104 research outputs found
New perspectives in the genetic diagnosis of male infertility
The current issue of the Croatian Medical Journal features
two interesting articles on reproductive health. Sengun et
al (1) present their findings of novel mutations in the gene
coding for FK506 binding protein-like (FKBPL) associated
with male infertility, while Bilić et al (2) discuss the benefits of ovarian tissue cryopreservation. In spite of tremendous advances in the field, various aspects of reproductive
health, particularly infertility, still necessitate further study
and development of novel diagnostic and therapeutic approaches
Original immunophenotype of blood endothelial progenitor cells and microparticles in patients with isolated arterial erectile dysfunction and late onset hypogonadism: effects of androgen replacement therapy.
Blood endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) and endothelial microparticles (EMPs) have been proposed as markers of endothelial dysfunction. Aim of this study was to evaluate an original immunophenotype of EPCs and EMPs in patients with isolated arterial erectile dysfunction (ED) and late onset hypogonadism (LOH) before and after androgen replacement therapy.Fifty patients (50-64 years) with ED and LOH were selected. EPC (CD45(neg)/CD34(pos)/CD144(pos)) and EMP (CD45(neg)/CD34(neg)/CD144(pos)) blood concentrations were evaluated by flow cytometry. Thirty patients received androgen replacement therapy (Tostrex® ProStrakan) for 6 months (group A), other 20 patients not received androgen therapy for the contraindications in their clinical history (group B).After 6 months, group B showed IIEF-5 score, peak systolic velocity and acceleration time significantly worse than group A; in addition EPCs and EMPs were significantly higher in group B compared to group A.Patients with isolated arterial ED and LOH not treated with androgen therapy showed worst vascular parameters measured by penile Doppler and higher EPCs and EMPs compared to treated hypogonadal patients, hence, LOH appears to be an additional vascular risk factor, and these markers may be considered as predictors of cavernous artery disease. Finally, androgen therapy improves endothelial dysfunction
LDOC-1 and PARP-1 mRNA expression in leukocytes of father and son with cutaneous malignant melanoma
Abstract
Apoptosis is central to the biology of cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM). The leucine zipper, down regulated in cancer 1 (LDOC-1) gene, is known to be a regulator of the nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kB) through inhibition of the same NF-kB. The poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP1) gene plays an important role for the efficient maintenance of genome integrity. PARP-1 protein is required for the apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF) translocation from the mitochondria to the nucleus. We report here two interesting cases of family melanoma, a father and son 84 and 40 years old, respectively. The histological evaluation of the lesions of both men revealed diffused superficial melanoma with epithelioid cells. We evaluated the differential expression of LDOC-1 and PARP-1 mRNA in peripheral blood leukocytes of both the father and son. We found that both LDOC-1 and PARP-1 genes were down-regulated in both patients compared with those of controls. These data suggest that low levels of expression of LDOC-1 and PARP-1 mRNA may be associated with familial melanoma
Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Testosterone Replacement Therapy
The evidence on the role of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in the pathogenesis of hypogonadism and the impact of testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) in OSA patients are still contradictory. OSA i..
Endothelial progenitor cells and erectile dysfunction: a brief review on diagnostic significance and summary of our experience.
The article provides a brief review of the literature concerning the diagnostic use of endothelial progenitor cells in patients with erectile dysfunction. In particular, patients with arterial erectile dysfunction could benefit from the use of this diagnostic marker, which in clinical practice can be used together with more conventional methods such as the penile Doppler. It is very important to acquire diagnostic tools for the diagnosis of sub clinical form of endothelial dysfunction in these patients, in particular when the erectile dysfunction is associated with cardiovascular risk factors
Ruolo del volume piastrinico medio nella disfunzione erettile a patogenesi arteriosa
SommarioIl volume piastrinico medio (VPM) è un parametro che sta acquisendo sempre maggiore importanza nella stratificazione del rischio vascolare sistemico dal momento che è in grado di predire il grado di attività piastrinica. Piastrine più attive sono infatti più trombogeniche e contribuiscono al processo di aterosclerosi che, a sua volta, è la principale causa della disfunzione vascolare. La disfunzione erettile (DE) è una condizione che impatta notevolmente sulla qualità della vita di un uomo e, tra le varie cause, la DE su base vascolare arteriosa è quella che ha la prevalenza maggiore. Per questo motivo, alcuni studi hanno cercato di valutare la relazione tra i valori di VPM nei pazienti con DE, suggerendo che questo parametro può essere considerato uno strumento per la diagnosi precoce della DE oltre che un possibile nuovo bersaglio terapeutico, facilmente valutabile
Different levels of Cd45pos leukocytes in the semen of patients with low testicular volume.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the concentrations of CD45pos leukocytes in the semen samples of infertile patients with low testicular volume (TV) compared to subjects with normal TV. The testis was considered normal in size when it had a volume between 15 and 25 cm3, low–normal with a volume between 10 and 12 cm3 and hypotrophic when the volume was <10 cm3. The patients with low testicular volume (<10 cm3) showed significantly higher concentrations of CD45pos leukocytes compared to other groups ( P <0.05). The correlation analysis showed the presence of a positive linear relationship between CD45pos leukocytes and the percentage of immature germ elements (r = 0.88; P <0.05) and between CD45pos leukocytes and the percentage of spermatozoa with phosphatidylserine externalisation (r = 0.90; P <0.05) as well as a negative linear relationship between the percentage of spermatozoa with normal morphology and the seminal CD45pos leukocyte concentrations ( r = −0.75; P <0.05). The results of this study showed that patients with low testicular volume (<10 cm3) have significantly increased CD45pos leukocyte concentrations associated with increased percentages of immature germ elements, spermatozoa with signs of early apoptosis and spermatozoa with abnormal morphology
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