Impact of Antioxidant Therapy on Natural Pregnancy Outcomes and Semen Parameters in Infertile Men: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Purpose: Seminal oxidative stress (OS) is a recognized factor potentially associated with male infertility, but the efficacy of antioxidant (AOX) therapy is controversial and there is no consensus on its utility. Primary outcomes of this study were to investigate the effect of AOX on spontaneous clinical pregnancy, live birth and miscarriage rates in male infertile patients. Secondary outcomes were conventional semen parameters, sperm DNA fragmentation (SDF) and seminal OS.

Technical Aspects of Combined Heart-Lung Transplantation.

Although organ transplants have become quite common, combined heart-lung transplantation (CHLTx) is unfamiliar at most institutions. While the remarkable rate of development in treatment options, such as drugs and mechanical circulatory support, have reduced the need for CHLTx, it remains the sole treatment option for a subset of patients with end-stage cardiopulmonary failure. For many cardiothoracic surgeons, CHLTx is not technically new or difficult, but it does pose challenges due to its low frequency and relative complexity.

Technical Aspects of Lung Transplantation: Adverse Events and Circumstances.

Adverse events or emergency situations that are unacceptable in the context of lung transplantation may occur during the procedure. These adverse events and circumstances are not problems that are caused by insufficient experience or can be solved by increasing surgical experience. The purpose of this review is to describe the adverse events and circumstances that occur during lung transplantation and to identify an appropriate surgical approach through an analysis of case reports in the global literature.

Consensus and Diversity in the Management of Varicocele for Male Infertility: Results of a Global Practice Survey and Comparison with Guidelines and Recommendations.

Purpose: Varicocele is a common problem among infertile men. Varicocele repair (VR) is frequently performed to improve semen parameters and the chances of pregnancy. However, there is a lack of consensus about the diagnosis, indications for VR and its outcomes.

Post-Vasectomy Semen Analysis: Optimizing Laboratory Procedures and Test Interpretation through a Clinical Audit and Global Survey of Practices.

Purpose: The success of vasectomy is determined by the outcome of a post-vasectomy semen analysis (PVSA). This article describes a step-by-step procedure to perform PVSA accurately, report data from patients who underwent post vasectomy semen analysis between 2015 and 2021 experience, along with results from an international online survey on clinical practice.

Materials And Methods: We present a detailed step-by-step protocol for performing and interpretating PVSA testing, along with recommendations for proficiency testing, competency assessment for performing PVSA, and clinical and laboratory scenarios.

Antisperm Antibody Testing: A Comprehensive Review of Its Role in the Management of Immunological Male Infertility and Results of a Global Survey of Clinical Practices.

Antisperm antibodies (ASA), as a cause of male infertility, have been detected in infertile males as early as 1954. Multiple causes of ASA production have been identified, and they are due to an abnormal exposure of mature germ cells to the immune system. ASA testing (with mixed anti-globulin reaction, and immunobead binding test) was described in the WHO manual 5th edition and is most recently listed among the extended semen tests in the WHO manual 6th edition.

Effects of dietary high dose DHA omega-3 supplement in dry eye with meibomian gland dysfunction.

Aim: To evaluate the clinical efficacy of dietary supplement of high dose DHA omega-3 in dry eye with meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD).

Methods: Prospective randomized double-masked, placebo-controlled clinical trial was conducted in mild to moderate dry eye patients with MGD. Patients have no history of taking any dietary omega-3 supplements before 3mo.

Corneal endothelial cell damage after scleral fixation of intraocular lens surgery.

Purpose: To analyze corneal endothelial cell damage after scleral fixation of intraocular lens (SFIOL) surgery.

Study Design: Retrospective study.

Methods: Medical records of consecutive eyes undergoing SFIOL surgery performed by a single surgeon were reviewed between January 2011 and June 2019.

3-Dimensional computed tomographic assessment predicts conduction block and paravalvular leakage after rapid-deployment aortic valve replacement.

Objectives: Complications like complete atrioventricular block (CAVB) and paravalvular leakage (PVL) following rapid deployment aortic valve (AV) replacement (RDAVR) remain unresolved. Selecting an optimal size of the valve might be important to minimize the incidence of these complications. We sought to determine the impact of prosthesis size relative to the anatomic profile of the AV on the occurrence of CAVB or PVL after RDAVR.

Relevance of Leukocytospermia and Semen Culture and Its True Place in Diagnosing and Treating Male Infertility.

The current WHO 2010 manual for human semen analysis defines leukocytospermia as the presence of peroxidase-positive leukocytes at a concentration >1×10/mL of semen. Granular leukocytes when activated are capable of generating high levels of reactive oxygen species in semen resulting in oxidative stress. Oxidative stress has been correlated with poor sperm quality, increased level of sperm DNA fragmentation and low fertility potential.

A Comprehensive Guide to Sperm Recovery in Infertile Men with Retrograde Ejaculation.

Retrograde ejaculation (RE) is a condition defined as the backward flow of the semen during ejaculation, and when present can result in male infertility. RE may be partial or complete, resulting in either low seminal volume or complete absence of the ejaculate (dry ejaculate). RE can result from anatomic, neurological or pharmacological conditions.

Sperm DNA Fragmentation: A Critical Assessment of Clinical Practice Guidelines.

Sperm DNA fragmentation (SDF) is implicated in male infertility and adverse reproductive outcomes. With the publication of many studies regarding the etiologies and contributors to SDF, as well as the effects of SDF, guidelines are necessary to aid clinicians in the application of SDF for male fertility evaluation. Two recent clinical practice guidelines were published by Agarwal et al and Esteves et al.

Compliance with Testosterone Replacement Therapy in Patients with Testosterone Deficiency Syndrome: A 10-Year Observational Study in Korea.

Purpose: To determine the compliance rate with testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) in patients with testosterone deficiency syndrome (TDS), we evaluated the treatment continuation rate and the reasons for discontinuation of initial treatment according to each formulations and patient characteristics.

Materials And Methods: Among men over 40 years of age who were diagnosed with TDS and then underwent TRT, their medical records were retrospectively analyzed for those who were followed up for more than 10 years.

Results: A total of 640 patients were included in the analysis.

Efficacy and Safety of Mirodenafil Oro-Dispersible Film in Korean Patients with Erectile Dysfunction: A Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Parallel-Group, Multicenter, Phase IV Study.

Purpose: To investigate the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of oro-dispersible film (ODF) formulation of mirodenafil 50 mg and 100 mg for the treatment of patients with erectile dysfunction (ED) in Korea.

Materials And Methods: A multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group study of 129 subjects was performed. Subjects were randomized to either placebo or mirodenafil ODF 50 mg or 100 mg to be taken in an "on demand" manner for 8 weeks.

A Global Survey of Reproductive Specialists to Determine the Clinical Utility of Oxidative Stress Testing and Antioxidant Use in Male Infertility.

Purpose: The use of antioxidants is common practice in the management of infertile patients. However, there are no established guidelines by professional societies on antioxidant use for male infertility.

Materials And Methods: Using an online survey, this study aimed to evaluate the practice pattern of reproductive specialists to determine the clinical utility of oxidative stress (OS) testing and antioxidant prescriptions to treat male infertility.

Cross Sectional Study among Intraocular Pressure, Mean Arterial Blood Pressure, and Serum Testosterone according to the Anthropometric Obesity Indices in Korean Men.

Purpose: To investigate the association between intraocular pressure (IOP) and serum testosterone according to the severity of obesity.

Materials And Methods: We investigated the correlation of IOP-testosterone according to the anthropometric obesity indices, such as obesity index (OI), body mass index (BMI), and waist circumference to height ratio (WtHR). Each of the obesity indices was classified into three groups: normal, overweight, and obesity.

Cardiac myxoma misdiagnosed as infective endocarditis: a case of Carney complex.

Background: Infective endocarditis and cardiac myxoma have common features including fever, systemic embolism and intra-cardiac masses. For this reason, these diseases are often misdiagnosed one for another despite proper imaging studies. Herein, we report a case of suspected infective endocarditis in a patient with acute stroke, fever and a mass adjacent to the mitral valve.

Relationship between intraocular pressure and parameters of obesity in ocular hypertension.

Aim: To evaluate the correlation between intraocular pressure (IOP) and various obesity-related health factors in patients with ocular hypertension in Korea.

Methods: A total of 40 850 subjects underwent age, sex, body weight, and height assessments and automated multiphasic tests, including non-contact tonometry, automated perimetry, fundus photography, systolic/diastolic blood pressure measurement, and evaluation of obesity-related health parameters such as obesity index, body mass index (BMI), a body shape index (ABSI), and waist-to-height ratio (WtHR). Subjects were divided into ocular hypertension group and normal IOP group according to IOP after matching of age and sex.

Hybrid surgical resection of a tumor invading the superior vena cava.

Recently, hybrid operations featuring vascular interventions have become more common, but applications in the thoracic surgery are few. Superior vena cava (SVC) resection and reconstruction is a typical complex thoracic surgery. Traditional SVC resection/reconstruction requires advanced vascular surgical skills.

Effects of Preoperative Autologous Blood Donation in Patients Undergoing Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery.

Background: Preoperative autologous blood donation (PABD) is a conservation strategy for reducing allogenic blood transfusion (ABT) during minimally invasive cardiac surgery (MICS). We aimed to evaluate the effects of PABD on the frequency of ABT and clinical outcomes in patients undergoing MICS.

Methods: We enrolled 113 patients (47.

Comparative study between local anesthesia and general anesthesia in the treatment of primary spontaneous pneumothorax.

Background: There is increasing interest in non-intubated video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS). At present, this method is used in various types of thoracic surgery. Especially, simple wedge resection via VATS is thought to be an optimal indication of non-intubated VATS.

Three-Dimensional Computed Tomographic Analysis of Normal and Aneurysmal Aortic Roots: Is There a Specific Geometric Pattern in the Aortic Root?

Current knowledge of the aortic root geometric anatomy and its surgical implications remain limited. We analyzed multiple predefined parameters of the aortic root to increase our understanding of the geometric changes that occur in normal and aneurysmal transformations. Between November 2003 and September 2015, the aortic roots of 107 healthy subjects (control group) and 105 annuloaortic ectasia (AAE) patients (AAE group) were analyzed using multiplanar reformatted computed tomographic images.

High-flow oxygen therapy for treating re-expansion pulmonary edema.

Re-expansion pulmonary edema (REPE) is a lethal complication, which usually occurs after rapid re-expansion of a collapsed lung following chest tube insertion. As REPE can induce respiratory failure, mechanical ventilation is necessary in some cases. However, ventilator therapy can worsen ventilation perfusion mismatch at the initial stage of the treatment procedure, and increases the risk of fatality.