Semen quality and reproductive hormones among welders —A preliminary study

Objectives Welders are exposed to intense heat, toxic metals and their oxides and toxic gases during welding, and some of these substances reported to have adverse effects on reproductive organs. Thus, the present study was planned to investigate the sperm quality as well as reproductive hormones among welders exposed to a complex mixture of pollutants. Methods Seventeen welders aged 43.8±12.0 (mean±SD) years with welding exposure of 1 to 10 years or more participated in this study. They were performing are and gas welding in a workshop. Blood (5–6 ml) and semen samples by masturbation were collected from them. Serum was separated and analyzed for reproductive hormones by RIA techniques. Semen was processed for microscopic examination. Results The results of this study indicated that sperm concentration was in the normal range (≥20 million/ml) in all seventeen welders, however, motility, morphology as well as Hypo Osmotic Swelling test (HOS) demonstrated impairment in few welders, indicating deterioration in sperm quality compared to the reported normal reference value. Compared with the normal value of hormones provided in diagnostic kits brochure, follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), leutinizing hormone (LH) and testosterone levels were in the normal range, except in two subjects who showed higher FSH and LH levels and one who showed a lower value of testosterone. Conclusions This study suggests that welding might have had some adverse effects on sperm motility, morphology and physiologic function even though sperm concentration was in the normal range. Hormonal changes did not show any definite pattern, indicating a need for further study.     

Information limitations in perception of shape from texture

Li and Zaidi (Li, A., and Zaidi, Q. (2000) Vision Research, 40, 217-242) showed that the veridical perception of the 3-dimensional (3D) shape of a corrugated surface from texture cues is entirely dependent on the visibility of critical patterns of oriented energy. These patterns are created by perspective projection of surface markings oriented along lines of maximum 3D curvature. In images missing these orientation modulations, observers confused concavities with convexities, and leftward slants with rightward slants. In this paper, it is shown that these results were a direct consequence of the physical information conveyed by different oriented components of the texture pattern. For texture patterns consisting of single gratings of arbitrary spatial frequency and orientation, equations are derived from perspective geometry that describe the local spatial frequency and orientation for any slant at any height above and below eye level. The analysis shows that only gratings oriented within a few degrees of the axis of maximum curvature exhibit distinct patterns of orientation modulations for convex, concave, and leftward and rightward slanted portions of a corrugated surface. All other gratings exhibit patterns of frequency and orientation modulations that are distinct for curvatures on the one hand and slants on the other, but that are nearly identical for curvatures of different sign, and nearly identical for slants of different direction. The perceived shape of surfaces was measured in a 5AFC paradigm (concave, convex, leftward slant, rightward slant, and flat-frontoparallel). Observers perceived all five shapes correctly only for gratings oriented within a few degrees of the axis of maximum curvature. For all other oriented gratings, observers could distinguish curvatures from slants, but could not distinguish signs of curvature or directions of slant. These results demonstrate that human observers utilize the shape information provided by texture components along both critical and non-critical orientations.     

Effect of mild whole body hyperthermia on cytotoxic action of N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine in Swiss mice

Studies were carried out to ascertain the efficacy of mild whole body hyperthermia (WBH) as a modifier of N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) cytotoxicity in mice. Adult Swiss male mice, 6-8 weeks old, weighing about 25 g were exposed to mild WBH (39 degrees C, 1 h) in a precision temperature controlled environmental chamber maintained at 50-60% relative humidity. Twenty-four hours after treatment, animals were administered with different doses of MNNG either by intraperitoneal (i.p.) injections or by feeding through drinking water and were monitored for survival. The studies revealed that the exposure of animals to mild WBH, 24 h prior to MNNG administration results in an increase in survival and recovery in mean body weight compared with those administered with MNNG only. This suggests that prior WBH treatment can effectively reduce the MNNG cytotoxicity in mice.     

Multiple myeloma: an old disease with new hope for the future

Multiple myeloma is a currently incurable malignancy of terminally differentiated plasma cells. It typically occurs in older patients (median age 71 years). Clinical manifestations result from monoclonal protein (immunoglobulin) production and its accumulation in the serum and/or urine, anemia, lytic bone disease, hypercalcemia, renal insufficiency, and immune deficiency. Myeloma cells have low proliferative activity--most myeloma experts opine that the initial oncogenic event occurs 10-15 years before clinical disease manifestation. In addition, myeloma cells develop multiple chromosomal abnormalities, which may explain the native resistance of myeloma patients to conventional therapy and our inability to completely eradicate the disease. Indeed, with conventional therapy, only 5% of patients achieve complete response. Minimal improvement has been observed with conventional therapies over the past 20-30 years; the median duration of initial response remains approximately 18 months with median survival in the 36-month range. However, recent clinical trials have established high-dose therapy with autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant as superior to conventional therapy: complete remission rates of 25-30% can be affected with median survival exceeding 5 years. Newer approaches to improve treatment outcomes are in active clinical trials including: more potent induction regimens utilizing thalidomide, alone or in combination with dexamethasone; tandem transplants to improve complete remission rates; newer approaches to maintenance therapy using thalidomide with corticosteroids; non-myeloablative therapy with allogeneic transplant; and post-transplant vaccinations.     

Physiological aspects of pig-to-primate renal xenotransplantation

BACKGROUND: Few data exist on the physiological aspects of pig-to-primate renal xenotransplantation. METHODS: Use of organs transgenic for human decay accelerating factor has allowed assessment of the metabolic and hormonal functions of these xenografts. RESULTS: Porcine renal xenografts largely maintain plasma electrolyte homeostasis. An increase in proteinuria was detected that may result from graft injury. In contrast to allotransplantation a severe anaemia developed requiring recipient treatment with exogenous human erythropoietin. CONCLUSIONS: Our experience provides qualified encouragement for the likely physiological compatibility of pig and primate species, but identifies areas where a xenograft may not match the performance of an allograft.     

Glucose phosphate isomerase (GPI) Tadikonda: Characterization of a novel Pro340Ser mutation

After a thirty-year lag, we serendipitously reestablished contact with a patient with glucose phosphate isomerase deficiency and hydrops fetalis first reported in 1987. We now provide a clinical update and provide results of mutation analysis in this patient, from Southern India. The patient now an adult female of 36 years of age has moderate anemia but requires no transfusions except with some intercurrent illnesses. Exome sequencing studies showed a homozygous c.1018C>T (Pro340Ser) mutation in exon 12 of the glucose phosphate isomerase gene and later confirmed by direct sequencing. This mutation has not been previously described. To our knowledge, this is also the first known homozygous mutation in the hydrophobic core of the protein and is a highly deleterious mutation by in silico analysis and by clinical history in the family. Flow cytometry studies of band 3 content with eosin maleimide showed a unique tail of red cells on histograms, reflecting the dense red cells (presumably ATP depleted) seen on blood smears; similar findings were seen in patients with pyruvate kinase and phosphoglycerate kinase deficiency.     

Complete nucleotide sequence of cherry virus A (CVA) infecting sweet cherry in India

Cherry virus A (CVA) is a graft-transmissible member of the genus Capillovirus that infects different stone fruits. Sweet cherry (Prunus avium L; family Rosaceae) is an important deciduous temperate fruit crop in the Western Himalayan region of India. In order to determine the health status of cherry plantations and the incidence of the virus in India, cherry orchards in the states of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) and Himachal Pradesh (H.P.) were surveyed during the months of May and September 2009. The incidence of CVA was found to be 28 and 13% from J&K and H.P., respectively, by RT-PCR. In order to characterize the virus at the molecular level, the complete genome was amplified by RT-PCR using specific primers. The amplicon of about 7.4 kb was sequenced and was found to be 7,379 bp long, with sequence specificity to CVA. The genome organization was similar to that of isolates characterized earlier, coding for two ORFs, in which ORF 2 is nested in ORF1. The complete sequence was 81 and 84% similar to that of the type isolate at the nucleotide and amino acid level, respectively, with 5′ and 3′ UTRs of 54 and 299 nucleotides, respectively. This is the first report of the complete nucleotide sequence of cherry virus A infecting sweet cherry in India.