Magnesium-orotate supplementation for idiopathic infertile male patients: a randomized, placebo-controlled clinical pilot study.

A randomized, placebo-controlled clinical pilot study was performed in order to examine the effect of magnesium-orotate in male idiopathic infertility. Ten males were treated daily for 90 consecutive days with 3000 mg magnesium-orotate (Magnerot) tablets (Group M). As a control, ten other males were treated in the same way with placebo (Group P). Conventional microscopic sperm characteristics (sperm concentration, motility ratio, total number of motile sperm cells, normal morphology ratio), plus total and ionized magnesium levels in seminal plasma and blood serum were evaluated both prior to treatment and on day 90, at the conclusion of the study. No significant changes in sperm characteristics, blood ionized or total Mg, or ejaculate total Mg levels were detected. However, ejaculate ionized Mg levels increased in Group M from 0.18 +/- 0.05 to 0.30 +/- 0.05 (mmol/l; mean +/- SD, p < 0.05). Within the observation period of 3 months, one pregnancy occurred in the partner of a male from Group M. In conclusion, magnesium-orotate treatment at a dose of 3000 mg/day leads neither to a significant improvement of sperm variables nor does it increase the pregnancy rates of female partners of treated males as compared to those of controls. Thus, magnesium-orotate treatment was not shown to be effective therapy for idiopathic male infertility.     

Electromechanical properties of perfusion/metabolism mismatch: comparison of nonfluoroscopic electroanatomic mapping with 18F-FDG PET.

The aim of this study was to compare nonfluoroscopic electroanatomic mapping (NOGA), SPECT perfusion imaging, and PET metabolic imaging for assessment of myocardial viability. In particular, we sought to elucidate differences of electromechanical properties between the perfusion/metabolism mismatch as an indicator of a potentially reversible ischemic injury and the perfusion/metabolism match indicating irreversibly damaged myocardial tissue. METHODS: Twenty-one patients with coronary artery disease underwent NOGA mapping of endocardial unipolar voltage, cardiac 18F-FDG PET of glucose utilization, and resting 201Tl SPECT of myocardial perfusion. RESULTS: Electrical activity was 10.8 +/- 4.6 mV (mean +/- SD) in normal myocardium and was unchanged in hypoperfused segments with maintained glucose metabolism (perfusion/metabolism mismatch), 9.3 +/- 3.4 mV (P = not significant). In contrast, hypoperfused segments with a perfusion/metabolism match and nonviable segments showed significantly lower voltage (6.9 +/- 3.1 mV, P < 0.0001 and 4.1 +/- 1.1 mV, P < 0.0001 vs. normal). In hypoperfused segments, metabolic activity was more closely related to endocardial voltage than was myocardial perfusion (201Tl vs. voltage: r = 0.38, SEE = 3.2, P < 0.001; 18F-FDG PET vs. voltage: r = 0.6, SEE = 2.8, P < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: In hypoperfused myocardium, electrical activity by NOGA mapping is more closely related to PET metabolic activity than to SPECT myocardial perfusion. As NOGA mapping does not differentiate hypoperfused myocardium with enhanced glucose utilization from normal myocardium, results from NOGA mapping need to be correlated with results from perfusion imaging to identify hypoperfused, yet viable, myocardium and to stratify patients for revascularization procedures.     

Investigations of the acute toxic, cytogenetic, and embryotoxic activity of buminafos.

The organophosphorus herbicide buminafos (O,O-dibutyl-(1-butylaminocyclohexyl)-phosphonate) was tested for its acute toxic, cytogenetic, and embryotoxic activity on different strains of mice. The oral LD50 value for male NMRI mice was determined to be 3500 mg/kg. Single oral doses of 175, 1000, and 2000 mg/kg did not cause any significant enhancement in the percentage of chromosome aberrations in bone marrow cells of male NMRI mice. After oral administration of 500 and 1000 mg/kg buminafos to pregnant Halle:DBA and Halle:AB mice at Days 6-15 of gestation no embryotoxic effects were observed. The cytogenetic inactivity of buminafos in the bone marrow chromosome assay corresponds to negative findings in other mutagenicity tests.     

A new psychoactive 5H-2,3-benzodiazepine with a unique spectrum of activity

The neuropharmacological effects of 1-(4-amino-phenyl)-4-methyl-7,8-dimethoxy-5H-2,3-benzodiazepine (GYKI 52 322) were investigated and compared with those of chlordiazepoxide and chlorpromazine. This novel 2,3-benzodiazepine displays neuroleptic activity in the apomorphine-climbing (ED50 = 1.15 mg/kg i.p.) and swim-induced grooming (ED50 = 6.9 mg/kg i.p.) tests in mice and it inhibits the conditioned avoidance response in rats (ED50 = 8.2 mg/kg i.p. and 9.8 mg/kg p.o.). However, it does not antagonize apomorphine-evoked vomiting in dogs; or stereotypy, hypermotility and turning in rats even at as high a dose as 50 mg/kg i.p. On the other hand it is active in the hole board test in mice (MED (minimal effective dose) = 0.5 mg/kg i.p.) and in the lick conflict assay in rats (MED = 5 mg/kg i.p.), indicating anxiolytic property. It shows antiaggressive effect in the fighting mice test (ED50 = 8.1 mg/kg p.o.) and the carbachol-rage procedure in cats (active at 10 mg/kg i.p.) According to the biochemical findings, this compound does not bind to the central dopamine receptors (IC50 greater than 10(-4) mol/l), but it shows affinity to the 5-HT1 receptors (IC50 = 7.1 x 10(-6) mol/l) and inhibits brain cAMP-phosphodiesterase (IC50 = 2.4 x 10(-5) mol/l). The substance causes no elevation of dopamine turnover and serum prolactin level suggesting fewer side effects. So the term "atypical neuroleptic agent" is proposed to characterize this molecule.     

Fusion and Matrix Protein Gene Sequence Analysis of Paramyxoviruses of Type 1(PMV-1) Isolated from Pigeons in Slovenia

Paramyxoviruses of type 1 (PMV-l) isolated from pigeons were genetically analyzed. A part of the fusion and the matrix protein genes were amplified and sequenced, Typical amino acid sequences associated with virulence were determined at the fusion protein cleavage site in all PMV-1 isolates. All Slovene pigeon PMV-1 strains share high amino acid sequence similarity with other pigeon strains. In the phylogenetic tree, they are clustered together with pigeon PMV-1 isolates with moderate pathogenicity. Phylogenetic analysis obtained from the fusion and the matrix protein gene alignments showed the same branching order. Viruses circulating among pigeons were found to form quite unique lineage of virulent NDV strains.     

Correlation-based decomposition of surface electromyograms at low contraction forces

The paper studies a surface electromyogram (SEMG) decomposition technique suitable for identification of complete motor unit (MU) firing patterns and their motor unit action potentials (MUAPs) during low-level isometric voluntary muscle contractions. The algorithm was based on a correlation matrix of measurements, assumed unsynchronised (uncorrelated) MU firings, exhibited a very low computational complexity and resolved the superimposition of MUAPs. A separation index was defined that identified the time instants of an MU's activation and was eventually used for reconstruction of a complete MU innervation pulse train. In contrast with other decomposition techniques, the proposed approach worked well also when the number of active MUs was slightly underestimated, if the MU firing patterns partly overlapped and if the measurements were noisy. The results on synthetic SEMG show 100% accuracy in the detection of innervation pulses down to a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of 10 dB, and 93±4.6% (mean± standard deviation) accuracy with 0 dB additive noise. In the case of real SEMG, recorded with an array of 61 electrodes from biceps brachii of five subjects at 10% maximum voluntary contraction, seven active MUs with a mean firing rate of 14.1 Hz were identified on average.     

Long-term ST database: A reference for the development and evaluation of automated ischaemia detectors and for the study of the dynamics of myocardial ischaemia

The long-term ST database is the result of a multinational research effort. The goal was to develop a challenging and realistic research resource for development and evaluation of automated systems to detect transient ST segment changes in electrocardiograms and for supporting basic research into the mechanisms and dynamics of transient myocardial ischaemia. Twenty-four hour ambulatory ECG records were selected from routine clinical practice settings in the USA and Europe, between 1994 and 2000, on the basic of occurrence of ischaemic and non-ischaemic ST segment changes. Human expert annotators used newly developed annotation protocols and a specially developed interactive graphic editor tool (Semia) that supported paperless editing of annotations and facilitated international co-operation via the Internet. The database contains 86 two- and three-channel 24h annotated ambulatory records from 80 patients and is stored on DVD-ROMs. The database annotation files contain ST segment annotations of transient ischaemic (1155) and heart-rate related ST episodes and annotations of non-ischaemic ST segment events related to postural changes and conduction abnormalities. The database is intended to complement the European Society of Cardiology ST-T database and the MIT-BIH and AHA arrhythmia databases. It provides a comprehensive representation of ‘real-world’ data, with numerous examples of transient ischaemic and non-ischaemic ST segment changes, arrhythmias, conduction abnormalities, axis shifts, noise and artifacts.     

Genetic differentiation between two species of the medicinal leech,<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Hirudo medicinalis</Emphasis> and the neglected<Emphasis Type="Italic"> H. verbana</Emphasis>, based on random-amplified polymorphic DNA

The medicinal leech is one of the few parasitic invertebrates widely used in medicine and as a scientific model object. Because of a dramatic decline in its natural populations, it is subject to considerable conservation effort. Despite all attention, there is confusion regarding the taxonomic status of different morphological forms. The prevailing view is that all varieties of medicinal leech in Europe represent the same species, Hirudo medicinalis. However, the present study based on RAPD molecular markers demonstrates that a second European taxon, H. verbana, forms a distinct species. Phenetic clustering and principal coordinate analysis of eight populations revealed the same basic structure, reflecting taxonomic rather than geographic subdivision. Variation between species explained 60% of the total molecular variance (_CT=0.60, P<0.001). Both taxa displayed a significant number of specific RAPD markers. Conversely, no specific fragment supporting the geographic association of both taxa was found. Since the stronghold of commercially exploited medicinal leech populations in southeastern Europe and Turkey belongs to H. verbana, most medicinal and scientific applications probably use this species, not H. medicinalis. Appropriate taxonomic correction of international conservation conventions and legislation is essential.