The role of varicocele repair in the new era of assisted reproductive technology

Infertility affects 10-15% of couples who are trying to conceive, and half of the cases are due to male infertility. Intracytoplasmic sperm injection is increasingly being used to overcome multiple sperm deficiencies. Due to its effectiveness, some have proposed ICSI as a solution for all cases of male infertility, regardless of the cause. Hence, even men with potentially treatable causes of infertility have sought the aid of assisted reproductive technology, rather than undergo specific therapies to treat their infertility. Varicoceles are the most frequent physical finding in infertile men; indeed, they may be responsible for nearly one-third of cases of male infertility. Varicocele management, however, has always been a controversial issue because very few randomized, controlled studies have been performed to examine varicocelectomy as an infertility treatment. Significant evidence suggests that varicoceles have a harmful effect on the testis and that varicocelectomy can not only prevent progressive decline in testicular function but also reverse the damage. However, the degree to which varicocele repair improves pregnancy rates and the success of assisted reproductive technology remains controversial

Editorial for the special issue on 2d nanomaterials processing and integration in miniaturized devices

Initially considered little more than a scientific curiosity, the family of 2D nanomaterials has become increasingly popular over the last decade [...]

Generalized quasi parton distributions in a diquark spectator model

Recently the concept of quasi parton distributions (quasi-PDFs) for hadrons has been proposed. Quasi-PDFs are defined through spatial correlation functions and as such can be computed numerically using quantum chromodynamics on a four-dimensional lattice. As the hadron momentum is increased, the quasi-PDFs converge to the corresponding standard PDFs that appear in factorization theorems for many high-energy scattering processes. Here we investigate this new concept in the case of generalized parton distributions (GPDs) by calculating the twist-2 vector GPDs in the scalar diquark spectator model. For infinite hadron momentum, the analytical results of the quasi-GPDs agree with those of the standard GPDs. Our main focus is to examine how well the quasi-GPDs agree with the standard GPDs for finite hadron momenta. We also study the sensitivity of the results on the parameters of the model. In general, our model calculation suggests that quasi-GPDs could be a viable tool for getting information about standard GPDs.Comment: 14 pages; version to be published in PL

Outcomes of flexible ureteroscopic lithotripsy with holmium laser for upper urinary tract calculi

OBJECTIVE: To assess the perioperative and financial outcomes of flexible ureteroscopic lithotripsy with holmium laser for upper tract calculi in 44 patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between February 2004 and September 2006, 44 patients treated for upper tract stone with flexible ureteroscopic lithotripsy were evaluated. Renal stones were associated with collecting system obstruction in 15 (34%) patients, failed extracorporeal shock-wave lithotripsy (SWL) occurred in 14 (32%) patients, unilateral multiple stones in 18 (41%) patients, and multiple bilateral stones in 3 (7%). In 29 (66%) patients, the stone was located in the inferior calyx. Perioperative and financial outcomes were also evaluated. RESULTS: 50 procedures were performed in 44 patients. The mean stone burden on preoperative CT scan was 11.5 ± 5.8 mm. The mean operative time was 61.3 ± 29.4 min. The stone free rate was 93.1% after one procedure and 97.7% after a second procedure, with overall complication rate of 8%. Therapeutic success occurred in 92% and 93% of patients with lower pole stones and SWL failure, respectively. Treatment failure of a single session was associated with presence of a stone size larger than 15 mm (p = 0.007), but not associated with inferior calyx location (p = 0.09). Surgical disposables were responsible for 78% of overall costs. CONCLUSION: Flexible ureteroscopy using holmium laser is a safe and effective option for the treatment of upper urinary tract calculi. In addition, it can be considered an attractive option as salvage therapy after SWL failure or kidney calculi associated with ureteral stones. Stone size larger than 15 mm is associated with single session treatment failure

The epidemiology and etiology of azoospermia

The misconception that infertility is typically associated with the female is commonly faced in the management of infertile men. It is uncommon for a patient to present for an infertility evaluation with an abnormal semen analysis report before an extensive female partner workup has been performed. Additionally, a man is usually considered fertile based only on seminal parameters without a physical exam. This behavior may lead to a delay in both the exact diagnosis and in possible specific infertility treatment. Moreover, male factor infertility can result from an underlying medical condition that is often treatable but could possibly be life-threatening. The responsibility of male factor in couple's infertility has been exponentially rising in recent years due to a comprehensive evaluation of reproductive male function and improved diagnostic tools. Despite this improvement in diagnosis, azoospermia is always the most challenging topic associated with infertility treatment. Several conditions that interfere with spermatogenesis and reduce sperm production and quality can lead to azoospermia. Azoospermia may also occur because of a reproductive tract obstruction. Optimal management of patients with azoospermia requires a full understanding of the disease etiology. This review will discuss in detail the epidemiology and etiology of azoospermia. A thorough literature survey was performed using the Medline, EMBASE, BIOSIS, and Cochrane databases. We restricted the survey to clinical publications that were relevant to male infertility and azoospermia. Many of the recommendations included are not based on controlled studies

Current and Future Nanotech Applications in the Oil Industry

Problem statement: Nanotech applications in the oil industry are not completely new: nanoparticles have been successfully used in drilling muds for the past 50 years. Only recently all the other key areas of the oil industry, such as exploration, primary and assisted production, monitoring, refining and distribution, are approaching nanotechnologies as the potential Philosopher's stone for facing critical issues related to remote locations (such as ultra-deep water and artic environments), harsh conditions (high-temperature and high-pressure formations), nonconventional reservoirs (heavy oils, tight gas, tar sands). The general aim is to bridge the gap between the oil industry and nanotechnology community using various initiatives such as consortia between oil and service companies and nanotechnology excellence centres, networking communities, workshops and conferences and even dedicated research units inside some oil companies. Quite surprisingly, even if a lot of discussion is taking place, no substantial research on these topics is currently being undertaken around the world by the petroleum industry. A very different attitude is demonstrated by other industries and the advances they achieved are outstanding. Approach: This study provides an overview of the most interesting nanotechnology applications and critically highlights the potential benefits that could come from transposing the same-or adapted-solutions to the oil industry. Results/Conclusion: As extensively illustrated, some technologies which are already available off-the-shelf can offer real improvements in dealing with some specific issues of the oil industry. Other technologies can require further elaboration before direct use, but their potential is enormous

The Matter of the Italian Historical Novel and the Historical-Literary Characters in the Cento Anni by Giuseppe Rovani

In the 18th century, Italy did not follow European literary trends and did not excel in publishing novels. From the nineteenth century onwards, on the other hand, there was the publishing phenomenon of the subgenre of the historical novel that led Italian intellectuals, Manzoni for the first time, to abandon the Aristotelian canon to give a more important role to history within the novel. Following Manzoni’s example was structured Cento Anni by Giuseppe Rovani, the last historical novel of the nineteenth century, in which recent history takes on a new value, especially through the use of the life and works of historical-literary personalities, who become characters in every aspect.Nel XVIII secolo l’Italia non segue le tendenze letterarie europee   non eccelle nella pubblicazione di romanzi. A partire dall’Ottocento si assiste invece al fenomeno editoriale del sottogenere del romanzo storico che porterà gli intellettuali italiani, Manzoni per primo, ad abbandonare il canone aristotelico per dare un ruolo più rilevante alla storia all’interno del romanzo. Sulla scia di Manzoni viene strutturato l’ultimo romanzo storico dell’Ottocento italiano, Cento Anni di Giuseppe Rovani, nel quale la storia recente assume un nuovo valore, soprattutto attraverso l’utilizzo della vita e delle opere di personalità storico-letterarie, che divengono personaggi a tutti gli effetti./nNel XVIII secolo l’Italia non segue le tendenze letterarie europee   non eccelle nella pubblicazione di romanzi. A partire dall’Ottocento si assiste invece al fenomeno editoriale del sottogenere del romanzo storico che porterà gli intellettuali italiani, Manzoni per primo, ad abbandonare il canone aristotelico per dare un ruolo più rilevante alla storia all’interno del romanzo. Sulla scia di Manzoni viene strutturato l’ultimo romanzo storico dell’Ottocento italiano, Cento Anni di Giuseppe Rovani, nel quale la storia recente assume un nuovo valore, soprattutto attraverso l’utilizzo della vita e delle opere di personalità storico-letterarie, che divengono personaggi a tutti gli effetti./n

Valutazione strumentale della disfagia acuta e cronica nei pazienti con tumore del rinofaringe ed orofaringe dopo radioterapia o radiochemioterapia

In questa tesi abbiamo analizzato la disfagia di pazienti con neopalsie del distretto testa collo, candidati a trattamento radiochemioterapico esclusivo. I pazienti sono stati valutati con FEES e VF prima dell'inizio del trattamento radiante, ad un mese dal termine e successivamente a 6 e 12 mesi. è stato possibile analizzare l'entita della tossicità tardiva, correlata anche alla dose ricevuta dai muscoli coinvolti nel processo deglutitorio (muscolo costrittore del faringe superiore, medio ed inferiore, cricofaringeo, esofago cervicale, base lingua, laringe sovraglottica, laringe glottica)