Does Acupuncture Enhance a Woman's Chance for Pregnancy and a Live Birth?

Rev Obstet Gynecol. 2008;1(2):89

Authors: Kent A

PMID: 18769662 [PubMed - in process]

Management of early pregnancy failure.

Rev Obstet Gynecol. 2008;1(2):90-1

Authors: Kent A

PMID: 18769660 [PubMed - in process]

Lipidomics in diagnosis of lipidoses.

Subcell Biochem. 2008;49:567-88

Authors: Wolf C, Quinn PJ

A review is presented of the major clinical features of a number of glycolipidoses including Fabry, Gaucher, Tay-Sachs, metachromatic leukodystrophy as well as CeroidLipofucinosis and Sjogren-Larsson syndrome. The possibilities offered by lipidomics for diagnosis and follow-up after enzyme replacement therapy are presented from a practical perspective. The contribution of HPLC coupled with tandem mass spectrometry has considerably simplified the detection and assay of abnormal metabolites. Corresponding internal standards consisting of weighed mixtures of the stable-isotope labeled metabolites required to calibrate and quantitate lipid components of these orphan diseases standards have yet to become commercially available. A lipidomics approach has been found to compare favorably with DNA-sequence analysis for the rapid diagnosis of pre-birth syndromes resulting from these multiple gene defects. The method also seems to be suitable for screening applications in terms of a high throughput combined with a low rate of false diagnoses based on the wide differences in metabolite concentrations found in affected patients as compared with normal subjects. The practical advantages of handling samples for lipidomic diagnoses as compared to enzyme assay are presented for application to diagnosis during pregnancy.

PMID: 18751927 [PubMed - in process]

Pregnancy in patients with beta-thalassaemia major: maternal and foetal outcome.

Acta Haematol. 2008;119(1):15-7

Authors: Mancuso A, Giacobbe A, De Vivo A, Ardita FV, Meo A

PMID: 18182786 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Determinants of Pregnancy and Postpartum Depression: Prospective Influences of Depressive Symptoms, Body Image Satisfaction, and Exercise Behavior.

Ann Behav Med. 2008 Sep 5;

Authors: Downs DS, Dinallo JM, Kirner TL

BACKGROUND: Limited research has prospectively examined women's exercise and psychological health behaviors before, during, and after pregnancy. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the associations between and the extent to which depressive symptoms (DS), body image satisfaction (BIS), and exercise behavior (EB) prospectively explained trimester-specific and postpartum depression. METHODS: Participants (N = 230 pregnant women) completed self-reported measures midway through their first, second, and third trimesters and at 6-weeks postpartum from 2005 to 2007. Women were also classified based on current activity guidelines as active and somewhat active to examine the moderating influence of pre-pregnancy EB on the contributions of the study variables for explaining DS. RESULTS: We found that : (a) DS, BIS, and EB were associated across the three pregnancy time points and postpartum, (b) DS and BIS were main determinants of later depression in pregnancy and postpartum, and (c) the moderating influence of pre-pregnancy EB was evident in early pregnancy. CONCLUSIONS: These preliminary findings suggest that DS and BIS are important psychological factors for intervention to improve women's pregnancy and postpartum psychological health and that EB in the pre-pregnancy period may offer women protective effects against DS in early pregnancy.

PMID: 18773252 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Preclinical Characterization of a (S)-N-(4-Cyano-3-trifluoromethyl-phenyl)-3-(3-fluoro, 4-chlorophenoxy)-2-Hydroxy-2-Methyl-Propanamide: A Selective Androgen Receptor Modulator for Hormonal Male Contraception.

Endocrinology. 2008 Sep 4;

Authors: Jones A, Chen J, Hwang DJ, Miller DD, Dalton JT

The pharmacologic effects of (S)-N-(4-Cyano-3-trifluoromethyl-phenyl)-3-(3-fluoro, 4-chlorophenoxy)-2-Hydroxy-2-Methyl-Propanamide (S-23) were characterized in male rats as an animal model of hormonal male contraception. S-23 showed high binding affinity (Ki=1.7+/-0.2 nM) and was identified as a full agonist in vitro. In castrated male rats, the ED50 of S-23 in the prostate and levator ani muscle was 0.43 and 0.079 mg/day, respectively. In intact male rats treated for 14 days, S-23 alone suppressed LH levels by greater than 50% at doses greater than 0.1 mg/day, with corresponding decreases in the size of the prostate but increases in the size of levator ani muscle. In intact male rats treated for up to 10 weeks with S-23 and estradiol benzoate (EB; necessary to maintain sexual behavior in rats), S-23 showed biphasic effects on androgenic tissues and spermatogenesis by suppressing serum concentrations of luteinizing hormone and follicle stimulating hormone. EB alone showed no effect on spermatogenesis. In the EB + S-23 (0.1mg/day) group, 4/6 of animals showed no sperm in the testis and zero pregnancies (0/6) in mating trials. After termination of treatment, infertility was fully reversible, with a 100% pregnancy rate observed after 100 days of recovery. S-23 increased bone mineral density and lean mass, but reduced fat mass in a dose-dependent manner. This is the first study to show that a SARM combined with EB is an effective and reversible regimen for hormonal male contraception in rats. The beneficial effects of S-23 on the muscle, tissue selectivity, and favorable pharmacokinetic properties make it a strong candidate for use in oral male contraception.

PMID: 18772237 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Development and Characterization of a SV-40 Immortalized Bovine Endometrial Stromal Cell Line.

Endocrinology. 2008 Sep 4;

Authors: Krishnaswamy N, Chapdelaine P, Tremblay JP, Fortier MA

In ruminants, Interferon-tau (IFNtau) is the maternal recognition signal inhibiting prostaglandin F2alpha (PGF2alpha) production by endometrial epithelial cells and stimulating IFN stimulated genes (ISGs) in the stroma. Stromal cells mediate the action of progesterone on epithelial cells during pregnancy. Our working hypothesis is that IFNtau acts as a molecular switch that turns on PGE2 production in endometrial stromal cells while suppressing PGF2alpha production from epithelial cells. In this report, we document immortalization and functional characterization of a bovine stromal cell line from the caruncular region of the endometrium (CSC). Primary stromal cells were immortalized by nucleofection with SV40 Large T antigen (SV40 TAG) and integrase. The resulting cell line CSC, expresses stromal cell specific vimentin, estrogen and progesterone receptors and is amenable for transient transfection. Basal and stimulated production of PGE2 is higher than PGF2alpha and associated with cyclooxygenase 2 (COX2) expression. Phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) and IFNtau up-regulate COX2 and PG production in a dose-dependent manner. When added together, low concentrations of IFNtau inhibit PMA-induced COX2 expression; whereas this inhibition is lost at high concentrations. Expression of signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1) is induced by IFNtau at all concentrations studied, but is not modulated by PMA. Since expression of STAT1 does not exhibit the biphasic response to IFNtau, we investigated the p38 mitogen activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK) pathway using the selective inhibitor SB203580. Inhibition of the p38 MAPK pathway abolishes IFNtau action on PG production. In summary, CSC appears as a good stromal cell model for investigating the molecular mechanisms related to IFNtau action and PG production in the bovine.

PMID: 18772234 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Lysophosphatidic acid signaling during embryo development in sheep: involvement in prostaglandin synthesis.

Endocrinology. 2008 Sep 4;

Authors: Liszewska E, Reinaud P, Billon-Denis E, Dubois O, Robin P, Charpigny G

We investigated the lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) pathway during early pregnancy in sheep. LPA was detected in the uteri of early-stages pregnant ewes. Using Q-RTPCR, the expression of autotaxin, the LPA-generating enzyme, was found in the endometrium and conceptus. In the latter autotaxin transcript levels were low on days 12-14 and increased on days 15-16, in parallel with the level of LPA. Autotaxin was localized in the luminal epithelium and superficial glands of the endometrium and in trophectoderm cells of the conceptus. The expression of G protein-coupled receptors for LPA was also examined in the ovine conceptus. LPAR1and LPAR3 transcripts were expressed during early pregnancy and displayed a peak on day 14, whereas the highest level of protein for both receptors was observed at day 17. LPAR1 was localized in cellular membranes and nuclear compartments of the trophectoderm cells whereas LPAR3 was only revealed in membranes. LPA activated phosphorylation of the MAPK ERK(1/2) in ovine trophectoderm derived cells. Moreover, the bioactive lipid increased the proliferation of trophectoderm cells in culture, as shown by thymidine and BrdU incorporation. Furthermore, LPA induced changes to the organization of ss-actin and alpha-tubulin, suggesting a role for it in rearrangement of the cytoskeleton of trophectoderm cells. Because a link had previously been established between prostaglandin and LPA pathways, we analyzed the effect of LPA on prostaglandin synthesis. LPA induced an increase in the release of PGF2alpha and PGE2, with no significant modifications to cPLA2alpha and PTGS2 expression. Taken together, our results suggest a new role for LPA-mediated signaling in the ovine conceptus at the time of implantation.

PMID: 18772233 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]