Follicle stimulating hormone measured in unextracted urine throughout the menstrual cycle correlates with age and ovarian reserve

BACKGROUND: A method was previously described to measure FSH reliably in unextracted urine. The aim of the current study was to establish the course of FSH measured in urine throughout the cycle. METHOD: Daily urinary FSH (uFSH) concentrations were determined in 14 regularly menstruating volunteers aged 23-39 years during one complete menstrual cycle. RESULTS: In each subject, mean daily uFSH measured in urine, as gold standard for FSH tone, correlated significantly with FSH in early follicular phase fixed to menstruation on cycle day 3 (r = 0.75, P = 0.002), or fixed to ovulation 9 days before the pre-ovulatory FSH surge (r = 0.87, P = 0.0001), or when selected as being the highest follicular phase value (r = 0.91, P = 0.0001). Age correlated significantly with mean daily uFSH (r = 0.67, P = 0.009), highest follicular phase uFSH (r = 0.60, P = 0.024), uFSH on cycle day 3 (r = 0.80, P = 0.0006), and uFSH 9 days before FSH surge (r = 0.65, P = 0.0016). The uFSH was also measured on cycle day 3 in 104 IVF patients in a cycle prior to pituitary down-regulation. The uFSH correlated significantly with numbers of follicles (P = 0.02) and oocytes (P = 0.024). CONCLUSION: It is concluded that cycle day 3 uFSH is a good reflection of the mean uFSH of the complete cycle, and there is a highly significant correlation between uFSH and age and ovarian reserve. Measurement of FSH in urine on cycle day 3 seems to be a reliable and non-invasive tool for determining ovarian reserve in IVF.     

The effects of age and gender on sleep EEG power spectral density in the middle years of life (ages 20-60 years old)

The effects of age and gender on sleep EEG power spectral density were assessed in a group of 100 subjects aged 20 to 60 years. We propose a new statistical strategy (mixed-model using fixed-knot regression splines) to analyze quantitative EEG measures. The effect of gender varied according to frequency, but no interactions emerged between age and gender, suggesting that the aging process does not differentially influence men and women. Women had higher power density than men in delta, theta, low alpha, and high spindle frequency range. The effect of age varied according to frequency and across the night. The decrease in power with age was not restricted to slow-wave activity, but also included theta and sigma activity. With increasing age, the attenuation over the night in power density between 1.25 and 8.00 Hz diminished, and the rise in power between 12.25 and 14.00 Hz across the night decreased. Increasing age was associated with higher power in the beta range. These results suggest that increasing age may be related to an attenuation of homeostatic sleep pressure and to an increase in cortical activation during sleep.     

High frequency of circulating gamma delta T cells with dominance of the v(delta)1 subset in a healthy population

TCR gamma delta(+) cells constitute <5% of all circulating T cells in healthy, adult Caucasians, and V(delta)1(+) cells constitute a minority of these cells. In contrast to TCR alpha beta(+) cells, their repertoire is selected extrathymically by environmental antigens. Although increased frequencies of V(delta)1(+) cells are found in several diseases, their function remains obscure. Here we show that the frequency of peripheral blood gamma delta T cells in healthy West Africans is about twice that of Caucasians, mainly due to a 5-fold increase in V(delta)1(+) cells, which is consequently the dominant subset. No age dependency of V(delta)1 frequencies was identified and the V(delta)1(+) cells in the African donors did not show preferential V(gamma) chain usage. Analysis of the CDR3 region size did not reveal any particular skewing of the V(delta)1 repertoire, although oligoclonality was more pronounced in adults compared to children. The proportions of CD8(+), CD38(+) and CD45RA(hi)CD45RO(-) cells within the V(delta)1(+) subset were higher in the African than in the European donors, without obvious differences in expression of activation markers. No significant correlations between levels of V(delta)1(+) cells and environmental antigens or immunological parameters were identified. Taken together, the evidence argues against a CDR3-restricted, antigen-driven expansion of V(delta)1(+) cells in the African study population. Our study shows that high frequencies of TCR gamma delta(+) cells with dominance of the V(delta)1(+) subset can occur at the population level in healthy people, raising questions about the physiological role of V(delta)1(+) T cells in the function and regulation of the immune system.     

大鼠孤束核内NT-LI成分生后发育和衰老变化的光镜和电镜观察

用免疫细胞化学和电镜相结合技术,在光镜和电镜水平对生后4天、15天、30天、90天、300天和760天6组大鼠孤束核内神经降压肽样免疫反应(NT-LI)成分的生后发育和衰老变化进行了定量研究。光镜下孤束核内NT-LI胞体和终末主要分布于最后区平面,多见于背侧亚核、内侧亚核和连合核内。电镜下内侧亚核内可见NT-LI胞体、树突、轴突及终末。6组大鼠孤束核内NT-LI细胞均数和内侧亚核内NT-LI终末密度及其突触密度均以生后4天至15天间增长最快,NT-LI细胞数在生后15天达到最高,NT-LI终末及突触密度在生后90天达到最高。三者在生后300天时均明显减少。发育期内侧亚核内NT-LI终末构成的突触以Gray Ⅰ型为主,至老年期则变为Gray Ⅱ型占优势。发育期内侧亚核内以含清亮囊泡伴颗粒囊泡的NT-LI终末为主,老年期此类终末明显减少。只含清亮囊泡的NT-LI终末从生后至老年变化不明显。     

Pentachlorophenol potentiates benzo[a]pyrene DNA adduct formation in adult but not infant B6C3F1 male mice

The objective of this study is to determine whether pentachlorophenol (PCP) alters benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P)-induced DNA adduct formation in infant and adult B6C3F1 male mice. Mice were exposed intraperitoneally to 55 microg B[a]P/g body weight (BW) alone and in combination with several doses of PCP in DMSO. The 32P-postlabeling assay was used to analyze for (+/-) anti-7,8-diol-9,10-epoxide-B[a]P-N(2)deoxyguanosine (BPDE-N(2)G) adducts formed in liver and lung DNA. Hepatic DNA also was analyzed for 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) base damage in mice exposed to PCP. 8-OHdG was not detected at any dose of PCP in infant or adult mice. PCP exhibited an antagonistic effect on BPDE-N(2)G accumulation in infant mice exposed to B[a]P in combination with 50 microg PCP/g BW at both 12 and 24 hr. Comparatively, BPDE-N(2)G adducts were increased in adult mice exposed to binary mixtures at 24 hr in both hepatic and lung DNA (P < 0.05). Multiple comparison analysis between infant and adult mice revealed that adduct levels in infants exposed to B[a]P alone or in combination with PCP were not different from those observed in adult mice exposed to B[a]P. However, a significant increase in adducts was observed in adult mice exposed to a combination of B[a]P and PCP compared to that in all other treatment groups (P < 0.05). These results suggest that PCP alters the metabolism of B[a]P in both infant and adult mice through different mechanisms, and that infants are not susceptible to the potentiating effects of PCP observed in adult mice.     

大于胎龄儿脐血脂联素水平测定及其临床意义研究

目的探讨血脂联素水平与大于胎龄儿发生的关系。方法研究对象为大于胎龄儿和适于胎龄儿各30例。应用酶联免疫吸附法(ELISA)测定脐血和产妇血脂联素浓度,用免疫比浊法测定甘油三酯(TG)、总胆固醇(TCH)、低密度脂蛋白-胆固醇(LDL-c)、高密度脂蛋白-胆固醇(HDL-c)的水平;并分析脐血脂联素水平与母血脂联素、新生儿性别、出生体重、体重指数、胎盘重量和血脂水平的相关性。结果①大于胎龄儿脐血浆脂联素水平低于适于胎龄儿,差异有非常显著性(P<0.01=;大于胎龄儿血TG、TCH、LDL-c、HDL-c的水平与适于胎龄儿比较差异均无显著性(P>0.05)。②大于胎龄儿血浆脂联素水平与新生儿出生体重、BM I、胎盘重量、脐血TG水平均呈显著负相关(r分别=-0.848、-0.785、-0.835,P均<0.001=,与母血脂联素水平、新生儿身长、孕前和分娩时产妇体重及其BM I、其它脐血脂成分无相关性(P>0.05)。母血脂联素水平与上述因素无相关性(P>0.05)③大于胎龄儿男婴和女婴脐血浆脂联素、血脂各成分水平比较差异均无显著性(P>0.05)。结论血脂联素水平的变化与大于胎龄儿的发生有关,测定脐血脂联素水平有助于判断大于胎龄儿的发展趋势,为早期预防糖尿病、心血管疾病等多种肥胖相关性疾病的发生开拓新的思路。     

Alteration of E-cadherin-mediated adhesion protein is common,but microsatellite instability is uncommon in young age gastric cancers

AIMS: Gastric adenocarcinoma in young patients has been considered to differ in many ways from gastric carcinoma in older patients. This study was designed to determine the clinicopathological features and molecular mechanisms. METHODS AND RESULTS: Based on 4123 patients of gastric cancer in Seoul National University Hospital, 135 patients (3.3%) were chosen by the age of 30 years or younger. Expression of E-cadherin, beta-catenin, p53 and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) was analysed using the tissue array method in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded specimens and microsatellite instability (MSI) was determined. As a control, 320 cases of older patients were compared. Gastric adenocarcinoma of young patients revealed significant female predominance, type IV gross type, proximal location, diffuse type and frequent lymph node metastasis. In-situ hybridization for EBV showed higher positivity in young patients (9/78, 11.5%) than in older ones, but not statistically significant. In EBV+ cases, p53 over-expression was significantly higher in young patients than older patients (P < 0.05). Alteration of E-cadherin or beta-catenin was significantly higher in younger patients than in older patients (P < 0.05). Overall survival was significantly poorer in younger patients than older ones. The frequency of MSI was rare (1.3%, P < 0.05) in young patients compared with older patients (9.3%). CONCLUSIONS: These data indicate that gastric adenocarcinoma of young patients has a poor prognosis, possesses aggressive histopathological features, exhibits reduced expression of E-cadherin and beta-catenin, and demonstrates lower MSI than tumours in older patients.     

GRO-alpha in Human Serum: Differences Related to Age and Sex

PROBLEM: Human GRO-alpha (GRO-α) is a new member of the chemokine family that is supposed to play an important role in inflammatory and immune reactions. We established a sandwich enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA) system with polyclonal antibodies against human GRO-α and investigated the serum level of healthy donors to establish normal ranges for this chemokine in adults. METHODS: GRO-α concentrations were measured cross-sectionally in the sera of 240 healthy adults. The variability of serum GRO-α levels was also measured in normal volunteers, samples from whom were obtained by sequential venipunctures or by a small plastic cannula with a heparin-saline lock, to determine short-term variability. RESULTS: Whereas there was no difference between the concentration of human GRO-α from men (logarithmic mean, 77.6 pg/ml, n = 120) and that from women with normal menstrual cycles (log mean, 71.6 pg/ml, n = 73), the concentration from postmenopausal women (log mean 45.0 pg/ml, n = 31) was lower than that from women with normal menstrual cycles (log mean 71.6 pg/ml, n = 73). However, we could not detect any significant difference between healthy donors' serum levels and those of donors with acute inflammation. Fewer variations were recognized in the case of the sequential venipunctures method than in that of the heparin-saline lock method. CONCLUSION: We found that the GRO-α concentration of postmenopausal women was significantly lower than that of women with normal menstrual cycles. These results suggest the GRO-α serum levels of normal healthy women may have some correlation with sex hormones.     

Genetic counseling dilemmas: Down syndrome,paternal age,and recurrence risk after remarriage

The recent demonstration that about 20–30% of cases of Down syndrome are of paternal origin has again raised interest in the question of the possible contribution of paternal age independent of maternal age to a couple's risk of a Down syndrome live birth. In this paper the nature of the available evidence is critically reviewed, interpretations reconciling differences between studies that reached opposite conclusions are presented, and an approach to genetic counseling in the face of such apparent differences in the literature is discussed. It is not likely that data from ad hoc studies of parental origin of the extra chromosome will be sufficient to judge the existence or magnitude of paternal age-specific risk, and reliance must be made on statistical studies that searched for paternal age effects while controlling for maternal age. The literature is consistent with an apparent doubling of risk for paternal age 55 and over, but no effect at younger paternal ages. With regard to remarriage, it is suggested that if members of a couple with a 47, +21 child remarry it be assumed that the excess risk “travels” to that new couple which includes the parent in whom non-disjunction occurred in the previous marriage. If parental origin is not known, it is suggested that the risk be calculated on the assumption of a 20–30% likelihood that it was of paternal origin and a 70–80% likelihood that it was of maternal origin, and that the excess empiric risks be apportioned accordingly in the new marriages.