Beta-endorphin in serum and seminal plasma in infertile men / 亚洲男科学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>AIM</b>To access beta-endorphin levels in serum as well as seminal plasma in different infertile male groups.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Beta-endorphin was estimated in the serum and seminal plasma by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method in 80 infertile men equally divided into four groups: non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA), obstructive azoospermia (OA), congenital bilateral absent vas deferens (CBVAD) and asthenozoospermia. The results were compared to those of 20 normozoospermic proven fertile men.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>There was a decrease in the mean levels of beta-endorphin in the seminal plasma of all successive infertile groups (mean +/- SD: NOA 51.30 +/- 27.37, OA 51.88 +/- 9.47, CBAVD 20.36 +/- 13.39, asthenozoospermia 49.26 +/- 12.49 pg/mL, respectively) compared to the normozoospermic fertile control (87.23 +/- 29.55 pg/mL). This relation was not present in mean serum level of beta-endorphin between four infertile groups (51.09 +/- 14.71, 49.76 +/- 12.4, 33.96 +/- 7.2, 69.1 +/- 16.57 pg/mL, respectively) and the fertile control group (49.26 +/- 31.32 pg/mL). The CBVAD group showed the lowest seminal plasma mean level of beta-endorphin. Testicular contribution of seminal beta-endorphin was estimated to be approximately 40%. Seminal beta-endorphin showed significant correlation with the sperm concentration (r = 0.699, P = 0.0188) and nonsignificant correlation with its serum level (r = 0.375, P = 0.185) or with the sperm motility percentage (r = 0.470, P = 0.899).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The estimation of beta-endorphin alone is not conclusive to evaluate male reproduction as there are many other opiates acting at the hypothalamic pituitary gonadal axis.</p>

Efficacy of prostatic massage in treatment of chronic prostatitis patients

To evaluate the efficacy of prostatic massage in treatment of chronic bacterial prostatitis [CBP = Category II] and chronic non-bacterial prostatitis [CNBP = Category IIIa] Category II patients were divided into two groups; group A [n=17] was treated with antibiotics and prostatic massage, and group B [n=20] with antibiotics alone. The same was done in Category IlIa [group C, n=25 and group D, n=19] The eighty-one patients were evaluated before and after treatment. Evaluation at baseline and after treatment consisted of complete history and previously validated questionnaires including the National Institutes of Health Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index [NIH-CPSI] and the O'Leary Sexual Function Inventory [SFI]. TRUS was also done for all patients before and after treatment. Treatment consisted of triweekly prostatic massage combined with specific culture directed and /or empirical antimicrobial therapy for at least one month. According to this study, we found that patients with chronic prostatitis [category II and IlIa] treated with antibiotics and prostatic massage showed a significant improvement, compared to baseline, in all types of pain related to the prostate, frequency, dysuria, and dribbling. There was also a significant improvement regarding painful ejaculation and erectile dysfunction. Although the incidence of improvement in symptoms was more towards prostatic massage; however, this improvement was not significant when compared with patients treated with antibiotics alone. Premature ejaculation was significantly improved in cases of chronic pelvic pain syndrome, inflammatory type [category IlIa] treated with prostatic massage more than category IlIa treated with antibiotics alone. Frequency was significantly improved incases of chronic pelvic pain syndrome, inflammatory type [category IlIa], treated with prostatic massage more than chronic bacterial prostatitis [category II] treated also by prostatic massage. On the other h and, the ejaculation quality [ejaculation volume and difficulty] worsened significantly in cases treated with prostatic massage