PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

M Filicori

Publications and source records attributed to M Filicori.

61 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

Epidemiology of voluntary abortion in the region of Emilia Romagna and in Italy.

Between June 1978, when the Law nr. 194 was introduced, and the end of 1979, about 250,000 legal abortions were carried out in Italy. Wide discrepancies exist among Italian Regions. Generally, in Northern and Central Italy the incidence of abortion is comparable to most other Countries with liberalized laws. The Region of Emilia Romagna, where social and medical facilities are easily available, con probably offer a better estimate of abortion occurrence in Italy. Minors and Women in the second trimester of pregnancy are still particularly prone to recourse to clandestine abortion. Conscientious objection is a major limiting factor in the implementation of the law.

Abortion, Legal↗

Heroin addiction: relationship between the plasma levels of testosterone, dihydrotestosterone, androstenedione, LH, FSH, and the plasma concentration of heroin.

Changes in sexual function and hormone levels are commonly found in subjects addicted to narcotics. In this study we examined 16 male and 3 female addicts who had been taking heroin (H) in the last year in doses higher than 150 mg/day. In these patients, who presented similar clinical problems, we assayed by RIA the plasma levels of heroin, testosterone, (T), dihydrotestosterone (DHT), androstenedione (A), luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) for periods of 150 min, 6 h and 9 h. We found a significant reduction of T and DHT concomitant with higher plasma concentrations of heroin but no relevant changes of A, LH and FSH. T and DHT returned to the initial levels after the decrease of heroin concentration. The GnRH test effectd on a female subject allowed us to make the diagnosis of hypothalamic amenorrhea. In the same patient no circadian rhythms for T, DHT and A were detected.

Adolescent↗

The ultradian pulsatile release of gonadotropins in normal female subjects.

With an original statistical study which employes the analysis of variance and the harmonic analysis, the authors evaluated the levels of LH and FSH obtained from 5 female patients of the infertility clinic. These subjects, apparently free from endocrine disorders, underwent a 7-hour test consisting of samples obtained at 20 minute intervals. By a double-antibody RIA method, we assayed LH and FSH in quintuplicate or triplicate in each sample and counted the tubes twice consecutively. In all subjects for LH and in 3 subjects for FSH we detected a real ultradian pulsatile release of the hormone. Period and amplitude of the LH fluctuations vary according to the phase of the menstrual cycle (follicular phase: short period and low amplitude; luteal phase: long period and high amplitude). No change in amplitude was observed for FSH, while the period in two cases varied in accordance with LH. In two cases we found multiple periods in the fluctuations of one hormone during the same test.

Adult↗

Plasma levels of unconjugated estetrol and estriol and of total estriol in normal human pregnancy.

The course of normal pregnancy in 54 patients was monitored by weekly assays of Unconjugated Estriol (E3U), Total Estriol (E3T) and Unconjugated Estetrol (E4U). These subjects were divided into two groups: one of those patients who delivered a fetus with a weight above the 50th percentile and the other of those who delivered a fetus with a weight below the 50th percentile. No significant difference was found between these two groups and it is not therefore possible to have information regarding the weight of the fetus, starting from the weekly values of these hormones. Analogous variations of the three hormones were found as pregnancy progresses. However, the rate of increase for E4U was higher than for E3T and E3U.

Adolescent↗

L-carnitine in idiopathic asthenozoospermia: a multicenter study. Italian Study Group on Carnitine and Male Infertility.

The aim of the study described here was to evaluate any possible effect of L-carnitine on spermatozoal motility in a group of patients with unexplained asthenozoospermia in four different infertility centres. One hundred patients received 3 g d-1 of oral L-carnitine for 4 months. Sperm parameters were studied before, during and after this treatment. Motility was also studied by means of a computer-assisted sperm analysis. The results of the study indicate that L-carnitine is able to increase spermatozoal motility, both in a quantitative and in a qualitative manner (per cent motile spermatozoa increased from 26.9 +/- 1.1% to 37.7 +/- 1.1% [P < 0.001]; per cent spermatozoa with rapid linear progression increased from 10.8 +/- 0.6% to 18.0 +/- 0.9% [P < 0.001]; mean velocity increased from 28.4 +/- 0.6 microns s-1 to 32.5 +/- 0.8 microns s-1 [P < 0.001]; linearity index increased from 3.7 +/- 0.1 to 4.1 +/- 0.1 [P < 0.001], especially in the subgroup of patients with poor rapid linear progression of spermatozoa (per cent of motile spermatozoa increased from 19.3 +/- 1.9% to 40.9 +/- 1.4% [P < 0.001], and per cent of spermatozoa with rapid linear progression increased from 3.1 +/- 0.4% to 20.3 +/- 1.6% [P < 0.001]) An increase in spermatozoal output was also observed (total number of ejaculated spermatozoa increased from 142.4 +/- 10.3 10(6) to 163.3 +/- 11.0 x 10(6) [P < 0.001]). The authors conclude that oral administration of L-carnitine may improve sperm quality at least in patients with idiopathic asthenozoospermia.

Adult↗