Coenzyme Q10 supplementation in infertile men with low-grade varicocele: an open, uncontrolled pilot study.

Many conditions associated with male infertility are inducers of oxidative stress, including varicocele. Antioxidants, such as coenzyme Q10, may be useful in this case. To evaluate the antioxidant capacity of seminal plasma of infertile men with varicocele before and after an oral supplementation with coenzyme Q10 , 38 patients were recruited from a pilot clinical trial. A standard semen analysis was also performed at baseline and 3 months after an oral supplementation with exogenous coenzyme Q10 100 mg per die. Seminal plasma antioxidant capacity was measured using a spectroscopic method. Coenzyme Q10 therapy improved semen parameters and antioxidant status. This study highlights the importance of oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of male infertility, namely in varicocele, and strengthens the possibility of the usefulness of the antioxidant therapy.

A case of forearm amputation after ovarian stimulation for in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer.

OBJECTIVE: To report a case of forearm amputation after ovarian stimulation for IVF-ET. DESIGN: Case report. SETTING: A university hospital. PATIENT(S): A 41-year-old woman, who had coagulation disorder as a result of an ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) for IVF-ET. INTERVENTION(S): Retrospective evaluation of angiographic studies and surgical treatment. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Medical follow-up after forearm amputation due to OHSS. RESULT(S): The patient underwent many cycles of IVF-ET with administration of purified FSH (75 IU 10 times per day, for 12 days) and chorionic gonadotropin (5,000 IU). The patient had a coagulation disorder as a result of OHSS, with thrombosis of the axillary vein, recurring after thromboarterectomy and leading to the paradoxical result of the amputation of an arm. CONCLUSION(S): An ethical evaluation of this case is mandatory, since the desire for pregnancy, the role of medical science, health, and human life itself are all factors involved.

Canalization of human cervical mucus.

Cervical mucus forms channels when dried under a coverslip. The aim of the present work was: 1) to prove mucus canalization both in spontaneous ovulatory cycles and during ovulation induction with gonadotropins; 2) to prove the estrogen dependence of this phenomenon; 3) to check the importance of the proteidic and electrolytic concentration on chaneling; and 4) to use this phenomenon clinically, shortening the time in which it occurs. The number and arrangement of channels vary during the cycle. The phenomenon is estrogen-dependent. The comparison between estradiol values and the number of channels during spontaneous ovulatory cycles and treatment with gonadotropins showed a linear relationship. Treatment with estradiol 17 beta-valerate and ethinyl estradiol induced channel formation in women with primary amenorrhea. Canalization and ferning disappeared after dialysis or treatment with proteolytic enzymes. It follows that the two phenomena have similar characteristics. Canalization increases daily, as does estradiol, whereas ferning maintains the same grade for a longer period, and when a grade of + + + is reached, it provides no further indications. With the use of a thermostat, canalization occurred in only a few hours. Chaneling, a more precise index, could therefore substitute for ferning, particularly when monitoring the induction of ovulation.