Search

Objective: To compare the pulsatile release of LH, the tone of endogenous opioids and the mass of LH secreted after a naloxone infusion in healthy subjects and patients with normogonadotropic oligospermia (NO) in a model of progressive testicular damage., Patients and Methods: Pulsatile secretion of LH was analyzed in a period of 8 hours in a group of healthy subjects (group 3, n=5), in patients with NO and FSH/LH ratio <1.6 (group 1, n=5) and in patients with NO and FSH/LH ratio >1.6 (group 2, n=5). The area under the curve of LH response after naloxone infusion was also calculated., Results: Free serum testosterone concentration was lower (p < 0.01) and estradiol concentration higher in patients with NO than control subjects (1 vs. 3: p = 0.01; 2 vs. 3: p = 0.001). Frequency of pulses in group 1 was 3.33 +/- 0.57/8 h, in group 2: 4 +/- 1/8 h; and in group 3: 2.66 - 0.57/8 h (2 vs. 3 p < 0.01; 2 vs. 1 p = 0.05). The area under the curve after naloxone infusion was 19,300.44 +/- 11,403.31 in group 1, 5696.09 +/- 1753.44 in group 2; and 3080.97 +/- 1159.78 in group 3 (1 vs. 3 Anova p = 0.01)., Conclusions: The data indicate that patients with NO have a subclinical pantesticular failure and that the opioid tone is increased at the initial phase of testicular dysfunction, but it decreases at more advanced stages of testicular damage.

Objective: The objective of this study is to offer patients with chronic testicular pain and no physico-pathological finding, a likely cause not usually taken into account such as uricemia. The hypothesis of an intracanalicular deposit of uric crystals and/or the resulting alteration in nerve endings is suggested., Method: The study involved a total of 60 patients with chronic orchialgia and no detectable testicular pathology seen over a 5-year period. Mean age 35.6 years. They were all evaluated with routine laboratory tests, uricemia, uricosuria and in specific cases uroculture and Stamey's method. Orchidometry, vascular doppler and ultrasound were used in all cases., Results: Presence of hyperuricemia was corroborated in 61.6% cases. Based on figures found, patients were divided into three groups. Patients were treated with a low-purine diet plus Allopurinol 300 mg/day, and symptoms receded in 81.06% cases., Conclusions: Due to the high incidence of hyperuricemia and the significant symptomatological relief obtained with specific treatment, we believe its determination should become routine.

A simple radioimmunoassay procedure for the determination of testosterone concentration in plasma is described. Small amounts of plasma, 0,5 ml for males and 1 ml for females, are extracted with diethyl ether. Recoveries for the extraction are obtained by the addition of labelled tesosterone. The radioimmunoassay is performed directly on the extracts without further purification. Separation of the free from the antibodie bound testosterone is achieved with dextran coated charocoal. Under the used conditions, the calibration curve covers a range between 0,5 and 1,5 ng per sample. Reproducibility is acceptable with a coefficient of variation of 7%. The normal values are slightly higher than those obtained with methods using some purification step of the extract before the assay but due to its simplicity the described method is a suitable one for clinical purposes.