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Biomedical subjects

E Pretorius

Publications and source records attributed to E Pretorius.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

The Acridine Orange test: determining the relationship between sperm morphology and fertilization in vitro.

The prediction of human fertilization is an important aspect of research protocols dealing with male fertility. Sperm DNA has been reported to be an indicator of human sperm fertility potential. The Acridine Orange test for evaluation of sperm DNA has been employed during the present study to determine its relationship with human sperm morphology and fertilization in vitro. Seventy-six patients from the in-vitro fertilization (IVF) and/or gamete intra-Fallopian transfer (GIFT) programme were randomly selected for the study. All patients had a routine semen analysis, sperm DNA evaluation and underwent standard IVF procedures at the time of the study. The results indicated a moderate positive correlation (r = 0.38, P = 0.0006) between results of the Acridine Orange test and normal sperm morphology. Patients with an Acridine Orange test value exceeding 24% had significantly higher oocyte fertilization rates than patients with lower values, for metaphase I (74 versus 51%, P = 0.0008) and for metaphase II oocytes (88 versus 60%, P = 0.0001). Sperm morphology, however, proved to be a more significant predictor of fertilization in vitro compared to the Acridine Orange test.

Acridine Orange↗
PubMed1991

Detection of sperm antibodies on unwashed spermatozoa with the immunobead test: a comparison of results with the routine method and seminal plasma TAT titers and SCMC test.

This study investigated whether the immunobead test (IBT) could, for the purposes of simplicity and saving time, be applied directly on an unwashed semen sample instead of washed spermatozoa. These two methods were performed simultaneously on the semen samples of 15 men with a positive MAR test and 10 men with a negative MAR test. A possible association was found between the unwashed samples, showing positive IB binding (greater than 20%) on the tail and/or head and the seminal plasma TAT titers (P less than .00001, Fisher's exact test). In all cases with IB binding of greater than or equal to 20% on unwashed spermatozoa, positive seminal plasma TAT titers (greater than or equal to 32) and SCMC tests (greater than or equal to 50%) were found. In all cases where the binding of the beads was mainly located on the tailtips of the washed or unwashed spermatozoa, negative seminal plasma TAT titers and SCMC tests were found. Coating of the head and/or upper tail regions in both methods was always associated with high TAT titers and a strong-positive SCMC test. It is concluded that the IBT for IgA, but not for IgG, can be performed directly on unwashed semen and that the position of IB binding on the spermatozoa is of prognostic importance with regard to the expected outcome of the SCMC test and seminal plasma TAT titers.

Agglutination Tests↗
PubMed1991

Traditional and modern medicine working in tandem.

Because of the many problems relating to health care delivery in Africa, it is becoming apparent that neither the exclusive/monopolistic nor the tolerant legislative systems should be tolerated any longer. Especially since the Alma Ata Conference held by the WHO/UNICEF there has been growing impetus towards either inclusive/parallel (the beneficial co-existence of traditional and modern medical systems), or integrated systems. Although the idea of making traditional and modern medicine work in tandem in a united treatment context has its merits, it is also plagued by issues such as the nature of the products of an integrated training, resistance by stubborn protagonists of either of the two systems, or that only lip-service is paid to the idea of co-operation. Nevertheless, it is believed that all interest groups--the authorities responsible for health care delivery, the Western-trained health care workers, the traditional healers and the users of these services--stand to gain from such liaison.

Delivery of Health Care↗
PubMed1989

Sperm antibodies, semen quality, and male infertility.

Twelve couples who underwent infertility investigations at the Universitas Hospital in Bloemfontein were examined using several tests: postcoital (PCT), sperm-cervical-mucus-contact (SCMC-T), indirect immunobead (IBT), tray-agglutination (TAT), and sperm-immobilization procedures (SIT). Two factors played a role during the immunologic evaluation of a couple: semen quality and the intensity of the antibody in the cervical mucus or seminal plasma.

Agglutination Tests↗
PubMed1988

The SCMC test: a reliable monitor for antispermatozoal antibodies.

Seventeen couples (13%) were selected from a group of 129 infertile patients according to the following criteria: (i) unexplained infertility for 3 years and (ii) greater than 50% shaking spermatozoa during SCMC testing. The couples were tested for sperm antibodies after a complete diagnostic work-up schedule. Post-coital tests were performed during the first menstrual cycle of the wife, followed by SCMC and sperm antibody titre testing. Ten males and seven females were thus treated with 96 mg methylprednisolone. Nine (52%) of the 17 with sperm antibodies achieved a pregnancy. The results of the SCMC test were in all the cases indicative of the actual sperm antibody titre. Reduction of the antibody titre and a decrease in the percentage of shaking spermatozoa as detected by the SCMC test correlated well with the pregnancy rate amongst the patients.

Antibodies↗
PubMed1988

Evaluation of immunobead test (IBT), tray-agglutination test (TAT), and sperm immobilization test (SIT).

The present investigation relates the results obtained by the indirect immunobead test (IBT) to those found during the tray-agglutination test (TAT) and sperm immobilization test (SIT) performed on 16 positive blood sera samples. An IB binding of greater than 50% can be regarded as significantly positive (p less than 0.05), since 77% of the positive IB samples with an IB binding of greater than 50% also revealed a TAT titer of greater than 1:8. The IBT is an excellent test for the detection of sperm antibodies during routine screening procedures.

Agglutination Tests↗
PubMed1987

The immunobead test as a sperm antibody detector.

The occurrence of sperm antibodies on the surface of sperm can be demonstrated by several methods. A study to evaluate the immunobead (IB) test as a laboratory procedure during the detection of sperm antibodies among infertile males showed an overall prevalence of 6.8% and 5.8% for IgG and IgA respectively--convincing evidence that the IB test can be employed as a sperm antibody detector.

Autoantibodies↗
PubMed1987

Gamete intrafallopian transfer: a treatment for long-standing infertility.

Gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT) has been described by Asch et al. (1,2) as an alternative technique in the treatment of infertile couples. At the University of the Orange Free State, the GIFT technique was introduced in July 1985, and during phase I, 31 patients were treated by means of GIFT. All patients had had at least six cycles of ovulation induction with human menopausal gonadotropin (hMG) and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). Their diagnoses were anovulation (3 patients), mild endometriosis (17 patients), and unexplained infertility (11 patients). All husbands' semen analyses were normal. Of the 31 patients, 3 failed, due to spontaneous ovulation before laparoscopy (1 patient) and unsuccessful follicle aspiration at laparoscopy with no oocytes found (2 patients). Four ongoing pregnancies resulted from the remaining 28 patients. This represents a pregnancy rate of 14.29% per laparoscopy (including the failures). The patients who became pregnant had had infertility treatment for 5, 6, 8, and 8 years, respectively. GIFT therefore appears to be a promising method of treatment for long-standing infertility.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

The SCMC test: a accurate indicator for spermatozoal antibodies.

Eighteen couples (12.9%) were selected from a group of 138 infertile couples for a special study about the reliability of the SCMC test, when compared with spermantibody titres in the cervical mucus and or seminal plasma and corticosteroides as treatment for immunologic infertility. It can be demonstrated that there exists a reliability of the SCMC test as an immunologic assay for sperm antibody activity in the semen and the cervical mucus.

Adrenal Cortex Hormones↗
PubMed1986

Sperm cervical mucus contact test and immunobead test for sperm antibodies.

Twenty-five patients were studied for the presence of sperm antibodies in their cervical mucus and seminal plasma. The sperm cervical mucus contact test (SCMC) and the immunobead test (IBT) were used to evaluate sperm antibody activity. A close correlation was found between the results of the SCMC and IBT tests, and it was concluded that both techniques can be regarded as good indicators of sperm antibodies.

Antibodies↗
PubMed1986

Sperm/cervical mucus contact test for sperm antibodies.

Thirteen couples with a history of primary infertility for at least 3 years were selected according to the following criteria: a positive sperm/cervical mucus contact (SCMC) test, the presence of sperm-agglutinating antibodies in the cervical mucus, and/or seminal fluid of one of the partners. Nine of the males and 4 of the 13 females were accordingly treated with high dosages of corticosteroids for 6 months. Among 4 (44%) males and 2 (50%) females a pregnancy ensued. Four (80%) of the 6 patients in whom a pregnancy was reported showed not only a decline in their sperm antibody titer but also a decrease in the percent shaking spermatozoa during SCMC testing.

Antibodies↗
PubMed1985

Antibodies to spermatozoa: XI. The use of immunobeads for the detection of sperm antibodies in serum.

Two procedures were developed and evaluated that used either larger or smaller volumes for the detection of sperm antibodies in serum by means of an indirect immunobead test (IBT). The immunobeads, coated with rabbit antibody to each of the major human immunoglobulins (IgG, IgA, or IgM), were mixed with preparations of donor sperm, onto which antibody had been coated by passive transfer from various serum samples. The results of the IBT could be evaluated in various ways: (1) positive or negative; (2) if positive, whether binding is to the tail, the head, or the head and tail of the sperm cells; (3) if positive, whether binding is by IgG, IgA, or IgM. The diverse IBT results were obtained from a group of 50 serum samples; these sera were also tested by two sperm agglutination methods; the gelatin agglutination test (GAT) and the tube-slide agglutination test (TSAT). There was an excellent agreement between the IBT and the GAT; it was not as good between the IBT and the TSAT. However, considering both agglutination methods together, 90% of the IBT-positive sera were agglutination-positive. In terms of morphological sites, tail binding occurred in 27 of 31 sera, head binding in 12 of 31 sera, and head-tail binding in 15 of 31 sera. The number with tail binding was very close to the number that were GAT-positive (26). As for the immunoglobulins, the most frequent class was IgG. IgA was 83% as frequent and IgM was only 25% as frequent as IgG.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Antibodies↗
PubMed1985

Important semen parameters during postcoital testing.

One hundred and sixty-two females who attended our infertility clinic were selected according to the quality of their cervical mucus. Only mucus of extremely high quality was used in the study to determine the influence of different semen parameters on the postcoital test results. All mucus samples were evaluated 8 h following coitus. The results of the postcoital tests were divided into group I (less than 7 spermatozoa per 400 X magnification) and group II (greater than 7 spermatozoa per 400 X magnification). The results of the statistical analysis indicated the order of importance of the different semen parameters during postcoital testing. By using the stepwise discriminant analyses, it was calculated that the sperm concentration and forward progression rate of the spermatozoa are discriminating factors between the two groups.

Cervix Mucus↗
PubMed1984

Second pregnancies among immunologically infertile women: a preliminary report.

Two females with sperm antibody activity in their blood serum and cervical mucus were treated with high dosages of methylprednisolone. Both patients became pregnant during therapy. Following the birth of their first offspring, one was treated with steroids and the other conceived without steroids in order to establish their second pregnancies. The sperm antibody activity showed a sharp decline in the blood serum and cervical mucus during therapy. The response of the females showed drastic modification in the antibody activity in that the females revealed a complete disappearance or a significant decrease in their initial sperm antibody reactions after treatment with high dosages of steroids.

Antibodies↗
PubMed1984

Lymphocyte transformation rates of homosexual men in presence of seminal plasma.

The peripheral lymphocytes of eleven healthy homosexual men and six heterosexual males were used in microlymphocyte culture systems to compare their transformation rates in the presence of PHA-M. Two homosexual men were randomly selected from the group to investigate the influence of seminal plasma fractions on their lymphocytes. The seminal plasma fractions were obtained from heterosexual normozoospermic men. Seventy two percent of the homosexual T-cell responsiveness to PHA was inhibited compared with the lymphocytes of the heterosexual men. The lymphocytes of the homosexual male seem to be less sensitive for the inhibition components present in seminal plasma.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Sperm selection capacity of cervical mucus.

Seventeen couples who attended the Infertility Clinic for routine fertility investigations were used in the study. Complete morphological examinations were performed on the ejaculates and cervical mucus samples following coitus in order to determine the morphological selective capacity of the mucus. It was concluded that both the motility of the spermatozoa and ability of the cervical mucus to select morphological abnormal spermatozoa contributed to the high percentage of normal spermatozoa present in the cervical mucus during the post coital test.

Cervix Mucus↗