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Byline: Yuan-Chun. Feng, Zhi-Gang. Yang, Tian-Wu. Chen, Xue-Ying. Su, Wen. Deng, Qi-Ling. WangPrimary adrenal sarcomatoid carcinoma is rare malignant tumor with the characteristics of carcinoma and sarcoma. To date, only [...]

Pathogenic mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations leading to mitochondrial dysfunction can cause a variety of chronic diseases in central nervous system (CNS). However, the role of mtDNA mutations in sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) has still been unknown. In this study, we comparatively analyzed complete mtDNA sequences of 31 Chinese sCJD patients and 32 controls. Using MITOMASTER and PhyloTree, we characterized 520 variants in sCJD patients and 507 variants in control by haplogroup and allele frequencies. We classified the mtDNAs into 40 sub-haplogroups of 5 haplogroups, most of them being Asian-specific haplogroups. Haplogroup U, an European-specific haplogroups mtDNA, was found only in sCJD. The analysis to control region (CR) revealed a 31% increase in the frequency of mtDNA CR mutations in sCJD versus controls. In functional elements of the mtDNA CR, six CR mutations were in conserved sequence blocks I (CSBI) in sCJD, while only one in control (P<0.05). More mutants in transfer ribonucleic acid-Leu (tRNA-Leu) were detected in sCJD. The frequencies of two synonymous amino-acid changes, m.11467A>G, p.(=) in NADH dehydrogenase subunit 4 (ND4) and m.12372G>A, p.(=) in NADH dehydrogenase subunit 5 (ND5), in sCJD patients were higher than that of controls. Our study, for the first time, screened the variations of mtDNA of Chinese sCJD patients and identified some potential disease-related mutations for further investigations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the profile of pelvic crush fractures in earthquake victims on digital radiography (DR) and multidetector computed tomography (MDCT).Materials and Methods: One hundred and sixty-seven consecutive survivors of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake with pelvic crush fractures classified into types according to the Tile classification system, entered our study. One hundred and thirty-nine, and 28 patients underwent DR and MDCT scans, respectively. Data were reviewed retrospectively focusing on anatomical sites, numbers, and classification of pelvic ring fractures.Results: Pelvic fractures occurred in the pubis in 88 patients (52.7%), in other pelvic bones in 32 (19.16%), and in both the pubis and other pelvic bones in 47 (28.14%). Pubic fractures were more common than fractures of other pelvic bones, and involvement of bilateral pubis was more common than that of the left or right pubis (all p < 0.05). As for the numbers of pelvic bones involved, multiple fractures occurred in 48.52% patients (81 out of 167) composed predominantly of fractures of two bones in 58.02% (47 out of 81), and were seen more often in bilateral pubis than in any other pelvic bones (p < 0.05). Regarding classifications of pelvic ring fractures, they were Type A in 31 patients (18.56%); Type B in 72 (43.11%), predominantly Type B2 in 26 (15.58%) and Type B3 in 28 (16.77%); and Type C in 64 (38.32%), predominantly Type C3 in 40 (23.95%).Conclusion: Pelvic crush fractures particularly including multiple pelvic fractures, occurring predominantly in bilateral pubis, and composed of Type C3 followed by Type B3 and Type B2, could be considered to be the profile of pelvic crush fractures in an earthquake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There are no reports regarding entire gastric fundic and esophageal varices evaluated with 64-row multidetector CT (MDCT). We attempt to clarify the feasibility of portal venography with this scanner in evaluation of these varices. Methods: A total of 33 patients, with clinically confirmed gastric fundic and esophageal varices secondary to posthepatitic cirrhosis, underwent thoracicoabdominal triphasic enhancement scans using 64-row MDCT along with conventional angiographic portography. CT portography and conventional portography were compared by statistical agreement to determine whether CT maximum intensity projection (CT-MIP) portography is useful in evaluation of entire gastric fundic and esophageal varices. Results: CT-MIP portography demonstrated gastric fundic and esophageal varices, and the inflowing and outflowing vessels of the varices. Gastric fundic varices were shown in 32 cases (97.0%), and esophageal varices were in 27 (81.8%). The inflowing vessels including the left gastric vein and posterior gastric vein/short gastric vein were illustrated in 31 (94.0%) and 17 (51.5%) cases, respectively. The outflowing vessels including the azygos vein, hemiazygos vein, and gastro-renal shunts were seen in 30 (90.9%), 8 (24.2%), and 12 (36.4%) cases, respectively. Findings of CT-MIP portography and conventional angiographic portography were in close agreement (Kappa value ranged from 0.621 to 1.000). Conclusion: CT-MIP venography with 64-row MDCT could be considered as a method for detecting entire gastric fundic and esophageal varices developed from posthepatitic cirrhosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sperm cryopreservation is an effective fertility preservation method for cancer patients before anticancer treatments. However, there are little data on fertility preservation in large cohorts of patients with cancer in southern China. This retrospective cross-sectional study aimed to assess the fertility preservation status of 1034 newly diagnosed male patients with cancer in the Human Sperm Bank of Guangdong Province in southern China (Guangzhou, China). Of these, 302 patients had reproductive system tumors, mostly testicular cancers (99.0%), and 732 had other tumors, including lymphoma (33.1%), gastrointestinal cancer (16.3%), nasopharyngeal carcinoma (15.7%), leukemia (7.7%), sarcoma (3.6%), and others (23.6%). Patients with reproductive system tumors had lower sperm concentration and prefreezing and post-thawing progressive motility than those with non-reproductive system tumors (all P < 0.001). Differences in sperm concentration, progressive motility, and normal morphology rate were observed between patients with and without anticancer surgery before sperm cryopreservation (all P < 0.05). As of April 30, 2022, 63 patients used their cryopreserved sperm for assisted reproductive technology treatments and 39 pregnancies were achieved. This study provides valuable data on the fertility preservation status in newly diagnosed cancer patients in southern China, demonstrating that patients with reproductive system tumors had poor sperm quality for their pretreatment fertility preservation.

Objective: To explore the necessity of reception of sperm donors by full-time nurses in the sperm bank by analyzing the efficiency of sperm donation before and after staffing Guangdong Sperm Bank (GSB) with full-time nurses., Methods: We selected 9 712 qualified sperm donors in GSB from January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2021 and compared the efficiency of sperm donation before and after staffing GSB with full-time nurses., Results: After staffing GSB with full-time nurses, the proportion of qualified sperm donors screened from the quasi-qualified ones was dramatically increased from 66.2% (1 230/1 858) to 77.1% (3 252/4 218) (P < 0.01), that of HIV re-examinees after 6-month suspension from sperm donation increased from 84.6% (137/162) to 93.4% (599/641) (P < 0.01), and that of the candidate donors lost to follow-up during the screening period decreased from 23.2% (831/3 583) to 21.3% (1 308/6 129) (P = 0.034)., Conclusion: After Guangdong Sperm Bank was staffed with full-time nurses for reception of sperm donors, the proportion of the candidate donors lost to follow-up was reduced and the efficiency of sperm donation was significantly improved. Individualized psychological intervention for the sperm donors by the nurses could dispel the worries of the donors and improve the compliance and efficiency of sperm donation.

Objective: To analyze the causes of failure in autologous sperm cryopreservation (ASCP) in the human sperm bank and propose some countermeasures to improve the success rate of ASCP and promote it in human sperm banks., Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the reasons for and causes of failure in ASCP 1 156 males undergoing ASCP in the Human Sperm Bank of Guangdong Province from January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2019., Results: Of the 1 156 cases of ASCP, 857 (74.1%) succeeded and 299 (25.9%) failed, with a failure rate of 56.1% (96/171) in the microdissection testicular sperm extraction (micro-TESE) group, 29.9% (67/224) in the reproduction insurance group, 21.2% (27/100) in the non-tumor disease group and 17.2% (109/525) in the tumor group, with statistically significant difference between the four groups (χ2 = 109.926, P < 0.01). The causes of failed ASCP included failure to extract semen (14.0% ［42/299］), failure to meet the standard of sperm cryopreservation (67.6% ［202/299］), giving up ASCP for low semen quality (7.4% ［22/299］), and giving up ASCP for some other reasons (11.0% ［33/299］), including worry about the reliability of cryopreservation technology (6.0% ［18/299］), suspicion about the complexity of the ASCP procedures (3.0% ［9/299］) and expectation for fertility recovery after chemotherapy withdrawal (2.0% ［6/299］)., Conclusions: In view of different causes of failure in ASCP, human sperm banks can provide individualized cryopreservation schemes, including guidance with masturbation or the use of sperm extraction instrument in sperm extraction, strengthening sperm preservation-related education and the awareness of reproduction protection and earlier sperm preservation among cancer patients, promoting the cryopreservation of microsamples of motile sperm by microsample or single sperm freezing, and development of testis tissue cryopreservation to preserve the fertility of children with cancer.

Objective: To investigate the relationship of the characteristics of sperm donors with the results of screening and provide some reference for the screening of sperm donors., Methods: We statistically analyzed the screening data about 12 362 sperm donors at the Guangdong Human Sperm Bank from January 2003 to June 2017 and the relationship of the eligibility rate of screening with the donors' age, education, occupation, marriage, and fatherhood., Results: Of the 12 362 sperm donors, 3 968 (32.1%) met the standards of semen quality and 3 127 (25.3%) filled all the requirements of sperm donation. The eligibility rate of screening was 27.7% in the donors aged 20－24 years, 24.3% in those aged 25－29 years, 23.8% in those aged 30－34 years, and 17.5% in those aged =≥35 years (P < 0.01); 23.5% in the senior high school students, 24% in the junior college students, 25.9% in the undergraduates, and 30.3% in the postgraduates (P < 0.01); 29.3% in the students versus 22.9% in the others (P < 0.01), 41.5% in the married versus 20.7% in the unmarried (P < 0.01), and 45.6% in the fathers versus 20.9% in the childless husbands (P < 0.01)., Conclusions: A higher eligibility rate of screening was found among the sperm donors aged <35 years or with a bachelor's or higher degree, particularly among students.

Objective: To explore the correlation between the biological characteristics of volunteer donors and sperm parameters., Methods: Sperm parameters were analyzed for 778 primary volunteer donors by CASA system with standard methods recommended by WHO including sperm concentration, motility rate, VCL, VSL, ALH, LIN, STR and BCF, and their biological characteristics were recorded., Results: Of all the volunteer donors, students accounted for more than a third, 89.2 percent were under the age of 35 years, 71.6 percent between 166 and 175 cm in height, 91.7 percent of normal weight and 77.1 percent with college education. The median sperm concentration and motility rate were 107.00 x 10(6)/ml and 75 percent respectively. Age was weakly correlated with such semen indexes as concentration (r = 0.210, P = 0.000) , motility rate (r = 0.213, P = 0.000), volume (r = 0.165, P = 0.002), VAP (r = 0.259, P = 0.000), VSL (r = 0.281, P = 0.000), VCL (r = 0.190, P = 0.000), BCF (r = 0.243, P = 0.000) and LIN (r = 0.192, P = 0.000). The semen indexes of the 26-35 age group were a little better than those of the 20-25. Height showed no correlation to semen indexes. Education and occupation were somewhat related with other sperm parameters (P < 0.01) than ALH (P = 0.695/0.886)., Conclusion: Age, occupation and education bear some correlation with sperm parameters except ALH, while height has none with any of them.

Objective: To study the relationship between enhanced degree in the cancer lesion and angiogenesis in the tumor through early manifestations in enhanced helical CT in patients with bladder cancer., Methods: Fifty-three patients with bladder carcinoma were examined by pelvic plain CT and helical CT scan at peak enhancement of cancer lesion. Histologic grade, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and micro-vascular density (MVD) were analyzed for each resected cancer lesion. Pearson and Spearman correlation tests were used to assess the relationship between CT enhancement and histologic grade, VEGF or MVD., Results: In early enhancing phase of helical CT, different degrees of enhancement were observed in 73 bladder cancer lesions. The difference between average CT attenuation and MVD in different histologic grade cancer lesions was statistically significant (P < 0.001). A positive correlation was found between the CT enhancement and MVD (gamma = 0.936, P < 0.001), histologic grade (gamma = 0.75, P < 0.001), but VEGF of bladder cancer did not correlate with the CT enhancement or MVD., Conclusion: The early enhancement of helical CT enhancement of bladder cancer, showing a positive relation to MVD and histologic grade, can reflect the tumor angiogenesis and blood supply.