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Infertility is a problem affecting almost 15% of couples. There are many causes for this condition, among which urogenital bacterial infections seem to play an important role. Many studies have explained the mechanisms by which bacteria cause infertility both in men and women. Therefore we undertook this study to evaluate the presence of genito-urinary infections in infertile couples who sought counselling to investigate their condition. Microbiological analysis was performed on semen and vaginal/cervical samples of both partners of each couple. The percentage of individuals affected by a urogenital bacterial infection was between 14 and 20%. More significantly, most of the species isolated both in men and women have been described in the literature as potential causes of infertility.

Introduction: Medical treatment in chronic constipation is not always successful. Surgery is indicated in unresponsive selected severe cases. This study presents the distal venous colic ligation in rat as a novel surgical approach., Materials and Methods: 16 rats (study group) were evaluated in 3 phases of 6 days each: A (normal conditions), B (loperamide-induced constipation), and C (colic vein legation) and compared with rats treated in phase C with PEG 4,000 (control group). Blood biochemical and physiological parameters, daily fecal water content (FWC), and histological analysis were performed in all study phases., Results: No biochemical and physiological parameters changes were observed. FWC decreased in phase B and increased in phase C in both groups with a grow up to 2.3-fold in study group compared to control (P < 0.0001). Moreover, in study group, a high number of colonic goblet cells were detected (phase C versus phase B: P < 0.001) while no differences were registered in control., Conclusion: By ligature of the colic vein in constipated rats, an increase in FWC and goblet cells higher than in PEG treated rats was detected. The described surgical procedure appeared effective, simple, and safe; further studies in animal models, however, are necessary to assess its clinical applicability.

Introduction: Since the ischemia and reperfusion injury is one of the main causes of delayed graft function after transplantation, research efforts have focused on studying the molecules involved in this inflammatory process. The chemokine interleukin-8 (IL-8) seems to be the main one responsible through a chemoattractive action toward neutropils. Therefore, one of the strategies adopted to prevent this process is blocking the binding between IL-8 and its receptors. The aim of our study was to test the effect of meraxin, a new derivative from repertaxin, to protect the renal graft from ischemia and reperfusion injury., Materials and Methods: Eighty male syngenic rats were divided into four groups. The control group underwent only kidney transplantation, while the other groups were treated with meraxin at various dosages 2 hours before graft reperfusion. Blood and histological samples were taken at sacrifice 24 hours after transplantation., Results: Creatinine was significantly lower in the group treated with the high dosage of meraxin. Histological observation of the grafted tissue showed instead only a mild and not significant neutrophilic infiltration, equal in each group., Conclusions: Graft function was improved by the administration of meraxin at high dosage, but this effect did not seem to be connected to a reduction in inflammatory infiltration in the parechymal tissue. Maybe the cause is in the mechanisms of clotting activation, due to alteration of adhesion molecules and endothelial cells.

We reviewed the literature reports and our personal experience on partial portal vein arterialization (PPVA) to prevent and treat acute liver failure (ALF) following major hepatobiliary surgery or another etiology. Experimental studies in rats have assessed the efficacy of PPVA in treatment of ALF induced by extended resections in normal or fatty livers or in toxic carbon-tetrachloride damage. The treated groups showed greater survival and faster recovery of liver function. Among 11 clinical cases reported in the literature, PPVA was performed in four cases to prevent and in seven cases to treat ALF. Eight patients survived, showing rapid recovery of liver function and resolution of the clinical condition. This relatively simple procedure has shown itself able to promote liver regeneration. The PPVA procedure has shown itself to be safe and simple as well as to offer a promising approach to the failing liver.

On the basis of the behaviour during menstrual cycle of the pituitary hormones plasma levels, the Authors have studied during the different periods of the cycle (follicular, ovulatory and luteal) the effects of OGTT and ITT's on the plasma levels of Glucose, insulin, HGH and Cortisol. Significantly lower levels of IRI, HGH and Cortisol were found in follicular phase compared to ovulatory period and luteal phase except for Cortisol in luteal phase. A slightly higher glucose tolerance was found in follicular phase as well as a reduced hypoglicemia under insulin load. Reduced HGH response to ITT was found in follicular phase as well as a reduced Cortisol response compared to the results observed in ovulatory and luteal phase. These data sustain the concept that hormonal variations occurring in an ovulatory cycle are also capable of modifying the woman's body response to various stimuli such as OGTT and ITT.