEC) through regression analysis of various clinical factors. Method: This retrospective study examined clinical, surgical, and diagnostic data of patients treated for Hirschsprung's disease (HD), evaluating the impact of various factors like aganglionic segment length and postoperative complications. Results: We analyzed data from 161 patients with HD. Surgical interventions were split between the Rehbein procedure at 47.2% (n=76) and transanal endorectal pull-through (TEPT) at 52,8% (n=85). The median age at diagnosis was 7 [3-12.5] months. The average length of the aganglionic segment measured 25 [20-30] cm distributed as follows: ultrashort segment (16.9%, n=27), rectosigmoid (47.5%, n=76), descending colon (18.8%, n=30), splenic flexure (12.5%, n=20), transverse colon (3.7%, n=6), and ascending colon (0.6%, n=1). Preoperative enterocolitis was observed in 33.1% (n=53). Postoperative enterocolitis occurred in 28.1% (n=45). Additional interventions included rectal botox injections (2.5%, n=4), myectomies (3.1%, n=5), and re-do surgeries (3.1%, n=5). Anastomotic strictures were noted in 5.6% (n=9) of the cases. Upon analyzing patients who presented with HAEC in the preoperative period, it was determined that the length of the aganglionic segment (p=0.001, OR: 1.07) and the age at diagnosis (p=0.003, OR: 1.03) were independent risk factors for HAEC. A positive correlation was found between Length of aganglionic segment and number of preoperative HAEC (p=0.002, r=0.405). Conclusion: In our study, it was observed that long-segment Hirschsprung's disease and a delayed age at diagnosis are risk factors for Hirschsprung-associated enterocolitis

Estradiol and ascorbic acid alleviate malathion-induced lung damage in albino Wistar rats: A histopathological study

Aim: To assess the modulatory role of estradiol and ascorbic acid in malathion-induced pulmonary toxicity in albino Wistar rats. Methods: A total of twenty albino Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups; the control group (group 1) was given corn oil alone, the test group (group 2) received a daily dose of malathion 20 mg/kg in corn oil, treatment group A (group 3) was administered a daily dose of malathion 20 mg/kg in corn oil plus estradiol 40 µg/100 g (gram), and treatment group B (group 4) received a daily dose of malathion 20 mg/kg in corn oil plus ascorbic acid 100 mg/kg. Experimental rats were administered once daily for four weeks. The lungs were examined histopathologically using two staining methods (Hematoxylin and Eosin, Masson Trichrome). Results: There were significant reductions in degeneration, interstitial pneumonia and interstitial fibrosis for group 3 (treatment group A) compared to group 2 (test group) (p<0.05). These reductions were more statistically significant for group 4 (treatment group B) compared to group 2 (test group) (p<0.01). Therefore, the damage was less pronounced and injury severity was moderate in group 3 treated with estradiol. Group 4, with ascorbic acid, showed the most improvement with significant tissue repair under microscopic examination and mild injury compared to group 3. Conclusions: The results of our present study suggest that both estradiol and ascorbic acid have clear protective effects against malathion-induced lung injury. However, ascorbic acid exhibited more pronounced protective effects compared to estradiol. With more comprehensive studies, the positive effects of ascorbic acid and estradiol can be used to prevent lung damage in individuals exposed to malathion

Experiences and results with a cementless femoral stem design: SL-PLUS MIA

Aim: To evaluate the outcomes of the SL-PLUS® MIA cementless femoral stem (Smith & Nephew Orthopedics AG, Switzerland) application using the modified lateral approach. Method: Demographic and clinical data, in addition to the operational outcomes of 42 patients who underwent total hip arthroplasty (THA) and partial hip arthroplasty (PHA) using the MIA cementless femoral stem with the modified lateral approach, between November 2015 and June 2017, were collected. Harris Hip Scores were calculated preoperatively and at 6 weeks, and 3 and 6 months, and 1 and 3 years postoperatively (a total of 6 times) in the THA group and at 6 weeks, and 3 and 6 months, and 1 and 3 years postoperatively (a total of 5 times) in the PHA group. Results: Data from 24 THA patients with a diagnosis of primary or secondary coxarthrosis and 18 PHA patients with a diagnosis of isolated collum femoris fracture were collected. The average patient (26 females, 16 males, mean age 68.1 ± 13.1 years) follow-up period was 46.7 ± 1.4 months. There were no intraoperative or postoperative trochanteric fractures. No patients displayed the trendelenburg sign. The Harris Hip Scores of all of the patients increased postoperatively, proportional to the duration of follow-up. Conclusions: In hip arthroplasties performed using the modified lateral approach, femoral preparation with a MIA femoral stem, which has a proximal lateral slope, reduced the tension in the trochanteric region. This was believed to lower the risk of trochanteric fractures. Additionally, this type of femoral component may help to avoid the trendelenburg sign postoperatively by protecting more gluteal muscle during the femoral preparation stage due to its proximal design

The effect of vitamin D3 deficiency on hematological indices in Isfahan patients

Aim: Since suboptimal vitamin D3 levels may be associated with anemia and several disorders, the study presented here investigated hematological indices state at patients with vitamin D3 deficiency. Methods: This cross-sectional study performed in Isfahan, Iran between 2017 and 2019. Initially, patient vitamin D3 level was determined. Based on vitamin D3 reference ranges them were divided into two vitamin D3-deficient (vitamin D3<25ng/mL) and control groups (>25ng/mL). Completed blood count was measured by hematology analyzer. Alkaline phosphatase (ALK) level was also measured and the results were statistically analyzed. Results: Of 1925 studied patients, 621 (32.3%) patients were male and 1274 (67.7%) females. 909 patients have an abnormal levels of vitamin D3 (<25ng/mL) and 1016 patients have sufficient vitamin D3 level. A weak correlation observed between white cell count and mean cell volume and low level of vitamin D3 (beta = 0.11). We also found a significant difference in mean age of patients with vitamin D3-deficient compared to control (p = 0.003). Moreover, we found no significant change in serum ALK levels between patients with vitamin D3 deficiency and control as well as subgroups of vitamin D3 deficiency. Conclusions: Vitamin D3 deficiency may not have significant impact on red cell count and indices, differential white blood cell count, and platelet count. It is suggested that a prospective cohort study be conducted in the future

Viability effects on cell cycle synchronization of different prostate cancer cell lines: A brief report

Aim: Serum deprivation is often used to synchronize cells in G0/G1 phase for comparative in vitro studies. Here we aimed to investigate the effect on viability of the three commonly used prostate cancer-cell lines PC3, LNCaP and DU145 after serum deprivation. Methods: The cell lines were cultured in standard culture medium (controls) and under serum deprivation for 48 and 72 h. Then the proportion of cells in G0/G1 phase was analysed by flow cytometry and cell morphology was microscopically investigated. The cells were allowed to recover for three days in standard culture condition before cell viability (using MTT assay) was analysed. Results: In comparison to control cells, significant effects on cell cycle arrest in G0/G1 phase were noted for DU145 and PC3 cells and the cell morphology was negatively affected in a time-dependent manner. These parameters were unaffected in LNCaP cells. After three days of recovery, the viability of DU145 and PC3 cells was significantly reduced compared to LNCaP. Conclusions: Serum deprivation showed different effects on the prostate cancer cells, probably due to differences in growth rate. Such effects on viability should be considered as an obstacle for comparative studies

Distribution and frequency of cerebral microhemorrhages in cerebral small vessel disease

Aim: To evaluate the distribution and frequency of microhemorrhages (MHs) in cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD), multiple lacunar stroke and control groups and their association with factors implicated in etiology such as hypertension (HT), diabetes mellitus (DM) and antiplatelet drug use. Methods: Patients were divided into CSVD, multiple lacunar infarction (MLI) and control groups based on white matter hyperintensity (WMH), presence of lacunes, and patient clinical information. The presence and frequency of MHs were compared in terms of comorbidities such as accompanying HT, DM and antiplatelet use. Results: The presence of MHs in the CSVD group was significantly higher than in the other groups (p<0.001). The number of MHs in the thalamus, basal ganglia and cortical-subcortical areas were significantly higher in the CSVD group than in the other groups. Conclusions: One of the most important points that stands out in this study is that microhemorrhage was seen in 78% in the CSVD group, 38% in the MLI group and 20% in the control group, although the total number did not exceed three. The results of our study suggest that T2* gradient echo (GE) and susceptibility weighted (SW) imaging should be performed before thrombolytic therapy in stroke patients with or without CSVD

The association of MMP-13 rs2252070 with non-small cell lung cancer in the Turkish population

Aim: To evaluate the role of MMP-13 rs2252070 in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in the Turkish population. Method: A total of 95 NSCLC patients and 94 healthy controls were included in this study. The MMP-13 rs2252070 variant was genotyped by the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method. The results of the analyses were evaluated for statistical significance. Results: There was no G/G homozygous genotype in the patient or control groups. The prevalence of genotypes of A/A and A/G profiles for the MMP-13 rs2252070 variant was 34.7% and 65.3%, respectively, in patients and 46.8% and 53.2%, respectively, in the control group. No significant difference was found between the patient and control groups in terms of MMP-13 rs2252070 genotype distribution and allele frequency (p= 0.091, OR: 0.605, CI 95%:0.337-1.086; p: 0.199, OR: 1.337, CI 95%: 0.858-2.083, respectively). Conclusions: Our results in this study showed no association between MMP-13 rs2252070 and NSCLC. To fully comprehend the mechanisms underlying NSCLC development, more research is required