Detection and Molecular Characterization of Yellow Fever Virus, 2017, Brazil.

At the end of 2016, Brazil experienced an unprecedented yellow fever (YF) outbreak. Clinical, molecular and ecological aspects of human and non-human primate (NHP) samples collected at the beginning of the outbreak are described in this study. Spatial distribution analyses demonstrated a strong overlap between human and NHP cases. Through molecular analyses, we showed that the outbreak had a sylvatic origin, caused by the South American genotype 1 YFV, which has already been shown to circulate in Brazil. As expected, the clusters of cases were identified in regions with a low vaccination coverage. Our findings highlight the importance of the synchronization of animal surveillance and health services to identify emerging YF cases, thereby promoting a better response to the vulnerable population.

Significance of sperm characteristics in the evaluation of adolescents, adults and older men with varicocele.

BACKGROUND: No reports have been published about age-related sperm malformations in varicocele patients. AIM: To investigate the distribution of abnormal sperm characteristics in adolescents, adults and older men with varicocele. SETTING AND DESIGN: Records of semen analysis of 143 men aged 14 to 53 years who had evident left-sided varicocele detected by physical examination and confirmed by doppler sonography were selected. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sperm concentration, vitality, motility, morphology, hypoosmotic swelling test (HOST) and morphology were measured in adolescent males aged 14 to 20 years (n=31), men 21 to 30 years (n=48), 31 to 40 years (n=40) and older men over 40 (n=24) and compared with a control group of fertile men with no varicocele (n=27) and with a group of infertile men with varicocele (n=26). STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: One-way analysis of variance and the Kruskal-Wallis test were used to compare varicocele groups. Comparisons with the control group and infertile group were performed using the unpaired t-test and the Mann-Whitney test. The discriminating ability of significant sperm characteristics in evaluating the sperm quality of varicocele men was also analyzed using receiver operating characteristics curve to select the cut-off level providing the best combination of sensitivity and specificity. RESULTS: Varicocele men displayed similar impairment of vitality, motility and HOST. Sperm morphology analysis revealed a prevalence of small head, slightly and severely amorphous head and particularly combined anomalies in the study groups. Sperm concentration fell within the normal range of the World Health Organization manual. Differences were not significant between the study groups and when compared with infertile group ( P> 0.005). However, a comparative study of the varicocele groups and the infertile group with the control group revealed significant differences in sperm vitality, motility, HOST, morphologically normal sperm, pin-headed, tapered and combined anomalies. Morphologically normal sperm and combined anomalies showed higher accuracy in identifying poor sperm quality in varicocele men (83.7% and 77.9%, at cut-off levels of 9% and 38%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Varicocele harms equally the sperm characteristics of adolescents, adults and older men. Apparently, it affects sperm quality more adversely than it does sperm production.

Brain mappings of the arithmetic processing in children and adults.

Despite the increasing number of experimental mapping showing that human arithmetic cognition is supported by widely spread neural circuits; the theoretical reasoning about these data remains mostly metaphorical and guided by a connectionist approach. Although neurons at distinct areas in the brain are assumed to take charge of different duties in the solution of the experimental task, the results are always discussed by hypothesizing some association between the different areas without questioning any difference of behavior at the level of the neurons at each of these areas. Here, the brain is assumed as Distributed Intelligent Processing System (DIPS) formed by collections of loosely interacting specialized agents (neurons), each agent specializing, for example, in data collection (sensors), problem solving (associative neurons), data communication (interneuronal systems) and in acting upon the surrounding environment (motorneurons). A new technique for EEG brain mapping is proposed and used to study arithmetic cognition in elementary school aged children and adults. Factor analysis showed three distinct patterns of neuronal recruitment for arithmetic calculations in all experimental groups which varied according to the type of calculation, age and sex.

Sperm parameters in men with suspected infertility. Sperm characteristics, strict criteria sperm morphology analysis and hypoosmotic swelling test.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the distribution of sperm abnormalities in a population of suspected infertile men presenting for the initial investigation of male factor infertility. STUDY DESIGN: Results obtained in the analysis of sperm viability, motility, conventional morphology (including 12 sperm anomalies), strict criteria sperm morphology analysis (SCSMA) and hypoosmotic swelling test (HOST) were compared in oligozoospermic (< 5.0, 5.1-10.0 and 10.1-20.0 x 10(6)/mL), normozoospermic (20.1-40.0, 40.1-100.0 and 100.1-250.0 x 10(6)/mL) and polyzoospermic (> 250.0 x 10(6)/mL) semen samples from 233 suspected infertile men. RESULTS: Percentage of sperm viability, category a and categories a plus b of sperm motility, oval-headed sperm, and normal-headed sperm according to SCSMA and HOST had a direct relationship with sperm counts (P < .001). Percentage of amorphous heads, pinheads, tapering and combined defects showed an inverse relationship with sperm counts (P < .001), whereas the percentage of large-headed sperm was highest in semen with > 40.0 x 10(6)/mL (P = .003) and of neck/midpiece defects was lowest in semen with < 10.0 x 10(6)/mL (P = .03). No significant differences were found in the percentage of small heads, double heads, round heads, partially elongated heads, cytoplasmic droplet and tail defects. Based on the cutoff points established previously for the sperm characteristics analyzed, normal values were found in semen with > 250.0 x 10(6)/mL (viability and motility), > 100.0 x 10(6)/mL (conventional morphology) and > 40.0 x 10(6)/mL (SCSMA and HOST). CONCLUSION: The incidence of defective spermatozoa is lowest in semen with the highest sperm count. However, sperm abnormalities that affect male fertility may be detected at any level of sperm density. The data indicate that an increase in any sperm abnormality should be regarded as a possible cause of decreased fertility.

Seminal fructose levels in male infertility: relationship with sperm characteristics.

The relationship between seminal fructose concentration and sperm characteristics was investigated in semens of 187 suspected infertile men without evidence of disturbances in the seminal vesicular function. Sperm density, viability, motility, morphologically oval sperm, and 10 categories of defective spermatozoa (small, large, amorphous, round-head, double-head, pin-head, tapering, mid-piece defects, tail defects, and combined defects) were assessed in 6 levels of seminal fructose concentration, as follows: (1) 0 to 1.0 mg/ml; (2) 1.1 to 2.0 mg/ml; (3) 2.1 to 3.0 mg/ml; (4) 3.1 to 4.0 mg/ml; (5) 4.1 to 5.0 mg/ml; (6) >5.0 mg/ml. None of the sperm characteristics analyzed had shown statistically significant differences among the study groups. It is concluded that seminal fructose levels detected in the routine of semen analysis give no information on the clinical usefulness in defective sperm formation.

Características gerais dos espermatozóides em homens oligozoospérmicos com e sem varicocele clínica / General chararacteristics of the spermatozoa in oligozoospermic men with and without clinical varicocele

Pacientes com oligozoospermia apresentam uma reduçao na qualidade do sêmen, independente da etiologia do distúrbio. Objetivo. Investigar o papel da varicocele na reduçao da qualidade do sêmen, em homens oligozoospérmicos. Métodos. Foram estudados dez pacientes portadores de varicocele clínica esquerda (PCV) e 21 pacientes nao-portadores desta entidade (PSV), atendidos em um laboratório privado, em Petrópolis, RJ. Foram analisados os seguintes parâmetros seminais: contagem de espermatozóides, vitalidade, motilidade e morfologia espermática. PCV e PSV foram comparados entre si e com um grupo-controle (n=15) de pacientes sem varicocele clínica e com espermograma normal. Resultados. PCV e PSV apresentaram uma reduçao significativa na vitalidade (43,9 por cento e 34,9 por cento versus 73,0 por cento no grupo-controle), nos graus (a) (5,3 por cento e 2,4 por cento versus 32,4 por cento) e (d) (76,7 por cento e 83,8 por cento versus 44,9 por cento) de progressao espermática e nos percentuais de espermatozóides ovais (25,5 por cento e 22,9 por cento versus 61,2 por cento), amorfos (25,4 por cento e 23,8 por cento versus 12,5 por cento) e outras anomalias (23,8 por cento e 30,5 por cento versus 13,0 por cento). PCV ainda apresentou diferença significativa no percentual de espermatozóides fusiformes (10,9 por cento versus 1,3 por cento) e PSV no grau (b) de progressao espermática (11,0 por cento versus 22,0 por cento), em relaçao ao grupo-controle. Entre PCV e PSV, nao foram encontradas diferenças significativas. Conclusao. A varicocele reduz a qualidade de semens oligozoospérmicos, mas esta reduçao também ocorre em oligozoospermias de outras etiologias.

[General characteristics of the spermatozoa in oligozoospermic men with and without clinical varicocele]. / Características gerais dos espermatozóides em homens oligozoospérmicos com e sem varicocele clínica.

UNLABELLED: Patients with oligozoospermia show a reduction in the semen quality, independent of the etiology of the disturbance. PURPOSE: To investigate the role of the varicocele in the decrease of the semen quality in oligozoospermic men. METHODS: Ten patients with left clinical varicocele (termed PCV) and 21 patients without this entity (termed PSV) attended in a private laboratory from Petrópolis, RJ, were investigated. Sperm count, vitality, motility, and morphology of spermatozoa were examined and the results were compared between them and a control group consisting of 15 patients without clinical varicocele and with normal spermiogram. RESULTS: PCV and PSV had showed significant decrease in the vitality (43.9% and 34.9% versus 73.0% in the control group), grade (a) (5.3% and 2.4% versus 32.4% and grade (d) (76.7% and 83.8% versus 44.9%) of sperm progression and in the percentage of oval sperms (25.5% and 22.9% versus 61.2%), amorphous head (25.4% and 23.8% versus 12.5%) and other anomalies (23.8% and 30.5% versus 13.0%). PCV had also showed significant difference in the percentage of tapered sperm (10.9% versus 1.3%), whereas PSV had showed significant difference in the grade (b) of sperm motility (11.0% versus 22.0%), both in regard to the control group. Between PCV and PSV had not been found significant differences. CONCLUSION: Varicocele reduces the semen quality in oligozoospermic men, but this reduction also occurs in oligozoospermia of any etiology.