Endocrine Abstracts

Current techniques to study (i)in vitro(/i) the early stages of follicular development are handicapped by the spontaneous wholesale transition of primordial to primary follicles. Implantation of ovarian tissue into SCID mice is possible but expensive. We have, therefore, adapted a model first described in 1958. Fragments of ovarian cortex are implanted on the chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) of 5-6 day old fertilised chick eggs. The membrane is rich in blood vessels and results ...

Patients with Polycystic ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) present to an endocrine clinic with weight gain, hirsutism or period irregularities. Dianette is widely used to treat these problems but can lead to weight gain. Weight loss in PCOS has been shown to improve these clinical features but difficult to achieve. More recently Metformin therapy has been shown to improve period irregularities in PCOS. The role of slimming agents has not been studied previously.Pa...

The critical role played by local microvasculature in ovarian and uterine events during different functional states is well established. Surprisngly, little is known about the cervix, particularly the microvascular changes and roles associated with cervical ripening (a process of tissue remodeling, characterized by an inflammatory reaction, which facilitates passage of fetus at term). Because vascular remodeling is crucial in inflammatory responses it may (along with other fac...

Although synthesis of estrogen by male gonads has been well documented for over half a century, it is only recently that the role of estrogen in male reproductive events has gained appreciation. We recently reported abundant expression of ER-alpha and -beta in perinatal rat penis, whose levels diminished with advancing age. The present study investigates whether the penis is capable of synthesizing its own estrogen by examining presence of aromtase, the microsomal enzymatic co...

Recent health reports state that the population of western countries is consuming excessive amounts of n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in the diet. Dietary n-6 PUFAs are precursors for prostaglandin (PG) synthesis, which play important roles in parturition. Increased dietary n-6 PUFA could thus alter PG production. This study determined the effect of a high n-6 PUFA diet on PG production and the timing of the onset of labour. Pregnant Welsh Mountain ewes were fed an is...

Nausea and vomiting is common in pregnancy. Severe symptoms with metabolic upset (hyperemesis gravidarum) occurs in 0.2 percent of pregnancies, We present 2 cases of primary hyperparathyroidism in pregnancy. Both women (19 & 34y) presented in the 1st trimester of pregnancy with lethargy, vomiting, thirst and headache. Serum calcium and parathyroid hormone concentrations were elevated:2.69 milli mole per litre (2.18 to 2.47 ) PTH 20.5 pica mole per litre (1.1 to 6.9 ); 3.28...

Almost 70 years after Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) was first described, its etiology remains unclear. In this preliminary study, gene expression in 3 normal and 3 PCOS ovaries was compared using differential display PCR to probe for genes with roles in the pathogenesis of PCOS.Over 1700 PCR products were detected with the 21 primer combinations used, each potentially derived from a different mRNA species. Pattern comparison of PCR products from norma...