[Clinical guidelines for male infertility: controversial issues and the need to reach interdisciplinary consensus].

A review of controversial issues about the terminology on male infertility and reproductive function, which is currently used, as well as proposals for updating clinical guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of male infertility and men in infertile couples are presented in the article. An algorithm is described, the elements of which ensure referral of patients based on the possibility and timing of restoration of reproductive function, taking into account the reproductive health of a woman, as well as increasing the likelihood of successful treatment aimed at the birth of a healthy child.

Young-of-the-year fish as bioindicators of eutrophication and temperature regime of water bodies.

Young-of-the-year fish communities are widely used as bioindicators of various environmental disturbances. This study was conducted from 1997 to 2015 and aims to develop fish trait-based indices of changes in the temperature regime and eutrophication of water bodies in the Dnipro River basin. We identified fish traits that significantly correlate with both temperature and chlorophyll-a concentration optimum: reproduction habitat, oxygen tolerance, and toxicity tolerance.

Age dating of liquid Sr-Y sources.

In the context of age dating of Sr, the selective adsorption of zirconium ions from the mixture with strontium and yttrium by adsorbents based on TiO with a chemically modified surface was investigated. The general features of the separation process of strontium, yttrium, and zirconium in batch conditions were determined. Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) was used to analyze the initial and residual concentrations of the studied cations.

Preserved blood-brain barrier and neurovascular coupling in female 5xFAD model of Alzheimer's disease.

Introduction: Dysfunction of the cerebral vasculature is considered one of the key components of Alzheimer's disease (AD), but the mechanisms affecting individual brain vessels are poorly understood.

Methods: Here, using two-photon microscopy in superficial cortical layers and imaging across brain regions, we characterized blood-brain barrier (BBB) function and neurovascular coupling (NVC) at the level of individual brain vessels in adult female 5xFAD mice, an aggressive amyloid- (A) model of AD.

Results: We report a lack of abnormal increase in adsorptive-mediated transcytosis of albumin and preserved paracellular barrier for fibrinogen and small molecules despite an extensive load of A.

Shedding Light on the Blood-Brain Barrier Transport with Two-Photon Microscopy In Vivo.

Treatment of brain disorders relies on efficient delivery of therapeutics to the brain, which is hindered by the blood-brain barrier (BBB). The work of Prof. Margareta Hammarlund-Udenaes was instrumental in understanding the principles of drug delivery to the brain and developing new tools to study it.

Endonasal balloon dacryoplasty in partial and complete obstruction of dacryocystorhinostomy ostium.

Unlabelled: Despite the success of dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR) in the treatment of lacrimal drainage system (LDS) obliteration and the use of medical and surgical methods to prevent its recurrence, the number of relapses reaches 37%. The main etiological factor leading to this pathology is partial (stenosis) or complete obstruction of the ostium.

Purpose: To study the effectiveness of endonasal balloon dacryoplasty in partial or complete obstruction of dacryocystorhinostomy ostium.

Prevalence and significance of serum 14-3-3η in juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

Background: Prompt diagnosis of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is important to avoid long term complications. Elevated serum 14-3-3η levels improve the diagnostic sensitivity of rheumatoid factor (RF) and cyclic citrullinated peptide (CCP) antibody in adult rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and have been associated with more severe phenotype. We investigated the prevalence and clinical significance of serum 14-3-3η in different types of JIA.

14-3-3 Protein as a Potential Biomarker in Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis.

The 14-3-3 (eta) protein was evaluated as a biomarker in a cohort of patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), as well as disease- and healthy-controls, to determine its potential clinical utility. In this case-control study, levels of 14-3-3 protein were evaluated in archival specimens from patients with JIA, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and rheumatoid arthritis (RA), as well as healthy pediatric controls. Just over 200 patients were evaluated, using specimens banked between 1990 and 2011.

[Transcanalicular balloon dacryoplasty for the treatment of post-dacryocystorhinostomy recurrent stenoses].

Purpose: To compare the effectiveness of minimally invasive techniques used for the treatment of common canalicular (CC) ostium stenosis (or obliteration) in post-dacryocystorhinostomy (post-DCR) patients.

Material And Methods: The study included 121 patients (127 cases), of which 61 patients (64 cases) had stenosis of the CC ostium and 60 patients (63 cases) had CC ostium obliteration. All stenoses and obliterations were recurrent and developed 6 months to 5 years after primary endonasal endoscopic DCR.

Multiyear phytoremediation and dynamic of foliar metal(loid)s concentration during application of Miscanthus × giganteus Greef et Deu to polluted soil from Bakar, Croatia.

The multiyear cultivation of Miscanthus × giganteus Greef et Deu (M.×giganteus) at the soils polluted by metal(loid)s were researched. The biomass parameters and concentrations of elements: Ti, Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, As, Sr, and Mo were determined in the plant's organs at harvest.

The rapid Bethesda assay is equivalent to the standard Bethesda assay for detection of factor IX inhibitors in patients with severe haemophilia B.

Introduction: The time-dependent nature of factor VIII (FVIII) inhibitors is well described, and the standard FVIII Bethesda assay used to measure inhibitors incorporates a 2-hour incubation. Despite case reports and reviews describing the immediate-acting nature of factor IX (FIX) inhibitors, many coagulation laboratories continue to use a traditional prolonged incubation for FIX Bethesda assays. To our knowledge, a comprehensive evaluation of the FIX Bethesda assay without incubation has not been reported.

[Docosahexaenoic acid in the treatment of idiopathic male infertility].

Aim: docosahexaenoic acid is one of the most common fatty acids in the cell membranes of sperm. This substance is a structural component of cell membranes, and is responsible for such properties as plasticity and fluidity which are necessary for the implementation of the process of capacitation and acrosome reaction. In addition, docosahexaenoic acid has antioxidant properties.

[Reproductive disorders and preservation of fertility in males with benign and malignant brain tumors].

Brain tumors rank third in the incidence rate among cancer nosologies. However, improvement of neurosurgical treatment methods and the use of modern regimens of chemotherapy and radiotherapy have increased survival of patients with benign and malignant brain tumors. A significant proportion of patients with brain tumors are young people in the reproductive age who are interested in maintaining their fertility.

Cost of auditory sharpness: Model-Based estimate of energy use by auditory brainstem "octopus" neurons.

Octopus cells (OCs) of the mammalian auditory brainstem precisely encode timing of fast transient sounds and tone onsets. Sharp temporal fidelity of OCs relies on low resting membrane resistance, which suggests high energy expenditure on maintaining ion gradients across plasma membrane. We provide a model-based estimate of energy consumption in resting and spiking OCs.

[Intraoperative prevention of dacryocystitis relapse].

The article reviews the literature devoted to modern intraoperative methods of preventing cicatricial process at the site of dacryostoma after endonasal endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy. Despite the constant improvement of the surgery technique, complications in the postoperative period still occur. They include the formation of granulation tissue at the sites of dacryostoma, synechiae in the nasal cavity, or narrowing of the dacryostoma, which ultimately leads to a relapse of the disease.

Serum 14-3-3η is a novel marker that complements current serological measurements to enhance detection of patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Objective: Serum 14-3-3η is a novel joint-derived proinflammatory mediator implicated in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In our study, we assessed the diagnostic utility of 14-3-3η and its association with standard clinical and serological measures.

Methods: A quantitative ELISA was used to assess 14-3-3η levels.

[N-stearoylethanolamine effect on the level of 11-hydroxycorticosteroids, cytokines IL-1, IL-6 and TNFalpha in rats with nonspecific inflammation caused by thermal burn of skin].

The mechanisms of anti-inflammatory action of saturated N-acylethanolamine--N-stearoylethanolamine (NSE) were investigated on the rat model of nonspecific inflammation (thermal burns of the skin). The results showed that the NSE application in a form of aqueous suspension (10 mg/ml) on the damaged skin area during 12 days significantly accelerated the healing process of burned wounds. NSE also prevented the increase of 11-hydroxycorticosteroids content in the blood of rats with burns.

Thrombopoietin levels in patients with disorders of platelet production: diagnostic potential and utility in predicting response to TPO receptor agonists.

Thrombopoietin (TPO) is the major regulator of megakaryopoiesis. Measurement of serum TPO levels may help distinguish between various causes of thrombocytopenia and predict treatment response to TPO receptor agonists. Serum TPO levels from 118 healthy volunteers and 88 patients with abnormal platelet counts were measured using a quantitative ELISA assay.

False-positive results in ELISA-based anti FVIII antibody assay may occur with lupus anticoagulant and phospholipid antibodies.

The evaluation of a prolonged aPTT often includes Lupus Anticoagulant, Antiphospholipid Antibodies, and Factor VIII (FVIII) inhibitors. We have noticed that patient samples positive for lupus antibody (LA) are frequently also positive for FVIII IgG antibodies in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), indicating the need for follow-up testing with a more labour-intensive functional assay for FVIII inhibition. This study evaluates the potential for a FVIII IgG ELISA to yield false-positive results in patient samples positive for LA or other antiphospholipid antibodies.

[Anti-inflammatory effect of N-stearoylethanolamine in experimental burn injury in rats].

The biochemical mechanisms of anti-inflammatory effect of endocannabinoid congener N-stearoylethanolamine (NSE) was studied on the model of experimental burn in rats. The animals after the thermal burn of the skin received per os during 7 days the water suspension of NSE in a doze 10 mg/kg of body weight. In the other groups of rats the suspension was applied to the wound (the concentration of NSE was 10 mg/ml).

Efficacy of transcranial magnetotherapy in the complex treatment of alcohol withdrawal syndrome.

A total of 54 patients with alcoholism were studied during abstinence. Of these, 29 patients in the experimental group received basal therapy supplemented with physical treatment consisting of transcranial dynamic magnetotherapy (TcDMT), while the control group of 25 patients received only basal therapy. Comparison of the status of patients in the experimental and control groups during treatment demonstrated advantages of TcDMT in relation to improving the functional state of the CNS, memory, and attention, the autonomic nervous system, and the psychoemotional status of the patients (with decreases in the severity of anxiety and depression).

Measurement of von Willebrand factor-FVIII binding activity in patients with suspected von Willebrand disease type 2N: application of an ELISA-based assay in a reference laboratory.

Laboratory diagnosis of von Willebrand disease type 2N (VWD2N) is based on costly mutation analysis or in vitro measurement of the ability of plasma von Willebrand factor (VWF) to bind exogenous factor VIII (FVIII); however, the VWF-FVIII binding activity assay is complex and not widely used. Our aim was to assess the utility of the in-house VWF-FVIII binding assay in the investigation of patients with suspected VWD2N. A previously described ELISA-based FVIII binding method was simplified and adapted for the clinical laboratory use by optimizing incubation time, reagent concentrations and assay standardization.

[Phospholipids composition of the myocardium in patients with ischemic heart disease and its connection to arrhythmias].

The purpose of this study was to establish phospholipid composition of the myocardium in patients with ischemic heart disease, and to estimate possible correlation of biochemical parameters with myocardium extrasystolic activity. The patients (n = 28) including 15 patients with ischemic heart disease and 13 patients with secondary atrium septum defect (control group) were studied. During surgical intervention the right atrium myocardium bioptates were taken.

[Effectiveness of transcranial magnetic therapy in the complex treatment of alcohol abstinent syndrome].

Fifty-four abstinent alcohol-dependent patients have been studied. Twenty-nine patients (a main group) received, along with basic therapy, a physiotherapeutic treatment (transcranial dynamic magnetic therapy) and 25 patients (a control group) received only basic therapy. The comparison of the efficacy of treatment in patients of the main and control groups revealed the benefits of transcranial dynamic magnetic therapy in CNS function, performance on memory and attention tests, state of autonomic nervous system and psychoemotional state of patients (the reduction of anxiety and depression).

ELISA system for detection of immune responses to FVIII: a study of 246 samples and correlation with the Bethesda assay.

Inhibitors of FVIII are usually IgG polyclonal antibodies that develop as alloimmune responses in patients with congenital haemophilia A or as autoimmune responses resulting in acquired haemophilia. Their recognition can be difficult, especially when the titre is low. Furthermore, results from a Bethesda assay often require several days as samples are referred to a specialty laboratory.