Formaldehyde in cryoprotectant propanediol and effect on mouse zygotes

Cryopreservation of human zygotes and embryos has been routinely performed by in-vitro fertilization clinics for many years. Karran and Legge (1996) first reported that formaldehyde (FA) present in the cryoprotective solutions can have a deleterious effect on mouse oocytes. FA is a cytotoxic, carcinogenic and mutagenic chemical. The effect of FA on mouse zygotes was investigated. In addition, the concentrations of FA in propanediol (PROH) obtained from various sources were determined. Pooled 1-cell embryos were dispensed into droplets of modified Ham's F10 or human tubal fluid containing various concentrations of FA. Since bovine serum albumin (BSA) may minimize toxicity additional trials were done as above in the absence of BSA. FA concentration in the standard 1.5 M PROH, from different sources in water, was measured in the same assay using a standard curve of 0-100 microM FA. FA in a complex medium had a significant deleterious effect on embryo development and hatching but only at 1 mM concentration (P < 0.000001; see Tables I-III). There was no significant effect of FA at 100 microM. However, in a simple medium even 50 microM FA decreased embryo hatching. FA was present in 1.5 M PROH from different sources (range 1.0-35.3 microM concentration). It appears that FA concentrations do not increase with storage because FA concentrations were low even after opening and storage for 3 years on the shelf. This suggests that FA is a contaminant during the manufacturing process and may vary from manufacturer to manufacturer and batch to batch. Until further studies are done to confirm the lack of toxicity to embryos during cryopreservation (with or without FA scavengers) it may be prudent to screen all batches of cryoprotectants for FA as part of quality control.      

Mucosal/submucosal blood flow in the small intestine in pigs determined by local washout of 133Xe and microsphere techniques

In 11 anaesthetized pigs a laparotomy was performed and the mucosal and submucosal blood flow rate in the small intestine of the pig was determined by a local application of 133Xe and by 6.5-microns radioactive microspheres. The 133Xe washout plotted in a semilogarithmic diagram showed a multiexponential configuration. As localization studies of 133Xe in the intestinal mucosa showed a constant high concentration of 133Xe in the luminal part of the mucosa due to shunting by diffusion, the initial slope of the 133Xe washout was used for blood flow determination in the mucosa/submucosa. There was a good relationship between blood flow determined by the two techniques. The correlation coefficient, R, between the two techniques was 0.89.     

Identification of clinical yeast isolates by using the Microring YT.

The Microring YT (MYT; Medical Wire & Equipment Co., Victory Gardens, N.J.) is a system for the rapid (24 to 48 h) identification of yeasts. The MYT system was evaluated and compared with the API20C (Analytab Products, Plainview, N.Y.) system for its ability to identify 677 clinical yeast isolates. Only 458 isolates (68%) were correctly identified by the MYT system, and the accuracy of the system varied considerably (0 to 96%), depending on the species. While MYT was less expensive and convenient to use and results were available 24 h sooner, it is inadequate for identification of many commonly isolated yeasts and is not designed for the identification of Cryptococcus species.     

Comparison of efficacy and safety of daily oral L-arginine and PDE5Is alone or combination in treating erectile dysfunction: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials

The meta-analysis was performed to assess the efficacy and safety of daily oral L-arginine and phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors (PDE5Is) alone or combination in treating patients with erectile dysfunction (ED). We performed a search of randomised controlled trials in the following databases: PubMed, EMBASE and Cochrane Library databases. Four articles including 373 patients were studied. Erectile functions were significantly improved in three therapy groups compared with baseline. Patients who received the combination of L-arginine and PDE5Is showed significant improvement compared to those treated with L-arginine and PDE5Is alone, as assessed by sexual function index (p <0.00001 and p =0.005, respectively) and total testosterone (p <0.00001 and p =0.0007, respectively). Furthermore, patients who treated with PDE5Is alone exhibited the better efficacy than those treated with L-arginine alone in respects of sexual function index (p <0.00001) and total testosterone (p =0.0001). However, the combination of L-arginine and PDE5Is had no obvious difference relative to PDE5Is alone in terms of various adverse events (AEs). Conclusively, compared with monotherapy, the combination of L-arginine and PDE5Is showed a greater improvement of sexual function and total testosterone, and did not significantly increase the AEs. Besides, PDE5Is alone revealed a better effect than those treated with L-arginine alone for patients with ED.     

The introduction of treatment and the cultural adaptability of western psychotherapies for eating disorders in China

In the past 40 years, the prevalence of eating disorders (ED) in China has shown an increasing trend, leading to an urgent need to develop efficient treatment modes and methods. Since the beginning of the new century, the diagnosis, treatment, and research of ED in China have been under development. This article gives an introduction and commentary on the treatment modes, treatment methods and their applications in ED in China. There are two main treatment forms for ED until now, that is, inpatient treatment and outpatient treatment. Inpatient treatment is recommended as the first choice. Since 2008, clinical psychotherapies such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), and family-based treatment (FBT), which are effective for pathological symptoms of ED, have been introduced into China and developed clinically. Group CBT and group DBT for patients with ED and group FBT for caregivers might be the most efficient psychotherapy in China nowadays. A multi-family FBT support group could be developed as the basic treatment of ED patients. Although these new types of psychotherapy have observed effectiveness in clinical application, the Randomized Controlled Trials (RCT) are rare and need to be developed.     

Coenzyme Q10: clinical benefits with biochemical correlates suggesting a scientific breakthrough in the management of chronic heart failure

There are obviously several causes of myocardial dysfunction but energy deficiency of the myocytes may play a significant role and probably is a common mechanism during the progression of myocardial failure. Theoretically, a poor utilization efficiency of oxygen may be due to exhaustion of the myocardial stores of bioenergetics. In this report the authors review their biochemical results from measurements of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) levels in blood and human endomyocardial biopsies using an HPLC method from patients with suspected myocardial disease (n = 45). The levels of CoQ10, which has a key role in the respiratory chain and the synthesis of ATP, was found to be significantly decreased in various groups of patients with myocardial failure (dilated and restrictive cardiomyopathy and alcoholic heart disease) as compared to "normal" myocardium (0.42 +/- 0.04 micrograms/mg dry weight). The deficiency of CoQ10 was more pronounced with increasing symptoms; e.g. patients with dilated cardiomyopathy in NYHA Classes III and IV had lower tissue CoQ10 content than those of Classes I and II (0.28 +/- 0.04 vs. 0.37 +/- 0.06 micrograms/mg, p less than 0.001). Nearly two thirds of a series of 40 patients in severe heart failure (Classes III and IV) treated with CoQ10, 100 mg daily, in an open, controlled design showed subjective and objective improvement. Clinical responders were 69% and 43% of patients with cardiomyopathy and ischaemic heart disease, respectively. The results suggest that CoQ10 is a novel and effective breakthrough in heart-failure therapy and it appears safe, as no adverse reactions were registered. The through in heart-failure therapy and it appears safe, as no adverse reactions were registered.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Effects of short-chain fatty acids on in vitro bacterial growth of Bacteroides fragilis and Escherichia coli

Short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) are produced in the large bowel of nonruminant mammals by bacterial anaerobic fermentation. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of SCFA on the in vitro growth of Bacteroides fragilis and Escherichia coli. B. fragilis and E. coli isolated from fresh human clinical samples and a reference strain for each species were incubated in a meat infusion broth with increasing amounts of SCFA and grown under anaerobic conditions at a temperature of 37 degrees C. Bacterial growth was estimated by spectrophotometry. Rate of growth was calculated from the logarithmic growth phase. SCFA, in concentrations normally found in the human colon, had a significant (p<0.01) inhibitory effect of the in vitro growth rate for E. coli, while they were without effect on the in vitro growth rate of B. fragilis. It may be concluded that under in vitro conditions SCFA had growth-inhibitory effects on E. coli, while they had no effect on B. fragilis.     

Differences in contractile properties of anorectal smooth muscle and the effects of calcium channel blockade

BACKGROUND: Pharmacological manipulation of the anal sphincter is hampered by a lack of specificity. This study aimed to determine differences in the role of intracellular and extracellular calcium in the development of tone and agonist-induced contractions between internal anal sphincter (IAS) and rectal circular muscle which might allow targeted manipulation. METHODS: Smooth muscle strips from the IAS and rectal circular muscle of 24 Large White pigs were mounted for isometric tension recording in a superfusion organ bath in the presence of different perfusates. RESULTS: IAS developed tone and spontaneous activity that were abolished by nifedipine, which also reduced contractions to noradrenaline to 72 per cent of control values. Rectal smooth muscle developed spontaneous activity but no tone. Nifedipine abolished the activity and reduced contractions to carbachol to 17 per cent of control. Contractile activity was abolished in both tissues in calcium-free solution. Transient exposure to a high calcium concentration reloaded the stores, and the ability of agonists to release stored calcium was tested after 3 min in calcium-free solution. In IAS, noradrenaline contraction was 76 per cent of control and in rectal circular muscle carbachol contraction was 57 per cent of control. Store loading was prevented by nifedipine in rectal smooth muscle but not IAS. Cyclopiazonic acid reduced store filling in both tissues. CONCLUSION: Agonist-induced contraction of IAS is largely due to release of stored calcium and L-type calcium channels are not needed for store filling. Rectal circular smooth muscle depends more on extracellular calcium and uses L-type calcium channels for agonist-induced contraction and store filling. These differences suggest that targeted manipulation may be possible in patients with anorectal disorders.