Background: Early diagnosis of the novel coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) in asymptomatic and symptomatic patients is crucial to identify infectious individuals and to help prevent the spread of the virus in the community. Several assays have been developed and are in use in today's clinical practice. These assays vary in their analytical and clinical performance. For an accurate diagnosis, medical professionals must become more familiar with the test's utility to select the most appropriate test. This study aims to evaluate the analytical performance of rapid antigen tests used for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 viral antigen compared to RT-PCR SARS-CoV-2 molecular assay. Methods: Oropharyngeal swab specimens from five COVID-19 patients were tested by seven rapid antigen tests developed by different IVD companies. RT-PCR to detect specific RNA fragments of SARS-CoV-2 was used as a confirmatory test. The cycle threshold (Ct) value, which often reflects viral load, in these specimens ranged from 15 to 35. For the analytical evaluation, extraction fluid of each antigen kit was spiked with attenuated ATCC virus at different concentrations ranging from 4.6x10 4 /mL to 7.5x10 5 /mL and tested with antigen testing kits. Results: Out of five confirmed positive SARS-CoV-2 specimens by RT-PCR, only one sample showed a positive result by one of the seven evaluated antigen testing kits. The positive result was observed in the specimen with a Ct value of 15. All other evaluated rapid tests were negative for all five positive specimens. This was further confirmed with the spiking study using ATCC attenuated virus, where extraction fluid of each rapid test was spiked with concentrations ranging from 4.6x10 4 /mL to 7.5x10 5 /mL. None of these spiked specimens showed positive results, indicating very low sensitivity of these antigen kits. Conclusion: This comparison study shows that rapid antigen tests are less sensitive than RT-PCR tests and are not reliable tests for testing asymptomatic patients, who often carry low viral load. Analytical performance of rapid antigen tests should be thoroughly evaluated before implementing it at clinical decision level.

Background: MicroRNAs (miRNA) play a key role in the regulation of gene expression through the translational suppression and control of post-transcriptional modifications. Aim: Previous studies demonstrated that miRNAs conduct the pathways involved in human reproduction including maintenance of primordial germ cells (PGCs), spermatogenesis, oocyte maturation, folliculogenesis and corpus luteum function. The association of miRNA expression with infertility, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), premature ovarian failure (POF), and repeated implantation failure (RIF) was previously revealed. Furthermore, there are evidences of the importance of miRNAs in embryonic development and implantation. Piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) and miRNAs play an important role in the posttranscriptional regulatory processes of germ cells. Indeed, the investigation of small RNAs including miRNAs and piRNAs increase our understanding of the mechanisms involved in fertility. In this review, the current knowledge of microRNAs in embryogenesis and fertility is discussed. Conclusion: Further research is necessary to provide new insights into the application of small RNAs in the diagnosis and therapeutic approaches to infertility.

Background and objectives One of the possible male sterility risk factors are polymorphisms of Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR). However, the epidemiologic investigations described inconsistent results regarding MTHFR polymorphism and the risk of male infertility. For that reason, we carried out a meta-analysis of published case-control studies to re-examine the controversy. Methods Electronic searches of Cochrane, EMBASE, Google Scholar, and PubMed were conducted to select eligible studies for this meta-analysis (updated to May 2019). According to our exclusion and inclusion criteria, only high-quality studies that remarked the association between MTHFR polymorphisms and male infertility risk were included. The Crude odds ratio (OR) with a confidence interval of 95% (CI) was used to assess the relationship between MTHFR polymorphism and male infertility risk. Results Thirty-four case-control studies with 9662 cases and 9154 controls concerning 677C/T polymorphism and 22 case-control studies with 5893 cases and 6303 controls concerning 1298A/C polymorphism were recruited. Both MTHFR polymorphisms had significant associations with male infertility risk (CT + TT vs. CC: OR = 1.37, 95% CI: 1.21–1.55, P = 0.00, I2 = 41.9%); (CC vs. CA + AA: OR = 0.82, 95% CI: 0.52–1.30, P = 0.04, I2 = 50.1%). Further, when stratified by ethnicity, the significant association results were observed in Asians and Caucasians for 677C/T and just Asians for 1298A/C. Conclusions Some of MTHFR polymorphisms like MTHFR 677C > T are associated with an elevated male infertility risk. To confirm our conclusion and to provide more accurate and complete gene-environment communication with male infertility risk, more analytical studies are needed.

Background: Irradiation leads to increased storage lesions that may have harmful effects if transfused. Various storage lesions research has been carried out, and only very few articles are available on the impact of gamma irradiation on RBC storage lesions. Since there has been no study about finding the best time for irradiation, we decided to investigate the effect of irradiation on Red blood cells at different storage times after blood collection Materials and Methods: A total of 40 units of red blood cells divided into two groups, irradiated and nonirradiated. Irradiated RBCs were divided into three groups and each group containing ten units. The remaining ten units were considered as non-irradiated controls. Sampling from these irradiated and non-irradiated blood units was performed weekly to evaluate biochemical parameters and free plasma hemoglobin/Hemolysis index levels. Results: A significant increase in the mean values of plasma potassium, plasma Hb/Hemolysis index, and LDH, as well as a significant reduction in the mean value of 2,3 DPG and plasma sodium, were observed in both groups. Although the reduction of 2,3 DPG is extremely remarkable, it is compensated 24-48 hours after transfusion. Hence, the clinical result of 2,3-DPG-depleted RBC transfusion is known to be negligible. The irradiation group alteration was more notable than the non-irradiated one and the changes in the parameters were most significant in the group having been stored for a longer period after irradiation. Conclusion: Our investigation on the impact of gamma irradiation on RBCs makes it possible to suggest a storage time up to 28 days after irradiation is permissible and the best time for irradiation after blood collection is up to 14 days. It is pointed out that the blood unit should be transfused as soon as possible after the irradiation.