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OBJECTIVES: This study discusses the experience at our centre with treating traumatic thoracolumbar fractures using percutaneous pedicle screw fixation. METHODS: We reviewed the case notes and imaging retrospectively between January 2013 and June 2019. RESULTS: A total of 257 patients were included, 123 males and 134 females aged between 17 and 70; the mean age was 47.6 years. The majority of injuries were from fall from significant height. The fractures involved the thoracic and lumbar vertebra in 98 and 151 of the cases respectively. Percutaneous pedicle screw fixation was performed either one or two levels above and below the fracture depending on the level of injury. Forty two cases were treated with additional short pedicle screws at the level of fracture. More than 15% (39) of the patients presented with a neurological deficit; more than 80% (32) of those showed post-operative improvement in their neurology as per Frankel Grading system. The mean operative time was 117 min ± 45 min; mean length of hospital stay was 7.2 days ± 3.8 days, with significant improvement in pain. CONCLUSIONS: Percutaneous pedicle screw fixation is a safe surgical option with comparable outcomes to open surgery and a potential reduction in perioperative morbidity.

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Objective The spinal column is one of the most prevalent regions for metastasis, with an increasing frequency of spinal metastases. Spinal cord metastatic tumor damages the vertebral body, weakens the spinal support, and exerts mass effect on the spinal cord. Overzealous surgical intervention does not provide any additional benefit in most of the spinal metastasis due to shorter life expectancy. The principal goal of this study is to analyze the outcome of various surgical treatments offered to patients with metastatic spinal cord compression (MSCC). Methods Retrospective cohort study including all patients that underwent surgical intervention for MSCC from March 2013 to March 2020. Results A total of 198 patients were included, 113 males and 85 females; the mean age was 62 years. The most common primary cancer was prostate (21.71%) followed by hematological (20.07%) and lung (16.66%). At 6-month postsurgery, 68.68% of patients were Frankel grade D or E (vs. 23.23% preoperatively), 16.6% were grade C (vs 57% preoperatively), and 14.64% were grade A or B (vs. 19.69% preoperatively). Pain on numeric rating scale was decreased from 6.38 ± 3.08 to 3.39 ± 0.73 at 24 hours postsurgery and 1.94 ± 0.67 at 6 months. Conclusion This study found that the majority of patients, undergoing minimally invasive spinal stabilization and decompression for metastatic spinal tumors, have better quality of life, analgesia, and mobility. In conclusion, treatment for spinal metastases should be individualized and a multidisciplinary approach is needed.

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BACKGROUND: The variability in indications and low rate of pregnancy compared to IVF have led many authors to dismiss IUI and offer IVF first-line instead. OBJECTIVES: To determine what are the predictive factors for clinical pregnancy (CP) and live birth (LB) in intrauterine insemination (IUI) cycles following controlled ovarian stimulation (COS). METHODS: Retrospective unicentric study, between January 2009 and December 2016. Patients aged 18 to <43 years who had an IUI following COS with gonadotropins. Statistical analysis was performed using Chi square and logistic regression. RESULTS: 4146 cycles (1312 couples) included. Mean age was 34.7 +/- 4years. LBR per couple was 39% for anovulatory infertility compared to (p < 0.05) unex-plained infertility (28.6%), mixed (23.4%), male factor (20.1%), unilateral tubal (14.2%), low ovarian reserve (13.2%), and endometriosis (stage I and II) (11.1%). Multivariate analysis showed the following factors were associated with CP: Cycle rank ≤3 (Odds ratio (OR) = 1.5, 95% CI: 1.2-1.9, p < 0.001), age <38 years (OR = 1.5, 95% CI: 1.2-2, p < 0.001), ≥2 preovulatory follicles (OR = 1.4, 95% CI: 1.1-1.8, p = 0.004), TMSC ≥ 5 millions (OR = 1.8, 95% CI: 1.3-2.4, p < 0.001). Endometriosis, low ovarian reserve, unilateral tubal and male factor had a negative impact on CPR (OR = 0.3, 95% CI: 0.1-0.5, p < 0.001; OR = 0.4, 95% CI: 0.3-0.7, p < 0.001; OR = 0.5 95% CI: 0.3-0.9, p = 0.01; OR = 0.6, 95% CI: 0.4-0.8, p = 0.002 respectively) compared to anovulatory infertility. CONCLUSION: We confirm that IUI can be an efficient treatment in selected indications. Young patients with anovulatory infertility seem to be the ideal candidates, with a 39% LBR per couple.

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OBJECTIVE: To assess sperm quality as a function of the sampling site (testis or epididymis) in obstructive azoospermia (OA). MATERIALS AND METHODS: DNA fragmentation rates in spermatozoa sampled from the testis and epididymis (from patients with different etiologies of OA) were assessed in a dUTP nick-end labeling assay. RESULTS: Twenty-one OA patients were included: 5 had congenital bilateral absence of the vas deferens, 8 had genital tract infections, and 8 had idiopathic OA. A total of 8506 spermatozoa sampled from the testis, 18,358 sampled from the caput epididymis, and 18,881 sampled from the corpus/cauda epididymis were assessed. For each patient, spermatozoa from the testis had a lower overall DNA fragmentation rate (6.71% ± 0.75 in average) than epididymal spermatozoa from the caput (14.86% ± 1.89 in average; P = .0007) or the corpus/cauda (32.61% ± 3.11 in average; P < .0001). The DNA fragmentation rates did not differ significantly as a function of the etiology of OA. In this small series, all deliveries were obtained with sperm samples with a low DNA fragmentation rate and delivery rates tended to be higher when testicular sperm (rather than epididymal sperm) was used (35.7% vs 12.1%, respectively; P = .06). CONCLUSION: Our data argue in favor of using testicular sperm (rather than epididymal sperm) for patients with obstructive azoospermia.

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OBJECTIVE: Paraplegia remains the most feared and a devastating complication after descending and thoracoabdominal aneurysm operative repair (DTA and TAAAR). Neuromonitoring, particularly use of motor-evoked potentials (MEPs), for this surgery has gained popularity. However, ambiguity remains regarding its use and benefit. We systematically reviewed the literature to assess the benefit and applicability of neuromonitoring in DTA and TAAAR. METHODS: Electronic searches were performed on 4 major databases from inception until February 2014 to identify relevant studies. Eligibility decisions, method quality, data extraction, and analysis were performed according to predefined clinical criteria and end points. RESULTS: Among the studies matching our inclusion criteria, 1297 patients had MEP monitoring during DTA and TAAAR. In-hospital mortality was low (6.9% ± 3.6). Immediate neurological deficit was low (3.5% ± 2.6). In one third of patients (30.4% ± 14.2), the MEPs dropped below threshold, which were 30.4% and 29.4% with threshold levels of 75% and 50%, respectively. A range of surgical techniques were applied after reduction in MEPs. Most patients whose MEPs dropped and remained below threshold had immediate permanent neurological deficit (92.0% ± 23.6). Somatosensory-evoked potentials were reported in one third of papers with little association between loss of somatosensory-evoked potentials and permanent neurological deficit (16.7% ± 28.9%). CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrate that MEPs are useful at predicting paraplegia in patients who lose their MEPs and do not regain them intraoperatively. To date, there is no consensus regarding the applicability and use of MEPs. Current evidence does not mandate or support MEP use.

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There are many questions that remain unanswered in the understanding of the natural history of thoracic aortic aneurysm (TAA). This review will critically appraise the current published evidence on the natural history of TAA in nonoperated patients and their present rates of survival.

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The natural history of an intramural hematoma (IMH) has not been completely defined. This is a case report of a 63-year-old woman, in whom imaging reveals intercostal artery rupture during the process of expansion of an IMH in a Type B acute aortic syndrome. This case demonstrates that intercostal artery rupture may act as a precursor for the transformation of IMH to a classical dissection. Interestingly, complete resolution of this condition is achieved through medical management.

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The utility of sperm DNA testing remains controversial. However, it may be helpful in couples with unexplained failures of multiple assisted reproductive techniques and/or recurrent abortions. This study analysed 10,400 spermatozoa of 26 patients for sperm-head morphology with high-magnification microscopy, DNA fragmentation and sperm chromatin decondensation. A significant negative correlation was demonstrated between sperm-parameters and abnormal sperm-head morphology as assessed by high magnification (score 0 according to this study's classification): concentration (r=-0.41; P=0.03), motility (r=-0.42; P=0.03), morphology (r=-0.63; P=0.0008). No correlation was found with DNA fragmentation. However, the sperm chromatin-decondensation rate of score-0 spermatozoa was twice as high as the controls (19.5% versus 10.1%; P<0.0001). This observation suggests that score-0 spermatozoa should not be selected for intracytoplasmic sperm injection.

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INTRODUCTION: Preconception diagnosis requires first polar body biopsy. When the hole in the zona pellucida is made with a laser beam, heat propagation could, like the biopsy itself, be deleterious. Our aim was to evaluate the effect of this technique on human in vitro matured oocyte and embryo development. METHODS: One hunded fifty five retrieved immature oocytes from 75 women, matured in vitro, were distributed in 3 groups: 50 oocytes in a control group, without laser drilling and first polar body biopsy, 52 oocytes in a group with only laser drilling, and 53 oocytes in a group with both laser drilling and first polar body biopsy. Safety was evaluated using four criteria: [1] oocyte lysis rate, [2] oocyte activation rate, [3] oocyte development after calcium ionophore treatment, [4] and embryo chromosome breakage incidence after Tarkowski preparation. RESULTS: No difference in the four criteria was observed between the 3 oocyte groups. CONCLUSIONS: We did not find evidence of deleterious effect of laser drilling and first polar body biopsy on in vitro matured oocytes, according to our criteria.

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OBJECTIVE: To study the chromosomal content of spermatozoa selected by intracytoplasmic morphologically selected sperm injection (IMSI) in cases of macrocephalic sperm head syndrome. DESIGN: Case report. SETTING: Obstetrics, gynecology, urology, and reproductive biology departments. PATIENT(S): Two infertile patients with large-headed spermatozoa. INTERVENTION(S): Fluorescence in situ hybridization on selected spermatozoa with normal-sized heads after IMSI selection. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Percentages of polyploid, diploid, haploid aneuploid, and normal spermatozoa. RESULT(S): Of the six spermatozoa that could be selected, all were haploid but aneuploid. CONCLUSION(S): Absence of normal haploid spermatozoa among high magnification-selected spermatozoa contraindicated IMSI for these two patients.

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Several reports have described an association between the presence of soluble human leukocyte antigen G (sHLA-G) in human embryo culture supernatants (ES) and implantation success. However, not all studies agree with these findings. To further document this debate, a multicentre blinded study was performed to investigate, on a large number of IVF ES and ICSI ES, whether sHLA-G is a useful criterion for embryo selection before transfer. A total of 1405 ES from 355 patients were collected from three assisted reproductive technique (ART) centres and evaluated for their sHLA-G content in a single laboratory, using a chemiluminescence enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. In only one centre was a significant association between sHLA-G-positive ES and successful implantation established (P = 0.0379), whereas no such association was observed in the other centres. It was found that the percentages and concentrations of sHLA-G-positive ES varied between centres, depending on culture media and ART conditions. The percentage of sHLA-G-positive ES was significantly higher in IVF ES than ICSI ES (P < 0.001 and P < 0.01 for two centres). These data demonstrate that substantial variations of sHLA-G content in ES occur between different ART centres, highlighting the influence of several technical parameters that differ from one centre to another.

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OBJECTIVE: To examine sperm meiotic segregation in a man with mosaic ring chromosome 21. DESIGN: Case report. SETTING: Hospital departments of reproductive biology, cytogenetics, gynecology, and obstetrics. PATIENT(S): One patient referred for cryptozoospermia, heterozygous for a ring chromosome. INTERVENTION(S): Fluorescence in situ hybridization with chromosome 21-specific probes after sperm selection. RESULT(S): A total of 169 spermatozoa were selected; 92.3% carried a normal 21 chromosome, 6.5% the ring chromosome, and 1.2% both. CONCLUSION(S): Ring chromosome frequency in mature sperm cells was low and may be due to preferential meiosis of normal spermatogonia,which could explain the cryptozoospermia and unexpected ratio in this case.

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OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the pertinence of kinetic observations of embryonic development 25 hours after IVF, with a view to optimizing the choice of embryos for transfer. DESIGN: Retrospective study of 471 cycles with embryo transfer. SETTING: University Hospital. INTERVENTION(S): Observations of changes in zygotes, in the 25th hour after insemination (25 h PI). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Identification of three stages of development: two cells (2C), loss of the pronuclei (in syngamy; 0PN) and persistence of the two pronuclei (2PN). Embryonic morphology at 48 hours, according to the stages identified at 25 hours, was correlated with the rates of implantation and clinical pregnancy. RESULT(S): Two thousand four hundred seventy-eight day-2 embryos were observed. The number of blastomeres on day 2 differed significantly according to stage of development at 25 hours (2C: 69.8% vs. 0PN: 55% and 2PN: 24.6%). Implantation rates were significantly lower for cycles in which only 2PN embryos were produced (7%, n = 160) than for cycles with at least one 2C embryo and/or, preferably, a 0PN embryo (14.4%). The implantation rate was significantly lower for the transfer of only 2PN embryos (7.6%) than for the transfer of only embryos that had advanced further by 25 h PI (15.2%). If only one type of embryo was transferred (2PN vs. 2C or 0PN), for embryos with a similar morphology at 48 hours, four-blastomere embryos derived from 2PN embryos implanted less efficiently than those derived from 2C and/or 0PN embryos. CONCLUSION(S): Observation at 25 h PI is a simple, rapid, and cheap method for identifying the best embryos to transfer. A lack of zygote development at 25 hours is associated with a poor prognosis, unless the zygote concerned has two to three cells on day 2. The development of zygotes with 2PN at 25 h PI should be taken into account as a function of their development at 48 hours.

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In our species, reproduction failure rate is high. Clinical evidence is miscarriage where chromosomal origin was largely involved (66% of cases). The development of assisted reproduction techniques made possible to analyse unfertilized oocytes and preimplantation embryos. The results have shown a high rate of chromosome abnormalities before implantation (50%). Two mechanisms were identified which could generate aneuploidy, the meiosis non-disjunction and the premature separation of sister chromatids (PSSC). A FISH analysis of the first polar body, a cell complementary to the oocyte after meiosis, can be performed before intracytoplasmic sperm injection. We studied 2 distinct populations (patients over 38 years old and patients with recurrent implantation failure) and we confirmed that PSSC is the major mechanism linked to advanced maternal age in human.

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