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Evaluation of the antifertility effect of magainin-A in rabbits: in vitro and in vivo studies.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the safety and contraceptive potential of magainin-A in rabbits. DESIGN: Controlled laboratory study. SETTING: Department of Immunology, Institute for Research in Reproduction, Mumbai, Parel, India. ANIMAL(S): Forty-eight female New Zealand white rabbits. INTERVENTION(S): The effect of magainin-A on sperm motility (in vitro and in vivo studies) and on vaginal epithelium (histologic study) was assessed along with serum and liver biochemical profiles. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Suitability of magainin-A for contraceptive use. RESULT(S): Magainin-A arrested sperm motility, and 1 mg of magainin-A administered intravaginally blocked conception. No histopathologic abnormalities in the vaginal tissue or any changes in serum biochemical profiles were observed. CONCLUSION(S): Magainin-A may be used as an effective and safe intravaginal contraceptive compound that also has antibacterial properties.

Animals↗

Antisperm antibodies.

Significant progress is being made in the study and treatment of infertility due to antisperm antibodies. Increased knowledge of the antigenicity of sperm and oocytes and continued study of the immunology of the male and female reproductive tracts should yield a greater understanding of the mechanisms of immunologic infertility. Such an understanding will permit novel and specific therapy for the infertile couple. Until such research is forthcoming, continued clinical research is imperative to increase the efficiency and success of treatment.

Antibodies↗

Studies on the contraceptive efficacy of Praneem polyherbal cream.

Praneem polyherbal cream, a spermicidal formulation, has been developed at the National Institute of Immunology, which makes use of Praneem, a purified extract from the dried seeds of an ancient Indian plant Azadirachta indica (Neem), extract from the pericarp of fruits of Sapindus species and quinine hydrochloride. These ingredients have a synergistic spermicidal activity and an optimised formula was derived. The components were made into a water-soluble cream base prepared by using pharmaceutically acceptable base and stabilised by addition of IP grade antioxidant and preservatives. The cream is devoid of irritation and sensitization potential, as seen with standard Draize test on normal and abraded skin of rabbits and by 21-day cumulative skin sensitivity in human volunteers. The formulation was found to be safe under subacute toxicity studies in monkeys. The formulation has shown high contraceptive efficacy in rabbits and in monkeys after intravaginal application. The shelf-life of the cream at room temperature is estimated to be 18 months by accelerated stability studies.

Animals↗

Risk factors for epithelial ovarian cancer in Beijing, China.

A study in Beijing, China of 112 pathologically confirmed epithelial ovarian cancer cases and 224 age-matched community controls enabled evaluation of risk in relation to reproductive, medical, familial, and selected lifestyle factors. An inverse relationship was observed between the number of full-term pregnancies and ovarian cancer risk. Compared to nulliparous women, subjects with one, two, or three full-term pregnancies were at 50%, 70%, or 90% reduced risks, respectively (P for trend less than 0.01). A positive correlation was found between the number of ovulatory years and risk, with a 2.6-fold increased risk for women with 30 or more compared to less than 10 ovulatory years (P for trend less than 0.01). Infertility, as estimated in various ways, was also found to be an important risk factor. When parity was taken into account, age at first pregnancy was not related to ovarian cancer risk. No protective effect was associated with mumps virus infection. In contrast, risk increased significantly as serum mumps virus antibody titres increased (P for trend less than 0.01). An elevated risk was found in women with a history of long-term (greater than 3 months) application of talc-containing dusting powder to the lower abdomen and perineum (Relative risk 3.9, 95% confidence interval: 0.9-10.63). These findings suggest that Chinese women have risk factors similar to those of occidental women.

Carcinoma↗

Exogenous sex hormones and the risk of rheumatoid arthritis.

The use of exogenous sex hormones in relation to the risk of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) was examined in a cohort of married nurses 30-55 years of age followed since 1976 in the Nurses' Health Study. Baseline information on the use of oral contraceptives, replacement estrogens, and other potential risk factors was obtained in 1976 and updated every 2 years. During 8 years of followup, 217 incident cases of polyarthritis were ascertained (115 RA and 102 undifferentiated polyarthritis). When compared with women who had never used oral contraceptives, the age-adjusted relative risk was 1.0 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.7-1.3) for past users; however, too few women were currently using oral contraceptives for a reliable estimate of its effect. Among postmenopausal women, 123 cases of RA were reported. Compared with postmenopausal women who never used replacement estrogens, current users had an age-adjusted relative risk of 1.3 (95% CI 0.9-2.0), past users had an age-adjusted relative risk of 0.7 (95% CI 0.5-1.2), and ever users had a relative risk of 1.0 (95% CI 0.7-1.4). These data do not show a protective effect of past use of oral contraceptives or replacement estrogens for RA; however, a modest protective effect of current oral contraceptive use cannot be excluded.

Adult↗

Alterations of carboxypeptidases N activities in patients with thyroid dysfunction.

Serum carboxypeptidases N (EC. 3.4.17.3) were determined spectrophotometrically in 87 patients with disturbances of thyroid function and in 131 euthyroid individuals, including 33 women taking estrogens for contraception. Carboxypeptidases N (CN) can be subdivided into CN1 and CN2, according to variable substrate affinity. In addition, measurements of blood pressure and in vitro tests of thyroid function were performed. In euthyroid controls, CN1 was negatively correlated with age. No significant differences between CN1 and CN2 have been observed with regard to sex. In patients with hyperthyroidism, the mean values of both enzymes were elevated, but this tendency proved to be significant only for CN2. In hypothyroid patients CN1 and CN2 levels were normal. Elevations of CN1 and CN2 in the hyperthyroid state seem not to be related to underlying immunological processes but to the thyroid hormone excess itself. In euthyroid women taking estrogens for contraception CN2 was also elevated.

Arginine↗