Surgical Management of Ejaculatory Duct Obstruction

Objective: The aim of this work is to evaluate the efficiency of transurethral resection (unroofing) of the obstructed ejaculatory ducts (TURED) as a treatment alternative for cases of obstructive ductal azoo-/ oligozoospermia. Patients and Methods: Thirty-two patients, aged 26 to 45 (mean age 34 years) with varying degrees of ejaculatory duct obstruction (EDO) were selected from a large pool of infertile patients with low semen volume presenting to the outpatient clinic of the Andrology Department of Kasr el Aini Hospital, Cairo, Egypt. The patients (24 with complete and 8 with partial EDO) were then transferred to the Urology Department of the same hospital for surgical treatment performed by one surgeon. The treated patients were sent back to the Andrology Department for follow-up lasting 6 to 30 months (mean 18 months). Follow-up included history taking, physical examination and repeated semen analysis. Results: There was a statistically significant improvement in all “mean” semen parame-ters following TURED. Furthermore, 42% of the azoospermic (bilateral complete EDO) and 63% of the oligozoospermic patients (partial EDO) showed improvement in their semen parameters after TURED yielding an overall improvement rate of 47% among treated patients. Pregnancy was achieved in about 17% of the azoospermic and in 25% of the oligozoospermic patients. The overall pregnancy rate was 19%. Prolonged hematuria was the only complication, encountered in only 2 patients, and was managed conservatively. Conclusion: TURED is an effective line of treatment for cases of EDO. Used judiciously, this technique can yield satisfactory results with limited morbidity in this challenging patient population. The better response of partial EDO as compared to TURED warrants further studies involving a larger number of patients. Le traitement chirurgical de l\'obstruction des voies éjaculatoires Objectifs: Le but de ce travail est d'évaluer l\'efficacité de la résection transuréthrale (unroofing) des conduits éjaculatoires obstrués (TURED) comme une alternative thérapeutique des cas d\'azoo / oligozoospermie d'origine obstructive. Patients et Méthodes: Trente-deux patients, âgés de 26 à 45 (âge moyen de 34 années), présentant des degrés variables d\'obstruction du conduit éjaculatoire (EDO) ont été sélectionnés parmi une grande population de patients consultant pour stérilité avec un volume éjaculatoire bas à la consultation externe du Département d'Andrologie de l'Hôpital Kasr El Aini. Les patients (24 EDO complète et 8 EDO partielle) ont été transférés au Département d\'Urologie du même hôpital pour traitement chirurgical réalisé par un urologue. Les malades traités ont été renvoyés au Département d'Andrologie pour suivi qui a duré 6 à 30 mois (moyenne 18 mois). Le suivi a inclu un intérrogatoire, un examen physique et une analyse du sperme répétée. Résultats: Il y avait une amélioration statistiquement significative de tous les paramètres du spermogramme en moyenne. En outre, 42% des patients azoospermiques (EDO complet bilatéral) et 63% d\'oligozoospermiques (EDO partiel) ont présenté une amélioration dans leurs paramètres du spermogramme après TURED avec un taux d\'amélioration total de 47% parmi les patients traités. La grossesse a été obtenue dans approximativement 17% des couples avec azoospermie et dans 25% des couples avec oligozoospermie. Le taux de grossesses total était de 19%. Une hématurie prolongée était la seule complication rencontrée dans seulement 2 cas et a été traitée d\'une manière conservatrice. Conclusion: TURED est une alternative efficace dans le traitement des cas d\'EDO. Utilisé judicieusement, cette technique peut donner de bons résultats avec une morbidité limitée dans cette population de patients. La meilleure réponse est notée dans les cas d\'EDO partiel. African Journal of Urology Vol.11(1) 2005: 6-1

Transverse polarization measurement of Λ hyperons in pNe collisions at sNN \sqrt{{\textrm{s}}_{\textrm{NN}}} = 68.4 GeV with the LHCb detector

Abstract A measurement of the transverse polarization of the Λ and $$\overline{\varLambda}$$ Λ ¯ hyperons in pNe fixed-target collisions at $$\sqrt{{\textrm{s}}_{\textrm{NN}}}$$ s NN = 68.4 GeV is presented using data collected by the LHCb detector. The polarization is studied using the decay Λ → pπ− together with its charge conjugated process, the integrated values measured are$${\displaystyle \begin{array}{c}{P}_{\varLambda }=0.029\pm 0.019\left(\textrm{stat}\right)\pm 0.012\left(\textrm{syst}\right),\\ {}{P}_{\overline{\varLambda}}=0.003\pm 0.023\left(\textrm{stat}\right)\pm 0.014\left(\textrm{syst}\right).\end{array}}$$ P Λ = 0.029 ± 0.019 stat ± 0.012 syst , P Λ ¯ = 0.003 ± 0.023 stat ± 0.014 syst . Furthermore, the results are shown as a function of the Feynman x variable, transverse momentum, pseudorapidity and rapidity of the hyperons, and are compared with previous measurements.</jats:p

Comprehensive analysis of local and nonlocal amplitudes in the B0 → K*0μ+μ− decay

Abstract A comprehensive study of the local and nonlocal amplitudes contributing to the decay B0 → K*0(→ K+π−)μ+μ− is performed by analysing the phase-space distribution of the decay products. The analysis is based on pp collision data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 8.4 fb−1 collected by the LHCb experiment. This measurement employs for the first time a model of both one-particle and two-particle nonlocal amplitudes, and utilises the complete dimuon mass spectrum without any veto regions around the narrow charmonium resonances. In this way it is possible to explicitly isolate the local and nonlocal contributions and capture the interference between them. The results show that interference with nonlocal contributions, although larger than predicted, only has a minor impact on the Wilson Coefficients determined from the fit to the data. For the local contributions, the Wilson Coefficient $${\mathcal{C}}_9$$ C 9 , responsible for vector dimuon currents, exhibits a 2.1σ deviation from the Standard Model expectation. The Wilson Coefficients $${\mathcal{C}}_{10}$$ C 10 , $${\mathcal{C}}_9^{\prime }$$ C 9 ′ and $${\mathcal{C}}_{10}^{\prime }$$ C 10 ′ are all in better agreement than $${\mathcal{C}}_9$$ C 9 with the Standard Model and the global significance is at the level of 1.5σ. The model used also accounts for nonlocal contributions from B0→ K*0[τ+τ−→ μ+μ−] rescattering, resulting in the first direct measurement of the bsττ vector effective-coupling $${\mathcal{C}}_{9\tau }$$ C 9 τ .</jats:p

Comprehensive analysis of local and nonlocal amplitudes in the B0 → K*0μ+μ− decay

Abstract A comprehensive study of the local and nonlocal amplitudes contributing to the decay B0 → K*0(→ K+π−)μ+μ− is performed by analysing the phase-space distribution of the decay products. The analysis is based on pp collision data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 8.4 fb−1 collected by the LHCb experiment. This measurement employs for the first time a model of both one-particle and two-particle nonlocal amplitudes, and utilises the complete dimuon mass spectrum without any veto regions around the narrow charmonium resonances. In this way it is possible to explicitly isolate the local and nonlocal contributions and capture the interference between them. The results show that interference with nonlocal contributions, although larger than predicted, only has a minor impact on the Wilson Coefficients determined from the fit to the data. For the local contributions, the Wilson Coefficient $${\mathcal{C}}_9$$ C 9 , responsible for vector dimuon currents, exhibits a 2.1σ deviation from the Standard Model expectation. The Wilson Coefficients $${\mathcal{C}}_{10}$$ C 10 , $${\mathcal{C}}_9^{\prime }$$ C 9 ′ and $${\mathcal{C}}_{10}^{\prime }$$ C 10 ′ are all in better agreement than $${\mathcal{C}}_9$$ C 9 with the Standard Model and the global significance is at the level of 1.5σ. The model used also accounts for nonlocal contributions from B0→ K*0[τ+τ−→ μ+μ−] rescattering, resulting in the first direct measurement of the bsττ vector effective-coupling $${\mathcal{C}}_{9\tau }$$ C 9 τ .</jats:p