161 research outputs found

    New perspectives in the genetic diagnosis of male infertility

    Get PDF
    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.

    Get PDF
    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

    Get PDF
    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

    Get PDF
    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..
    corecore