Capacidad antioxidante y calidad post-descongelación del semen equino criopreservado con quercetina y ergotioneina / Antioxidant capacity and post-thaw quality of stallion semen cryopreserved with quercetin and ergothioneine

Se evaluó la capacidad antioxidante y la calidad post-descongelación del semen equino criopreservado con quercetina y ergotioneina. Nueve eyaculados provenientes de tres caballos criollos colombianos se criopreservaron bajo tres tratamientos: ergotioneina (100 pM), quercetina (100 pM) y control (sin antioxidante). Posteriormente a la descongelación se evaluaron los siguientes parámetros: la capacidad antioxidante total (CAT) del semen mediante el ensayo del ácido 2,2'-azino-bis-[3-etilbenzotiazolina]-6-sulfónico (ABTS•+); la movilid ad total (MT); la movilidad progresiva (MP); la hiperactividad (HA) y las velocidades curvilínea (VCL), lineal (VSL) y media (VAP) mediante el sistema computarizado SCA ; además, la integridad estructural de la membrana y la integridad acrosómica por microscopia de fluorescencia mediante las sondas SYBR/IP y FITC/ PNA, respectivamente; la morfología mediante la tinción eosina-nigrosina y la integridad funcional de membrana a través de la prueba hipoosmótica (HOS). Se realizó el ajuste de modelos lineales generalizados (GLM) y la comparación de medias por Tukey. La CAT (pmol trolox/ml) del semen descongelado fue superior para la ergotioneina (4,0 ± 0,3) y la quercetina (3,9 ± 0,4), respecto del control (2,6 ± 1,5). Para la MT se encontró una media superior para la ergotioneina (70,3 ± 11,2 %), respecto a la quercetina (63 ± 10,5 %) y al control (66,1 ± 11,2 %) (P < 0,05). Para MP, HA, VCL, VSL y VAP, el tratamiento control presentó valores superiores a los tratamientos con antioxidantes (P < 0,05). Se concluye que la ergotioneina y la quercetina incrementan la CAT e influyen sobre la movilidad y la cinética post-descongelación del semen equino.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the antioxidant capacity and post-thaw quality of stallion semen cryopreserved with quercetin and ergothioneine. Nine ejaculates from three Colombian Creole horses were cryopreserved under three treatments: ergothioneine (100 pM), quercetin (100 pM) and control (no antioxidant). Post-thaw were evaluated the parameters: total antioxidant capacity (TAC) of semen through the acid test of azino 2,2'-bis[3-ethylbenzothiazoline]-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS•+); total motility (MT), progressive motility (MP), hyperactivity (HA) and curvilinear (VCL), linear (VSL) and average path (VAP) velocities by the computerized system SCA ; structural membrane integrity and acrosome integrity by fluorescence microscopy using SYBR / IP and FITC / PNA probes, respectively; morphology by eosinnigrosin staining and functional membrane integrity by hypoosmotic swelling test (HOS). The adjustment of generalized linear models (GLM) and comparison of means by Tukey was performed. The TAC (pmol trolox/ml) of thawed semen was higher for ergothioneine (4.0 ± 0.3) and quercetin (3.9 ± 0.4), compared to control (2.6 ± 1.5). For MT a higher average for ergothioneine (70.3 ± 11.2%) compared to quercetin (63 ± 10.5%) and control (66.1 ± 11.2%) was found (P < 0.05). For MP, HA, VCL, VSL and VAP, the control showed higher values compared to the antioxidant treatments (P < 0.05). It is concluded that ergothioneine and quercetin increased the TAC and have influence on post-thawed motility and kinetics of stallion semen.

The so-called "placebo effect" in benign prostatic hyperplasia treatment trials represents partially a conditional regression to the mean induced by censoring.

OBJECTIVES: To study the variability of assessment instruments (symptom questionnaires and flow rate recordings) in healthy volunteers during repeat administration in short intervals. To study the effect of inclusion criteria-based censoring of patients during screening for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) treatment trials on the outcome of subsequent tests. METHODS: One hundred forty-five male volunteers without known prostatic diseases with a mean age of 52 years (range 23 to 83) were given the American Urological Association (AUA) Symptom Index (SI), BPH Impact Index (II). Quality of Life (QOL) score, and a flow rate recording twice 10 to 20 days apart without any healthcare intervention. Data were collected and analyzed after typical BPH trial criteria were applied to the first test, and patients who did not "qualify" were censored. RESULTS: Good correlation exists between two closely spaced administrations of the AUA SI, BPH II, QOL score, and flow rate recordings in healthy male volunteers with correlation coefficients between 0.73 and 0.89. Censoring patients and excluding them from the analysis of the second test based on typical BPH trial criteria induces a regression to the mean phenomenon, which results in an artificial improvement in these outcome parameters. The magnitude of the improvement increases as the selection and censoring criteria tighten. The mean differences between the first and second test range from 1.4 to 1.7 mL/s for the peak flow rate, from -1.0 to -1.4 for the AUA SI, and from -0.4 to -0.8 for the BPH II. All these differences induced solely by censoring with resulting regression to the mean are statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: Censoring of patients based on inclusion and exclusion criteria is typical for BPH treatment trials. One of the under-recognized effects of censoring is a regression to the mean, which leads to an apparent improvement in the outcome parameters assessed. In both placebo or sham-controlled trials, as well as in clinical series without controls, one must keep this effect and its relative magnitude in mind, and interpret the data from such trials with appropriate caution.

Characterization of prostate size, PSA and endocrine profiles in patients with spinal cord injuries.

Aims of this study: From cross-sectional and longitudinal population based studies as well as from autopsy studies it is well documented that total prostate volume increases with advancing age. However, it is not well known (1) which factors are ultimately responsible for this growth phenomenon; or (2) at what time in a persons life the growth tends to occur. At present at least a permissive role for testicular androgens is assumed to be involved in growth regulation. Other factors such as growth factors, epithelial-mesenchymal interaction, and the role of intact neural pathways are still poorly understood. We aimed to study a group of men with spinal cord injuries to determine whether the pattern of prostate enlargement would be different in men with partially or completely interrupted innervation of the pelvis and the prostate gland. Materials and methods: Forty-three men from the Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) Service at the VA North Texas Health Care System ranging in age from 27-73 y (mean 51 y) were recruited to participate in this study. Time since SCI ranged from 2-47 (mean 19 y). All patients underwent standardized questionnaire, physical examination, transrectal ultrasonography (TRUS) measurements of total and transition zone volume of the prostate, serum PSA, testosterone (T), dihydrotestosterone (DHT), FSH and LH measurements, some had TRUS guided biopsies taken. Results: By all the measured criteria there were no abnormalities regarding the pituitary-gonadal axis observed in these men. Testicular volume, serum T, DHT and LH were within normal ranges, and when the patients were stratified by age, no differences were identified. There was an age related increase in FSH which has been described in neurologically intact men. Serum PSA increased slightly with advancing age. While total (TPV) and transition zone (TZV) prostate volume increased with age, the groupwise differences by decades of life were not significant. Moreover, when compared to a group of community dwelling men without known prostatic diseases and a clinic cohort of men with BPH, TPV was substantially lower for each decade of life except for men in their 40s, while TZV was substantially lower for men in their 60s. Conclusions: We observed normal age related changes regarding serum PSA and serum FSH without significant changes in other hormonal parameters. All parameters behaved consistent with changes described in neurologically intact populations. However, we did not observe the typical increase in TPV and TZV of the prostate as seen in population, autopsy and clinic patient studies. This interesting finding indicates that factors other than an intact pituitary-gonadal axis and male steroid hormones may be responsible for the normal age related growth of the prostate. Further studies in larger cohorts are needed to corroborate our findings.

Sutureless repair of postinfarction cardiac rupture.

A 62-year-old female with a history of progressive angina experienced an acute myocardial infarction. Seven days later, cardiac rupture ensued. She underwent surgical repair without the aid of extracorporeal circulation. A Teflon patch was glued over the myocardial tear with medical adhesive. She recovered and is leading a normal life, 15 months after surgery.