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Varicoceles adversely impact semen quality and sperm DNA fragmentation, which typically improve with surgical repair. Some men with varicoceles have ipsilateral testicular atrophy due to damage from the varicocele. This study assessed semen quality and the sperm DNA fragmentation index (DFI) response to varicocele repair in men with ipsilateral testicular atrophy (TA) versus men with no testicular atrophy (NTA). Semen parameter values and DFI in both groups were compared preoperatively and postoperatively. The Mann–Whitney U test and the Wilcoxon signed-rank test were used where appropriate. There were 20 men in the TA group and 121 men in the NTA group with no difference in age, varicocele grade, or preoperative semen parameter values between the two groups. The NTA group had a higher preoperative DFI than the TA group. Both groups showed improvement in semen quality postoperatively, only the TA group showed a significant improvement in DFI, whereas the NTA group showed significant improvements in several parameter values and DFI. The change from preoperative to postoperative parameter values when comparing the two groups revealed a difference in total sperm motile count and DFI, with a larger mean improvement in the NTA group than in the TA group. Both TA and NTA groups showed improved semen quality and DFI after varicocele repair, but the NTA group had more improvement than the TA group. However, only total motile count (TMC) and DFI had a significantly greater mean change in preoperative to postoperative response in the NTA group than in the TA group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

: ObjectiveTo study the response of human ovarian xenografts to transplantation into different sites and in different host conditions.: DesignControlled experiment.: SettingAcademic research laboratory.: Patient(s)Donated ovarian tissue from two young women.: Intervention(s)Human ovarian cortical pieces were transplanted either under the kidney capsule or to the subcutaneous space of intact or castrated male nonobese diabetic (NOD) severe combined immune-deficient (SCID) mice. Grafts were recovered after euthanasia.: Main outcome measure(s)Microscopic examination of histologic sections to determine proportions of growing follicles, and serum estradiol concentration measurements.: Result(s)Six months after transplantation, ovarian grafts transplanted under the kidney capsule of intact male mice had significantly higher proportions of growing follicles compared with those recovered from the castrated/kidney capsule and intact/subcutaneous groups. However, no difference was detected between the intact/kidney capsule and the castrated/subcutaneous groups. Mean estradiol concentrations in serum were nonsignificantly increased in mice with ovarian grafts compared with those in mice without a graft.: Conclusion(s)Follicular development in xenotransplanted human ovarian tissue is influenced by the site of transplantation and the condition of the host. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Ovarian cortex cryopreservation and xenotransplantation into immunodeficient mice represents a potential means for female germplasm conservation and an immediate model for investigation of folliculogenesis. The objectives of this study were to: (1) assess follicle survival after cryopreservation and transplantation of cat ovarian tissue into non-obese diabetic severely combined immunodeficient (NOD SCID) mice; and (2) evaluate the effects of gonadotropin treatments on follicular development in the transplanted tissue. Slices from the cat ovarian cortex were frozen and after thawing, transplanted under each kidney capsule of castrated male NOD SCID mice (eight xenografts in four mice). Sixty-two days after surgery, mice were randomly assigned (two per group) to gonadotropin-treated (eCG and hCG 88 h later) or control (saline-treated) groups. Twenty-four hours after the last injection, ovarian tissue was recovered and processed for histology. Fresh ovarian tissue from the same original source was similarly processed. Follicles were counted, measured, and classified as primordial, primary, secondary, or antral. Immunoreactive proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) stain was used to assess follicle viability. Microscopic examination revealed no evidence of necrosis or fibrosis. The grafts were well-vascularized, with follicles at all stages of development. Numbers of follicles in the transplanted tissue were markedly reduced compared to fresh tissue, with approximately 10% of follicles surviving freezing and transplantation procedures. Growing follicles positive for PCNA were found in all xenografts. Gonadotropin treatment did not alter the proportion of resting to growing follicles or mean follicle diameter by comparison with controls from untreated mice. By contrast, luteinization, but not ovulation, of antral follicles was observed only in grafts from treated mice. In summary, frozen-thawed cat ovarian cortex tissue not only survived xenotransplantation, it also contained follicles able to grow to antral stages. Exogenous gonadotropin treatment in this model resulted in luteinization of antral follicles but enhancement of follicular growth and ovulation did not occur. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

On September 6, 2019, this report was posted as an MMWR Early Release on the MMWR website (https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr). Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) produce an aerosol by heating a liquid that usually contains nicotine, flavorings, and other chemicals that users inhale, a behavior commonly referred to as "vaping." E-cigarettes can also be used to deliver marijuana and other drugs. In recent months, more than 200 possible cases of acute lung injury potentially associated with vaping were reported from 25 states (1). During July and August 2019, five patients were identified at two hospitals in North Carolina with acute lung injury potentially associated with e-cigarette use. Patients were adults aged 18-35 years and all experienced several days of worsening dyspnea, nausea, vomiting, abdominal discomfort and fever. All patients demonstrated tachypnea with increased work of breathing on examination, hypoxemia (pulse oximetry <90% on room air), and bilateral lung infiltrates on chest x-ray. All five patients shared a history of recent use of marijuana oils or concentrates in e-cigarettes. All of the products used were electronic vaping pens/e-cigarettes that had refillable chambers or interchangeable cartridges with tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) vaping concentrates or oils, which were all purchased on the street. Three of the patients also used nicotine-containing e-cigarettes, and two of the patients smoked marijuana or conventional cigarettes, although none used other illicit drugs. All five patients were hospitalized for hypoxemic respiratory failure; three required intensive care for acute respiratory distress syndrome, one of whom required intubation and mechanical ventilation. All of the patients survived., Competing Interests: All authors have completed and submitted the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors form for disclosure of potential conflicts of interest. No potential conflicts of interest were disclosed.

Recombinant techniques are used to fuse biologically important molecules or peptides to the N-terminus of the photoprotein aequorin such that the binding characteristics of the molecule and the bioluminescent activity of aequorin are retained. This work demonstrates that the peptide region of a bulky protein can be used to develop an assay for the protein. A heterogeneous competitive binding assay was first developed for HPC4 epitope, the binding region of protein C, using HPC4-apoaequorin conjugate. It was observed that the binding of HPC4 epitope to its monoclonal antibody and the bioluminescence properties of aequorin were retained in the fusion protein. The same strategy and the same fusion protein were used to develop the assay for protein C. This project could potentially be a model for large biomolecules utilizing only the binding region of the protein in the labeled analyte. Also, this assay can be used in clinical diagnostics for the quantitative detection of protein C., (Copyright 2001 Academic Press.)