Butyl benzyl phthalate,an endocrine disrupter,inhibits pulsatile luteinizing hormone secretion under an insulin-induced hypoglycaemic state in ovariectomized rats

Butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP) and bisphenol A (BPA), termed endocrine disrupters, are known to mimic oestrogen in their actions, and therefore there is concern about their effect on reproductive functions. Since it is reported that the inhibitory action of oestrogen on the pulsatile secretion of luteinizing hormone (LH) is enhanced under insulin-induced hypoglycaemia, whether this also applies to BBP and BPA was examined in the present study. In adult ovariectomized (OVX) rats, the pulsatile LH secretion 24 h after subcutaneous injection of 10 mg BBP (BBP-treated), 10 mg BPA (BPA-treated) or 100 ng 17beta-oestradiol (E2-treated), all of which were dissolved in sesame oil, was not changed significantly compared to that after the injection of sesame oil only. Furthermore, in oil-treated OVX rats, the pulsatile LH secretion immediately after intravenous injection of insulin (1.0 U) was not changed compared to that after saline injection. In BBP-treated OVX rats, the injection of insulin (1.0 U) significantly decreased the number of LH pulses as in E2-treated OVX rats. The injection of insulin did not significantly affect the amplitude of LH pulses in BBP-, BPA- and E2-treated OVX rats. The results indicate that the oestrogenic action of BBP is significantly enhanced by insulin-induced hypoglycaemia and thus the pulsatile LH secretion is inhibited. We suggest that weak oestrogenic endocrine disrupters may become harmful to reproductive functions even in adult female rats, if acting under a low energy state.     

Functional cerebral asymmetries during the menstrual cycle: a cross-sectional and longitudinal analysis

This study aims at answering two basic questions regarding the mechanisms with which hormones modulate functional cerebral asymmetries. Which steroids or gonadotropins fluctuating during the menstrual cycle affect perceptual asymmetries? Can these effects be demonstrated in a cross-sectional (follicular and midluteal cycle phases analyzed) and a longitudinal design, in which the continuous hormone and asymmetry fluctuations were measured over a time course of 6 weeks? To answer these questions, 12 spontaneously cycling right-handed women participated in an experiment in which their levels of progesterone, estradiol, testosterone, LH, and FSH were assessed every 3 days by blood-sample based radioimmunoassays (RIAs). At the same points in time their asymmetries were analyzed with visual half-field (VHF) techniques using a lexical decision, a figure recognition, and a face discrimination task. Both cross-sectional and longitudinal analyzes showed that an increase of progesterone is related to a reduction in asymmetries in a figure recognition task by increasing the performance of the left-hemisphere which is less specialized for this task. Cross-sectionally, estradiol was shown to have significant relationships to the accuracy and the response speed of both hemispheres. However, since these effects were in the same direction, asymmetry was not affected. This was not the case in the longitudinal design, where estradiol affected the asymmetry in the lexical decision and the figural comparison task. Overall, these data show that hormonal fluctuations within the menstrual cycle have important impacts on functional cerebral asymmetries. The effect of progesterone was highly reliable and could be shown in both analysis schemes. By contrast, estradiol mainly, but not exclusively, affected both hemispheres in the same direction.     

Radiation exposure impairs luteinizing hormone signal transduction and steroidogenesis in cultured human leydig cells.

Therapeutic, accidental, and experimental radiation exposures decreased serum testosterone in males, leading to various sexual problems. Since testicular Leydig cells are the predominant source of circulating testosterone, findings on the direct effects of radiation on Leydig cell steroidogenesis and the mechanism behind such effects would be of greater importance to the use of safer radiation doses in cancer therapy and to adopt preventive or therapeutic measures to alleviate postirradiation lesions, respectively. Therefore, this study was undertaken to explore the same using cultured human Leydig cells. Testicles removed from advanced prostatic carcinoma patients were used for isolation and purification of Leydig cells. Purified Leydig cells were cultured and then exposed to different doses (2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 Gy) of fractioned gamma radiation. Normal and irradiated cells were used for luteinizing hormone (LH) receptor quantification or total RNA isolation to study LH receptor mRNA expression or LH/cyclic AMP (cAMP) stimulation test. While LH-stimulated cells were used for cAMP assay, LH- and cAMP-stimulated cells were used for the estimation of steroidogenic enzymes, testosterone and estradiol production. Radiation exposure caused adverse effects on Leydig cell steroidogenesis in a dose-dependent manner. While lower doses (2 and 4 Gy) were ineffective, higher doses (6 Gy and above) drastically decreased LH receptor, basal and LH-stimulated cAMP generation, and basal, LH-, and cAMP-stimulated steroidogenesis. While 2 Gy of radiation exposure increased the LH receptor mRNA level, other doses did not induce any significant change. Therefore, it is concluded that higher doses of radiation impair Leydig cell steroidogenesis by affecting LH signal transduction at the level of both pre- and post-cAMP generation. Decreased level of LH receptors following higher doses of radiation exposure is not coupled with impaired expression of its mRNA.     

癌症患者腺垂体激素分泌功能的变化研究

目的 研究癌症患者腺垂体激素分泌功能的变化。方法 用放射免疫法[fj-2008ps1]测定171例癌症患者与46例正常对照组的泌乳素(PRL)，生长激素(GH)，促卵泡生成激素(FSH)，促黄体生成激素(LH)和促甲状腺激素(TSH)的血清水平。结果 癌症患者组与正常对照组比较患者血清PRLGH，LH和FSH均增高，但TSH无显著差异；肿瘤转移组与非转移组比较则无显著差别；不同脏器恶性肿瘤间垂体激素水平也无显著差异。结论 癌症患者腺垂体激素分泌功能亢进，除TSH水平变化不显著外，其他4种垂体激素水平皆升高显著，这有助于我们了解癌症患者的机体变化。     

Value of Evaluating Ovarian Response According to Basal FSH/LH Ratio

Controlled ovary hyperstimulation(COH) is an important stage in assistant reproduc- tion treatment. Due to patients’ individual differences, it can be great valuable in choosing property stimulation protocol, dose and predicting reproductive outcome to e…     

电针对围绝经期综合征患者血清雌激素水平的影响

目的和方法 采用电针关元、三阴交穴，以调补冲任为施治原则，对33例围绝经期综合征患者进行临床治疗效应观察，分析电针治疗对患者血清雌二醇（E2）水平的影响。结果和结论 结果发现电针关元、三阴交穴不仅可明显改善围绝经期患者临床症状，且性激素检测也发现治疗后患者血清E2、FSH、LH水平均较治疗前有所改善。     

穴位埋线治疗肥胖型多囊卵巢综合征的临床观察

目的 观察穴位埋线疗法治疗肥胖型多囊卵巢综合征（PCOS）的疗效。方法 选取36例肥胖型PCOS患者，对其进行穴位埋线治疗，并分别收集治疗前后血清激素及生化测定指标数据，测量治疗前后的体重变化，同时观察埋线治疗期间月经的变化。结果 治疗前后患者BMI、T、LH、FSH、PRL、E2等指标改善方面，差异有显著性；部分患者月经周期恢复正常（达80．6％）。结论 穴位埋线疗法有效地降低肥胖型PCOS患者的体重指数，从而改善患者的脂肪代谢，减轻胰岛素抵抗，增强其对于促排卵药物的敏感性，是一种治疗肥胖型PCOS的中西医结合新途径。     

Low dose gossypol for male contraception

Aim: To ascertain whether the side effects of gossypol, hypokalemia and irreversibility, could be avoided on dose re-duction. Methods: Seventy-seven male volunteers were divided into 3 groups: control (22 cases), 10 mg gossypol(29 cases) and 12.5 mg (26 cases). Serum levels of testosterone, FSH and LH were measured by RIA and potassiumby flame photometry. Spema counts and motility were examined before and regularly after treatment for the evaluationof contraceptive efficacy. Results: The average sperm density and motility started to decrease significantly by theend of month 2 of medication and gradually reached the infertility levels ( < 4 million /mL) in both treated groups. Af-ter that the 10 mg group was asked to take the same dose every other day for up to a total observation period of 16-18months for the maintenance of infertility. Subjects in the 12.5 mg group did not take gossypol any more so as to ob-serve the length of the loading dose required, but in a few, a maintenance dose of 12.5 mg every     

Soluble LH-HCG receptor and oestradiol as predictors of pregnancy and live birth in IVF

Research question

Circulating soluble LH-HCG receptor (sLHCGR) is a first-trimester marker for screening pregnancy pathologies and predicts premature or multiple births before fertility treatment. Oestradiol per oocyte at ovulation induction predicts IVF treatment outcomes. We asked whether sLHCGR levels are stable during fertility treatment and whether, alone or with oestradiol, they could improve prediction of fertility treatment outcomes.

Growth Hormone-Releasing Hormone (GHRH)-GH-Somatic Growth and Luteinizing Hormone (LH)RH-LH-Ovarian Axes in Adult Female Transgenic Mice Expressing Human GH Gene

We have examined alterations in the hypothalamo-pituitary GH-somatic growth axis and the hypothalamo-pituitary LH-ovarian axis in a line of transgenic ICR mice expressing human GH (hGH) under the influence of the whey acid protein promoter. Transgenic female mice weighed twice as much as control females and were infertile. The size of the anterior pituitary (AP) was that of the controls. In transgenic mice, acinar cells in the mammary and mandibular glands displayed hGH-immunoreactivity, and plasma hGH was detected by radioimmunoassay. In the medial basal hypothalamus (MBH) of transgenic females, the immunoreactive-GHRH level was decreased (P<0.01). There was a corresponding reduction in the number of GHRH-immunoreactive neurons in the arcuate nucleus (ARC) and in the immunostaining of GHRH nerve terminals in the median eminence. The level of somatostatin (SRIH) in the MBH was increased (P<0.05), and SRIH-immunoreactive neurons in the periventricular nucleus (PeV) were increased in size and number in transgenic mice. The MBH level of LHRH in transgenic animals was greater (P<0.01) than in controls, although there was no apparent difference in the number of LHRH-immunoreactive neurons or in LHRH level in the preoptic area. There are fewer SRIH- and LHRH-immunoreactive neurons in the ARC in transgenic mice. Cells in the AP for GH, PRL, and LH were fewer in transgenic mice. The ovary suffered disturbance of follicular development and of corpora lutea formation.