Chlorhexidine for irrigation of vas: a clinical trial and the study of viability of non-mobile sperms in postvasectomy patients with trypan blue uptake.

The objective of this study was to expand the data on menstrual cycle serum hormone patterns in female common chimpanzees, both in terms of the number of cycles analyzed and by the addition of data on testosterone levels. Samples were obtained from 11 unanesthetized animals trained for conscious blood withdrawal. LH, FSH, 176-estradiol (E21, progesterone (PI, and testosterone (T) were measured by radioimmunoassay, genital swelling was recorded, and menstrual blood was noted. Concurrent midcycle elevations in LH and FSH and luteal phase elevations in progesterone suggested that the cycles were ovulatory. Detumescence of genital swelling occurred about 3 days after the midcycle LH peak, 1 day after the luteal phase nadir in Ex, and 1 day after P levels exceeded 5 ng/ml. These relationships provide further support for the use of genital swelling in monitoring progress of the menstrual cycle. The hormone patterns in the chimpanzees closely resembled those of the human females, but E2 and T levels were higher. The levels of Ex and T were higher and the midcycle elevation in T was broader in the chimpanzee than in gorillas and orangutans. This is of interest because E2 and T are implicated in the regulation of mating, and chimpanzees mate over a greater portion of the cycle than the other apes. These data indicate the need for further study of hormonal contributions to the different patterns of mating in the great apes. They also support the use of the female common chimpanzee as a model for the human female in endocrine studies of the menstrual cycle.

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To decaffeinated coffee powder was added either caffeine or lactose, each in an amount of 150 mg. per dose. Prepared packets were issued to second‐year medical students, who served as subjects. When consumed at bedtime, this modest dose of caffeine was significantly more effective than the lactose placebo at inducing a reduction in pulse rate in noncoffee drinkers, but not in those who habitually consumed caffeinated beverages. Small but significant differences were demonstrated in both frequency and intensity of response. Only non coffee drinkers reported disturbances in sleep patterns, most consistently a delay in the onset of sleep. The relative insensitivity of coffee drinkers to these actions of caffeine presumably represents an acquired tolerance. Like that previously demonstrated to the diuretic and salivary‐stimulating actions, this tolerance is probably low grade. Some of the cardiovascular effects of caffeine are reviewed. Heightened vagal tone appears to be responsible for the bradycardia, which is reportedly masked after high doses of caffeine by direct excitatory actions on the heart. Bradycardia has not been observed regularly after small doses of caffeine in man, apparently in large measure because most investigators failed to separate the responses of habitual and occasional coffee drinkers.