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...

Purpose To compare the efficacy of two regimens of low dose human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) on follicular response and oocyte maturation in women with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). Methods Ninety women with PCOS who underwent assisted reproduction were eligible for this controlled, prospective, randomized study. Our trial was performed at Royan Institute Reproductive Research Center ov...

10658 Background: Apoptotic induction in cancer cells may improve the efficacy of local or systemic therapy. Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG) injection directly into Kaposi's sarcoma or melanoma has been shown to increase the apoptotic index in these tumor types. The rapid induction of apoptosis in breast cancer immediately preceding local or systemic therapy may improve the response to thera...

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...

Oncostatin M (OSM) is a member of the interleukin-6 superfamily and a multifunctional cytokine that effects the growth and differentiation of many different cell types. OSM concentrations in the sera of pregnant women were found to be significantly higher than those of non-pregnant women. Western blot analysis revealed that the OSM protein was present in the decidua and chorionic tissue in each...

The progress and current status of vaccines which induce antibodies against human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG) and luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) are reviewed. Three vaccines devised against HCG have undergone phase I clinical trials documenting their safety, and reversibility. One of these, the heterospecies dimer (HSD)-HCG vaccine has also completed phase II efficacy trials in ...

OBJECTIVE To identify whether cutoff for sensitivity advertised by three pregnancy tests in urine are compatible to those reported by the manufacturer and to describe their diagnostic performance. METHODS The urine of a male volunteer was used to dilute recombinant β-hCG at defined concentrations of 0, 6.25, 12.5, 25, 50, and 100 mIU/mL. The tubes containing each of the concentrations were co...

A prospective randomized controlled trial comparing two groups of ICSI (intra-cytoplasmatic sperm injection) patients with a different form of triggering the final oocyte maturation has been performed. All patients received an ovarian stimulation for in vitro fertilisation (IVF) using an antagonist protocol using recombinant-FSH -(rec-FSH) and Ganirelix. 120 Patients were randomized into two gr...

The objective was to compare pharmacological strategies aiming to inhibit prostaglandin F2 alpha (PGF(2α)) synthesis (flunixin meglumine; FM), stimulate growth of the conceptus (recombinant bovine somatotropin; bST) and progesterone (P(4)) synthesis (human chorionic gonadotropin; hCG), as well as their combinations, regarding their ability to improve pregnancy rates in beef cattle. Lactating Ne...

The role of hCG as a stimulator of the human thyroid has been a subject of controversy, because discrepant results have been obtained in different in vitro assays. In an attempt to explain the variation observed in the thyroid response to hCG, we investigated the ability of hCG and that of its isoforms and glycosylation variants to inhibit [125I]bovine (b) TSH binding and stimulate adenylate cy...