Formaldehyde in cryoprotectant propanediol and effect on mouse zygotes

Cryopreservation of human zygotes and embryos has been routinely performed by in-vitro fertilization clinics for many years. Karran and Legge (1996) first reported that formaldehyde (FA) present in the cryoprotective solutions can have a deleterious effect on mouse oocytes. FA is a cytotoxic, carcinogenic and mutagenic chemical. The effect of FA on mouse zygotes was investigated. In addition, the concentrations of FA in propanediol (PROH) obtained from various sources were determined. Pooled 1-cell embryos were dispensed into droplets of modified Ham's F10 or human tubal fluid containing various concentrations of FA. Since bovine serum albumin (BSA) may minimize toxicity additional trials were done as above in the absence of BSA. FA concentration in the standard 1.5 M PROH, from different sources in water, was measured in the same assay using a standard curve of 0-100 microM FA. FA in a complex medium had a significant deleterious effect on embryo development and hatching but only at 1 mM concentration (P < 0.000001; see Tables I-III). There was no significant effect of FA at 100 microM. However, in a simple medium even 50 microM FA decreased embryo hatching. FA was present in 1.5 M PROH from different sources (range 1.0-35.3 microM concentration). It appears that FA concentrations do not increase with storage because FA concentrations were low even after opening and storage for 3 years on the shelf. This suggests that FA is a contaminant during the manufacturing process and may vary from manufacturer to manufacturer and batch to batch. Until further studies are done to confirm the lack of toxicity to embryos during cryopreservation (with or without FA scavengers) it may be prudent to screen all batches of cryoprotectants for FA as part of quality control.      

双胎妊娠44例临床分析

本文对我院1990～1995年间44例双胎妊娠的分娩方式进行了分析。指出双胎妊娠由于胎位异常、产力异常及妊娠并发症多等因素,难产及手术产率均较单胎明显增高。在25例经阴道分娩的双胎中,阴道手术产率为64％,本组双胎剖宫产率为43.22％。本文认为双胎妊娠的分娩方式应掌握以下原则:当第一胎儿为臀泣、第二胎位为头位,尤其是胎儿较大、羊水较少时,应考虑剖宫产。而单纯的第二胎儿臀位可以经阴道分娩,不必常规剖宫产。     

The laminar organization of dorsal horn cells responding to peripheral C fibre stimulation

Summary Cat dorsal horn was searched for all detectable units that responded to peripheral C fibre input. Fifty-seven such units were examined in detail. They were located in two main areas. One group was in the superficial laminae 1, 2, and possibly dorsal 3 (n = 29), and the other group was much deeper in laminae 5 and 6 (n = 24). Only four units were situated in the region of lamina 4.Differences were found in the responses to C fibre stimulation of these two groups, both in the optimum stimulus and in the timing of responses to repeated stimulation. Superficial units often did not respond to C fibre stimulation unless a train of two or more stimuli (10 ms apart) were applied, but when responses did occur they were usually very even and regular, with precise onset latencies on repeated stimulation. Deep units tended to need only one peripheral C fibre stimulus for excitation, but the responses were irregular with latencies fluctuating with each stimulus. Some superficial and deep units showed a steady increase in latency of the late C response on repeated stimulation. Increases of up to 80 ms after 30 s of stimulation at 1 Hz were observed.The results are discussed in terms of the neuronal connections in the dorsal horn.The work was supported by the Medical Research Council and the National Institutes of HealthM. Fitzgerald is a Medical Research Council Training Fellow     

The ionic mechanisms underlying N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor-induced, tetrodotoxin-resistant membrane potential oscillations in lamprey neurons active during locomotion

Activation of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors can induce tetrodotoxin (TTX)-resistant membrane potential oscillations as well as fictive locomotion in the in vitro preparation of the lamprey spinal cord. The ionic basis of these oscillations were investigated in the presence of N-methyl-D,L-aspartate and TTX. Addition of blocking agents (2-amino-5-phosphonovalerate and tetraethylammonium (TEA)) and selective removal or substitution of certain ions (Mg2+, Ca2+, Na+, Ba2+) were used in the analysis of the oscillations. The depolarizing phase of the oscillation requires Na+ ions but not Ca2+ ions. The depolarization becomes larger if TEA is administered in the bath, which presumably is due to a blockade of potassium (K+) channels activated during the depolarizing phase. The repolarization appears to depend on a Ca2+ entry, which presumably acts indirectly by an activation of Ca2+-dependent K+ channels. Together with the NMDA-induced voltage dependence, this will bring the membrane potential back down to a hyperpolarized level.     

The P-selectin gene is highly polymorphic: reduced frequency of the Pro715 allele carriers in patients with myocardial infarction

P-selectin is an adhesion molecule, expressed at the surface of activated cells, that mediates the interaction of activated endothelial cells or platelets with leukocytes. P-selectin expression is increased in atherosclerotic plaques, and high plasma levels of this molecule have been observed in patients with unstable angina. We investigated the P-selectin gene as a possible candidate for myocardial infarction (MI). The P-selectin gene is situated on chromosome 1q21-q24, spans >50 kb and contains 17 exons. The sequences of the 5'-flanking region and exons of 40 alleles from patients with MI were screened for polymorphisms using polymerase chain reaction/single-strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) and sequencing. Thirteen polymorphisms were identified: five in the 5'-flanking and eight in the exonic sequences. Four polymorphisms (Ser290Asn, Asn562Asp, Leu599Val and Thr715Pro) predicted a change in the amino acid sequence of the P- selectin protein. All P-selectin polymorphisms as well as a common E- selectin polymorphism, Ser128Arg which has been reported as being associated with an increased risk of premature coronary heart disease (CHD), and is in tight linkage disequilibrium with several P-selectin polymorphisms, were investigated in 647 patients with MI and 758 control subjects from four regions of France and Northern Ireland (the ECTIM study). The entire set of P-selectin polymorphisms provided a heterozygosity of 91%. The polymorphisms were tightly associated with one another and displayed patterns of linkage disequilibrium suggesting the existence of highly conserved ancestral haplotypes. The five polymorphisms in the 5'-flanking region of the gene were unrelated to MI or any relevant phenotype measured in the ECTIM study. We inferred that the four missense variants identified in the coding region predicted eight common forms of the P-selectin protein. The Pro715 allele which characterizes one of these forms was less frequent in France than in Northern Ireland ( P < 0.002) and in cases than in controls ( P < 0.002; P < 0.02 after correction for the number of tests). We conclude that the P-selectin gene is highly polymorphic and hypothesize that the Pro715 variant may be protective for MI. Whether this variant affects the properties of the P-selectin protein in a way which is compatible with this hypothesis needs to be checked experimentally.      

Glycoproteins present in human follicular fluid that inhibit the zona- binding capacity of spermatozoa

Previous studies have suggested that human follicular fluid contains factors that reduce the zona-binding capacity of spermatozoa. The present study provides further evidence of the existence of such factors. Using the hemizona binding assay (HZA), we have shown that the inhibitory effect of human follicular fluid on the zona-binding capacity of spermatozoa is concentration-dependent, an inhibitory effect being detected when the concentration of human follicular fluid was > or = 10%. A 1% concentration of human follicular fluid did not possess this inhibitory activity. Heating human follicular fluid at 56 degrees C for 30 min did not affect its inhibitory properties; treatment with proteinase-K abolished such inhibition. Human follicular fluid was fractionated sequentially by concanavalin-A affinity chromatography, Mono Q ion-exchange chromatography and Superose-12 gel filtration. The zona binding inhibitory activity resided in the fraction which bound to the lectin and Mono Q column and contained molecules with native molecular weights of 32 and 192 kDa. Sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analysis suggested that the 192 kDa glycoprotein was a tetramer, while the 32 kDa glycoprotein remained as a single molecular species under denaturing conditions. We conclude that two glycoproteins were responsible for the zona binding inhibitory activity of human follicular fluid. The physiological role of these factors remains unclear.      

The use of laparoscopic ovarian electrocautery in preventing cancellation of in-vitro fertilization treatment cycles due to risk of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome in women with polycystic ovaries

Fifty women with polycystic ovaries took part in a prospective randomized study. All women required treatment by in-vitro fertilization (IVF) for reasons other than anovulation. They had all previously undergone ovarian stimulation with gonadotrophin therapy which had failed to result in pregnancy or had been abandoned due to high risk of developing ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS). Twenty-five women were treated by long-term pituitary desensitization followed by gonadotrophin therapy, oocyte retrieval and embryo transfer (group 1). Twenty-five women underwent laparoscopic ovarian electrocautery after pituitary desensitization followed by gonadotrophin therapy, oocyte retrieval and embryo transfer (group 2). A significantly higher number of women in group 1 had to have the treatment cycle abandoned due to impending or actual OHSS, determined by endocrine and clinical findings. In addition, the development of moderate or severe OHSS in completed cycles was higher in group 1. The pregnancy rate and miscarriage rates in the two treatment groups were similar. The authors propose that laparoscopic ovarian electrocautery is a potentially useful treatment for women who have previously had an IVF treatment cycle cancelled due to risk of OHSS or who have suffered OHSS in a previous treatment cycle.