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Biomedical subjects

E Radwanska

Publications and source records attributed to E Radwanska.

83 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1975

Plasma oestradiol and progesterone estimation for the monitoring of induction of ovulation with clomiphene and chorionic gonadotrophin.

Two hundred and thirty-five courses of treatment with clomiphene and human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG) were administered for the induction of ovulation in 75 infertile women (three with primary amenorrhoea, 45 with secondary amenorrhoea and 27 with oligomenorrhoea) of whom 61 had previously been unsuccessfully treated with clomiphene alone. The treatment was monitored by plasma oestradiol estimations on day 15 and day 22 in 103 cycles and by plasma progesterone estimations on day 22 in all 235 cycles. Injections of HCG were given on day 15 and 22. Twenty patients failed to respond to treatment (43 courses). The remaining 55 patients showed no response in 32 courses, deficient responses in 55 cycles and adequate responses in 105 cycles (plasma progesterone level exceeding 10 ng per ml on day 22). The mean values (+/- SD) of plasma oestradiol on day 15, reflecting follicular development, were: 73 +/- 30 pg per ml for cycles with no response; 255 +/- 182 for deficient cycles and 366 +/- 226 pg per ml for adequate cycles. There was a positive correlation (r = 0-57) between day 15 plasma oestradiol and day 22 plasma progesterone values. Increased clomiphene dosage resulted in higher plasma oestradiol and progesterone levels. Thirty-nine pregnancies occurred in 34 out of 55 patients capable of response (62 per cent). The plasma progesterone levels during conception cycles were higher than those in non-conception cycles in the same patients. Monitoring of induction of ovulation by plasma hormone estimations allows detection and correction of inadequate response.

Amenorrhea↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Early endocrine events in induced pregnancies.

Progesterone (P) and human chorionic gonadotropin (beta-hCG) levels were measured randomly or serially in 141 single clinical intrauterine pregnancies resulting from treatment of infertility. Seventy (group I) were conceived during spontaneous cycles, 36 (group II) with clomiphene citrate, and 35 (group III) with menotropins (hMG). Each group was subdivided into subgroup A (normal pregnancies) and B (pregnancies ending in abortion). Thirteen percent of patients in group I aborted, 19% in group II, and 31% in group III (P less than .05). The overall mean (+/- SD) P level in group IA was 25.8 +/- 10.3 ng/mL and in group IB, 16.6 +/- 9.9 ng/mL (significantly lower, P less than .001); in group IIA the mean P level was 37.8 +/- 21.9 ng/mL and in group IIB, 22.9 +/- 17.9 ng/mL, again significantly lower (P less than .01). In subgroups IB and IIB, 11 of 16 patients showed early abnormal beta-hCG patterns; these findings suggest defective embryonic development and/or deficient corpus luteum function as the cause of abortion. There was no significant difference between mean P in group IIIA (71.1 +/- 43.7 ng/mL) and IIIB (75.7 +/- 55.9 ng/mL). In group IIIB, the mean "peak" P level of 101.1 +/- 73.6 ng/mL was followed by a mean "nadir" of 35.4 +/- 24.8 ng/mL at 6-9 weeks. In group IIIB, 7 of 11 patients showed normal beta-hCG patterns. Three patients with precipitous P decline aborted karyotypically normal fetuses in spite of normally rising beta-hCG levels and the presence of fetal cardiac activity.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Abortion, Spontaneous↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The acrosome reaction-inducing effect of human follicular and oviductal fluid.

The human sperm acrosome reaction (AR) can be induced in vitro by a variety of naturally occurring and synthetic compounds. The present investigation determined the effect of human natural cycle periovulatory follicular (hFF) and oviductal fluids (hOF) on the human sperm AR in dose-response fashion using the synchronous AR assay. When hFF (30% v/v) or hOF (40% v/v) was added to non-capacitated spermatozoa, no significant (P > 0.05) increase in the % AR was detected in comparison to the non-treatment control. When either of these compounds was added (10%, 20%, and 30% v/v hFF; 20%, 30%, and 40% v/v hOF) to capacitated spermatozoa (3 hour incubation), a significant (P < 0.05) stimulation of the AR was detected. Bovine oviductal fluid (bOF) was tested (20%, 30%, and 40% v/v) to determine if it might have an effect similar to hOF. In contrast to hOF, the highest concentration of bOF (40% v/v) tested failed to stimulate a significant (P > 0.05) increase in the % AR of capacitated spermatozoa in comparison to control. Inhibitors of protein kinases A (KT5720) and C (calphostin C) were tested to determine their effects on the hFF-induced AR. In comparison to hFF treatment alone, the kinase A inhibitor KT5720 (50 nM, 100 nM) prevented hFF (20%) stimulation of the AR when added at the end of the capacitation period and 5 minutes prior to the addition of inducer. Similarly, the kinase C inhibitor calphostin C (50 nM, 100 nM) prevented hFF (20%) stimulation of the AR. The present data demonstrate that periovulatory hFF and hOF stimulate the human sperm AR.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Acrosome↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Characterization of two second messenger pathways and their interactions in eliciting the human sperm acrosome reaction.

The human sperm acrosome reaction (AR) occurs via the activation of at least two signal transduction pathways. The purpose of this investigation was to characterize two of the pathways, the protein kinase A (PKA) and C (PKC) pathways, and determine whether pathway "crosstalk" occurs between them in eliciting the AR in capacitated spermatozoa. Stimulators of each pathway were tested in a dose-dependent manner. ARmax, ED50, and delta ARmax (%ARmax-%ARcontrol) values were calculated. The PKA pathway stimulators forskolin and dibutyryl cyclic AMP (dbcAMP) induced an ARmax at 1.0 microM and 1.0 mM, respectively. The ED50 and delta ARmax values were: 0.01 microM and 17% for forskolin and 0.069 mM and 13% for dbcAMP. Two stimulator types of the PKC pathway were tested: synthetic diacylglycerols (DG) and a phorbol diester. 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycerol and 1,2-dioctanoyl-sn-glycerol, analogues of the PKC-activating second messenger DG, each induced an ARmax at 50 microM. The ED50 and delta AR max values were: 33 microM and 24% for 1,2-dioleoyl and 34.8 microM and 34% for 1,2-dioctanoyl. 4 beta-Phorbol-12,13-didecanoate, a PKC stimulator, induced an ARmax at 0.1 microM. The ED50 and delta ARmax were 0.021 microM and 26%. An inhibitor of each kinase was added at the end of the capacitation period and prior to stimulation by inducers at their ARmax dose. KT5720, a PKA inhibitor, caused a dose-dependent reduction of the forskolin and dbcAMP-induced AR. Calphostin C, a PKC inhibitor, prevented stimulation of the AR by 1,2-dioleoyl and 4 beta-phorbol-12,13-didecanoate. To investigate pathway "crosstalk," the following experiments were conducted: (1) stimulators of each pathway were combined and tested at the ARmax and ED50 concentrations for each; (2) spermatozoa were pretreated with a kinase inhibitor and then stimulated using an alternative pathway stimulator; and (3) a PKA or PKC inhibitor and a combination of PKA and PKC stimulators, at ED50 concentrations, were tested. The results for (1) indicate an additive AR response of ED50 concentrations but not for ARmax doses. The results for (2) demonstrate that a kinase inhibitor for one pathway prevents induction of the AR by a stimulator of the alternative pathway. Finally, the results for (3) show that a kinase inhibitor for one pathway prevents induction of the AR by the combined use of separate pathway stimulators. When taken collectively, the present results suggest a convergent mechanism of crosstalk between the PKA and PKC pathways leading to the human sperm AR.

Acrosome↗