Pathological changes in anabolic androgenic steroid users.

Several classes of recreational and prescription drugs have additional effects on the heart and vasculature, which may significantly contribute to morbidity and mortality in chronic users. The study presented herein focuses on pathological changes involving the heart possibly due to anabolic androgenic steroid use. The role these hormones may play in their occurrence of sudden cardiac death is also investigated.

DNA double strand breaks in human spermatozoa can be predictive for assisted reproductive outcome.

Sperm DNA status has been reported to predict fertility outcomes in infertile men. The terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUDP nick-end labelling test (TUNEL) is the most widely used method to evaluate this; however, its prognostic value is still debated. One hundred infertile men undergoing intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) and 61 fertile men were tested for sperm parameters, sex hormones and sperm DNA status by chromatin tests (acridine orange, aniline blue, decondensation) and by direct assays (TUNEL and phosphorylated histone H2AX-γH2AX).

Insulin resistance is associated with impaired cardiac sympathetic innervation in patients with heart failure.

Aims: Insulin resistance (IR) represents, at the same time, cause and consequence of heart failure (HF) and affects prognosis in HF patients, but pathophysiological mechanisms remain unclear. Hyperinsulinemia, which characterizes IR, enhances sympathetic drive, and it can be hypothesized that IR is associated with impaired cardiac sympathetic innervation in HF. Yet, this hypothesis has never been investigated.

Twenty-four-hour monitoring of scrotal temperature in obese men and men with a varicocele as a mirror of spermatogenic function.

Study Question: How do day and night scrotal temperatures, spermatogenesis parameters, sex hormones and intratesticular perfusion in obese men and men with a varicocele compare with healthy controls?

Summary Answer: Compared with healthy controls, 24-h monitoring of scrotal temperature in men with a varicocele and obese men showed higher temperatures and this condition was related to a significant alteration of spermatogenesis and stasis of testicular perfusion.

What Is Known Already: Several studies have shown that increased scrotal temperature has dramatic effects on spermatogenesis. Scrotal hyperthermia by exposure to sauna is able to induce a significant alteration of sperm production.

Neuropathological assessments of the pathology in frontotemporal lobar degeneration with TDP43-positive inclusions: an inter-laboratory study by the BrainNet Europe consortium.

The BrainNet Europe consortium assessed the reproducibility in the assignment of the type of frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) with TAR DNA-binding protein (TDP) 43 following current recommendations. The agreement rates were influenced by the immunohistochemical (IHC) method and by the classification strategy followed. p62-IHC staining yielded good uniform quality of stains, but the most reliable results were obtained implementing specific Abs directed against the hallmark protein TDP43.

Clinical features and outcomes of patients with drug-induced autoimmune hepatitis: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: Drugs and herbal products can induce autoimmune hepatitis. We assessed frequency and clinical outcomes of patients suffering from drug-induced autoimmune hepatitis.

Methods: All patients with drug-induced liver injury admitted between 2000 and 2011 were retrospectively studied.

Modifying the vessel walls in porcine kidneys during machine perfusion.

Background: Endothelial glycocalyx regulates the endothelial function and plays an active role in maintaining vascular homeostasis. During ischema and reperfusion, the glycocalyx is rapidly shed into the blood stream. A Corline heparin conjugate (CHC; Corline systems AB, Uppsala, Sweden) consists of 70 heparin molecules that have the capacity to adhere strongly to biological tissues expressing heparin affinity.

Spermatid count as a predictor of response to FSH therapy.

This study evaluated the predictive power of spermatid count and cytology for assisted reproduction outcome after FSH therapy. A total of 174 men with severe oligozoospermia and normal plasma FSH concentration underwent semen analysis including spermatid count, TUNEL test, FISH analysis for sperm aneuploidies and testicular fine-needle aspiration cytology. Ninety-two men with hypospermatogenesis received FSH therapy for 3 months and 82 patients with maturative disturbance or partial obstruction served as controls.

Visceral adiposity index (VAI) is predictive of an altered adipokine profile in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Aims: Although there is still no clear definition of "adipose tissue dysfunction" or ATD, the identification of a clinical marker of altered fat distribution and function may provide the needed tools for early identification of a condition of cardiometabolic risk. Our aim was to evaluate the correlations among various anthropometric indices [BMI, Waist Circumference (WC), Hip Circumference (HC), Waist/Hip ratio (WHR), Body Adiposity Index (BAI) and Visceral adiposity Index (VAI)] and several adipocytokines [Visfatin, Resistin, Leptin, Soluble leptin receptors (sOB-R), Adiponectin, Ghrelin, Adipsin, PAI-1, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) TNF-α, hs-CRP, IL-6, IL-18] in patients with type 2 diabetes (DM2).

Materials And Methods: Ninety-one DM2 patients (age: 65.

Correlation between inflammatory markers of atherosclerosis and carotid intima-media thickness in Obstructive Sleep Apnea.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is a sleep-related breathing disorder associated with the development of cardiovascular diseases and atherosclerosis. Systemic inflammation plays an important role in the development of cardiovascular complications in OSA patients. The aim of the study was to evaluate the relationship between carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) and inflammatory markers plasma levels in OSA patients.

Sperm selected by both birefringence and motile sperm organelle morphology examination have reduced deoxyribonucleic acid fragmentation.

Objective: To evaluate DNA fragmentation in single sperm selected by both birefringence and motile sperm organelle morphology examination (MSOME) with a single instrument.

Design: Prospective study.

Setting: University setting.

Exposure to low- vs iso-osmolar contrast agents reduces NADPH-dependent reactive oxygen species generation in a cellular model of renal injury.

Contrast-induced nephropathy represents the third cause of hospital-acquired acute renal failure. This study investigated the effects of low- vs iso-osmolar contrast medium (CM) exposure on NADPH-dependent reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation by tubular cells. X-ray attenuation of iohexol, iopamidol, and iodixanol was assessed at equimolar iodine concentrations and their effects on human renal proximal tubular cells (PTCs) were evaluated with equally attenuating solutions of each CM.

In young men sperm telomere length is related to sperm number and parental age.

Study Question: What are the relationships between telomere lengths in leukocytes and sperm, sperm count and parents' age at conception in a group of apparently healthy subjects of the same age?

Summary Answer: Sperm telomere length (STL) is related to sperm count, it is lower in oligozoospermic than in normozoospermic men and it is directly related to parents' age at conception.

What Is Known Already: Leukocyte telomere length (LTL) decreases with age but STL increases and offspring of older fathers tend to have longer leukocyte telomeres. Only one study analyzed STL in relation to male fertility, and reported shorter telomeres in infertile versus fertile men.

Prostate volume and growth during testosterone replacement therapy is related to visceral obesity in Klinefelter syndrome.

Objective: Klinefelter syndrome (KS) is a chromosomal alteration characterized by increased risk of metabolic syndrome, mainly caused by visceral obesity. In the last years, obesity has been studied as a potential risk factor for prostate disease and recently a link has been demonstrated between visceral adiposity with prostate volume. The aim of this study was to analyze the relationship between obesity and prostate volume and growth during testosterone therapy in KS subjects.

Testicular function and bone metabolism--beyond testosterone.

Findings in the past few years have advanced understanding of the crosstalk between testis and bone and could contribute to defining an improved clinical approach to the biochemical diagnosis and therapeutic management of hypogonadism and male osteoporosis. This Review focuses on the Leydig cells of the testis. Other than being responsible for steroidogenesis and production of testosterone, the function of these cells is fundamental to bone health in at least two other ways: Leydig cells produce insulin-like 3 (INSL3), which has a role in osteoblast function, and they contribute to 25-hydroxylation of vitamin D.

Erectile dysfunction, penile atherosclerosis, and coronary artery vasculopathy in heart transplant recipients.

Introduction: Vascular erectile dysfunction (ED) is the expression of a systemic vascular disease and in particular of endothelial dysfunction. Dysfunctional endothelium plays also a significant role in the onset and progression of coronary artery vasculopathy (CAV).

Aim: This pilot study was designed to evaluate the prevalence and pathogenesis of ED and its correlation with CAV in heart transplanted male.

Sperm viral infection and male infertility: focus on HBV, HCV, HIV, HPV, HSV, HCMV, and AAV.

Chronic viral infections can infect sperm and are considered a risk factor in male infertility. Recent studies have shown that the presence of HIV, HBV or HCV in semen impairs sperm parameters, DNA integrity, and in particular reduces forward motility. In contrast, very little is known about semen infection with human papillomaviruses (HPV), herpesviruses (HSV), cytomegalovirus (HCMV), and adeno-associated virus (AAV).

Molecular karyotyping of human single sperm by array- comparative genomic hybridization.

No valid method is currently available to analyze the entire genome of sperm, including aneuploidies and structural chromosomal alterations. Here we describe the optimization and application of array-Comparative Genomic Hybridization (aCGH) on single human sperm. The aCGH procedure involves screening of the entire chromosome complement by DNA microarray allowing having a molecular karyotype, and it is currently used in research and in diagnostic clinical practice (prenatal diagnosis, pre-implantation genetic diagnosis), but it has never been applied on sperm.

Testicular cancer and HPV semen infection.

Testicular cancer represents the more frequent solid tumor affecting males aged 15-35 years. In the last decades, its incidence showed a progressive increased probably due to genetic and environmental factors. Despite exposure to some viruses such as HIV, HCV, EBV, and HPV is frequently related to cancer development, there are no studies aimed to evaluate the possible implication of viral infections in the pathogenesis of testicular cancer.

Lab-on-a-chip: emerging analytical platforms for immune-mediated diseases.

Miniaturization of analytical procedures has a significant impact on diagnostic testing since it provides several advantages such as: reduced sample and reagent consumption, shorter analysis time and less sample handling. Lab-on-a-chip (LoC), usually silicon, glass, or silicon-glass, or polymer disposable cartridges, which are produced using techniques inherited from the microelectronics industry, could perform and integrate the operations needed to carry out biochemical analysis through the mechanical realization of a dedicated instrument. Analytical devices based on miniaturized platforms like LoC may provide an important contribution to the diagnosis of high prevalence and rare diseases.

Platelets express and release osteocalcin and co-localize in human calcified atherosclerotic plaques.

Background: Although vascular-calcification mechanisms are only partially understood, the role of circulating calcifying cells and non-collagenous bone matrix proteins in the bone-vascular axis is emerging. In spite of the fact that platelets represent a cellular interface between hemostasis, inflammation and atherosclerosis, and have a myeloid precursor, a possible involvement in the modulation of vascular calcification has rarely been investigated. We investigated if osteocalcin (OC) is released by platelets and described OC expression in patients with carotid artery occlusive disease.

Altered bone status in unilateral testicular cancer survivors: Role of CYP2R1 and its luteinizing hormone-dependency.

Background: Recent data suggest a potential role of testis in vitamin D activation, where Leydig cells could represent key players in this process since they express the highest amount of CYP2R1, a key enzyme involved in vitamin D 25 hydroxylation.

Aim: To evaluate bone status in unilateral orchiectomy and to assess in vivo and in vitro LH-dependency of Vitamin D 25 hydroxylation.

Subjects And Methods: 125 normotestosteronemic patients with testicular cancer (TC), featured by unilateral orchiectomy and 41 age-matched healthy male controls were studied in the Center for Human Reproduction Pathology at the University of Padova.

Association, prevalence, and clearance of human papillomavirus and antisperm antibodies in infected semen samples from infertile patients.

Objective: To evaluate prevalence, association, and clearance of human papillomavirus (HPV) and antisperm antibodies (ASAs) in infected semen samples from infertile patients.

Design: Cross-sectional clinical study.

Setting: Andrology and microbiology sections at a university hospital.