Fatty Acids in Some Cooking Oils as Agents of Hormonal Manipulation in a Rat Model of Benign Prostate Cancer

Anti-androgenic substances, mainly prostate 5α-reductase inhibitors, used in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) have been associated with side effects in man and animals. To reduce these side effects as well as suppress BPH development, the management of the condition has come to include dietary interventions. This study investigated the effect of some cooking oils on testosterone-induced hyperplasia of the prostate in rats. Male Sprague-dawley rats were distributed into eighteen groups (n=6) as A-R. A negative control group was injected subcutaneously with soya oil; while prostatic hyperplasia was induced subcutaneously in groups B-R with 3mg/kg testosterone daily for 14days. Group B was the positive control (BPH group) while groups C-R were also administered orally 800mg/kg of coconut, castor, canola, cottonseed, pomegranate, blackseed, sheabutter, olive oil, codliver, sardine, palm, repeatedly heated palm (RHPO), vegetable, repeatedly-heated vegetable (RHVO), sesame, and groundnut oils respectively, daily, for 14 days. Blood sample was drawn via retro-orbital sinus for the estimation of serum testosterone(T) and dihydrotestosterone (DHT) level and rats were thereafter euthanized to obtain the prostates for T and DHT determination as well as tissue weights. Data are mean ± SEM, compared by ANOVA. The oils significantly reduced the increase in prostate weight (PW) to body weight (BW) ratio induced by testosterone. Apart from the fact that all the oils reduced the PW:BW ratio, the blackseed, sheabutter, sardine, vegetable and groundnut oils suppressed the DHT level in the serum, while pomegranate, olive, RHPO reduced DHT level in the prostate compared to the BPH rats. This study suggests that blackseed, sheabutter, sardine, vegetable, groundnut, pomegranate, olive, and RHPO oils could inhibit testosterone-induced hyperplasia of the prostate and therefore may be beneficial in the management of BPH.

Computer-Guided Implant Surgery in Fresh Extraction Sockets and Immediate Loading of a Full Arch Restoration: A 2-Year Follow-Up Study of 14 Consecutively Treated Patients

Statement of Problem. Low scientific evidence is identified in the literature for combining implant placement in fresh extraction sockets with immediate function. Moreover, the few studies available on immediate implants in postextraction sites supporting immediate full-arch rehabilitation clearly lack comprehensive protocols. Purpose. The purpose of this study is to report outcomes of a comprehensive protocol using CAD-CAM technology for surgical planning and fabrication of a surgical template and to demonstrate that immediate function can be easily performed with immediate implants in postextraction sites supporting full-arch rehabilitation. Material and Methods. 14 subjects were consecutively rehabilitated (13 maxillae and 1 mandible) with 99 implants supporting full-arch fixed prostheses followed between 6 and 24 months (mean of 16 months). Outcome measures were prosthesis and implant success, biologic and prosthetic complications, pain, oedema evaluation, and radiographic marginal bone levels at surgery and then at 6, 12, 18, and 24 months. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics. Results. The overall cumulative implant survival rate at mean follow-up time of 16 months was 97.97%. The average marginal bone loss was 0,9 mm. Conclusions. Within the limitations of this study, the results validate this treatment modality for full-arch rehabilitations with predictable outcomes and high survival rate after 2 years.

A novel estrogen-free oral contraceptive pill for women: multicentre, double-blind, randomized controlled trial of mifepristone and progestogen-only pill (levonorgestrel)

BACKGROUND

The acceptability and continuation rate of oral contraceptive steroids are limited by unpredictable bleeding and the fear of long-term risks such as breast cancer. By inhibiting ovulation and by altering the receptivity of the endometrium, antagonists of progesterone, such as mifepristone, could be developed as estrogen-free novel contraceptives.

METHODS

Multicentre, double-blind, randomized controlled trial comparing frequency of amenorrhoea (primary outcome), bleeding patterns, side effects and efficacy in women taking daily 5 mg mifepristone (n = 73) or 0.03 mg levonorgestrel (progestogen-only pill; POP, n = 23) for 24 weeks.

RESULTS

More women were amenorrhoeic while taking mifepristone than POP (49 versus 0% P < 0.001), and fewer women bled or spotted for >5 days per month (4 versus 39% P < 0.001). Forty-eight percent of women who took mifepristone for 6 months had cystic glandular dilatation of the endometrium but none showed hyperplasia or atypia. There were no pregnancies in 356 months of exposure in women who used only mifepristone for contraception. Two pregnancies occurred in women taking mifepristone who were also using condoms for dual protection.

CONCLUSIONS

Daily mifepristone (5 mg) is an effective oral contraceptive pill which has a better pattern of menstrual bleeding than an existing POP (levonorgestrel).

Amenorrhea associated with contraception-an international study on acceptability

Surveys undertaken in the 1970s and 1980s suggested that amenorrhea was unacceptable to most women, especially in developing countries. More recent research suggests that increasing numbers of women in the developed world prefer to menstruate less often. In a questionnaire survey of 1001 women attending family-planning clinics and 290 contraceptive providers in China, South Africa, Nigeria and Scotland, only among black women in Africa did the majority like having periods. In all other groups, most women disliked periods, which were "inconvenient" and associated with menstrual problems. Given the choice, the majority of Nigerian women would prefer to bleed monthly. Elsewhere, women would opt to bleed only once every 3 months, or not at all. In all except the Chinese centers, the majority of women would be willing to try a contraceptive which induced amenorrhea. Providers tended to overestimate the importance of regular menstruation to their clients. This is an important observation for scientists and funding agencies involved in developing new methods of contraception.