Follicle stimulating hormone effects on immature human oocytes: In vitro maturation and hormone production

Purpose: Our purpose was (1) to determine if in vitro maturation of unstimulated oocytes could be improved with the addition of urofollitropin; (2) to evaluate the output of estradiol, testosterone, progesterone, and androstenedione by the cultured oocyte-cumulus complex; and (3) to ascertain if steroid hormone production of the oocyte-cumulus complex correlates with final oocyte maturation stage. Methods: Fifty-eight immature oocytes were obtained from 11 regularly cycling women undergoing oophorectomy. The oocyte-cumulus complexes were randomly assigned to control medium (Ham’s F-10 supplemented with 7.5% fetal bovine serum) or test medium (control medium supplemented with 75 mIU/ml of urofollitropin). Results: (1) The addition of urofollitropin to oocyte culture medium does not significantly increase the ability of the oocyte to achieve the metaphase II stage; (2) the addition of urofollitropin significantly increases the production of progesterone, testosterone, and androstenedione by the oocyte-cumulus complex; and (3) there is no difference in the production of estradiol, progesterone, testosterone, and androstenedione by the oocyte-cumulus complex at the germinal vesicle, metaphase I or metaphase II stage of oocyte maturation. Conclusions: This information is of importance in the use of oophorectomy specimens for patients who must undergo an oophorectomy but desire to attempt pregnancy using their oocytes, in the use of oophorectomy specimens for donor oocytes, or for patients undergoing in vitro fertilization using immature oocyte collection.     

Perinatal Outcome of Pregnancies After Assisted Reproduction: A Case–Control Study

Purpose: A matched case–control study of all pregnancies obtained after either IVF or ICSI was conducted to investigate the perinatal outcome. Methods: Three hundred eleven singleton and 115 twin pregnancies obtained after assisted reproduction were studied. Controls were selected from a regional register and were matched for maternal age, parity, singleton or twin pregnancy, and date of delivery. Results: No significant difference was observed for gestational age at delivery, birth weight, incidence of congenital anomalies, and incidence of perinatal mortality between ART (singleton and twin) pregnancies and spontaneous controls. ART twin pregnancies showed a higher incidence of preterm deliveries than control pregnancies (52 vs 42%; P < 0.05) and needed more neonatal intensive care (47 vs 26%; P < 0.05). Conclusions: From this case–control study it is concluded that the perinatal outcome of ART singleton pregnancies is not different from that in matched controls. ART twin pregnancies showed a higher incidence of preterm deliveries than control pregnancies and needed more neonatal intensive care.     

Embryo developmental stage at transfer influences outcome of treatment with intracytoplasmic sperm injection

Purpose: Our purpose was to determine if embryo cell stage at the time of intrauterine transfer correlates with pregnancy rate in patients treated with intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of 455 embryo transfer cycles following ICSI and 304 conventional in vitro fertilization (IVF) and embryo transfer cycles in women aged 40 years or less. Abstracted information included grading of the embryo cell stage and quality at the time of transfer. Results: The overall ICSI pregnancy rate was 30.8%, while that of conventional IVF was 29.3%. However, the ICSI pregnancy rate fell to 9.3% for embryo transfers taking place at the two-cell stage but increased to 35.8% when at least one embryo had more than two cells, and this difference was statistically significant (P≤0.0001). The pregnancy rate following conventional IVF was 22.0% when only two-cell embryos were transferred and 32.0% when at least one of the embryos had more than two cells, but this difference in pregnancy rates was not significant (P>0.05). Conclusions: The stage of embryo development at transfer appears to exert a powerful influence on the successful establishment of pregnancy after ICSI.     

Evaluating sex chromosome content of sorted human sperm samples with use of dual-color fluorescence in situ hybridization

OBJECTIVE: Although most methods for selecting the sex of offspring by sorting spermatozoa are ineffective at shifting the ratio of Y- to X-containing cells, some commercial sources continue to offer such services. Our objective was to evaluate commercially “sorted” samples with use of dual-color fluorescence in situ hybridization and to identify variations in assessment by comparing motile and total sperm populations, donors, observers, and fluorescence in situ hybridization probes.STUDY DESIGN: Cryopreserved sperm from seven anonymous donors were processed as for insemination. Sperm cells from each total sample or motile subfraction were prepared for fluorescence in situ hybridization by incubation with disulfide-reducing agents to expand sperm nuclei. Two sets of X and Y chromosome–specific, fluorophore-labeled deoxyribonucleic acid probes were used. At least 400 nuclei from each preparation were classified independently by three blinded observers. Hybridization efficiency, aneuploidy, and sex chromosome content were evaluated in subsets of five unsorted, five female-oriented, and five male-oriented samples. Total and motile subfractions were compared with eight samples. Fluorescence in situ hybridization probes were compared in five paired unsorted samples.RESULTS: No differences were detected between washed samples and paired motile subfractions. No differences in hybridization and aneuploidy were detected between groups of sorted samples. The Y/X ratio was significantly different between the sorted groups. However, male-oriented samples had a lower Y/X ratio than female-oriented samples did. Observer and probe choice accounted for small but significant variations that did not alter conclusions about the Y/X ratio for sorted samples.CONCLUSION: In a series of 10 sorted samples from one commercial source, dual-color fluorescence in situ hybridization demonstrated a small but significant shift in the sex chromosome ratios among samples. However, this shift was opposite to that expected by the orientation of the sorted samples. (Am J Obstet Gynecol 1997;176:1172-80.)     

浅探溃疡病胃镜征象与中医辨证关系

通过观察１１６例溃疡病人内镜下病变部位的粘膜相，根据四诊资料进行辨证分型，试图从微观角度探讨中医病因、病机、诊断；分析了内镜诊断，胃粘膜相与中医舌象、传统辨证的关系，认为胃粘膜相与舌象改变基本一致。对有血瘀症状而无舌脉改变者，胃镜亦能提示瘀阻胃络的粘膜改变，故可作为中医望诊的延伸运用于临床。将宏观辨证与微观辨证有机结合，可补充传统辨证的不足，有利于对中医证型本质的探讨，为中医辨证论治开辟新的前景。     

渗出性胸膜炎临床证型的影像学辨证探讨

应用Ｘ线、超声检查对１００例，２１０例次的本病临床证型进行了对照观察，发现各临床证型均有影像学的特征，Ⅰ型邪郁少阳为胸腔内有少量胸水，Ⅱ型饮停胸胁为具有中等量以上的胸水，Ⅲ型络脉不和为胸水较前有吸收和／或伴有纤维化征象，Ⅳ型无症状为胸膜已无异常发现或增厚粘连并经超声检查证实无胸水。但在各证型中尚有不少病例宜按影像检查所见重新确定证型施治。根据本组观察，认为Ｘ线及超声检查所见，可作为本病临床辨证提供可靠的客观依据     

沙漠燥证初探——沙漠石油工人健康调查和保健研究

调查进入沙漠腹地,在酷热、干燥环境下作业的石油工人所出现的不适症状,提出沙漠燥证的概念。分析其症状发生频率、积分、特殊属性和亲疏关系,引入轻重分证、新宿辨证和特质辨证的方法,分别进行计量辨证。结果显示,沙漠燥证是客观存在的临床证候,沙漠组工人的燥证罹患率、燥证类型构成与非沙漠组有显著差别。从而认为,沙漠燥证具有不同于一般燥证的特异性,它涉及多系统多脏器的生理和病理变化,并与心理、精神障碍有关,应当深入研究,采取积极防治措施。     

心身Ⅰ号抗应激性溃疡的实验研究

本实验依据中医学:“形神若一”和情志致病理论,以束缚水浸法模拟情志刺激制做大鼠应激性溃汤的模型,并以具有理气、降逆、散结作用的中药复方心身Ⅰ号进行治疗反证,证实该模型气机紊乱的实质是神经内分泌调节系统和微循环的紊乱,心身Ⅰ号具有调节神经内分泌系统和微循环功能,起到心(情绪、心理)身(躯体)并治的作用。     

新显色剂5-APAQ分光光度法直接测定药品中的残留钯

 目的：建立一种药品中有害杂质钯残留量的测量技术。方法：采用新试剂5-（对-胂酸基苯偶氮）-8-氨基喹啉（5-APAQ）与钯发生络合反应显色，用分光光度法进行测量。结果：在pH10～14的水溶液中，显色络合物的最大吸收波长为653nm，摩尔吸收系数为1．05×10⁵，吸光度与钯含量在0μg·ml^－1～1．2μg·ml^－1成线性关系。结论：实验证明，本方法特异性强、灵敏度高、操作简便快捷。     

人体寄生虫虫卵图像的自动识别

本文对显微医学图像的自动识别进行了初步研究，在微型计算机上实现了血吸虫等十余种人体寄生虫虫卵显微图像的预处理、分割、特征提取及识别与分类。通过对一批检验样本的识别分类，取得了正确率为９２％的较好结果。