Human chorionic gonadotropin stimulation of relaxin secretion by luteinized human granulosa cells.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) on relaxin secretion by long-term cultures of luteinized human granulosa cells (GC). DESIGN: Luteinized human GC were collected from 10 women undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles. Luteinized human GC from each woman were plated in replicate wells at 1 x 10(5) cells/well and exposed to medium 199 (GIBCO, Grand Island, NY), medium 199 with 1 IU/mL hCG, and/or medium 199 with 100 IU hCG/mL. Luteinized human GC were maintained for up to 40 days in culture. Spent media were changed every 2 days and assayed for relaxin and progesterone (P) at the conclusion of each experiment. SETTING: Tertiary care center. PATIENTS, PARTICIPANTS: Luteinized human GC were obtained from women undergoing controlled ovarian hyperstimulation for IVF with one of the following regimens: (1) clomiphene citrate with human menopausal gonadotropins (hMG); (2) hMG alone; or (3) hMG with leuprolide acetate. All women were less than 40 years of age, in good health, and were not taking medications other than those used in the ovulation-induction regimen. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Levels of P and relaxin in spent media. RESULTS: Relaxin secretion by luteinized human GC was dependent on hCG stimulation and was detected only after a time lag in culture. After relaxin secretion was detected, it was maintained throughout the culture period (10 to 22 days). Luteinized human GC produced P immediately under both basal and stimulated conditions. Progesterone production continued throughout the culture period with hCG-stimulated cells producing significantly greater P after 4 to 8 days in culture. CONCLUSIONS: Luteinized human GC obtained at the time of oocyte retrieval secrete relaxin in response to hCG stimulation and secrete P under both basal and hCG-stimulated conditions, thereby serving as a model to explore luteal function and control.     

Effects of noise and noise suppression on speech perception by cochlear implant users.

The recognition of phonemes in consonant-vowel-consonant words, presented in speech-shaped random noise, was measured as a function of signal to noise ratio (S/N) in 10 normally hearing adults and 10 successful adult users of the Nucleus cochlear implant. Optimal scores (measured at a S/N of +25 dB) were 98% for the average normal subject and 42% for the average implantee. Phoneme recognition threshold was defined as the S/N at which the phoneme recognition score fell to 50% of its optimal value. This threshold was -2 dB for the average normal subject and +9 dB for the average implantee. Application of a digital noise suppression algorithm (INTEL) to the mixed speech plus noise signal had no effect on the optimal phoneme recognition score of either group or on the phoneme recognition threshold of the normal group. It did, however, improve the phoneme recognition threshold of the implant group by an average of 4 to 5 dB. These findings illustrate the noise susceptibility of Nucleus cochlear implant users and suggest that single-channel digital noise reduction techniques may offer some relief from this problem.     

Inhibition of bacterial growthin Vitro by human ejaculate seminal plasma fraction 1 and its possible practical use in male infertility phenomenon

Purpose Thein vitro bacteriostatic effect on bacteria by a fraction of human ejaculate (HuSePl-Fr₁) was studied.Method As bacterial indicators,Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Pa), total coliforms (Tc), fecal coliforms (Fc),Escherichia coli (Ec), andStaphylococcus aureus (Sa) were used. These bacterial strains are known as agents that cause urinary and sexually transmitted infections (STI).Results Preliminary results suggest that HuSePl-Fr₁ has a significantin vitro bacteriostatic effect on Pa and Sa at 42°C. In addition, Pa was inhibited at 37°C after 48 hr incubation. The remaining bacterial indicators were not affected.Conclusion The results indicate a possible protective role of HuSePl-Fr₁ in treatment of infertile men due to genital infections.     

Thyroid cancer incidence in Asian migrants to the United States and their descendants

We compared incidence rates of primary cancer of the thyroid among United States-born and foreign-born Chinese, Japanese, and Filipino residents of the US with rates among US-born Whites. Thyroid cancers diagnosed between 1973 and 1986 occurring among individuals 15 to 84 years of age residing in western Washington state, the San Francisco-Oakland (California) area, or the state of Hawaii were included in the analysis. Population estimates by age, gender, ethnicity, and country of birth were obtained for these areas from the US Bureau of the Census. Filipino women born in the Philippines had 3.2 (95 percent confidence interval=2.7–3.8) times the rate of thyroid cancer of US-born White women, while US-born Filipino women were not at any increased risk. Philippine-born Filipino men also had a relatively high rate of thyroid cancer (relative risk [RR]=2.6), more so than US-born Filipino men (RR=1.5). Among Japanese, risk of thyroid cancer varied by birthplace, but the direction of the association differed by gender and by histologic type of cancer. No clear association with birthplace was noted among Chinese men or women. These data suggest that persons residing in one or more regions from which Filipino-Americans migrated have been exposed to environmental influences that have increased their subsequent risk of thyroid cancer.This project was supported by grant # R35 CA 39779 from the US National Cancer Institute.     

The relation of socioeconomic factors and racial/ethnic differences in US asthma mortality

OBJECTIVES: This study described relations between socioeconomic factors and race/ethnicity as risk factors for asthma mortality. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted of US mortality records from 1991 through 1996. RESULTS: Higher standardized mortality ratios were seen for Blacks vs Whites (3.34 vs 0.65), low vs high educational level (1.51 vs 0.69), and low vs high income (1.46 vs 0.71). Excess mortality for Blacks vs Whites was present in the highest and lowest quintiles of median county income and educational level. The disparity in asthma mortality rates according to median county income and education remained after control for race/ethnicity. CONCLUSIONS: Black race/ethnicity appears to be associated, independently from low income and low education, with an elevated risk for asthma mortality.     

Schizophrenia, substance use disorders and medical co-morbidity

OBJECTIVES: This study compared medical treatment costs of adults with schizophrenia to adults with both substance use disorders and schizophrenia. METHODS: This cross-sectional observational study used a paid claims data base to identify 6884 adults treated for schizophrenia. Twenty percent of these also had substance use disorder. We report the costs and likelihood of hospitalization for eight common medical diseases, and the categories of injuries and poisoning, and ill defined conditions. Multivariate analyses were used to adjust rates of treatment for age and sex differences in the comparison groups. RESULTS: There were higher rates of treatment for five of the eight medical disorders, higher treatment costs for two of the medical disorders and much higher costs for psychiatric treatment among those with comorbid substance use disorders. Both groups had high rates of treatment in the categories of injury and poisoning and ill defined conditions. CONCLUSIONS: Closer working relationships among mental health and medical professionals are needed to care for those with schizophrenia and substance use disorders: first, greater attention to the treatment of substance use disorders may improve the health status of those with schizophrenia, reduce their costly medical and psychiatric care and stabilize their psychiatric condition, and second, continuity of care among professionals may promote willingness to seek medical attention or alleviate misunderstandings when adults with schizophrenia present with medical problems.     

Relaxinlike bioactivity in pooled human pregnancy serum

The purpose of this study was to determine whether or not the immunoreactive relaxin contained in human pregnancy serum is biologically active. Relaxin was extracted from pooled serum of women in the third trimester of pregnancy. The extraction also was performed on pooled male serum and pooled serum from women in the follicular phase of the menstrual cycle. The extraction process began with delipidation of the serum followed by extraction of relaxin using 0.1% HCl per 50% acetone. Dialysis then was performed to remove low molecular weight substances (less than 3500 daltons). The partially purified extracts were applied individually to a muscle segment in the in vitro rat uterine horn bioassay for relaxin. The extracts of both male serum and female follicular-phase serum, containing no immunoreactive relaxin, resulted in tetanic contractions of the muscle segment. The extract of pregnancy serum, containing immunoreactive relaxin, produced inhibition of rat uterine horn contractility. This represents the first demonstration of relaxinlike bioactivity in human serum.     

Involuntary smoking and incidence of respiratory illness during the first year of life

A prospective study of 1,144 infants and their families was performed. Smoking and family histories were evaluated with respect to the incidence of lower respiratory disease during the first year of life. It was found that (1) tracheitis and bronchitis occurred significantly more frequently in infants exposed to cigarette smoke in the home, (2) maternal smoking imposed greater risks upon the infant than paternal smoking, (3) occurrence of neither tracheitis nor bronchitis showed a consistent relationship to the number of cigarettes smoked, (4) a family history that was positive for respiratory illness (chronic cough or bronchitis) significantly influenced the incidence of bronchitis, (5) too few cases of laryngitis and pneumonia were seen to warrant any opinions regarding the adverse influence of either smoking or a family history that was positive for respiratory illness, and (6) occurrence of bronchiolitis was not affected by the presence of a smoker nor influenced by a family history that was positive for respiratory illness. It is concluded that passive smoking is dangerous to the health of infants and that infants born to families with a history that is positive for respiratory illness (chronic cough or bronchitis) are at risk of developing bronchitis.