Green synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles toward highly efficient photocatalysis and antibacterial application.

Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) were successfully synthesized by a green method using rosin and zinc chloride as salt precursors. The phase structure, morphology, and particle size of ZnO were determined by X-ray powder diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy, and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The fabricated ZnO NP samples are crystalline with a grain size of 30-100 nm. The ZnO NPs were used as catalysts for the photodegradation of methylene blue (MB) and methyl orange (MO) under visible and UV light. The results indicate that the prepared ZnO material excellently removed MB and MO (c initial = 10 mg/L) with efficiencies of 100% and 82.78%, respectively, after 210 min under UV radiation with a ZnO NP dose of 2 g/L. The photocatalyst activity of the synthesized material was also tested under visible light radiation with the same conditions; however, it achieved lower efficiencies. In addition, ZnO NPs were also tested regarding their antibacterial activity, and the results showed that the prepared ZnO samples had the highest (i.e., 100%) antibacterial efficiency against E. coli.

Ureaplasma urealyticum and Mycoplasma genitalium detection and sperm quality: A cross-sectional study in Vietnam.

Background: Ureaplasma urealyticum (U. urealyticum) and Mycoplasma genitalium (M. genitalium) may colonize the male genital tract. However, the negative effects of these bacteria on overall sperm quality, including semen pH, sperm concentration, motility, morphology, and total sperm count remain unclear. Objective: This study aimed to determine the presence of genital U. urealyticum and M. genitalium in semen and evaluate the effect of these organisms on sperm quality. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 380 men from infertile couples at a tertiary university hospital from July 2017 to June 2018. Semen quality was analyzed according to the World Health Organization 2010 standard, and U. urealyticum and M. genitalium were detected in the semen samples using polymerase chain reaction. Results: 338 men (88.9%) presented with at least one abnormal semen parameter. The detection rates of U. urealyticum and M. genitalium were 16.05% and 0.79%, respectively. There was no significant difference between the Ureaplasma-positive group and the Ureaplasma-negative group in terms of sperm characteristics. Sperm motility and sperm vitality in the Mycoplasma-positive group were much lower than those in the Mycoplasma-negative group (p = 0.02 and p < 0.001, respectively). Conclusion: The presence of U. urealyticum in the semen of infertile men did not affect the sperm characteristics. Although the positive rate of M. genitalium was low, colonization by these bacteria was more likely to negatively affect sperm quality.

Outcome of cesarean scar pregnancy treated with local methotrexate injection.

Local injection of methotrexate (MTX) has been widely used for caesarean scar pregnancy (CSP), but the optimal candidate remains undetermined. The aim of this study is to determine the risk factors associated with treatment failure among patients who received a single dose of local MTX. This is a retrospective cohort study. Clinical information was compared between treatment success vs. failure groups. Risk factors related to treatment failure were also investigated with multivariate analysis. Of 47 patients diagnosed with CSP, 30 received local MTX injection. The initial serum ß- human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) level in the failure group was significantly higher than in the success group (p = 0.048), and the cut-off value was 47,000 mIU/ml. The rate of type 2 position of the gestational sac in the failure group was significantly higher than in the treatment success group (p = 0.031). A high initial serum ß-hCG level (≥ 47,000 mIU/ml) was identified as the independent risk factor for treatment failure (adjusted odds ratio = 21.9; 95% confidence interval = 1.3-383.1). Type 2 gestational sac position and a higher level of ß-hCG at diagnosis appear to be associated with poor outcomes after local injection of a single dose of MTX.

Pelvic Floor and Sexual Dysfunction After Vaginal Birth With Episiotomy in Vietnamese Women.

INTRODUCTION: Episiotomy has been the most common procedure in obstetrical practice; however, its benefits remain controversial, especially in case of postpartum pelvic floor disorder and sexual dysfunction. AIM: The aim of this study was to evaluate early complications, pelvic floor, and sexual dysfunction after delivery with episiotomy and their associated factors. METHODS: 158 healthy pregnant women at term (38 weeks 0 days to 41 weeks 6 days), aged above 18 years old, who vaginally delivered a singleton baby with cephalic presentation were recruited. The subjects were evaluated through 3 interviews at 1-3 days, 6 weeks, and 3 months after delivery, respectively. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: The evaluations were accomplished primarily by administration of 2 validated questionnaires: the Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory Short-form 20 to evaluate symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction, and the Female Sexual Function Index to evaluate effects on the women's sexual life. RESULTS: Among early complications, pain while sitting (30.4%) was the most prominent trouble, other pelvic disorders, such as urinary incontinence (11.4%), urinary retention (10.8%), or flatus incontinence (8.9%), were also observed in a remarkable number of participants. Average Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory Short-form 20 score was 7.0 ± 10.2 after 3 months. At that time, the prevalence of sexual dysfunction was 40.7%. Trouble occurred commonly in the domains of desire (68.9%) and pain (58.5%). Associated factors of sexual dysfunction were maternal age over 30 years and parity. These factors, in combination with birth weight over 3,500 gram (g), were also associated factors of pelvic floor disorders. CONCLUSION: Pelvic pain was the most popular postdelivery complication. Urinary and bowel dysfunction were self-limited complications. Despite being considered a simple technique, episiotomy and its repair must be performed rigorously in order to allow the best recovery of pelvic floor and sexual function. Huy Quoc NV, Phuc An LS, Phuong LS, et al. Pelvic Floor and Sexual Dysfunction After Vaginal Birth With Episiotomy in Vietnamese Women. Sex Med 2019;7:514-521.

Does polycystic ovary syndrome affect morphokinetics or abnormalities in early embryonic development?

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate whether oocyte retrieval from PCOS patients affects the morphokinetics or the incidence of abnormalities in early embryonic development, using time-lapse imaging analysis. METHODS: This was a prospective study in total of 39 PCOS patients and 67 women with normal ovarian function, underwent a GnRH antagonist protocol of controlled ovarian stimulation and fertilization by ICSI. 402 zygotes from the PCOS group and 449 zygotes from the control group were observed by time-lapse monitoring for 48 h following sperm injection. RESULTS: Patients with PCOS showed a significantly higher number of retrieved oocytes, and a significantly higher number of metaphase II oocytes per cycle than that of the non-PCOS group (18.85 ± 9.41 vs. 11.48 ± 5.51 and 14.97 ± 7.43 vs. 9.51 ± 4.7, respectively). However, oocyte maturation rate and morphologically assessed embryo quality did not differ between two groups. After 48 h of the embryo culture using time-lapse video recording, most of the embryos in both groups had reached the 4-cell stage (353/449 vs. 314/402 embryos). There were no significant differences between the control and PCOS group regarding the time-points of the successive events in early embryonic development from the appearance of 2 polar bodies to the 6-cell stage. However, the percentage of t2 stages which fell in "optimal range" (>24 h and ≤28 h) was significantly lower in the PCOS group than in the control group (37.8% vs. 48.1%, P = 0.004). The proportion of embryos manifesting abnormal fertility, multinucleation, direct cleavage and reverse cleavage were not significantly different between the two groups. CONCLUSION: Our data indicated that PCOS does not affect the morphokinetics or incidence of abnormalities in early embryonic development.

The value of visual inspection with acetic acid and Pap smear in cervical cancer screening program in low resource settings - A population-based study.

This study aims to determine the diagnostic values of visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) and Pap smear in a cervical cancer screening program at a community level in Vietnam. A cross-sectional analysis was obtained, including 1034 women of reproductive age from Thua Thien Hue Province, Vietnam from 09/2012 to 09/2013. Samples were taken from cervixes for Pap smear testing, followed by visual inspection with acetic acid. Subjects with abnormal VIA and/or positive cytology results were invited for colposcopy and biopsy. Histologic confirmed cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN2+) served as gold standards for diagnostic values analysis. Abnormal VIA results were recorded in 87 cases (7.7%). The sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) of VIA for CIN2+ were 88.8%, 43.8%, 63.4%, 51.2% and 83.3%, respectively. Diagnostic values of Pap smear were 58.0%, 85.2%, 69.9%, 83.3% and 61.3% for its sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, PPV and NPV, respectively. VIA yielded high sensitivity but its accuracy is still limited in pre-cancerous lesions during cervical cancer screening. The Pap smear has acceptable sensitivity and specificity, but its false-negative rate is still high. We recommend a combination of different tests to increase the efficiency of screening in our community.

Standard and optimal cut-off values of serum ca-125, HE4 and ROMA in preoperative prediction of ovarian cancer in Vietnam.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the validity of serum CA-125, Human Epididymis protein 4 (HE4) and Risk of Malignancy Algorithm (ROMA) at standard and optimal cut-offs, in preoperative prediction of epithelial ovarian carcinoma (EOC) in Vietnam. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Cross-sectional, descriptive study on 277 patients with ovarian masses hospitalized at the OBGYN Departments, Hue University Hospital and Hue Central Hospital, Vietnam, from 01/2016 to 11/2017. All patients had measurements of serum CA-125 by Elecsys 2010 system and HE4 by immunoassay ARCHITECT® HE4 kits; ROMA calculated, and preoperative malignancy risk estimated. Matching these values to postoperative histopathology resulted in the preoperative prediction values. RESULTS: There were 30 (10.8%) cases of EOC. Median values of CA 125, HE4, and ROMA of EOC and benign tumors were 214.20 U/ml, 18.91 U/ml; 90.00 pmol/l, 39.80 pmol/l; and 55.20%, 4.80%, respectively. The sensitivities and specificity of CA125, HE4, and ROMA to distinguish between malignant and benign tumors at standard cut-offs were 83.3% and 78.5%; 50% and 98.38%; 80.0% and 84,6%, and those at optimal cut-offs were 83.3% and 86.6%; 80.0% and 91.5%, 86.7% and 88.7%, respectively. AUCs of CA-125, HE4, and ROMA were 0.872, 0.894, 0.912; and those for the post-menopausal group were 0.900, 0.894 and 0.924, respectively. CONCLUSION: Serum CA 125 and HE4 levels and ROMA have good validity in the diagnosis of EOC, of which ROMA gives the best result. The ROMA index should be applied in clinical practice to help in the assessment and management of patients with suspected ovarian cancer.