RESUMEN
Background: The Y chromosome has a specific region, namely the Azoospermia Factor (AZF) because azoospermia is typically reported in the microdeletion of the AZF region. This study aims to assess the characteristics of AZF microdeletion after screening a massive number of low sperm concentration men; and the Microdissection testicular sperm extraction (mTESE) outcomes for retrieving sperm from azoospermic patients. Materials and Methods: This retrospective multiple-center study enrolled a total of 1121 men with azoospermia, cryptozoospermia, and severe oligozoospermia from December 2016 to June 2022. An extension analysis used a total of 17 STSs to detect the position-occurring microdeletion in the AZF region (AZFa, b, c, and/or d loci). Microdissection testicular sperm extraction (mTESE) was performed to retrieve sperm in azoospermic men diagnosed AZFc microdeletion. Results: One hundred and fifty-three men carried AZF microdeletion were detected in the 1121 participants (13.64%). The incidences of AZF microdeletion were confined to AZF a, c, and d regions, both individual and concurrence, with the most common in the AZFc region accounting for 49.67%; There was no significant difference in clinical and paraclinical characteristics between the deleted regions, except FSH level (highest in AZFa microdeletion, p = 0.043). The AZFc region was the most common type of AZF microdeletion (49.67%), including complete microdeletion (4 patients) and gr/gr partial microdeletion (39 patients) with 50.00% and 63.63% in the success rate of mTESE, separately. Conclusion: The absence of AZFa and/or AZFb regions often express the most severe phenotype - azoospermia and the increasing FSH level. The AZFc region played the most common microdeletion. Microdissection testicular sperm extraction (mTESE) was the possible therapy for sperm retrieval from the testis of azoospermia men having AZFc microdeletion.
RESUMEN
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Pityriasis versicolor (PV) is a common fungal skin infection caused by Malassezia species. Previous studies have shown that the prevalence of PV is influenced by geographic factors. The aim of the current study was to find the epidemiological characteristics of PV and distribution of Malassezia species in the secondary school students living in Hai Phong city, Vietnam. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was conducted on 1357 students within the age range of 10 - 16 years selected from four secondary schools in Hai Phong city. The students were screened for PV skin lesions from August 2016 to December 2017. The isolates of Malassezia from PV patients were analyzed by performing direct microscopy and culturing on modified Dixon agar plates, containing gentamicin, at 32oC for 7 days. In the next stage, the fungal strains obtained from patients with positive fungal cultures were identified using the CHROMagarTM Malassezia medium, polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism techniques, and D1/D2 rDNA genome sequencing. RESULTS: Pityriasis versicolor was diagnosed in 305 (22.48%) students and confirmed by clinical appearance and direct examination. A total of 293 (96.07%) samples grew on modified Dixon agar. With regard to demographic characteristics, 50.49% of the PV cases were female, and 57.38% of cases resided in urban areas. Furthermore, 88.52% of the subjects had the illness duration of more than 6 months. Hypopigmented and erythematous skin lesions were also observed in the research participants, with hypopigmentation being the most frequent condition (97.05%). Most of the Malassezia fungal strains were isolated from the back (39.56%), face (23.99%), and chest (16.51%). Malassezia furfur and M. japonica accounted for PV in 96.25% and 3.75% of the cases, respectively. Furthermore, Malassezia furfur was distributed in both rural and urban areas, while M. japonica was found only in the urban areas. CONCLUSION: The findings of the present study were indicative of the high prevalence of Malassezia yeasts, mostly M. furfur, among the students in Hai Phong city, Vietnam.
