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Biomedical subjects

R H Asch

Publications and source records attributed to R H Asch.

At least 199 records · Page 11Linked to original sources
PubMed1977

Immunodetection of a human chorionic gonadotropin-like substance in human sperm.

The presence of a human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG)-like substance in human spermatozoa is reported. A highly sensitive immunocytochemical procedure was utilized (double-antibody immunofluorescence technique). Rabbit anti-hCG or rabbit anti-hCG beta-subunit was used as the first antibody. A positive fluorescence reaction was found in all human specimens analyzed and in positive controls (choriocarcinoma cells). No fluorescence was detected in other species studied (sheep, pig, goat, horse, bull, and guinea pig), nor in the negative controls. These findings open a new research area on the physiologic role of this hCG-like substance in human reproduction.

Antigen-Antibody Reactions↗
PubMed1977

Kallman's syndrome: effect of repeated stimulation of pituitary-gonadal axis with LH-RH.

The relative roles of the central nervous system and pituitary in the pathogenesis of olfactory gonadal dysplasia has been the subject of much speculation. Repeated stimulation of the pituitary gonadal axis with LH-RH provoked a moderate release of gonadotropins, insufficient however, to stimulate gonadal incretory function. This study supports the evidence that a hypothalamic defect is the basis for Kallman's syndrome.

Adult↗
PubMed1977

A case of bilateral gonadoblastoma in streak gonads.

A report of a patient with bilateral gonadoblastomas who sought consultation for primary amenorrhea and infertility is presented. Thelarche and adrenarche occurred spontaneously at age 13. Clitoromegaly and a hypoplastic uterus were noted on physical examination. Flat plate X-ray of the abdomen demonstrated radiopaque material in both adnexa. Urinary 17-ketosteroid levels were normal, but the serum testosterone concentration was elevated. Serum gonadotropin values were markedly elevated, and total serum estrogens levels were very low. The karyotype was XY. The gonads were extirpated, and typical histology is demonstrated. A postulate was made to explain the clinical findings.

Adnexa Uteri↗
PubMed1976

Laparoscopic recovery of sperm from peritoneal fluid, in patients with negative or poor Sims-Huhner test.

Several opinions about the importance of the Sims-Huhner test (SHT) are reported in the literature. Paradoxical are the results relative to conception following a positive or negative SHT. Pregnancy frequently occurs in women with a negative or poor SHT. This observation prompted the author to look for the presence of sperm in peritoneal fluid during laparoscopy in eight patients with a negative SHT and in three with a poor SHT. Complete evaluation was performed to rule out other infertility causes. The peritoneal fluid was aspirated from the cul-de-sac and again after washing the Douglas space and fimbriated portion of the fallopian tubes with 5 to 10 ml of normal saline solution, using a Verres needle. Samples were processed with the Sayk unit, by a special cytosedimentation technique developed for study of the cerebrospinal fluid. In six of the eight patients with a negative SHT and in the three with a poor SHT, sperm were found in the aspirate. No immature or morphologically abnormal sperm were recovered. This procedure illustrates the limitation of the long-accepted SHT in the prognosis for infertile couples. Investigations to eliminate the fixed stage in the processing are being studied to standardize the test.

Ascitic Fluid↗
PubMed1976

Update on the safety and efficacy of clomiphene citrate as a therapeutic agent.

Fifteen years have passed since our group first proposed the use of clomiphene citrate as an ovulation-inducing agent. Our 15-year experience with over 2,000 patients has not dampened our enthusiasm for this drug. The benefits have far outweighted the minor side effects or the possibility of multiple births. Serious birth defects were minimal and have been no greater than what one may expect in the general population. Clomiphene citrate has been a boon to womankind and deserves the confidence of both patient and physician: it is a drug with a record of utility and with but minor risks.

Abnormalities, Drug-Induced↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Prostaglandin production by Rhesus monkey corpora lutes in vitro: Effects of estrogen administration.

Luteolysis was induced in normal cycling rhesus monkeys(Macaca mulatta) by daily administration of estradiol cypionate (50 microgram/kg from day 1 to 7 postovulatory (controls received vehicle). Luteectomy was performed after treatment, using microsurgical techniques and minimal manipulation. Serum progesterone concentrations did not demonstrate characteristic luteal rise in estrogen-treated animals as compared to controls. Estrogen treatment increased prostaglandin F2alpha/E ratio produced in vitro by the corpora lutea twofold compared to controls. These results support our previous observations that luteolysis in the rhesus monkey is associated with increased production of prostaglandin F2alpha and decreased production of prostaglandin E by the corpus luteum.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Human sperm penetration in bovine cervical mucus. Clinical studies I.

Penetration of spermatozoa in bovine cervical mucus (BCM) from two groups of men was investigated and correlated with the different parameters of spermograms from these same subjects. Sperm penetration and motility were statistically greater in men of proven fertility than in men from infertile couples in which a female cause of infertility had been ruled out. The percentage of cases with sperm penetration greater than or equal to 15 mm was significantly greater in volunteers of proven fertility than in the group of men from infertile couples (100% and 33%, respectively). A marked correlation was observed between sperm penetration and sperm count (p less than 0.001) and between sperm penetration and motility (p less than 0.0001). In a follow-up of the group of men from infertile couples, it was found that all those who impregnated their wives within 18 months after the study presented sperm penetration greater than or equal to 15 mm. It is suggested that BCM is an appropriate medium to determine sperm penetration in the investigation of infertile couples.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Prolonged suppression of plasma LH levels in male rats after a single injection of an LH-RH agonist in poly(DL-lactide-co-glycolide) microcapsules.

The authors have examined the effects of a subcutaneous injection of the LH-RH agonist D-Trp6-LH-RH formulated in biodegradable poly(DL-lactide-co-glycolide) microcapsules on plasma levels of D-Trp6LH-RH, LH, and PRL in adult, gonadectomized male rats. Immunoreactive D-Trp6-LH-RH was detectable in the plasma of these animals at 1, 2, 3, and 4 weeks after injection. LH concentrations were greatly reduced 1 week after administering the D-Trp6-LH-RH microcapsule, continued to decrease during the following week, and remained suppressed until the end of the study, 6 weeks after the injection. Plasma PRL levels appeared elevated 1 to 2 weeks after the injection and suppressed thereafter, but these effects were significant only in animals rendered hyperprolactinemic by transplantation of an isologous pituitary under the renal capsule. These results demonstrate that an LH-RH agonist formulated in biodegradable microcapsules and administered as a subcutaneous injection can exert marked biologic effects in rats for at least 6 weeks. These findings also suggest that prolonged exposure to an LH-RH agonist may first produce stimulation, followed by an inhibition of PRL release from both in situ and ectopic pituitaries.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Human leukocyte antigen compatibility and failure to achieve a viable pregnancy with assisted reproductive technology.

Many couples fail to achieve a viable pregnancy with multiple attempts of Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART). Immunologic rejection of the embryo may be a factor in these couples. We evaluated shared human leukocyte antigen (HLA) antigenicity in 10 couples who failed multiple ART cycles and compared them with 10 couples who achieved a viable pregnancy with their first ART attempt. Study couples shared a statistically significant greater number of HLA antigens than control couples. Leukocyte immunotherapy is discussed. We conclude that couples who share multiple HLA antigens may have an immunologic basis for failing to achieve a viable pregnancy with multiple ART cycles.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Performance and sensitivity of modern home pregnancy tests.

We have studied the performance of three currently available home pregnancy tests. The Advance is a test based on monoclonal antibodies in an enzyme immunoassay format that specifically detects hCG in urine. The positive results are determined by the presence of a blue color in a color stick (30 minutes). The Daisy 2 and FACT are tests based on monoclonal antibodies that specifically detect hCG in urine in a hemagglutination inhibition assay; positive results are demonstrated by the deposition of a dot ring at the bottom of the test tube (45 minutes). Thirty-five patients who eventually became pregnant in that cycle collected the first morning urine specimens from day of ovulation (determined by ultrasound) in artificial insemination donor (AID) cycles, or from the date of gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT) for 16 consecutive days. In each specimen, the Advance, Daisy 2, and FACT tests were performed; in addition, beta-hCG levels were determined by radioimmunoassay. All the home pregnancy tests studied can detect pregnancy as early as 9 or 10 days post-conception, and they give positive results at the time of the expected onset of menses in 70%, 95%, and 88% of cases for Daisy 2, Advance, and FACT, respectively. The sensitivity of the these home pregnancy tests was determined to be about 200 mIU/mL of urine after correlating their positive or negative results with the concentrations of urinary beta-hCG determined by radioimmunoassay.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT): use of minilaparotomy and an individualized regimen of induction of follicular development.

The performance of the gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT) technique, utilizing an individualized regimen of follicular induction and minilaparotomy in 45 patients with infertility of varying etiologies is reported. The induction regimen consisted of the administration of clomiphene citrate, 100 mg, from day 3 to day 7, and 150 IU FSH/LH (human menopausal gonadotropin [hMG]) from day 6 on. Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG; 10,000 IU) was administered when at least two follicles measured 16 mm or more in diameter and when serum estradiol (E2) measurement revealed levels of 350 pg/ml per each main follicle. Up to two oocytes and 100,000 motile sperm were transferred to the fallopian tubes via the fimbria, using a catheter. Of the 45 cases, 13 became pregnant by clinical criteria (29 per cent). Of these 13 pregnancies, nine continued to term (69 per cent), three miscarried spontaneously (12 per cent) and one was an ectopic (7 per cent). Of the nine pregnancies that continued to term, five (55 per cent) were twins. Details of the GIFT procedure as well the preliminary non-human primate research studies that led to the development of the GIFT technique are discussed. It is concluded that GIFT is an excellent alternative to in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF; ET) in all cases of infertility that failed to conceive using conventional forms of therapy and in which the female partner presents at least one normal fallopian tube.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Human semen prostaglandins do not affect sperm motility and migration.

Prostaglandin (PG) E2, PGF2 alpha and testosterone (T) concentrations were determined in the seminal plasma of 57 fertility-clinic patients. Results (mean less than SE) were: PGE2, 3.44 +/- 0.38 mu/ml; PGF2 alpha, 138 +/- 0.33 micrograms/ml; T, 429.54 +/- 14.01 pg/ml. The material was divided into 4 groups: normospermic, oligozoospermic, asthenozoospermic and azoospermic. No statistically significant differences were found among the values of the different groups, except for PGE2, which was found to be increased in the asthenozoospermic group. Sperm migration patterns were assessed in each semen sample, using the Kremer capillary tube test and human cervical mucus. Considering each semen sample individually, no correlations whatever were found among sperm count, motility and migration parameters and the respective concentrations of both PGs and T, nor was there a correlation among PGE2, PGF2 alpha, and T values of the same sample.

Dinoprost↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Human chorionic gonadotropin and steroid concentrations in human follicular fluid in relation to follicle size and oocyte maturity in stimulated ovarian cycles.

The concentrations in follicular fluid (FF) of beta hCG, progesterone (P), estradiol (E2), androstenedione (A) and testosterone (T) by RIA were determined, in order to study the follicular micro-environment in stimulated cycles. Patients received either clomiphene with hMG plus hCG or hMG plus hCG. With increasing volume of FF (obtained at laparoscopy), P significantly increased (p less than 0.04) and hCG (p less than 0.0004) and T (p less than 0.05) significantly decreased with a borderline decrease in A (p less than 0.07). Progesterone also increased with advancing oocyte maturity. Beta-hCG and P were positively correlated with E2 and negatively correlated with A levels. It is suggested that FF hCG and progesterone levels may be markers of follicular development in stimulated cycles.

Androstenedione↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Follicle stimulating hormone binding inhibiting activity and inhibin properties of human ovarian cystic and porcine follicular fluid.

Ovarian cystic fluid was obtained from 13 regularly cycling women with the operative diagnosis of ovarian serous (n = 6), mucinous cystadenomas (n = 3) and simple follicular cysts (n = 4). The effects of the fluids, after steroid extraction with charcoal treatment, on the binding of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) to rat testicular homogenates and on the in vitro secretion of FSH and luteinizing hormone (LH) by rat pituitary cell preparations were studied. Similar studies were conducted simultaneously with steroid-free porcine follicular fluid (pFF). Human ovarian cystic fluids produced a marked inhibition of FSH-binding activity in the absence of an effect on FSH or LH secretion. In contrast, pFF exhibited both FSH-binding inhibitory (FSH-BI) and inhibin activities. Furthermore, heating did not alter the FSH-BI activity nor the inhibin properties of steroid-free human ovarian cystic fluids nor porcine follicular fluid.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Study of the intravaginal insert (IVI): acceptability, side effects, and post-coital spermicidal activity.

The authors describe their experience with a group of 49 sexually active, already protected women in order to evaluate the acceptability, side effects and post-coital spermicidal activity of a new vaginal contraceptive. The intravaginal insert (IVI) consists of a polyester resin plug (sponge) containing a 5% solution of nonoxynol-9 bound in a cold formation process, and having a cotton loop attached to the lower end. The results of this study indicate that this new vaginal contraceptive is free of major side effects, is well accepted by users, and has strong spermicidal and mechanical activity. Future clinical testing in order to try its anti-conceptive effectiveness is warranted.

Adult↗