Testosterone positively regulates vagina NO-induced relaxation: an experimental study in rats

PURPOSE: Female sexual response involves a complex interplay between neurophysiological mechanisms and the nitric oxide (NO)-mediated relaxation of clitoris and vagina. The aim of this study was to evaluate sex steroids regulation of the relaxant pathway in vagina, using a validated animal model. METHODS: Subgroups of OVX Sprague–Dawley rats were treated with 17β-estradiol, testosterone, or testosterone and letrozole, and compared with a group of intact animals. Masson’s trichrome staining was performed for morphological evaluation of the distal vaginal wall, in vitro contractility studies investigated the effect of OVX and in vivo treatments on vaginal smooth muscle activity. RNA from vaginal tissue was analyzed by semi-quantitative RT-PCR. RESULTS: Immunohistochemical analysis showed that OVX induced epithelial and smooth muscle structural atrophy, testosterone and testo + letrozole increased the muscle bundles content and organization without affecting the epithelium while 17β-estradiol mediated the opposite effects. In vitro contractility studies were performed on noradrenaline pre-contracted vaginal strips from each experimental group. Acetylcholine (0.001–10 µM) stimulation induced a concentration-dependent relaxation, significantly reduced by NO-synthase inhibitor L-NAME and by guanylate cyclase inhibitor ODQ. OVX resulted in a decreased responsiveness to acetylcholine, restored by testosterone, with or without letrozole, but not by 17β-estradiol. OVX sensitivity to the NO-donor SNP was higher than in the control. Vardenafil, a PDE5 inhibitor, enhanced SNP effect in OVX + testosterone as well as in control, as supported by RNA expression analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrates that testosterone improves the NO-mediated smooth muscle vaginal cells relaxation confirming its role in maintaining the integrity of muscular relaxant machinery

Volatile secondary metabolites from organic apples by HS-SPME in combination with comprehensive two-dimensional GC-MS

Trentino Alto Adige is a small region in northern Italy that produces about 1.5 M of tons of apples per year corresponding to about 15% of total EU production [1]. The high production density brings a burden for soil exploitation. In the last decade efforts have been done to make apple production more eco-sustainable by adopting organic farming practices. Organic farming is a production system which avoids or excludes the use of synthetic preparations – artificial fertilizers, pesticides, growth accelerators and fodder additives [2]. Furthermore, recent works showed a positive willingness to purchase organic apples and consumer preference for apples organically rather than conventionally produced [3-5] providing important information about market opportunities. Despite this, many producers are afraid about lower sensory quality of organic fruits. Instrumental and sensory analyses were applied to investigate the impact of organic farming on apple quality. Fruits from several apple varieties grown, in different parcels of the same field, using organic and integrated production systems were compared. Here we present preliminary data on volatile secondary metabolites obtained by HS-SPME in combination with comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography coupled to a quadrupole MS (HS-SPME GCxGC-MS). Data analysis of the 63 most abundant identified peaks shows statistical significant differences in volatile secondary metabolites emitted by apples grown under organic production compared to the traditional one. Fig 1 shows separation of the 2 theses (bio: Organic farming; trad: integrated production system). For example apples grown under organic practice emit more α-farnesene than conventionally produced fruit

Functional living skills assessment: a standardized measure of high-order activities of daily living in patients with dementia

Aim. Performance measures are tools aimed to directly evaluate social function in older adults. The authors present the standardization of a new direct performance measure for patients with dementia, the functional living skills assessment (FLSA). Methods. FLSA was conceived to detect functional impairment in very mild to moderate patients and to pick up functional modification due to intervention. The patient is asked to perform an activity, and the performance is scored according to completeness and level of assistance required. Eight areas of interest are evaluated (Resources, Consumer Skills, Public Transportation, Time Management, Money management, Leisure, Telephone Skills, Self-Care and Health). Subjects included 54 patients with dementia and 36 normal controls. Results. Total and partial FLSA scores significantly differed for the two groups (P0.9). Correction scores for education were calculated, while age influence was only marginally significant. Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) and CDR highly influenced FLSA score (P< 0.0001); FLSA was highly correlated with another performance measure (the Direct Assessment of Functional Status; P=0.821), and with the Instrumental Activity of Daily Living (IADL) scale (P=-0.612), while no significant correlation was present with the Geriatric Depression Scale. Conclusion. FLSA evidences construct, concurrent and discriminative validity. We suggest that this tool could be possibly useful when a high sensibility to different levels of functional impairment is needed, as evaluation of treatment efficacy (both non-pharmacological and pharmacological) identification of relatively intact functional areas to plan cognitive rehabilitation, and confirmation of dementia in the initial phase when there are doubts about functional decline