Clinical breakage, slippage and acceptability of a new commercial polyurethane condom: a randomized, controlled study.

Although latex remains the primary material for male condoms, a number of condoms made from synthetic materials have appeared in commercial markets in recent years. Published data on the safety and efficacy of these condoms is still limited, but nevertheless synthetic condoms do offer the user a wider choice and may encourage greater use of condoms for contraception and sexual transmitted infection prophylaxis. This paper reports on a study carried out in the Paris region of France on a new, commercial polyurethane condom marketed in Japan as Sagami Original and in Europe as Protex Original. A standard latex condom complying with the European standard for condoms (EN 600:1996) from the same manufacturer was used as the control in the study. The clinical breakage rate for the polyurethane condom was 0.6% (95% confidence interval 0.2-1.4%) compared to 1.3% (95% confidence interval 0.6-2.2%) for the latex condom. The difference was not statistically significant (chi(2) = 1.9, p = 0.168). Clinically significant slippage (complete slippage of the condom off the penis) was 1.1% (95% confidence interval 0.5-1.9%) for the polyurethane condom, compared to 0.5% (95% confidence interval 0.2-1.2%) for the latex; a difference that again was not statistically significant (chi(2) = 1.783, p = 0.182). The polyurethane condom was therefore equivalent to the latex condom in terms of clinical failure rate.

Calcitonin gene-related peptide receptors in pig spleen and the involvement of the CGRP(1)receptor in the splenocyte function.

Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP)-positive nerve fibers have been found in the trabecula and parenchyme area of pig spleen. Receptor studies have demonstrated that the CGRP binding site in pig spleen membranes has an average K(d)2.24 +/- 0.48 nM and B(max)78 +/- 4.09 fmol/mg of protein. In the K(d)range demonstrated in the binding studies, the dose-dependent suppressive effect of CGRP on spleen T lymphocyte proliferation was found with the maximal effect in 10(-9)M concentration. The same effect, but in a different concentration, was found on peripheral blood T lymphocytes with the maximum in 10(-6)M concentration. Contrary to the results obtained through the simultaneous presence of CGRP and mitogen, preincubation with CGRP led to a stimulation of peripheral blood lymphocytes in response to ConA and had no effect on spleen T lymphocytes. These results illustrate the difference in CGRP effect between lymphocytes of different origins. Using CGRP(1)receptor antagonist CGRP(8-37), we established that the CGRP suppressive effect on spleen T lymphocyte proliferation is CGRP(1)-receptor mediated.

Expression of angiotensinogen mRNA and localization of angiotensin II and renin in peripheral adrenergic neurons in primary culture.

Although the presence of a local renin-angiotensin system has been established in a number of tissues, evidence for the existence and expression of the components of the renin-angiotensin system in peripheral adrenergic neurons is still missing. Here we provide the results showing the expression of angiotensinogen mRNA and localization of renin and angiotensin II in primary cultured fetal pig superior cervical ganglion neurons but not in non-neuronal cells by in situ hybridization with biotinylated oligodeoxynucleotide probe and immunocytochemical approaches. Our confocal laser scanning microscopical results confirm that angiotensinogen mRNA is expressed in the renin containing neurons. These results, for the first time, provide direct evidence that peripheral adrenergic neurons are not only target cells of angiotensin, but are also a local angiotensin generating source.

Design of an object-oriented database for reverse genetics.

We present the design of an object-oriented database system for reverse genetics applications. Such a database will encapsulate not only the data in the genetic and physical maps, but also the methods used to create the maps as well as methods to link them to other databases, such as GenBank, PIR, and MedLine. The purpose of this database is to provide the fungal genetics community with an electronic tool for identifying the biochemical function of any DNA fragment in the database--electronic reverse genetics. Such a tool for reverse genetics will enable researchers to identify the biochemical functions associated with genes encoding proteins in fungal development pathways, purine metabolism, the heat shock response, and molecular chromosome mechanics and evolution. Our initial goal is to apply the database for the genome mapping of the filamentous fungi, Aspergillus nidulans and Neurospora crassa, at the University of Georgia and the University of Leeds in England.