Background Government legislators and research ethics boards in some jurisdictions require all patients to give written informed consent before enrollment in clinical registries. However, the effect of such a requirement on the use of clinical registries and the extent to which registry data can be generalized remain uncertain. Methods We examined the effectiveness of a comprehensive attempt to obtain informed consent between June 2001 and December 2002 on the overall participation rate and the characteristics of participating patients in the Registry of the Canadian Stroke Network, a prospective registry based at 20 major stroke centers across Canada. Results The overall participation rate (i.e., the consent rate among all potential participants) was 39.3 percent of 4285 eligible patients during phase 1 of the project (June 2001 through February 2002) and 50.6 percent of 2823 eligible patients during phase 2 (June 2002 through December 2002), despite the presence of neurologic research nurse coordinators...

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Impracticability of Informed Consent in the Registry of the Canadian Stroke Network

15. 14. Ogedengbe OK, Giwa-Osagie OF, Ogunyemi O. Implications of pattern of tubal disease for microsurgery and in-vitro fertilisation in Lagos. Journal of the National Medical Association , 1987, 79:510–512.

/pdf/current-practices-and-controversies-in-assisted-reproduction-wq5pndjqi6.pdf

Current Practices and Controversies in Assisted Reproduction

This review describes the various viruses identified in the semen and reproductive tracts of mammals (including humans), their distribution in tissues and fluids, their possible cell targets, and the functional consequences of their infectivity on the reproductive and endocrine systems. The consequences of these viral infections on the reproductive tract and semen can be extremely serious in terms of organ integrity, development of pathological and cancerous processes, and transmission of diseases. Furthermore, of essential importance is the fact that viral infection of the testicular cells may result not only in changes in testicular function, a serious risk for the fertility and general health of the individual (such as a fall in testosteronemia leading to cachexia), but also in the possible transmission of virus-induced mutations to subsequent generations. In addition to providing an exhaustive account of the data available in these domains, this review focuses attention on the fact that the interface between endocrinology and virology has so far been poorly explored, particularly when major health, social and economical problems are posed. Our conclusions highlight the research strategies that need to be developed. Progress in all these domains is essential for the development of new treatment strategies to eradicate viruses and to correct the virus-induced dysfunction of the endocrine system.

https://mmbr.asm.org/content/mmbr/65/2/208.full.pdf

Viruses in the mammalian male genital tract and their effects on the reproductive system.

Background GB virus C (GBV-C), which is not known to be pathogenic in humans, replicates in lymphocytes, inhibits the replication of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in vitro, and has been associated with a decreased risk of death among HIV-positive persons in some, but not all, studies. Previous studies did not control for differences in the duration of HIV or GBV-C infection. Methods We evaluated 271 men who were participants in the Multicenter Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome Cohort Study for GBV-C viremia (by means of a reverse-transcriptase–polymerase-chain-reaction assay) or E2 antibody (by means of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) 12 to 18 months after seroconversion to positivity for HIV (the early visit); a subgroup of 138 patients was also evaluated 5 to 6 years after HIV seroconversion (the late visit). Results GBV-C infection was detected in 85 percent of men with HIV seroconversion on the basis of the presence of E2 antibody (46 percent) or GBV-C RNA (39 percent). Only one man acquir...

https://www.nejm.org/doi/pdf/10.1056/NEJMoa030107

Persistent GB virus C infection and survival in HIV-infected men.

https://aasldpubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/hep.1840360713

Sexual activity as a risk factor for hepatitis C.

The identification of hepatitis C virus (HCV) in semen remains controversial and that of hepatitis G virus (HGV) or GB virus C (GBV-C) has never been investigated. Serum and semen from 90 anti-HCV-positive drug users were tested (27 infected with HIV) for HCV and HGV/GBV-C RNAs by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay, hybridization, and sequence analysis. Semen was processed into round cells, seminal plasma, and spermatozoa. Fifty-six patients were HCV-viremic, but HCV-RNA was not identified in their seminal fractions. However, PCR inhibitors were found in the semen of 34 of these men. Twenty-eight patients had HGV/GBV-C RNA in their blood and for 24 of them, ejaculates were available for analysis. HGV/GBV-C RNA was found in the seminal plasma of 6 of 12 samples free from PCR inhibitors. These results agree with the low risk of sexual transfer of HCV and provide preliminary evidence for the presence of HGV/GBV-C in semen.

Antonio Boschini

Papers

Absence of Hepatitis C Virus and Detection of Hepatitis G Virus/GB Virus C RNA Sequences in the Semen of Infected Men