Study of SARS-CoV-2 in semen from asymptomatic donors with the presence of virus in nasopharyngeal swabs.

RESEARCH QUESTION: Is severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) present in semen samples from asymptomatic donors who have positive virus results from nasopharyngeal swabs? DESIGN: Nasopharyngeal PCR was performed on 1943 sperm donors between January 2021 and March 2022. The result was positive for 140 donations, and the presence of SARS-CoV-2 could be studied in cryopreserved semen from 84 of these donors. This included 67 participants in whom the quality of fresh semen could be compared with the previous donation, the day of the PCR-positive nasopharyngeal sampling and the first subsequent donation. Semen donations were cryopreserved following total semen (n = 26) or ready-to-use (n = 58) protocols. The presence of SARS-CoV-2 in cryopreserved samples was determined by reverse transcription PCR. Semen quality (volume, concentration and progressive motility) was evaluated in accordance with World Health Organization 2010 recommendations. RESULTS: SARS-CoV-2 virus was not detected in any cryopreserved total semen or ready-to-use samples. No significant differences in semen volume, concentration or progressive motility were observed between the last previous donation, the day of the positive PCR nasopharyngeal sampling and the first subsequent donation. CONCLUSIONS: The lack of detection of SARS-CoV-2 in semen samples from asymptomatic individuals infected with SARS-CoV-2 supports the safety of assisted human reproduction treatments using this type of sample.

Comparison Between Mix-and-Match Implantation of Bifocal Intraocular Lenses and Bilateral Implantation of Trifocal Intraocular Lenses.

PURPOSE: To investigate the visual outcomes between mix-and-match bifocal intraocular lenses (IOLs) (ReSTOR +2.50 and +3.00 diopters [D]; Alcon Laboratories, Inc., Fort Worth, TX) versus bilateral implantation of a trifocal IOL (FineVision; PhysIOL, Liège, Belgium). METHODS: Twenty-three patients (average age: 56.3 ± 6.9 years; range: 45 to 71 years) referred for lens phacoemulsification and IOL implantation were included in this study. Patients were randomly assigned to two groups. The FineVision group was bilaterally implanted with the FineVision trifocal IOL and the ReSTOR group was implanted with mix-and-match bifocal ReSTOR +2.50 and +3.00 D IOLs. A 3-month postoperative check was performed, and manifest refraction and logMAR uncorrected (UDVA) and corrected (CDVA) distance and near visual acuities were recorded. Monocular and binocular defocus curve testing was performed under photopic (85 cd/m2) conditions in 0.50-D defocus steps. Contrast sensitivity was measured monocularly and binocularly under mesopic conditions at spatial frequencies of 3, 6, 12, and 18 cycles per degree using the CSV-1000 contrast test (VectorVision, Greenville, OH). RESULTS: There were no reported differences in monocular distance visual acuity or refractive outcomes between groups (P > .05). Furthermore, there were no significant differences in contrast sensitivity between the three IOLs (P > .05). The FineVision group achieved better monocular and binocular near and intermediate visual acuities under defocus curve testing than the ReSTOR group (P < .05). CONCLUSIONS: Binocular implantation of the FineVision trifocal IOL provided a better range of visual acuities at near and intermediate distances than mix-and-match bifocal IOL implantation. [J Refract Surg. 2016;32(10):659-663.].