BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to investigate the role of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) in embryo invasion at the implantation site and to estimate the effect on PBMC function of human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG) that is secreted from the human embryo. METHODS AND RESULTS The effect of PBMC on the invasiveness of murine embryos was examined using an invasion assay. PBMC ob...

However, if we obtain the same value, this does not necessarily mean that it is the most accurate one. We thank the Association pour la Recherche en Médecine Foetale for financial support and all of the manufacturers who contributed software packages. We also thank Lau-rence Bussière, who was involved in the early stages of this work. diagnosis of diverse chromosome abnormalities in a populatio...

Treatment of immature mice with both follicle-stimulating hormone and human chorionic gonadotrophin in vivo resulted in large increases in the specific activities of ovarian alkaline phosphatase and alkaline nucleotidase. The specific activities of other ovarian enzymes studied were not altered by gonadotrophin treatment. A simultaneous change in the Michaelis constant of ovarian alkaline phosp...

The endometrial lining of the human uterus contains a population of phenotypically distinct (CD56(bright), CD16(dim)), tissue-specific, natural killer [uterine natural killer (uNK)] cells that play a key role in the establishment of a successful pregnancy. An increase in the number of endometrial uNK cells occurs when the conceptus implants, and there is a further increase during the early stag...

The aim of this study was to determine if follicle stimulating hormone receptor and luteinizing hormone receptor (FSH-R and LH-R) expression is altered on granulosa cells (GC) of women with low oestradiol responses to FSH. Cells were obtained from mature follicles (>17 mm) following controlled ovarian stimulation. For comparison, chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells transfected with FSH-R or LH-R ...

OBJECTIVES To make a histological and stereological analysis of gubernaculum testis elastic system fibers, collagen and striated muscle cells in patients with cryptorchidism treated with human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG). MATERIALS AND METHODS Gubernacula tissue samples were obtained from 12 patients with cryptorchidism. Patients' ages ranged from 1 to 3 years (mean 1.8). Of the 12 patients...

High-frequency uterine contractions at the time of non-cavitating embryo transfer influence adversely IVF-embryo transfer outcome. This prompted us to quantify prospectively the possible decline in uterine contraction frequency occurring during later stages of the luteal phase of ovarian stimulation, up to the time of blastocyst transfers, in 43 IVF-embryo transfer candidates. Contractility was...

Human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) is a hormone produced during pregnancy and present at the implantation site and in the maternal blood. Pregnancy has been proposed to represent a controlled state of inflammation at an early stage at the implantation site and later, systemically extended to the maternal circulation. Earlier, we reported that hCG can inhibit the development of diabetes in NOD ...

OBJECTIVE To determine the ability of a sensitive one step urine test to detect human chorionic gonadotrophin in women with suspected complications of early pregnancy. DESIGN Test on women presenting to accident and emergency department with gynaecological problems over six months. Results were validated using a quantitative assay for human chorionic gonadotrophin in serum and urine. SETTIN...

A captive colony of baboons has been used for three decades for various reproductive studies where application of findings to human therapeutics was desired. The characteristics of the menstrual cycle in baboons are very similar to those of women, except that of the baboon is slightly longer and there is a lower luteal phase concentration of oestradiol. The duration of pregnancy in baboons is a...