No abstract

In a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study we investigated whether high-dose oral treatment with vitamins C and E for 56 days was able to improve semen parameters of infertile men. Ejaculate parameters included semen volume, sperm concentration and motility, and sperm count and viability. Thirty-one patients without genital infection but with asthenozoospermia (< 50% motile spermatozoa) and normal or only moderately reduced sperm concentration (> 7 x 10(6) spermatozoa/ml) (according to WHO criteria) were examined. To investigate the influence of the epididymal storage period on semen parameters, the patients were asked to deliver two semen samples with abstinence times of 2 and 7 days both before and at the end of vitamin treatment. After randomization, the patients received either 1000 mg vitamin C and 800 mg vitamin E (n = 15) or identical placebo capsules (n = 16). No changes in semen parameters were observed during treatment, and no pregnancies were initiated during the treatment period. Combined high-dose antioxidative treatment with vitamins C and E did not improve conventional semen parameters or the 24-h sperm survival rate. Prolonged abstinence time increased ejaculate volume (P < 0.05), sperm count (P < 0.05), sperm concentration (P < 0.05) and the total number of motile spermatozoa (P < 0.05).

In ruminants the stimulation of papillar growth by butyric acid is well described but effects on mitosis and apoptosis are not known. To clarify the effect of short chain fatty acids three groups of three calves received a basic ration of 100 g hay per day for 6 weeks and additionally milk replacer. From these, two groups were fed with increasing amounts of the salts of either propionic acid (53 to 390 g) or butyric acid up to (54 to 326 g). The control group instead received an additional isocaloric amount of milk replacer. Mitosis was characterized by Ki67 immunoreactivity, apoptosis by a modified TUNEL assay and by electron microscopy. The feeding regimes led to significant differences of papillar length, increasing from 1.0 mm (controls) to 2.2 mm (propionic acid) and 4 mm (butyric acid). This enlargement was partly explained by an increased mitotic rate for the two fatty acid groups. The difference between the fatty acid groups was mainly explained by different apoptotic rates which were only one third for butyric acid compared to propionic acid (P < 0.001). In conclusion, butyric acid is a specific inhibitor of ruminal apoptosis in vivo.

Under the clinical impression that patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) may demonstrate signs compatible with hypogonadism, we investigated whether oral glucocorticoid therapy is associated with testosterone deficiency. Thirty six men with COPD of whom 16 were receiving oral glucocorticoid medication (mean+/-SEM dose 9.4+/-1.1 mg prednisolone) were investigated in a cross-sectional cohort study. Patients with or without oral glucocorticoid therapy were not different in terms of age, smoking history and additional therapy. Vital capacity, forced expiratory volume in one second, airway resistance, intrathoracic gas volume and blood gases at rest were not different between the groups. However, patients receiving glucocorticoids had a shorter 6 min walking distance (mean+/-SEM 205+/-27 versus 288+/-26 m; p=0.02) compared to patients without oral steroid therapy. Serum levels of testosterone (mean+/-SEM 13.7+/-0.9) were below normal (<12 nM) in 15 of 36 patients. Serum testosterone did not correlate with any other evaluated parameter. Serum levels of free testosterone (free T) (mean+/-SEM 172.3+/-7.8 pM) were decreased in 25 of the 36 patients, including all patients receiving glucocorticoid treatment. In the 16 patients taking glucocorticoids free T was correlated (p=0.016) with the current glucocorticoid dosage (r=-0.504; p=0.007) and the body mass index (r=0.241; p=0.037). All other parameters examined revealed no significant correlations in multiple regression analysis. Glucocorticoid treatment appears to aggravate hypogonadism and a therapeutic study using testosterone in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease receiving glucocorticoid medication appears warranted.

Das Ziel dieser Studie war, die Wirkung der aktiven Immunisierung gegen das Gonadotropin Releasing Hormon (GnRH) bei männlichen Schweinen zu untersuchen und mit der chirurgischen Kastration zu vergleichen. Ferkel wurden randomisiert und in zwei Gruppen unterteilt: 263 Tiere für die chirurgische Kastration (SC) und 270 für die Immunokastration (IC). Der chirurgische Eingriff wurde in den ersten 14 Lebenstagen durchgeführt und die Impfung mit Improvac®, CSL, Australia, zweimal im Abstand von 4 bis 5 Wochen; die zweite Impfung (Booster) erfolgte 4 bis 7 Wochen vor dem geplanten Schlachttermin. Bei der Schlachtung wurde das Hodengewicht gewogen und Fettproben für die Bestimmung von Androstenon gesammelt. Zusätzlich wurde Androstenon auch olfaktorisch nach Erhitzung der Speicheldrüsen im Mikrowellenofen getestet. Weiter wurden die Tageszuwachsrate und Fleischqualität aller Tiere bestimmt. Die durchschnittliche Androstenon-Konzentration im Rückenfett beider Gruppen (SC und IC) wies keine signifikanten Unterschiede auf (0.042 (0.041; 0.044) µg/g vs. 0.058 (0.044; 0.071) µg/g; Durchschnitt (95 % Konfidenzinterval). Das Hodengewicht von immunisierten Ebern war signifikant (P<0.001) kleiner (230.8 (218.23; 243.52) g) als bei normalen Ebern gleichen Alters (761.8 (722.77; 801.01) g). In dieser Studie konnte bewiesen werden, dass die Androstenon Produktion in allen geimpften Tieren deutlich gehemmt war und alle Schlachtkörper konsumtauglich waren. Der durchschnittliche Tageszuwachs war zwischen SC (0.817 (0.804; 0.830) kg) und IC (0.827 (0.814; 0.840) kg) nicht signifikant verschieden, obwohl letztere Gruppe eine bessere Zuwachsrate zeigte. Der Magerfleischanteil war bei IC (54.50 (54.26; 54.73) %) im Vergleich zu SC (53.76 (53.53; 54.00) %) signifikant (P<0.001) erhöht. Aus unseren Ergebnissen kann gefolgert werden, dass die Impfung gegen GnRH eine praktische und effiziente Methode ist, um die Androstenon Synthese erfolgreich zu unterdruecken. Angst und Stress, die vor allem bei der chirurgischen Kastration auftreten, können auf diese Weise vermieden werden. The objective of this study was to investigate the efficacy of active immunization against gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) in male pigs and to compare it with surgical castration. Piglets were randomly assigned to two groups, one of 263 animals for surgical castration (SC) and one of 270 animals for immunocastration (IC). Surgery was done at 14 days of age and vaccination (Improvac®, CSL, Australia) performed twice at an interval of 4 to 5 weeks with the second injection given 4 to 7 weeks before slaughter. At slaughter, testes were weighed and fat samples collected for androstenone analysis. Androstenone was tested olfactorially by heating salivary glands in a microwave oven. Daily growth rate and meat quality were assessed in all animals. Regarding mean androstenone concentrations in backfat, no significant difference was found between SC and IC (0.042 (0.041; 0.044) µg/g vs. 0.058 (0.044; 0.071) µg/g; mean (95 % confidence interval)). Testes weight was signific...

No abstract

Evidence exists that butyrate inhibits apoptosis of colon crypt cells in vivo so that less tryptophan from cell debris is available for skatole formation by microbes in the pig colon. In this study, potato starch containing a high proportion of resistant starch was fed to test the hypothesis that increased butyrate formation will occur in the colon and contribute to reduced epithelial cell apoptosis, thus leading to reduced skatole formation and absorption. Two groups of six barrows were provided with catheters in the jugular vein and fed either a ration with pregelatinized starch (high ileal digestibility; controls) or potato starch (low ileal digestibility; PS) as the main carbohydrate. All pigs were fed 31 MJ of metabolizable energy and 381 g of crude protein per day. The controls were fed for 19 d. The PS group received the same control ration for 10 d, and then changed to the PS ration. The total feeding period of PS consisted of a 5 d adaptation period followed by another 19 d. In the continously sampled feces, pH, short chain fatty acids, and skatole were determined. Skatole was additionally measured in blood plasma that was sampled daily. After killing barrows at the end of the feeding period, fat tissue for skatole measurement and colon tissue for histological quantification of mitosis and apoptosis were obtained. Feeding potato starch led to a rapid 2.2 fold increase of fecal butyrate when compared both with the control period of the PS group and the control group (P < 0.001). PS feeding resulted in a decrease in pH from 7.3 to 5.3 (P < 0.001) and apoptosis from 2.06 cells/crypt to 0.90 cells (P < 0.01), whereas there was no change in mitosis. Consequently, skatole decreased both in feces (controls vs PS group: 120.0 vs 1.9 microg/g; P < 0.001) and in blood plasma (1.6 vs 0.2 ng/mL; P < 0.001). The mean concentration of skatole in fat tissue was 167 ng/g tissue in controls, and below the detection limit (0.8 ng/g) in the PS group (P < 0.001). It is concluded that butyrate-dependent inhibition of apoptosis in the colon due to potato starch feeding efficiently inhibits skatole production in barrows. Because of the depressed skatole levels, improved sensory quality of pork is possible.

In order to evaluate possible age-dependent influences on male infertility, semen parameters, sex hormone levels and pregnancy rates were compared retrospectively in three groups of men attending our fertility clinic: group A: 39 patients > 50 years. Group B (39 patients < 30 years) was established as the 'standard infertile patient' seen in our Institute. These patients were matched with patients of group A according to the year of their first visit to the clinic. Group C: 39 young patients (< 30 years) who were selected on the basis of their wives' advanced age. The frequency of sexual intercourse in group A was significantly lower compared to group C. The period of sexual abstinence was longer in group A than in group B. Ejaculate volume and sperm motility in group A were lower compared to groups B and C. The differences in other semen parameters were only minor. The differences in serum levels of testosterone and FSH were significant between group A and groups B and C. Pregnancies were reported in 6 of 26 couples from group A (duration of infertility: mean 79 months, range 16-187), in 17 of 28 couples from group B (duration of infertility; mean 54 months, range 16-104) and in nine of 30 couples from group C (duration of infertility; mean 66 months, range 25-125). Since the infertility pattern of the older patients desiring offspring was not significantly different from that of younger patients, it is concluded that the age of the female partner, rather than the age of the husband, is most important in determining the fertility chances of couples presenting with infertility.