TRH injection during labour: effect on maternal and fetal prolactin secretion.
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Adolescent↗
Biomedical subjects
I E Messinis
Publications and source records attributed to I E Messinis.
Effect of metoclopramide on maternal and fetal prolactin secretion during labor.
The effect of acute and chronic maternal administration of metoclopramide on prolactin levels in serum of umbilical vein and artery was investigated in 30 women with normal term pregnancy during labor. Serum maternal prolactin increased significantly when 20 mg metoclopramide was given intravenously 30 to 45 minutes before vaginal delivery. Prolactin values in serum of umbilical vessels did not change as compared with control values when metoclopramide was given to the mother either as a 20-mg intravenous bolus injection or per os for the last 4 days of pregnancy until delivery. Oral administration of metoclopramide in late pregnancy evoked a significant increase in maternal serum prolactin levels. It is suggested that, in humans, therapeutic doses of metoclopramide administered to the mother in late pregnancy stimulate maternal, but not fetal, prolactin secretion.
Administration, Oral↗
Comparison between tamoxifen and clomiphene for induction of ovulation.
The effectiveness of tamoxifen and clomiphene in inducing ovulation was compared in 46 women with anovulatory infertility. All the women were given both the drugs in an alternate way. If one cycle was treated by tamoxifen the next was treated by clomiphene and vice versa. Forty-one out of the 46 women (89.1%) ovulated at least once during the study. Similar ovulation rates were achieved by tamoxifen (56.2%) and clomiphene (62.9%). The lengths of the ovulatory cycles and their luteal phases and the mid-luteal phase serum progesterone levels did not differ significantly between the two compounds. Nor did the occurrence of luteal phase defects during the tamoxifen and clomiphene treatment cycles differ. Thirty-seven of the 46 women (80.4%) responded similarly to both drugs. Thus, tamoxifen is just as effective as clomiphene in inducing ovulation in women with anovulation.
Adolescent↗
46,XY male pseudohermaphroditism due to early foetal testicular dysgenesis.
A 17 year old patient with female phenotype and 46,XY karyotype presented because of primary amenorrhoea. Enlarged clitoris and pubic hair were observed and no breast development. Gonadotrophin values were greatly raised into the castrate range, while testosterone was at the upper limit of the normal range for females. No uterus, Fallopian tubes or remnants of Mullerian and Wolffian products were found at laparotomy. Bilateral inguinal masses were removed and proved to be testicular tissue. This case report shows that gonads can be present in patients with the clinical and endocrinological characteristics of the syndrome of 'true agonadism'.
Adolescent↗
Unopposed endogenous estrogens and the incidence of cancer in female reproductive organs.
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Adolescent↗
Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) in normal and pre-eclamptic pregnancies (values in maternal blood, amniotic fluid and umbilical cord blood).
Values of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) were measured by radioimmunoassay in 100 pregnant women divided into 4 groups. In group 1 (49 normal pregnancies) and 2 (17 pre-eclamptic pregnancies), the estimation of CEA was done in maternal vein blood, umbilical cord blood and in amniotic fluid. In group 3 (20 normal pregnancies) CEA was measured separately in blood of the two umbilical vessels as well as in maternal vein blood. In group 4 (14 pregnancies with small-for-date infants) CEA was estimated in umbilical cord blood. The values in amniotic fluid of normal and pre-eclamptic pregnancies were more than 20 times higher than in the other two compartments. A significant correlation was found between the amniotic fluid and umbilical cord blood values (r = 0.500; P < 0.05), as well as between the values in umbilical artery and vein (r = 0.792; P < 0.001). Thus, it is thought that CEA is transferred from the amniotic cavity to the umbilical cord while a part of CEA perhaps is produced by the placenta. Umbilical cord blood values of small-for-date fetuses do not differ significantly from the normal. On the contrary, significantly lower values were obtained in umbilical cord blood and in amniotic fluid of pre-eclamptic women as compared to the normal, but this finding is not useful clinically because of the large standard deviation.
Amniotic Fluid↗
Current and future status of ovulation induction in polycystic ovary syndrome.
Great progress had been achieved during the last 20 years in the field of ovulation induction in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Clomiphene citrate remains the first line of treatment for all anovulatory women with PCOS, since in properly selected patients the cumulative pregnancy rate approaches that in normal women. Human urinary gonadotrophins have been used extensively for ovulation induction, but the development of low-dose regimens has opened a new era in the management of anovulation related to PCOS. This article discusses the main advantages and disadvantages of the principal methods and regimens currently used for ovulation induction in patients with PCOS including clomiphene citrate, gonadotrophins, pulsatile gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) and GnRH agonists. It also discusses new drugs discovered recently, particularly recombinant gonadotrophins and GnRH antagonists, and provides some thoughts regarding their use in future protocols. Finally, based on the discovery of new ovarian substances which specifically control luteinizing hormone (LH) secretion, this article develops assumptions on possible implications of these substances in the pathophysiology of PCOS and their potential use in the management of the syndrome.
Anovulation↗
Leptin in human reproduction.
The recent discovery of the obese (ob) gene has provided new insight into the mechanism which controls body fat mass. Leptin, a product of the ob gene, serves as the link between fat and the brain. This protein, by acting at the level of the hypothalamus, decreases food intake and increases energy expenditure. Animals that lack leptin (ob/ob mice) develop profound obesity and become infertile. Treatment of these animals with leptin reduces food intake and restores normal fertility. Although leptin is important for the control of fat stores in certain species, the role of this substance in the development of human obesity remains obscure. However, it has been speculated that, in humans, obesity is related to leptin resistance. The relationship between fat and reproduction has been recognized for >20 years. This article discusses the relationship between leptin and human reproduction. In particular, recent knowledge about the possible role of leptin in various conditions such as puberty, polycystic ovary syndrome and pregnancy is reviewed. Also, the article discusses the possible role of leptin in ovarian function and the relationship of this protein with gonadal steroids. It is expected that future research will clarify the physiological importance of leptin in human reproductive function.
Animals↗