Kisspeptin and Testicular Function—Is It Necessary?

O-14: Effect of Kisspeptin on Testicular Tissue and Accessory Sex Glands, Seminal Vesicle and Prostate, in Prepubertal Rats

Background: Hypothalamus-derived kisspeptins are critical regulators of reproduction in nearly all mammalian species including the humans. These small peptides mediate their actions through the GnRH loop system. How kisspeptins regulate gonadal maturation in sexually immature male mammals remains elusive. To address this, kisspeptin was administered as subchronic (12 days) twice daily i. p. dos...

Patenting genes: is it necessary and is it evil?

Last October, biologists’ neck-hair rose when J. Craig Venter announced his company, Celera, had filed 6,500 provisional patent applications for human genes. Henry Ford mass-produced automobiles — it seems evident we are now entering an era in which intellectual property is rolling off the assembly lines. Is this really the ultimate legacy of Watson and Crick’s elegant double helix? And what do...

Match Necessary ? Is It Possible ?

Pathology: is it still necessary?

One may wonder what may be the reasons to ask this apparently odd question. Undoubtedly, the main concern is that we are still far away from being able to precisely identify the target population of patients for tailored interventions. It has been repeatedly shown by the results of large clinical trials that the benefit of new therapeutic approaches is relatively small, and that it is most like...

Cognitive rehabilitation for schizophrenia: is it possible? Is it necessary?

Limitations of available psychosocial interventions combined with the increasing evidence that schizophrenia is characterized by diverse deficits in information processing has stimulated great interest in the possibility of cognitive rehabilitation. However, the current optimism seems unjustified. The precise role of information processing in the behavioral handicaps evidenced by schizophrenic ...