Risk factors in male infertility: a case-control study.

A case-control study was undertaken to evaluate environmental risk factors potentially involved in male infertility. One hundred twelve azoospermic or oligospermic subjects and 127 controls were interviewed, before sperm count results were available, about coffee and alcohol consumption, smoking habits, x-ray exposure, usual sitting posture, drug consumption, other nonoccupational risk factors, socioeconomic status, education level, and occupational history. An unmatched analysis was then conducted. None of the occupational risk factors appeared to be related to azoospermia or oligospermia. A high relative risk was associated with (1) occupation in the radioelectric industry, (2) nonsedentary clerical workers, (3) clerical work in the typographic industry, and (4) occupation in the textile industry, but none of these figures were statistically significant. Because of the population from which cases and controls were drawn, certain occupational risks could not be investigated in this study, e.g., exposure of agricultural workers to chemicals.

Advanced ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament in a mildly symptomatic patient. A case report and literature review.

We describe the imaging findings of a man who developed neurologic symptoms due to ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament with narrowing of the spinal canal and compression of the spinal cord. CT study allowed a detailed evaluation of the stenosis and the extension of the ossification while MRI gave an excellent visualization of the spinal lesions caused by spinal cord compression by the mass. The neurological status of patients with ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament depends on many factors such as the degree of spinal canal stenosis, life style, accidental mechanical stress and trauma.

Adenocarcinoma of the nose and paranasal sinuses in shoemakers and woodworkers in the province of Florence, Italy (1963-77).

Adenocarcinoma of the nose and paranasal sinuses has been associated with occupational exposure to wood and leather dust. Strong evidence has been found for such an association in Florence, Italy, from 1963 to 1977. Sixty-nine cases of primary cancer of the nose and paranasal sinuses were identified from hospital records. There were 13 cases of adenocarcinoma, 11 of which were successfully traced and interviewed (patient or relative). Of the 11 cases, three were woodworkers with substantial exposure to wood dust (17 years' average employment) and seven were shoemakers, mostly trimmers. When matched to either of two separate sets of controls (non-cancer hospital patients, and non-adenocarcinoma nose or paranasal sinus cancer patients), the association with occupation was statistically significant. Smoking was ruled out as a source of bias.

Isolation and characterization of metaproterenol-3-O-sulfate: a conjugate of metaproterenol in human urine.

Metaproterenol (1-(3,5-dihydroxyphenyl)-2-isopropylaminoethanol) is primarily converted in humans to metaproterenol-3-O-sulfate following oral administration. Ion exchange column chromatography with a gradient of ammonium acetate buffer permitted the isolation of the ammonium salt of metaproterenol-3-O-sulfate from human urine. Treatment of aliquots of the column eluate with purified sulfatase and subsequent HPLC/fluorescence analysis confirmed the presence of metaproterenol. Comparison of the column eluate with a metaproterenol standard by 250-MHz proton-NMR revealed a pattern consistent with monosubstitution of the resorcinol ring. Negative and positive ion fast atom bombardment/mass spectrometry showed the metabolite to have a (M-H)- m/z of 290 and a (M + H)+ m/z ion of 292. These three methods support the structural assignment of metaproterenol-3-O-sulfate. Enzymatic hydrolysis of urine specimens from 29 different subjects with purified beta-glucuronidase as well as beta-glucuronidase-sulfatase mixtures yielded no significant increase in metaproterenol beyond purified sulfatase-treated urine, thus ruling out the presence of a glucuronide of metaproterenol. Approximately 40% of an oral 20-mg dose, given as either a tablet or a solution, was recovered in the urine as metaproterenol-3-O-sulfate. Approximately 5% of the dose was recovered in the unconjugated form. The majority of the dose was excreted over the first 12 hr with a biological half-life of 5-6 hr followed by a slower excretion phase with a half-life of 20 hr.

[Determination of total serum phospholipids by a new enzymatic colorimetric method: statistical quality control]. / Fosfolipidi totali del siero dosati con un nuovo metodo enzimatico colorimetrico: controllo statistico di qualita.

Enzymatic methods have progressively substituted extractive procedures in plasma lipids determination. A new enzymatic method for serum phospholipids evaluation has been recently introduced in Italy as a kit of reagents. In this method phospolipase D hydrolyzes phospholipids with free choline production which, in presence of choline-oxidase and peroxidase, is estimated by colorimetric reaction. Linearity of response and analytical variations "within-run" and "between-run" during six month observations on serum pools have been preliminarily verified.

[Determination of serum and lipoprotein phospholipids by a new enzymatic colorimetric method: characterization of a "reference range" in a sample of clinically healthy people]. / Fosfolipidi del siero e delle frazioni lipoproteiche dosati con un nuovo metodo enzimatico colorimetrico: individuazione del "range di riferimento" in un campione della popolazione campana clinicamente sana.

A new enzymatic colorimetric method for phospholipids determination, has been employed to find out "reference ranges" of phospholipid concentration in 300 healthy subjects of Neapolitan area (200 males, 100 females). Linearity of response, precisior and accuracy of this method has been previously demonstrated. Mean, standard deviation and frequency distribution of two sex groups are reported. Moreover phospholipids fraction (VLDL,LDL,HDL) on 30 healthy subjects have been evaluated.