Lipid Profile Perturbations Associated With Subclinical Hypothyroidism: A Descriptive Study.

Background Hypothyroidism is a prevalent endocrine disorder associated with dyslipidemia, which increases cardiovascular risk. Our study aimed to estimate the prevalence of dyslipidemia and subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) and their correlation in a diverse population. Methods A descriptive cross-sectional retrospective analysis was conducted to assess the prevalence of dyslipidemia in patients with SCH. Data were collected over 19 months from the Clinical Biochemistry Department of a Moroccan university hospital. A total of 447 patients were included based on comprehensive lipid profile and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) assessments, and normal free thyroxine (FT4) levels. Lipid profile and TSH measurements followed standardized procedures using the Cobas Roche® 6000 system (Roche Diagnostics Corporation, Indianapolis, USA). Dyslipidemia and SCH were defined according to established thresholds recommended by reputable organizations. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS version 23.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, USA) and Microsoft Excel (Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, USA), with significance set at p < 0.05. Results In the total population (447 individuals), the prevalence of dyslipidemia was approximately 42.05% (N = 188), with hypoHDLemia being most prevalent at approximately 31.31% (N = 140). The prevalence of SCH was approximately 12.75% (N = 57), with women constituting approximately 7.6% and men approximately 5.15%. In the euthyroid group 1 (N = 390), the prevalence of dyslipidemia was approximately 40.76% (159 individuals), while in the hypothyroid group 2 (N = 57), it increased to approximately 50.87% (N = 29). Hypertriglyceridemia was more prevalent in Group 2, with a prevalence of approximately 21.05% (N = 12), compared to Group 1, which had a prevalence of approximately 13.84% (N = 54). Additionally, hypoHDLemia was notably higher in Group 2, with a prevalence of approximately 38.59% (N = 22), compared to Group 1, which had a prevalence of approximately 30.25% ( N = 118). The chi-square test revealed a significant association between SCH and dyslipidemia (χ2 = 1.427, p < 0.05). The calculated odds ratio (OR) of 1.5 (p < 0.05) indicates that individuals with SCH are 1.5 times more likely to have dyslipidemia compared to those without SCH. Conclusion In conclusion, our study provides valuable insights into the prevalence of dyslipidemia and its association with SCH in our patient population. We observed a notable prevalence of dyslipidemia among individuals with SCH, characterized by elevated levels of total cholesterol (TC) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). Importantly, while chi-square tests revealed a significant association between SCH and dyslipidemia, logistic regression analyses did not confirm a statistically significant correlation after adjusting for potential confounders.

[Qualitative dysalbuminemia in capillary serum protein electrophoresis: a case series of 70 patients]. / Les dysalbuminémies qualitatives sur électrophorèse capillaire des protéines sériques : à propos de 70 cas.

Capillary serum protein electrophoresis (CPE) is a high-resolution technique. Thus, it is highly sensitive to the detection of qualitatives dysalbuminemia. By the present study, we aim to describe modifications of albumin fraction within the electrophoretogramm and to expose the underlying diseases. Eight thousand and forty-two CPE were studied, among which 70 showed qualitative dysalbuminemia (frequency ≈ 1/100). The average age of the patients is 33 years with a sex ratio (M / F) of 2.33. Quantitatively, the mean ± SD of albuminemia is 18.5 ± 6.8 g/L by turbidimetric assay and 20.8 ± 7.0 g/L by electrophoretic integration. Qualitatively, the albumin region presented different shapes: a simple thickening of the base, a shoulder to the right or to the left of the peak, one or more distinct additional peaks. The electrophoretic quantification of these modifications ranges from 1.8 to 11.2 g/L. The most frequent causal diseases are nephrotic syndrome and cholestatic jaundice.

[Retrospective assessment of an assisted reproductive technology method]. / Vérification des performances d'une méthode de procréation médicalement assistée.

The validation of methods in medical biology is a fundamental step in which the laboratory defines its analytical objectives, characterizes the performance of the technique according to the level of quality it fixes and discusses the results obtained. The objective of this work is to contribute to respect the requirements of ISO 15189 in terms of performance verification of a manual qualitative technique of medically assisted procreation (PMA): morphological identification of the oocyte, the zygote and the embryo, harmonization of professional practices and assessment of competences by associating the bibliographic approach and above all by justifying its choices. Validation of PMA methods is difficult for reasons related to the mostly manual methods used in our context but also to the type of matrix i.e. the oocyte sampling which remains a valuable harvest. Due to the lack of internal quality control and external quality evaluation, risk control in the three pre-, post- and post-analytical stages becomes decisive, based on the 5M method, the establishment of coherent means of control adapted to its own practice, it also concerns the empowerment of staff through training, evaluation and monitoring of operators' performance.

Infertility in the Moroccan population: an etiological study in the reproductive health centre in Rabat.

The causes of infertility vary widely and differ between regions and within countries. There is no report on this subject in Morocco. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the causes of infertility in Moroccan infertile couples and to compare the findings with data from the various published studies. This retrospective study included 1265 infertile couples who attended the Assisted Reproductive Technology Unit of the Reproductive Health Centre of the University Hospital Ibn Sina in Rabat. All couples had been infertile for at least 1 year and both partners were fully investigated. The median duration of infertility was 5 ± 4 years. Couples had primary and secondary infertility in 77.2% and 22.8% of cases, respectively. Among the 1265 couples, 39.6% had a female factor, 28.2% had a male factor, 17% had both male and female factors and in 15.2% of couples, the cause of infertility was undetermined. The most common causes of male infertility were varicocele (14.3%), obstructive azoospermia (7%), Congenital anomalies (5.5%) and male accessory gland infection (4%). Results showed that 54.8% of men had a normal semen analysis. Among women, infertility factors were ovulatory disorders (27.5%), tubal factor (26.6%), uterine factor (12.6%), endometriosis (4.1%), and 43.4% of women were normal. The causes of infertility in this study are comparable with those reported by the World Health Organization and other studies. However, the substantial delay before attending an infertility clinic highlighted by the study needs additional consideration.

Infertility in the Moroccan population: major risk factors encountered in the reproductive health centre in Rabat.

Infertility is responsible for a major cost burden for patients and health care systems. Therefore identifying preventable risk factors for infertility may contribute to the development of more cost-effective approaches to solving the infertility problem. However, such investigations have never been conducted in Morocco. Thereby, the objective of the present study was to determine the occurrence and distribution of these factors among Moroccan infertile couples. This retrospective study included 1265 infertile couples who attended the Assisted Reproductive Technology Unit of the Reproductive Health Centre of the University Hospital Ibn Sina in Rabat. All couples had been infertile for at least 1 year and both partners were fully investigated. Couples had primary and secondary infertility in 77.2% and 22.8% of cases, respectively. Women were overweight in 47.9% of cases and obese in 25.8% of cases while men were overweight in 44.6% of cases and obese in 14.7% of cases. 18.9% of women and 17.5% of men had a previous abdominopelvic or urogenital surgery. A history of sexually transmitted infection was reported by 7% of men and 5.8% of women. A history of tuberculosis was found 9.3% of women and 4.8% of men. In addition, 31.7% of men were cigarette smokers and 8.4% consumed alcohol. The study showed that preventable risk factors of infertility are common among Moroccan infertile couples. However, additional studies are required to investigate each factor and its relation to infertility in the Moroccan population.