Improvement in semen quality and sperm fertilizing ability after filtration through the L4 membrane: comparison of results with swim up technique.

The L4 filtration membrane was used at our laboratory on 30 semen specimens (19 from suspected subfertile patients and 11 from fertile donors) to assess changes in semen quality after routine sperm washing and swim up versus filtration through the L4 membrane. Of these 30 samples 17 (11 suspected subfertile patients and 6 fertile donors) were chosen to evaluate differences in sperm fertilizing ability between the 2 sperm preparation methods. Liquified specimens were analyzed on a Cell Soft semen analyzer. Semen specimens were divided equally, and 1 aliquot was processed by sperm washing and the swim up technique and the other by filtration. In all subjects the results of semen analysis and the hamster-egg penetration test showed significant improvement in sperm quality and fertilizing ability after filtration through the L4 membrane. Sperm motility was 58% after the swim up technique compared to 79% after filtration (p less than 0.0001) and velocity was 47 mu. per second after the swim up method compared to 52 mu. per second after filtration (p less than 0.048). Penetration rate and penetration index also showed a significant increase after filtration over values for the swim up method. Our results demonstrate that sperm filtration through the L4 membrane provides results superior to those of the traditional swim up technique. Due to significant savings in time associated with its use the L4 membrane can be used during sperm processing for intrauterine insemination and in vitro fertilization procedures.     

Clastogenic effect of fenfluramine in mice bone marrow cells in vivo

Fenfluramine, an amphetamine derivative used in the treatment of obesity, has been evaluated in vivo in the bone marrow cells of Swiss albino mice using two cytogenetic endpoints for assessing its genotoxic and clastogenic potentials. Concentrations of 0.75, 1.5, 3.0, and 5.0 mg/kg b.w. were administered orally for the study of sister chromatid exchange frequencies and chromosome aberrations (CA). SCE frequencies showed a positive dose response; 1.5 mg/kg being the minimum effective concentration. Fen caused a prolongation of cell cycle at all concentrations. Except for the minimum therapeutic dose (0.75 mg), all other doses (1.5, 3.0, and 5.0 mg) showed a significant increase in the percentage of damaged cells over that of the vehicle control. The degree of clastogenicity was directly proportional to the dosage used and inversely related with the duration of treatment. A gradual reduction of the clastogenic potential was observed after 12 and 24 hr of exposure, indicating that the maximum effect occurs at the middle or late synthetic phase of the cell cycle. This study, probably the first detailed screening of the drug for its genotoxicity, shows that Fen is moderately clastogenic and a DNA damaging agent in vivo.     

(-)-Epigallocatechin-3-gallate in Camellia sinensis leaves from Himalayan region of Sikkim: inhibitory effects against biochemical events and tumor initiation in Sencar mouse skin.

Recently, we and others showed that the components of green tea may be useful cancer chemopreventive agents. It has been suggested that (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), the major constituent in green tea, may possess antitumor-promoting and/or anticarcinogenic effects in rodent tumor bioassay systems. During the chemical analysis of various green tea products, we found a traditionally preserved preparation of green tea used by tribes in the Himalayan region of Sikkim, India that was rich in EGCG. EGCG was isolated from this tea product, and its inhibitory effects were evaluated against the binding of topically applied 3H-labeled polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) to epidermal DNA and 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) caused induction of epidermal ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) activity in Sencar mice, the short-term markers of tumor initiation and tumor promotion, respectively. Preapplication of EGCG resulted in significant inhibition (p less than 0.05) in the binding of [3H]PAH to epidermal DNA. Similarly, the topical application of EGCG resulted in significant inhibition (p less than 0.005) in TPA-caused induction of epidermal ODC activity. In further studies, we assessed the anti-skin tumor-initiating effect of EGCG in Sencar mice in an initiation-promotion protocol. The application of EGCG before challenge with 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene as tumor initiator resulted in significant reduction both in percentage of mice with tumors and number of tumors per mouse compared with a non-EGCG-pretreated group of animals. The results of the present study suggest that the green tea preparation from Sikkim may be a good source for the isolation of EGCG and that this compound may have significant potential as a cancer chemopreventive agent.     

A case of Sturge-Weber syndrome in association with phacomatosis pigmentovascularis and developmental glaucoma.

Sturge-Weber syndrome is a rare neurocutaneous disorder characterized by a facial nevus flammeus and extensive angiomatous changes involving the leptomeninges, the dura, and vessels of the gray and white matter. Oculodermal melanocytosis is characterized by hyperpigmentation of the facial skin in the distribution of the ophthalmic, maxillary, and occasionally mandibular division of the trigeminal nerve.