Dendritic cells (DCs) are critically involved in the determination of immunity vs. tolerance. Hence, DCs are key regulators of immune responses either favoring or disfavoring fetal survival. Several factors were proposed to modulate DC phenotype and function during pregnancy. Here, we studied whether the pregnancy hormone human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is involved in DC regulation. In vitro...

A randomized, controlled, double-blind, double-dummy, phase III clinical trial was conducted in 84 women to compare the efficacy of a s.c. injection of 250 microg recombinant human chorionic gonadotrophin (rHCG; Ovidrel) to an i.m. injection of 5000 IU urinary HCG (uHCG; Profasi) in inducing folliculogenesis, resumption of oocyte meiosis and luteinization after ovulation induction with recombin...

High dietary protein imposes a metabolic acid load requiring excretion and buffering by the kidney. Impaired acid excretion in CKD, with potential metabolic acidosis, may contribute to the progression of CKD. Here, we investigated the renal adaptive response of acid excretory pathways in mice to high-protein diets containing normal or low amounts of acid-producing sulfur amino acids (SAA) and e...

Kidneys can maintain acid-base homeostasis, despite reduced renal mass, through adaptive changes in net acid excretion, of which ammonia excretion is the predominant component. The present study examines whether these adaptations are associated with changes in the ammonia transporter family members, Rh B glycoprotein (Rhbg) and Rh C glycoprotein (Rhcg). We used normal Sprague-Dawley rats and a ...

Background: To evaluate the effectiveness of intrauterine injection of recombinant human chorionic gonadotropin (rhCG) before embryo transfer (ET). Materials and Methods: In this randomized placebocontrolled clinical trial, a total number of 182 infertile patients undergoing their first in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (IVF-ICSI) were randomly assigned to receive 250 μg i...

background: human chorionic gonadotropin (hcg) has been used as a replacement for the mid-cycle luteinizing hormone (lh) surge for several years. the recent arrival of recombinant dna technology has made recombinant hcg (rhcg) accessible. objective: to assess efficacy of rhcg compared to urinary hcg (uhcg) for triggering of ovulation and induction of final oocyte maturation in assisted reproduc...

We investigated relationships among branchial unidirectional Na(+) fluxes, ammonia excretion, urea excretion, plasma ammonia, plasma cortisol, and gill transporter expression and function in three freshwater fish differing in their sensitivity to high environmental ammonia (HEA). The highly ammonia-sensitive salmonid Oncorhynchus mykiss (rainbow trout), the less ammonia-sensitive cyprinid Cypri...

OBJECTIVE Because male sex is an independent risk factor for the severity of atherosclerosis, it is possible that androgens may be proatherogenic. There is evidence that sex hormones, particularly estrogens, regulate (or modulate) inflammation, a process integral to atherogenesis. Because levels of serum inflammatory markers predict cardiovascular outcomes, we prospectively assessed the effects...