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Biomedical subjects

D K Edmonds

Publications and source records attributed to D K Edmonds.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1994

A quantitative study of sperm head ultrastructure in subfertile males with excess sperm precursors.

OBJECTIVE: To make an objective comparison between sperm head ultrastructure in fertile subjects and a subfertile cohort with an excess of immature germinal elements in the ejaculate. DESIGN: A quantitative analysis of ultrastructural features of the sperm head using transmission electron microscopy in the defined groups. PATIENTS: Ten men of proven fertility as controls and 10 subfertile subjects with a persistent excess of sperm precursors in the ejaculate were investigated. SETTING: The Infertility Clinic at Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospital, London. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Each individual in the study achieved a score for a range of previously defined features of sperm head ultrastructure. These scores provided the basis for comparison between fertile and subfertile subjects. RESULTS: Subfertile individuals were found to have motile sperm with significantly more hypoplastic, detached, and abnormally shaped acrosomes than fertile controls. Sperm nuclei in these subjects also contained significantly more intranuclear vacuoles and immature chromatin and were associated more commonly with cytoplasmic droplets than fertile controls. CONCLUSION: Men with an excess of sperm precursors in the ejaculate have motile sperm with a range of abnormalities involving the nucleus and acrosome to account for reduced functional competence.

Acrosome↗
PubMed1994

Morphometric characteristics of motile spermatozoa in subfertile men with an excess of non-sperm cells in the ejaculate.

A comparison has been made between the morphological dimensions of motile spermatozoa in subfertile men demonstrating a persistent excess of non-sperm cells in their semen and those found in spermatozoa from fertile controls. Scanning electron microscopy and image analysis were used to make a morphometric assessment of defined sperm parameters in the study and control subjects. Half of the study cohort had an excess (> 5 x 10(6)/ml) of seminal leukocytes and the remainder an excess of sperm precursors in the ejaculate. In subjects with a sperm precursor excess, the motile spermatozoa had several significantly larger head parameters than those from both the fertile controls and those men with a leukocyte excess. Mid-piece and tail measurements did not differ significantly between groups. These findings suggest that, where there are large numbers of immature germinal elements present in semen, there is aberrant morphological development of the motile, apparently mature, spermatozoa which may represent disordered spermatogenesis.

Female↗
PubMed1994

Oestrogen and progesterone receptors in endometriosis: heterogeneity of different sites.

The expression of receptors for the ovarian steroid hormones oestrogen and progesterone was studied immunohistochemically using monoclonal antibodies in samples of endometriosis and endometrium in 22 patients. In nine patients samples of endometriosis from more than one site were studied. There was marked heterogeneity in expression of receptors in endometriosis, both when comparing lesions with the corresponding endometrium and also between samples of endometriosis collected from different sites within the same patient. It was suggested that local environmental factors related to the site, depth and degree of fibrosis of the lesions determine the amount of steroid hormone stimulation reaching the lesions and account for the observed difference between endometriosis and endometrium and between endometriosis lesions of different sites.

Endometriosis↗
PubMed1991

Preinduction cervical assessment by Bishop's score and transvaginal ultrasound.

In this pilot study, 50 patients underwent preinduction cervical assessment by digital Bishop Score (BS) and transvaginal ultrasonography. The BS was lower in 7 patients requiring caesarean section than in 43 delivered vaginally (P = 0.017). Of seven ultrasound parameters examined, six (cervical length, width, dilatation, application and position and lower segment thickness) were similar in both groups. Cervical angle, however, was more acute in those delivered abdominally than vaginally (median = 60 degrees and 90 degrees, respectively, P = 0.002). Posterior cervical angle was more accurate than BS in predicting vaginal delivery (Kappa = 0.48 versus 0.21). Patient discomfort was significantly less with transvaginal ultrasound than digital examination. Combining posterior cervical angle greater than 70 degrees and BS greater than 5 yielded the best accuracy in predicting successful induction of labour (sensitivity = 88%, specificity = 100%, Kappa = 0.68).

Adult↗
PubMed1991

The effect of danazol on pulsatile gonadotropin secretion in women with endometriosis.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the effect of danazol on gonadotropin pulsatility was due to a direct effect of the drug or the suppression in the estradiol (E2) levels. DESIGN: Prospective analysis of serial blood samples at 10-minute intervals for 5 hours on days 3, 4, or 5 of the control cycle and 2 months after the start of danazol treatment. SETTING: Tertiary institutional outpatient care. PATIENTS, PARTICIPANTS: Six eugonadal women with minimal endometriosis. INTERVENTIONS: Oral administration of danazol, 200 mg three times daily. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Gonadotropin mean levels, pulse frequency, and amplitude. RESULTS: The mean level of E2 was the same in the control cycle as that during danazol treatment (170 pmol/L). Danazol administration resulted in a 16% increase in the mean luteinizing hormone (LH) pulse amplitude (95% confidence interval [CI] 6% to 26%, P less than 0.01), associated with a 20% decrease in LH pulse frequency (95% CI -71% to +31%, P = 0.37). There was a nonsignificant increase in follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) pulse amplitude (2%, 95% CI -9% to +14%, P = 0.68) and in FSH pulse frequency (27%, 95% CI -4% to +58%, P = 0.08). The 22% decrease in the mean LH level (95% CI -85% to +12%, P = 0.13) and the 20% decrease in the mean FSH level (95% CI -53% to +37%, P = 0.33) were also not significant. CONCLUSIONS: The increase in LH pulse amplitude represents a direct effect of danazol on the hypothalamic-pituitary axis.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

The effect of danazol and the LHRH agonist analogue goserelin (Zoladex) on the biological activity of luteinizing hormone in women with endometriosis.

In an attempt to determine whether the suppression in oestradiol levels caused by danazol is due to an effect on the hypothalamic-pituitary axis, we compared the endocrine effects of danazol with those of the LHRH (GnRH) agonist analogue goserelin. Serum levels of immunoreactive LH (I-LH), FSH, 17 beta-oestradiol (E2) and bioactive LH (B-LH) (using a mouse Leydig cell bioassay), were measured in ten and 20 women with endometriosis treated with danazol and goserelin, respectively. I-LH was measured both by radioimmunoassay (RIA) and immunoradiometric assay (IRMA). During 6 months of treatment with 600 mg of danazol daily, mean serum E2 decreased (P less than 0.05) to levels near the upper limit of the post-menopausal range (to a mean (and 95% confidence interval of the mean) of 117 (65-169) pmol/l) whereas FSH, I-LH (both by RIA and IRMA) and B-LH levels were not significantly altered. During 6 months of treatment with monthly depot injections of 3.6 mg goserelin, mean serum E2 decreased (P less than 0.001) to well within the post-menopausal range (to 23 (18-28) pmol/l). The mean FSH, I-LH and B-LH levels also decreased (P less than 0.05) during therapy with goserelin (from 3.9 (3.1-4.7) to 2.0 (1.6-2.4) IU/l for FSH, from 5.3 (4.5-6.1) to 1.9 (1.7-2.1) IU/l for RIA-LH, from 2.9 (2.5-3.3) to less than 0.5 (less than 0.5) IU/l for IRMA-LH and from 9.1 (7.1-11.1) to 2.9 (2.6-3.2) IU/l for B-LH).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Oxytocin infusion during second stage of labour in primiparous women using epidural analgesia: a randomised double blind placebo controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the high rate of forceps delivery associated with the use of epidural analgesia could be reduced through giving an intravenous infusion of oxytocin during the second stage of labour. DESIGN: A randomised, double blind, placebo controlled trial. SETTING: Delivery suites in three hospitals. SUBJECTS: 226 Primiparous women with adequate epidural analgesia in whom full dilatation of the cervix had been achieved without prior stimulation with oxytocin. INTERVENTION: An infusion of oxytocin or placebo starting at the diagnosis of full cervical dilatation at an initial dose rate of 2 mU/min increasing to a maximum of 16 mU/min. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The outcome of labour was assessed in terms of the duration of the second stage, mode of delivery, fetal condition at birth, postpartum blood loss, and the incidence of perineal trauma. RESULTS: Treatment with oxytocin was associated with a shorter second stage (p = 0.01), a reduction in the number of non-rotational forceps deliveries (p = 0.03), and less perineal trauma (p = 0.03) but was not associated with any reduction in the number of rotational forceps deliveries performed for malposition of the occiput. No adverse effects on fetal condition at birth or in the early puerperium were seen in association with the use of oxytocin. CONCLUSIONS: The use of an oxytocin infusion may reduce the high rate of operative delivery associated with epidural analgesia provided that the fetal occiput is in an anterior position at the onset of the second stage of labour but within the dose range studied does not seem to correct malposition of the fetal occiput.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Retrograde ejaculation: successful treatment with artificial insemination.

Between 1977 and 1987, 14 couples in whom the male partner had retrograde ejaculation were treated with artificial insemination using the husband's sperm (AIH). There were 6 pregnancies in 4 couples, giving a cumulative probability of pregnancy at 12 months of 72%. The success rate depended on a number of factors, including semen quality, methods of sperm extraction from the urine, timing of ovulation and other complicating fertility factors.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Extended exposure to follicular fluid is required for significant stimulation of the acrosome reaction in human spermatozoa.

The effect of human follicular fluid (FF) on the incidence of spontaneous acrosome reactions (AR) in human spermatozoa was examined over a 24-25 h period using electron microscopy. Suspensions of motile spermatozoa were prepared by a swim-up method in Earle's medium, known to support in-vitro fertilization. After adjusting the concentration to 10 x 10(6) cells/ml, suspensions were diluted 1:1 with medium (control) or FF, the latter giving a final concentration of 50% FF. In addition, at 5 h and 24 h an aliquant of the control suspension was removed, diluted 1:1 with FF and incubated for 1 h; the three suspensions were examined at 6 h and 25 h. Continuous exposure to 50% FF stimulated the AR, the effect being significant (P less than 0.001) at 25 h. However, the 1-h short exposure of spermatozoa to FF did not produce an increase in AR, even after 24 h preincubation. In a separate series of experiments, the effect of continuous incubation for 24 h in increasing concentrations of FF was investigated. A significant linear dose-dependent effect on the AR was observed with all concentrations assessed (P less than 0.01 for 12.5% FF and P less than 0.001 for 25, 50, 75 and 100% FF, compared with FF-free control). Therefore, human FF can stimulate the AR, but only after a continuous exposure to FF. A short exposure to FF, even after 24 h preincubation, does not trigger an increased AR response.

Acrosome↗
PubMed1989

Human oocyte-cumulus complexes stimulate the human acrosome reaction.

Oocyte-cumulus complexes were obtained, after induced ovulation, from infertile patients participating in an in-vitro fertilization programme. About 6 h after retrieval and depending on the expansion of the cumulus, 100,000 motile spermatozoa, prepared by a migration-centrifugation method, were added. After 14-18 h incubation at 37 degrees C, oocytes were examined for signs of fertilization (pronuclei and polar body formation) and then removed; spermatozoa remaining in the incubation medium were fixed for transmission electron microscopy. To provide an adequate number of cells for observation, spermatozoa from a minimum of 3-5 oocytes from the same patient were pooled. When sufficient spermatozoa were available after insemination, the remainder of the suspension was incubated at 37 degrees C and fixed along with the corresponding oocyte-incubated sample. In all, 32 sperm samples were assessed and fertilized oocytes were obtained with 29 of these. In the 24 samples in which greater than 100 spermatozoa (mean of 192) could be assessed, 32% of spermatozoa had initiated or completed the acrosome reaction. In the 15 of these 24 samples for which oocyte-free controls were available, 31% of cells were reacting or reacted, compared with 15% of cells (P less than 0.001) in the controls. In the remaining 8 samples, incubated with oocyte-cumulus complexes, less than 100 but greater than or equal to 20 spermatozoa (mean of 42) were assessed and again 32% of spermatozoa were reacted.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Female↗
PubMed1988

Programmed gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT).

Thirty-three patients with unexplained infertility underwent a total of 42 programmed superovulation cycles in a gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT) programme. The date of oocyte retrieval was decided in advance and the cycle preceding oocyte collection was modified with norethisterone from mid-cycle until 14 days before the scheduled laparoscopy. This was followed by a fixed schedule superovulation regimen. Serum oestradiol, progesterone and luteinizing hormone were monitored and the data analysed retrospectively. A single ultrasound scan was performed on the day of laparoscopy to exclude ovulation. Thirty-eight GIFT procedures were performed, resulting in 11 (29%) clinical pregnancies of which four twin and four singleton pregnancies are continuing. There was a significant correlation between the oestradiol response pattern and the maturity of oocytes retrieved, the fertilization rate of supernumerary oocytes and the pregnancy rate. Programmed cycles may be conveniently combined with GIFT, and basic endocrinological monitoring can be used to identify cycles with a poor prognosis before laparoscopy.

Adult↗