Biomedical subjects

Domenico Canale

Publications and source records attributed to Domenico Canale.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Vascular reactivity in congenital hypogonadal men before and after testosterone replacement therapy.

CONTEXT: The contribution of endogenous testosterone (TS) in the functional integrity of peripheral circulation in men was studied. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to observe vascular reactivity in male congenital hypogonadal patients before and after prolonged exposure to normal TS levels. DESIGN: This was a longitudinal study in which, basically and after 6-month (range, 6-8 months) androgen treatment, we investigated forearm blood flow (strain-gauge plethysmography) changes induced by intraarterial acetylcholine (Ach), alone or in the presence of N(G)-monomethyl-l-arginine infusion, and by sodium nitroprusside. We also evaluated, by Doppler ultrasound, flow-mediated dilation of the brachial artery (BA) in response to reactive hyperemia (RH) and glyceryl trinitrate (GTN). SETTING: The studies were conducted at university referral centers for andrologic and blood pressure diseases. PATIENTS: Eight adult male Caucasian hypogonadal patients and nine healthy matched control subjects were studied. INTERVENTION: Intervention was TS enanthate (250 mg in 1 ml oily solution) by im injection every 3 wk. RESULTS: At baseline, BA diameter and RH, flow-mediated dilation, and GTN responses showed no difference between the two groups. TS therapy increased plasma total TS (P < 0.02) and reduced high-density lipoprotein (P < 0.01) and total cholesterol (P < 0.04). It did not affect vasodilation to sodium nitroprusside (355 +/- 47%), but it further reduced the vascular response to Ach (187 +/- 29%, P < 0.01 vs. baseline) and abolished the inhibition by N(G)-monomethyl-l-arginine on Ach (inhibition, 3.2%). Moreover, TS therapy decreased (P < 0.01) flow-mediated dilation, whereas it did not modify BA diameter and responses to RH and GTN. CONCLUSIONS: Hypogonadal patients show impaired vascular reactivity, including endothelial-dependent vasodilation due to reduced nitric oxide availability. TS administration further impairs nitric oxide availability in these patients.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

Testicular function after 131I therapy for hyperthyroidism.

OBJECTIVE: Radioiodine-131 is commonly used for treatment of hyperthyroidism but there are few available data on the effects of this treatment on male gonadal function. The untoward effects of (131)I have been mainly studied in male patients treated with high doses for thyroid cancer. In the present work we studied the absorbed radiation dose to the testes and testicular function in hyperthyroid men after (131)I treatment. PATIENTS AND MEASUREMENTS: Nineteen male hyperthyroid patients were enrolled in the study before (131)I therapy. Seventeen of the patients had Graves' disease and two had toxic adenoma. The study was subdivided into two parts: a dosimetric and a clinical study. Six patients were enrolled for the dosimetric study and 13 for the clinical study. The beta dose delivered to the testes was evaluated by the Medical Internal Radiation Dose (MIRD) method. The gamma dose was measured by thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLDs) placed on the skin overlying the inferior poles of the testes for 3 weeks after therapy. The clinical evaluation included hormone determination, ultrasound (US) of the testes and sperm analysis. Patients were followed up for 12 months after (131)I therapy. RESULTS: In the dosimetric study, the beta dose absorbed in the testes was 12.5 +/- 8.8 mGy (range 29-15 mGy) and the gamma dose was 15.8 +/- 5.3 mGy (range 24-11 mGy). The total dose to the testes for administered activity unit was 39 +/- 14 microGy/MBq (range 27-86 microGy/MBq). In the clinical study, FSH did not change significantly after (131)I treatment for the majority of patients. Serum testosterone (T) and the T/LH ratio were significantly reduced 45 days after treatment and returned to basal levels after 12 months. Ten out of 15 hyperthyroid patients (67%) had low sperm motility before treatment. A significant increase in progressive motility was observed after (131)I therapy (Friedman test chi(2) = 12.65, P = 0.01). Conversely, there was no significant variation in sperm concentration and percentage of normal forms after (131)I. CONCLUSIONS: After (131)I therapy, germinal epithelium and Leydig cell function undergo only marginal changes, which may have some significance in subjects with a pre-existing fertility impairment.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Mosaic ring Y chromosome in two normal healthy men with azoospermia.

OBJECTIVE: To better define by molecular and cytogenetic techniques ring Y chromosomes detected in 2 infertile men. DESIGN: Case report. SETTING: Molecular genetics/cytogenetics unit in a university hospital. PATIENT(S): Two infertile men with azoospermia, presenting a normal male phenotype with complete masculinization. INTERVENTION(S): Karyotype and genetic counseling. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Metaphases were studied by standard G- and Q-banding; fluorescent in situ hybridization and PCR were performed to analyze specific Y chromosome regions. RESULT(S): Chromosomal analysis detected a mosaicism with a Y chromosome ring cell line in 92% (patient 1) and 95% (patient 2) of the metaphases, coexisting with a 45,X cell line in the remaining metaphases. In patient 1, PCR analysis showed the presence of AZFa region and a partial deletion of AZFb region; AZFc region was deleted. In patient 2 all three AZF regions were deleted. CONCLUSION(S): A 45,X/46,X,r(Y) mosaicism can be detected not only in patients with Ullrich-Turner syndrome and in patients with various degrees of genital ambiguity but also in men presenting a normal phenotype. Their azoospermia can be explained by partial or total deletion of AZF regions.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Hormonal changes when falling in love.

To fall in love is the first step in pair formation in humans and is a complex process which only recently has become the object of neuroscientific investigation. The little information available in this field prompted us to measure the levels of some pituitary, adrenal and gonadal hormones in a group of 24 subjects of both sexes who had recently (within the previous six months) fallen in love, and to compare them with those of 24 subjects who were single or were part of a long-lasting relationship. The following hormones were evaluated by means of standard techniques: FSH, LH, estradiol, progesterone, dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEAS), cortisol, testosterone and androstenedione. The results showed that estradiol, progesterone, DHEAS and androstenedione levels did not differ between the groups and were within the normal ranges. Cortisol levels were significantly higher amongst those subjects who had recently fallen in love, as compared with those who had not. FSH and testosterone levels were lower in men in love, while women of the same group presented higher testosterone levels. All hormonal differences were eliminated when the subjects were re-tested from 12 to 24 months later. The increased cortisol and low FSH levels are suggestive of the "stressful" and arousing conditions associated with the initiation of a social contact. The changes of testosterone concentrations, which varied in opposite directions in the two sexes, may reflect changes in behavioural and/or temperamental traits which have yet to be clarified. In conclusion, the findings of the present study would indicate that to fall in love provokes transient hormonal changes some of which seem to be specific to each sex.

Adult↗