OBJECTIVE: Azoospermia owing to testicular disorders is the most severe manifestation of male infertility. The main concern for patients with nonobstructive azoospermia (NOA) is the probability of successful sperm retrieval following testicular sperm extraction (TESE). Therefore, the goal of this study was to determine predictive factors correlated with sperm retrieval. METHODS: We assessed the testicular histopathological patterns, the choice of TESE surgical procedure, hormone levels, and chromosomal abnormalities in patients with NOA (n=170). The histopathology specimens were analyzed based on the histopathological patterns of hypospermatogenesis, maturation arrest, and Sertoli cell-only syndrome. RESULTS: The mean rate of sperm retrieval was 48.8%. The rate of sperm retrieval was significantly higher in the hypospermatogenesis group than in the other groups (p<0.001). There was a positive correlation between micro-TESE (vs. conventional TESE) and the sperm retrieval rate (odds ratio, 8.077; p<0.01). A logistic regression model demonstrated that high levels of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and small testicular volume were significantly associated with lower chances of successful sperm retrieval. CONCLUSION: Some parameters, including testicular histopathology patterns, FSH levels, testicular volume, and method of TESE surgery, may be able to predict the chances of obtaining spermatozoa in patients with NOA. However, despite the efficiency of some predictive models, the hope of retrieving any functioning spermatozoa may be sufficient to disregard predictive factors of the success of intracytoplasmic sperm injection in these patients.
Azoospermia* ; Chromosome Aberrations ; Follicle Stimulating Hormone ; Hope ; Humans ; Infertility, Male ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Methods ; Oligospermia ; Pathology ; Sertoli Cell-Only Syndrome ; Sperm Injections, Intracytoplasmic ; Sperm Retrieval* ; Spermatozoa*

Background: The rapidly developed vaccines against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 carry a risk of provoking side effects. This study aimed to evaluate current vaccination non-serious/serious side effects. Methods: A multicenter electronic questionnaire via an online platform was conducted over a 1-week period among vaccinated dental staff and dental students inquiring whether they experienced vaccine-related side-effects after vaccine administration. Results: A total of 1205 respondents with a mean age of 39 (SD: 12) were retained for the analyses. The following vaccines were reported; Gam-COVID-Vac (Sputnik V), ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (AstraZeneca), BBV152 (Covaxin), or BBIBP-CorV (Sinopharm). The majority of respondents received ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (51.1%) and Gam-COVID-Vac (37.6%). The symptoms most frequently reported after vaccination were fatigue (79%), local pain in the injection site (77.4%), malaise (73%), and body pain (71.1%). Enrollees reported more onset of reactions on 0–12 h (44.1%) and 12–24 h (29.0%) after vaccine administration (p value <0.001). In 75.7%, the side effects last for up to 3 days. Merely 5.5% of cases reported the presence of side effects after the first week. Individuals with a history of SARSCoV-2 and other infections (MERS, influenza, and EBV) were more likely to report a number of unserious systemic side effects. Conclusion The commonly reported adverse events were in line with similar studies. We have concerns with the frequency of serious adverse effects. This work necessitates the need for further clinical assessments with larger sample sizes.

Objective: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic neuroinflammatory disease, characterizes by demyelination in the central nervous system (CNS). Co-stimulatory molecules such as CD137 (4-1 BB) play a major role in the activation of lymphocytes in CNS. The exact immunopathogenesis of MS is unknown. Hence, detection of specific biomarkers in the process of MS disease can lead to new therapeutic approaches. This study aimed to compare plasma sCD137 levels in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients with healthy controls in Isfahan province. Methods: Plasma sCD137 level was measured by enzyme-linked immune sorbent assays (ELISA) in 36 RRMS patients as well as 52 (age and sex-matched) healthy controls and the results were compared. Results: The plasma sCD137 level in studied RRMS patients was significantly higher in the patient group compared to the healthy controls (P- value=0.027). In addition, there was no significant association between age, sex, job and education level, with plasma sCD137 level in both the control and the case groups (P value>0.05). There was no correlation between mean of sCD137 and EDSS score, age of onset, duration of disease as well as serum 25 (OH) D concentrations of the patients. Conclusion: High plasma sCD137 level was detected in RRMS patients when compared with the controls, which may indicate the possible role of this biomarker in the immunopathogenesis of MS. Since CD137 can affect T lymphocytes activation and apoptosis, further studies are needed to elucidate its exact role in the pathogenesis of MS.

Co-infection with hepatitis B and C among HIV infected patients are prevalent among high-risk populations. This meta-analysis aimed to estimate the prevalence of HIV, HCV and HBV co-infections among high-risk populations in Iran. We systematically searched the national and international electronic databases until 2016. The primary outcome was the prevalence of HIV, HBV, HCV and HIV co-infections in different high-risk populations in Iran. All English and Persian studies conducted on Iranian high-risk groups were included in the study. The review was reported based on PRISMA guidelines and data were analysed at 95% confidence level using random effect models.Overall, 916 relevant papers were recognised and 14 articles were included in the metaanalysis. The pooled estimates of HBV/HCV, HCV/HIV, HBV/HIV and HBV/HCV/HIV were 1.3% (95%CI: 0.5–2.1), 16.3% (95%CI: 1.1–31.6), 0.5% (95%CI: 0–1.4) and 0.5% (95%CI: 0.2–0.8), respectively. Based on subgroup analysis, there was a higher proportion of all co-infections from the years 2010–2016 as compared to that of the years 2003–2009. Our results highlighted that HCV/HIV co-infection in Iranian high-risk groups including injection drug users (IDUs) and prisoners is common. In addition, the increasing trend of coinfections should be considered alarming for policymakers.