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Biomedical subjects

J Bancroft

Publications and source records attributed to J Bancroft.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1995

The effects of steroidal contraceptives on the well-being and sexuality of women: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, two-centre study of combined and progestogen-only methods.

A placebo-controlled, double-blind study was carried out to assess the direct hormonal effects of combined and progestogen-only oral contraceptives on well-being and sexuality of women in two contrasting cultures. One-hundred-fifty women, who had been sterilised or whose partners had been vasectomised, were recruited from two centres-Manila, Philippines, and Edinburgh, Scotland. After one month pretreatment assessment, women were randomly assigned to one of three treatments (combined oral contraceptive (COC), progestogen-only pill (POP), or placebo; 50 within each treatment group, 25 per centre) and continued on treatment for four months. Assessment was by daily ratings, questionnaires and interviews. The COC adversely affected sexuality in the Edinburgh women, with 12 of the 25 women in this group also reporting the side effect of reduced sexual interest. There were modest negative effects of the combined pill on mood, more noticeable in the Edinburgh women. The POP was associated with no adverse effects on sexuality and some improvement in well-being in both centres. Possible explanations for the apparent lack of adverse effects in the Manila women are discussed. The negative effects reported may be less evident in women using the COC for contraceptive purposes but may lead to discontinuation in some women and warrant further investigation.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Are the effects of androgens on male sexuality noradrenergically mediated? Some consideration of the human.

The effects of androgens on the sexuality of male rodents is likely to be mediated, at least in part, by central noradrenergic (NA) mechanisms. Davidson's group has shown this by restoring behaviour in castrated males with alpha-2 adrenoceptor antagonists. As yet, there are no comparable studies of drug administration to hypogonadal men, but relevant evidence from recent studies in eugonadal men is considered. The evidence is consistent with a role for NA mediation in human sexual arousal, but suggests that more than one NA mediated system exist, involving both central arousal and inhibition of peripheral responses such as erection. The study of spontaneous erections during REM sleep is of particular interest, as REM is accompanied by virtual cessation of peripheral sympathetic activity in relevant parts of the body. "Psychogenic" erectile dysfunction may involve a high level of central alpha-2 inhibitory tone which reduces the capacity for central arousal. On the other hand, there may be an age related loss of responsiveness to the central arousing effects of NA, suggesting that the aetiology of psychogenic erectile dysfunction may vary with age. NA mechanisms may well be involved in the mediation of androgenic effects in humans, but no simple relationship between NA and sexual response should be expected.

Androgens↗
PubMed1995

The menstrual cycle and the well being of women.

The concept of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is considered and found wanting. The problems which are presented under the heading of PMS, however, are important and need better understanding A three factor model to account for such problems is presented. The three factors are (i) menstruation, problems with which may influence mood and well being premenstrually as well as during menstruation; (ii) the timing factor, linked to the normal hormonal cycle and producing cyclical variability in certain aspects of central nervous system (CNS) function; and (iii) the vulnerability factor, which is not a function of the menstrual cycle, but which involves other characteristics which result in some women reacting to the first two factors adversely. Evidence is presented that the mood changes which commonly occur perimenstrually are linked to cycle-related alterations in serotonergic activity in the CNS, and premenstrual food craving may be a marker of such alterations. The term 'menstrual cycle related problems' is offered as a preferable alternative to 'premenstrual syndrome'.

Affect↗
PubMed1995

The effects of testosterone replacement on nocturnal penile tumescence and rigidity and erectile response to visual erotic stimuli in hypogonadal men.

Nocturnal penile tumescence (NPT) and erectile response to visual erotic stimuli (VES) were measured, by means of a Rigiscan device, in nine hypogonadal men, and repeated after 3 months of androgen replacement. The same assessments were carried out once in 12 eugonadal controls. The number of satisfactory NPT responses, in terms of both circumference increase and rigidity, were less in the hypogonadal men than the controls and were significantly increased by androgen replacement, confirming the results of earlier studies. In terms of circumference increase, erectile response to VES did not differ between the hypogonadal men and the controls, and did not increase with androgen replacement. In terms of rigidity, the erectile response to VES did not differ between hypogonadal men and controls. However, in terms of both duration and maximum level of rigidity, there was a significant increase following androgen replacement in the hypogonadal men. These new findings, in relation to rigidity, require a modification of the earlier formulation, which saw NPT as androgen dependent and erectile response to VES as androgen independent. NPT, and possibly spontaneous erections at other times, clearly involve an androgen sensitive system. Erectile response to VES predominantly involves an androgen independent system but may also be influenced by androgen sensitive mechanisms.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

The clinical assessment of erectile dysfunction: a comparison of nocturnal penile tumescence monitoring and intracavernosal injections.

One hundred and fifty-nine men with erectile dysfunction were assessed with Rigiscan monitoring of nocturnal penile tumescence (NPT) and response to intracavernosal injections (ICI) of papaverine or prostaglandin E1. A satisfactory NPT, suggestive of psychogenic causation, was recorded in 58%, whereas 15% had clearly impaired NPT. There was a significant association between presence of vascular disease, diabetes and impairment of NPT. For ICI, only 32% showed a satisfactory response, with 48% clearly impaired. Of the 92 men with satisfactory NPT, 40% HAD clearly impaired and 41% satisfactory ICI response. Of the 51 men with satisfactory ICI response, 8% had clearly impaired and 74.5% satisfactory NPT. There was no association between ICI response and history of vascular disease. We conclude that monitoring of NPT by Rigiscan, and without sleep monitoring, is a valuable diagnostic procedure. In contrast, because of the high proportion of false negative results. ICI monitoring is of very limited diagnostic value. The explanation for false negative ICI responses, however, could prove to be of considerable theoretical and clinical importance.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Immunohistochemical pathology of the corneal endothelium in iridocorneal endothelial syndrome.

PURPOSE: To evaluate immunohistochemical staining of the endothelia of corneas from patients with clinical diagnoses of iridocorneal endothelial (ICE) syndrome. METHODS: Corneas diagnosed with ICE syndrome and removed during corneal transplantation were freshly frozen, sectioned, and stained with monoclonal antibodies to keratin subgroups, vimentin, desmin, and a series of other antibodies against intermediate filaments. Transmission electron microscopy was performed on segments of these corneas fixed in glutaraldehyde. RESULTS: There was almost universal staining of the endothelial layer with A1 and A3 keratin monoclonal antibodies and vimentin. Transmission electron microscopy of the corneas also confirmed features consistent with keratin. CONCLUSIONS: The "endothelial" cell layer in the iridocorneal endothelial syndrome has electron microscopic and immunohistochemical characteristics of epithelial-like cells, but it also cross-reacts with vimentin, suggesting that these cells retain or derive some endothelial staining characteristics as well. This "epithelialization" of the endothelial layer may explain the progressive cellular proliferation across angle and iris similar to that seen in iatrogenic epithelial downgrowth and posterior polymorphous endothelial dystrophy.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Comparison of home and laboratory based monitoring of NPT using the Rigiscan; a preliminary report.

Laboratory based and home based monitoring of nocturnal penile tumescence (NPT) with the Rigiscan device was compared in a consecutive series of 100 men monitored in the laboratory, and a further consecutive series of 100 men monitored at home. Recordings at home were significantly shorter and involved more interruptions than laboratory based records. With subgroups, matched for diagnosis or the reporting of waking erections as well as age, laboratory monitoring tended to produce more sustained erections. However, in spite of the matching of subgroups, this trend may have resulted from aetiological rather than methodological differences, and further comparison of the two methods in the same subjects is now warranted. In the meantime, home monitoring should be used with diagnostic caution.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Evaluating the effects of an alpha-2 adrenoceptor antagonist on erectile function in the human male. 1. The erectile response to erotic stimuli in volunteers.

The effects of a new alpha-2 adrenoceptor antagonist on erectile function was assessed in 12 normal volunteers (mean age 28.7, range 20-42), using a double blind, placebo controlled design with two doses of drug and three testing sessions. The drug was administered by intravenous infusion and erectile responses to erotic fantasy and films were monitored by a Rigiscan device. Four effects of the drug were observed; (i) an increase in spontaneous erections; (ii) increased subjective ratings of sexual arousal, before presentation of erotic stimuli; (iii) increased duration of erectile response to erotic stimuli; and (iv) increases in systolic BP and HR both before and during erotic stimulation. These effects were largely restricted to the high dose of the drug. Adverse effects of the drug were minimal.

Adrenergic alpha-2 Receptor Antagonists↗
PubMed1994

Evaluating the effects of an alpha-2 adrenoceptor antagonist on erectile function in the human male. 2. The erectile response to erotic stimuli in men with erectile dysfunction, in relation to age and in comparison with normal volunteers.

The effect of a new alpha-2 adrenoceptor antagonist on erectile function was assessed in 24 men with probable psychogenic erectile dysfunction. The drug was given in two dosages, together with placebo, by intravenous infusion in a balanced cross over design. Once plasma levels were established, erectile, subjective and haemodynamic responses to erotic fantasy and films were measured. Subjects were divided into two age groups, "Younger" (i.e. less than 45 years) and "Older" (greater than 45 years). There was a significant though modest increase in the duration of erectile response with the high dose of the drug, but only in the younger men. There were also drug effects on haemodynamic responses confined to the younger men, who showed markedly reduced responses during placebo administration when compared with the older dysfunctional men and with young "functional" volunteers. The findings raise the possibility that in younger men with psychogenic erectile failure, there is an inhibition of general arousal responses to erotic stimuli which is partially reversed by this drug. In the older men, the different pattern of response suggests that a) there may be a decline in response to the drug with age and b) other age-related factors are playing an important part in the aetiology of their erectile failure.

Adrenergic alpha-2 Receptor Antagonists↗
PubMed1994

Oral D-fenfluramine and neuroendocrine challenge: problems with the 30 mg dose in men.

Ten healthy male volunteers of normal weight received 30 mg of D-fenfluramine, a putative selective releaser of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), and placebo by mouth in balanced order at a 1 week interval after a light breakfast. Blood was taken for estimation of plasma cortisol and prolactin, and the patients completed self rating scales for stress and arousal and rated themselves on visual analogue scales for mood, hunger and alertness at appropriate time points from 30 min before to 300 min after drug/placebo ingestion. There were no statistically discernible effects of D-fenfluramine on either hormone measures or subjective ratings. The failure to find effects may be due to a too low dose of D-fenfluramine and/or a lower sensitivity to the drug in men compared with women. More information is required on the dose/response relationship and drug absorption especially after food. However, the findings cast doubt on results already obtained employing this dose of the drug in studies that have included male subjects. Furthermore, the interpretation of earlier studies with D,L-fenfluramine at a dose of 60 mg is also made more uncertain by the failure to confirm that the more selective D-isomer produces equivalent effects.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1994

Affective symptoms in women attending a menopause clinic.

All new attenders at the Menopause Clinic in Edinburgh over six months were interviewed to detect current depressive disorder (MADRS) and past psychiatric disorders (SADS-L), to find out whether women who were depressed at the time of clinic attendance had a history of depression. Of the 95 subjects who entered the study, 78 had gone through a natural menopause and 17 had undergone hysterectomy with or without oophorectomy. Of the 78 who had experienced a natural menopause, 35 were found to be depressed at the time of clinic attendance and 43 were not. A strong association was found between current and past depressive illness, 29 of the patients depressed at the time of clinic attendance having had depression previously. However, a clear peak of illness was seen in the perimenopausal period (four years either side of the last menstrual period): 35% of all patients with past or current depressive illness experienced their first episode of illness in this period.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

The impact of oral contraceptives on the experience of perimenstrual mood, clumsiness, food craving and other symptoms.

Two-hundred and seventy-six oral contraceptive (o.c.) users (171 combine o.c. and 105 triphasic o.c.) were compared with 276 non-o.c. users. All women regarded themselves as PMS sufferers, and the groups were matched for age, parity and marital status. Each woman rated severity of 27 symptoms during the premenstrual, menstrual and postmenstrual phases of their last menstrual cycle. The o.c. users reported significantly less menstrual pain and premenstrual breast tenderness. When controlling for the severity of premenstrual depression, there were no differences between the three groups in the timing or severity of perimenstrual food craving or clumsiness. When controlling for the severity of menstrual pain, the o.c. users showed significantly less improvement in negative mood during the menstrual phase, compared with non-users. The apparent tendency for o.c. users to show either a delayed or more prolonged pattern of perimenstrual negative mood deserves further study.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Regional differences in lectin binding patterns of vestibular hair cells.

Surface glycoconjugates of hair cells and supporting cells in the vestibular endorgans of the bullfrog were identified using biotinylated lectins with different carbohydrate specificities. Lectin binding in hair cells was consistent with the presence of glucose and mannose (CON A), galactose (RCA-I), N-acetylglucosamine (WGA), N-acetylgalactosamine (VVA), but not fucose (UEA-I) residues. Hair cells in the bullfrog sacculus, unlike those in the utriculus and semicircular canals, did not strain for N-acetylglucosamine (WGA) or N-acetylgalactosamine (VVA). By contrast, WGA and, to a lesser extent, VVA, differentially stained utricular and semicircular canal hair cells, labeling hair cells located in peripheral, but not central, regions. In mammals, WGA uniformly labeled Type I hair cells while labeling, as in the bullfrog, Type II hair cells only in peripheral regions. These regional variations were retained after enzymatic digestion. We conclude that vestibular hair cells differ in their surface glycoconjugates and that differences in lectin binding patterns can be used to identify hair cell types and to infer the epithelial origin of isolated vestibular hair cells.

Acetylgalactosamine↗
PubMed1993

The premenstrual syndrome--a reappraisal of the concept and the evidence.

The Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) remains a controversial issue. As a clinical concept it is surrounded by confusion. Attempts to establish a consensus definition have resulted in the majority of women seeking help for such problems excluded from the diagnosis. Furthermore, there is no consensus about how such problems should be treated, with a variety of methods being advocated usually on very uncertain scientific grounds. The issue also has its political implications; there are those who see PMS as a way of reducing the status of women, by linking the normal ovarian cycle to a phenomenon which, on the face of it, impairs women's ability to cope. Yet there are a substantial number of women who experience significant negative changes which vary with the menstrual cycle, and produce long-term effects on their well being and family relationship which can be serious. There is also a real possibility that recurrent perimenstrual mood changes of this kind may increase the likelihood of chronic depressive illness in susceptible individuals. In most respects the features of depression which occurs perimenstrually are essentially similar to those of major depressive disorder, except for the short duration and recurrent pattern. PMS, therefore, remains an issue not only of clinical importance, but of considerable potential relevance to our understanding of major depressive disorder, which is substantially more common in women of reproductive age than in their male counterparts. In this review the concept of PMS, and some prominent operational definitions of it, are critically evaluated; it is now questionable whether the concept, as currently applied, still carries any heuristic or clinical value. Some current theoretical and aetiological issues are considered: e.g. the role of the corpus luteum, the effects of hormonal regimes which block ovulation, such as oral contraceptives, and the possibility that cyclical mood change represents an entrained rhythm in the brain. The conclusions reached at this stage in the review lead to a 'paradigm shift' with the proposal of a three-factor model to account for the complexities of menstrual cycle-related problems.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Depressive Disorder↗
PubMed1993

Menstrually Related Disorders: points of consensus, debate, and disagreement.

It seems that during the past decade we have been witnessing an evolution of a consensus on the phenomenology and time course of various types of MRDs. We are in a stage in which definitions and diagnostic criteria can be developed, but their broad acceptance is still not assured. The etiology and pathophysiology are still fiercely debated, but reasonable and feasible methods for scientific elucidation of the various hypotheses are in place and are followed by solid groups. Despite the uncertainty concerning the etiology of MRDs, reasonably efficient treatment modalities do exist, and most sufferers of MRDs should expect an eventual alleviation of their symptoms if they are treated in a specialized, established, and up-to-date program.

Female↗
PubMed1993

Perimenstrual symptoms in women with diabetes mellitus and the relationship to diabetic control.

Four hundred and six insulin-dependent diabetic women completed a Menstrual Health Questionnaire published in Balance. Sixty-seven percent of women experienced changes in blood glucose levels or glycosuria premenstrually and 70% during the menstrual phase. Changes were more common in women who regarded themselves as suffering from premenstrual syndrome. Those experiencing premenstrual craving for sweet foods tended to have higher blood glucose levels or more glycosuria at those times. This may be a consequence of some women indulging their craving. Premenstrual symptoms were not caused by hypoglycaemia. When compared with age-matched non-diabetic women responding to a similar questionnaire, the diabetic women had a later menarche and, among those not on steroidal contraceptives, were more likely to report very irregular menstrual cycles. Among those regarding themselves as sufferers of premenstrual syndrome, diabetic women had less severe premenstrual symptoms than non-diabetic women. When women from these two self-designated premenstrual [corrected] syndrome suffering groups were matched for severity of premenstrual depression, differences still persisted in the severity of some symptoms perimenstrually, raising the possibility that in some way diabetes may alter women's experience of menstrual cycle-related symptoms.

Adolescent↗