Clusterin expression and distribution in spermatozoa as predictor of male fertility.

Clusterin (CLU), one of the main glycoproteins in mammalian semen and the male reproductive tract, plays a role in spermatogenesis and sperm maturation. Given the poor reliability of classic seminal studies in determining male-fertilizing capacity and the differences in CLU abundance between normal and abnormal spermatozoa, we investigated the potential value of mRNA-CLU levels and protein distribution in spermatozoa as markers of sperm quality and predictors of male fertility. This multicenter study included 90 patients undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment with their partners, and a control group of 36 fertile males with normal seminograms.

Probability of high-risk genetic matching with oocyte and semen donors: complete gene analysis or genotyping test?

Purpose: To estimate the probability of high-risk genetic matching when assisted reproductive techniques (ART) are applied with double gamete donation, following an NGS carrier test based on a complete study of the genes concerned. We then determine the results that would have been obtained if the genotyping tests most widely used in Spanish gamete banks had been applied.

Methods: In this descriptive observational study, 1818 gamete donors were characterised by NGS.

Free Thyroxine Determination in the Emergency Department Is a Predictor of Acute Pancreatitis Evolution.

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and type of thyroid hormone levels alterations in patients with acute pancreatitis (AP) and analyze if variations are useful AP progression predictors.

Methods: Three groups of patients were analyzed: AP patients (n = 90), abdominal pain patients (n = 30), and healthy control subjects (n = 40). Usual blood parameters for AP diagnosis and prognosis, thyroid-stimulating hormone (or thyrotropin), FT4 (free thyroxine), FT3 (free triiodothyronine), and TT3 (total triiodothyronine) levels were analyzed.

[Cost of assisted reproduction technology in a public hospital].

Objectives: Most studies on the costs of assisted reproductive technologies (ART) identify the total cost of the procedure with the direct cost, without considering important items such as overhead or intermediate costs. The objective of this study was to determine the cost per ART procedure in a public hospital in 2003 and to compare the results with those in the same hospital in 1998.

Methods: Data from the Human Reproduction Unit of the Virgen de las Nieves University Hospital in Granada (Spain) from 1998 and 2003 were analyzed.