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Biomedical subjects

H C Liu

Publications and source records attributed to H C Liu.

At least 163 records · Page 9Linked to original sources
PubMed1997

Triple innominate osteotomy and rotational acetabular osteotomy in the treatment of congenital hip dysplasia.

Congenital hip dysplasia is a developmental disease which predisposes patients to osteoarthritis of the hip. We compare the results and complications of triple innominate osteotomy and rotational acetabular osteotomy in the treatment of this disease. Between 1984 and 1992, 27 patients with 30 dysplastic hips received reconstructive procedures at National Taiwan University Hospital. Fourteen patients (16 hips) with a median age of 18 years were treated by triple innominate osteotomy. Nine of 16 hips had concomitant femoral osteotomy. Another 13 patients (14 hips) with a median age of 24 years were treated by rotational acetabular osteotomy. We compared the radiologic and functional results, complications and satisfaction of the patients in these two groups. Patients who underwent rotational osteotomy showed more correction in roof obliquity than patients who had triple innominate osteotomy. The functional results when evaluated by Harris scores, were better in patients who had triple innominate osteotomy than rotational osteotomy. Complications included one resubluxation of the hip in each group as well as one perforation of the hip joint and one pin break and nonunion at the osteotomy site in the rotational osteotomy group. Patients who had triple innominate osteotomy were more satisfied with the results. With proper selection of patients and accurate performance of the procedure, both triple innominate osteotomy and rotational osteotomy may be used effectively for the treatment of congenital hip dysplasia. However, in our study, patients who underwent rotational osteotomy had better anatomic correction, while those who underwent triple innominate osteotomy had better functional results.

Acetabulum↗
PubMed1997

Weight bearing influence on knee joint bony contact movements: an in vivo video-fluoroscopy study.

In order to understand the effects of body weight-bearing on knee joint bony contact movements, a video-fluoroscopic digitizing system with in vivo human knee extension-flexion motions of 12 healthy adults under body weight-bearing and non-weight-bearing conditions was studied. These 12 subjects were equally separated into two groups consisting of a body weight-bearing group and a non-weight-bearing group. Video-fluoroscopic images were digitized to get three parameters from the knee joint bony geometry. These three parameters were the radius of rotation, the are length of rotation, and the contact point of the tibiofemoral joint, and they were used to decide the knee joint bony contact status of the sliding, spinning and rocking motions. The results showed that the knee bony contact movements under body weight-bearing conditions had about 4 times the incidence rate of the sliding motion under non-weight-bearing conditions. The incidence rate of the sliding motion was greatest when the knee flexion was less than 30 degrees. The knee bony contact movements under non-weight-bearing conditions had a larger spinning motion incidence rate and smaller rocking motion incidence rate than they did under weight-bearing conditions. The larger spinning motion incidence rate when the knee joint flexion was greater than 60 degrees. In conclusion, the body weight-bearing factor should be considered in studying knee joint bony contact movements.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

A door-to-door survey of Parkinson's disease in a Chinese population in Kinmen.

BACKGROUND: Most published studies have shown lower prevalence rates of Parkinson's disease (PD) in Asian and black African than in Western countries, leading to the hypothesis that Asians and blacks might be protected from PD. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prevalence of PD in a Chinese population. DESIGN: Community-based survey. SETTING: Registered residents 50 years of age or older (N = 5061) on the islet of Kinmen located off the southeastern coast of China [corrected]. METHOD: Single-phase door-to-door survey by neurologists. All participants were administered a questionnaire and received motor examinations of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale. RESULTS: The participation rate was 96% (N = 3915) among 4158 contacted individuals. Twenty-three cases of PD were identified, including three cases with dementia. The crude prevalence rate of PD was 587 (95% confidence interval (CI), 373 to 884) per 100,000 persons 50 years of age or older. Assuming no case of PD among individuals under 50 years of age, the prevalence rate was 119 (95% CI, 80 to 169) per 100,000 for the total population. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence rates of PD in Kinmen were much higher than those reported from mainland China, but slightly lower than those reported from more developed countries. The present findings suggest that, instead of genetic factors, differences in case-ascertainment, life expectancy, and the length of survival with PD may be more important contributors to the variations in observed PD prevalence rates.

Aged↗
PubMed1996

Prevascularized bone graft cultured in sintered porous beta-Ca2P2O7 with 5 wt% Na4P2O7.10H2O addition ceramic chamber.

Autogenous bone transfer is an important part of reconstructive plastic surgery. Presently available techniques have the disadvantages of limitation of available donor site, loss of donor tissue and the possibility of donor defect or deformity. In the present study, a vascularized bone graft was created and cultured in the groin area of the New Zealand rabbit. The cylindrical ceramic chambers, 15 mm in length, 6 mm in outer diameter and 3 mm in inner diameter, were prepared by the addition of sintered porous beta-Ca2P2O7 with 5 wt% Na4P2O7.10H2O. In the first group, the chambers impregnated with autogenous bone fragments and allogenous demineralized bone matrix with volume ratio 1:1 were cultured in the rabbit's groin area with saphenous vessels passing through. In the second group, the chambers were treated by the same procedures as the first group but without saphenous vessels passing through. In the third group, the chambers were not impregnated, and were cultured in the groin area with saphenous vessels. After 2, 4, 6, 8 and 12 wk of operation, the animals were killed with an overdose of intravenous pentobarbital. The viability of the osseous tissue in the chamber was evaluated by histological examination, microangiograms and fluorochrome incorporation for the three groups. The autogenous bone chips could survive and retain their osteogenic properties while packed into the sintered porous beta-Ca2P2O7 (with 5 wt% Na4P2O7.10H2O addition) ceramic chamber and implanted in the rabbit groin area up to 12wk. However, even at the longest time periods, considerable amounts of dead bone were present in the chambers. In addition, we observed bone resorption in the three groups up to 12 wk, which might be attributed to lack of physiological stress. There were significant differences in new bone formation and osseous cell viability among the three groups. The prevascularized vessels and autogenous bone chips were both necessary for the formation of new bone and osteogenic property in the chamber under these heterotopic circumstances. The biodegradable ceramic used in this study was gradually absorbed and dissolved in the physiological environment. However, the degradation debris of the ceramic caused no injury to the new bone formation. These findings support the concept of creating a preformed vascularized bone graft to reconstruct segmental bone defects.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Treatment of dentin hypersensitivity by Nd:YAG laser.

Our previous study indicated that dentin surface irradiated with an Nd:YAG laser at an energy output of 30 mJ, 10 pulses/sec (pps), for 2 min resulted in a melted surface and a closure of exposed dentinal tubules orifices, but without dentin surface cracking. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the Nd:YAG laser in the treatment of dentin hypersensitivity. Thirty subjects participated in this study and were followed for 3 months. Two sites of dentin hypersensitivity in a patient were treated; one received Nd:YAG laser treatment and the other served as control. Dentin hypersensitivity was assessed by mechanical and thermal stimulus. Pulpal vitality was measured using an electrical stimulus. The Nd:YAG laser treatment reduced dentin hypersensitivity to air by 65% and to mechanical stimulus by 72% over 3 months. All teeth remained vital after laser treatment, without adverse reactions or complications. In conclusion, the Nd:YAG laser can be used to reduce dentin hypersensitivity without detrimental pulpal effects.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Endometrial pattern in diethylstilboestrol-exposed women undergoing in-vitro fertilization may be the most significant predictor of pregnancy outcome.

The objective of this study was to compare prospectively pregnancy outcome as it is related to ultrasonic endometrial echo pattern in women exposed to diethylstilboestrol (DES) in utero by their mother's consumption with women not exposed to DES, all of whom were undergoing in-vitro fertilization (IVF). Pregnancy outcome relative to endometrial thickness and pattern was evaluated in 540 cycles of IVF including DES (n = 50) and non-DES-exposed (n = 490) women. Endometrial patterns were designated as p1 = solid; p2 = ring; and p3 = intermediate. DES patients exhibited p1 more often than the majority of the non-DES-exposed group. There was no significant difference in endometrial thickness among the cycles where p1 was noted when comparing the DES (10.3 mm) with the non-DES-exposed (10.7 mm) groups. Notably, within the group exhibiting p1, no pregnancies occurred in the 18 cycles of DES-exposed women compared with a 39.2% clinical pregnancy and 36.5% delivery rate in the non-DES-exposed controls (P < 0.0001 and P = 0.008 respectively). Pregnancy rates were not significantly different in the cycles where the other endometrial patterns were found when comparing the two groups. The impact of uterine shape on pregnancy outcome was also investigated. A T-shaped uterine configuration was noted in 11 out of 18 (61.1%) cycles of DES-exposed women with pattern p1 compared with nine out of 23 (39.1%) with pattern p2. Of cycles where a T-shaped uterus was demonstrated, none out of 11 (0%) with pattern p1 compared with four out of nine (44.4%) with pattern p2 resulted in pregnancy (P = 0.026). These data suggest that endometrial pattern is one of the most significant variables for pregnancy outcome in DES-exposed women undergoing IVF.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Monitoring of plasma clozapine levels and its metabolites in refractory schizophrenic patients.

Plasma concentrations of clozapine and its metabolites desmethylclozapine and clozapine N-oxide were measured in 61 patients with refractory schizophrenia. Before the initiation of clozapine, each patient was given haloperidol (HL) up to 60 mg/day for at least 4 weeks without improvement. Patients were then given a fixed dose of clozapine 400 mg/day. Patients were assessed with the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) at baseline before HL therapy, at the end of HL at 6 weeks, before clozapine, and after 6 weeks of clozapine therapy. Clozapine and its metabolites were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection. The mean plasma concentrations of clozapine, desmethylclozapine, and clozapine N-oxide were 598 +/- 314, 281 +/- 140, and 90 +/- 29 ng/ml, respectively. The mean decrease in the total BPRS scores from baseline clozapine to the 6-week treatment period was 11 +/- 4. Clinical improvement was noted to occur in most patients with clozapine plasma levels > 300 ng/ml. Improvement diminished in patients with clozapine plasma levels > 700 ng/ml. The most common adverse effects were sedation and hypersalivation. Significant correlations between plasma clozapine concentrations and adverse side effects were not found.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis in middle-aged or elderly patients.

Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM) in middle-aged or elderly adults is rarely reported. We present here three ADEM patients of these age groups, who manifested behavioral changes, mutism or psychosis. Single clinical episodes, widespread encephalopathic disturbances and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings favored the diagnosis of ADEM. However, no obvious preceding infections could be discovered. Two of them had traveled to mainland China prior to admission to psychiatric wards. All three patients had fair-to-good recovery after steroid treatment. A review of the literature showed that clinical and neuroimage findings of ADEM in the elderly group did not differ from those in the younger group. However, ADEM has rarely been reported in older age groups, probably due to: (1) differences between the elderly and young people in susceptibility or immune response to infectious agents, and (2) lack of a sensitive tool to examine patients prior to the wide-spread use of MRI. We suggest ADEM as one of the possible etiologies of acute or subacute onset of psychosis in adult patients, especially in those with a history of traveling.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1996

Prevalence of stroke in Kinmen.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Stroke is the second most common cause of death in Taiwan. We studied its prevalence, risk factors, and mortality in a rural Chinese population. METHODS: A door-to-door survey of stroke was conducted in two Kinmen Island townships with a total population of 26105 people. Our target population (n = 5061) consisted of all the registered residents in these townships who were aged > or = 50 years on August 1, 1993. All participants were given a standardized neurological examination and a questionnaire. RESULTS: The participation rate was 77.4% (n = 3915). Ninety-six cases of completed stroke were identified. Eighty-nine patients had one, 6 patients had two, and 1 patient had three episodes of stroke. The prevalence of stroke in persons aged > or = 50 years was 24.5 per 1000 (95% confidence interval, 19.7 to 29.3 per 1000). Prevalence increased with age. Statistically significant risk factors associated with stroke included hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and irregular heartbeats. Of the stroke survivors, 59% were independent in activities of daily living and 71% could walk independently. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with other countries, Taiwan has a moderately high prevalence of stroke. The risk factors for stroke in this rural region of a developing country are similar to those in developed countries. Most stroke survivors here perform their daily activities independently without outside assistance.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1996

Insulin receptor mediates inhibitory effect of insulin, but not of insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I, on IGF binding protein 1 (IGFBP-1) production in human granulosa cells.

Insulin-like growth factor binding proteins (IGFBPs) may participate in regulating ovarian function by modifying effects of insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) or by directly affecting ovarian steroidogenesis in both normal and pathological circumstances. The latter include hyperinsulinemic insulin resistant states, such as polycystic ovary syndrome. We examined regulation of IGFBP-1 production in human granulosa cells by insulin and IGF-I. The cells were obtained during in vitro fertilization, plated in McCoy-5A tissue culture medium supplemented with 10% fetal calf serum (10(5) cells/0.5 mL), and incubated at 37 C, 90% humidity, 5% CO2 for 48 h. After additional 24 h incubation without fetal calf serum, 1, 10, or 100 ng/mL of insulin or IGF-I were added with or without 2 h preincubation with 10 micrograms/mL monoclonal anti insulin receptor antibody IR-47-9. After 48 h incubation with insulin or IGF-I, the medium was collected and IGFBP-1 and progesterone concentrations were measured, using kits from Diagnostic Systems Laboratories, Webster, TX. Progesterone concentration ranged between 50-100 ng/mL/10(5) cells, without consistent stimulatory effect of either insulin or IGF-I. Control cells produced 7.0 +/- 1.7 ng/mL of IGFBP-1. Incubation with 1 or 10 ng/mL of insulin resulted in culture medium IGFBP-1 concentrations of 7.1 +/- 1.3 ng/mL and 5.4 +/- 0.7 ng/mL, respectively (P = NS). Incubation with 100 ng/mL of insulin reduced IGFBP-1 culture medium concentration to 1.6 +/- 0.3 ng/mL (P < 0.01, compared with controls). 1, 10, and 100 ng/mL of IGF-I inhibited IGFBP-1 concentrations in the conditioned culture medium to 1.3 +/- 0.3 ng/mL, 0.4 +/- 0.1 ng/mL and 0.3 +/- 0.1 ng/mL, respectively (P < 0.01, compared with controls). Preincubation with antiinsulin receptor antibody IR-47-9 alleviated inhibitory effect of insulin, but not of IGF-I on IGFBP-1 production. After preincubation with IR-47-9, IGFBP-1 culture medium concentrations were 5.9 +/- 0.8 ng/mL, 4.9 +/- 1.2 ng/mL, and 4.8 +/- 1.3 ng/mL for 1, 10, and 100 ng/mL of insulin, respectively. The latter number was significantly higher than IGFBP-1 concentration in the medium collected from cells incubated with 100 ng/mL of insulin without IR-47-9 (1.6 +/- 0.3 ng/mL, P < 0.01) and not significantly different from the control cells. For cells preincubated with IR-47-9 and then incubated with 1, 10, or 100 ng/mL of IGF-I, the IGFBP-1 conditioned culture medium concentrations were 1.7 +/- 0.1 ng/mL, 0.5 +/- 0.2 ng/mL, and 0.3 +/- 0.1 ng/mL, respectively. None of these were significantly different from the IGFBP-1 concentrations in the medium collected from cells incubated with the respective concentrations of IGF-I without preincubation with IR-47-9. We conclude that 1) both insulin and IGF-I inhibit IGFBP-1 production by cultured human granulosa cells; 2) IGF-I is a more potent inhibitor of IGFBP-1 production than insulin; 3) in the range of hormone concentrations tested, insulin exerts its inhibitory effect on IGFBP-1 production via insulin receptor, while IGF-I appears to exert its effect via another receptor.

Antibodies↗
PubMed1996

Insulin-like growth factor II (IGF-II) inhibits insulin-like growth factor binding protein I (IGFBP-1) production in luteinized human granulosa cells with a potency similar to insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) and higher than insulin.

Insulin-like growth factor binding protein I (IGFBP-I) is produced by human granulosa cells and may be important in follicular development. Production of IGFBP-I in human granulosa cells is under inhibitory control of insulin and insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I). It had not been known if IGF-II affected IGFBP-I production in these cells. We examined the effect of IGF-II on IGFBP-I production in human granulosa cells and compared this effect of IGF-II to similar effects of insulin and IGF-I. Human granulosa cells were obtained during in vitro fertilization and plated at a density of 10(5) cells/mL in McCoy 5A tissue culture medium supplemented with 10% fetal calf serum. After 48 h of preincubation at 37 C, 90% humidity, 5% CO2, the medium was removed, and serum-free medium was added. After 24 h of incubation in the serum-free medium, the medium was removed, cells were washed, and new serum-free medium supplemented with various concentrations of insulin, IGF-I, or IGF-II was added. After 24 h of incubation with insulin, IGF-I, or IGF-II, the medium was removed and frozen at-20 C until assayed for IGFBP-I. IGFBP-I was measured using kits from Diagnostic System Laboratories, Webster, Texas. Concentrations of IGFBP-I in the medium were 4.4 +/- 1.7 ng/mL for control cells; 3.0 +/- 0.8, 3.0 +/- 0.7, 3.1 +/- 0.7, 1.8 +/- 0.5, and 1.1 +/- 0.3 ng/mL for 1, 10, 10(2), 10(3), and 10(5) ng/mL insulin respectively; 1.4 +/- 0.6, 2.1 +/- 0.5, 0.3 +/- 0.1, 0.1 +/- 0.02, and 0.01 +/- 0.02 ng/mL for 0.5, 1, 5, 10, and 10(2) ng/mL of IGF-I, respectively; and 2.3 +/- 2.2, 1.2 +/- 0.8, 0.9 +/- 0.3, 0.7 +/- 0.2, and 0.04 +/- 0.02 ng/mL for 0.5, 1, 5, 10, and 10(2) ng/mL of IGF-II, respectively. Concentration of IGFBP-I in the medium collected from cells incubated with hormones was statistically lower than that for control cells starting at 10(3) ng/mL of insulin (P < 0.05), 0.5 ng/mL of IGF-I (P < 0.05) and 1 ng/mL of IGF-II (P < 0.05). Within the range of hormone concentrations tested, the P-values (independent groups t-test) never reached less than 0.01 levels for insulin, but reached this level at 5 ng/mL for both IGF-I and IGF-II. We conclude that IGF-II inhibits IGFBP-I production in luteinized human granulosa cells in a dose-dependent manner and with potency similar to IGF-I and higher than insulin. Further studies are needed to determine the physiological significance of this and other effects of IGF-II in the human ovary in both normal and pathological states.

Culture Media, Conditioned↗
PubMed1996

Epsilon 4 allele of apolipoprotein E increases risk of Alzheimer's disease in a Chinese population.

We examined the apolipoprotein E genotype in 56 Chinese patients with late-onset sporadic Alzheimer's disease (AD) and 57 Chinese control subjects of similar age. The frequency of epsilon 4 in the AD group was significantly higher than that in the control group (23.2% versus 7.9%, p = 0.003). The odds ratio for AD in individuals with either one or two epsilon 4 was 2.96 (95% CI 1.11 to 8.03). The linear trend for AD in proportion to alleles of epsilon 4 was also significant (chi 2 = 8.2, p = 0.004). Our results support the association between epsilon 4 and AD in the Chinese.

Age of Onset↗
PubMed1996

Bipolar disorder following a stroke involving the left hemisphere.

OBJECTIVE: Post-stroke mania has rarely been noted and researched, and reported cases have mostly involved the non-dominant hemisphere. In this paper, we report a case of bipolar disorder secondary to a stroke over the dominant hemisphere. CLINICAL PICTURE: A 48-year-old, right-handed man had a cerebral infarct over the left temporal region. He became depressed after the stroke, and 4 months later developed a manic episode. TREATMENT: The patient was treated with haloperidol and lorazepam. OUTCOME: The symptoms subsided within 2 months after treatment. CONCLUSIONS: It is premature to consider mania to be a syndrome of the right, or non-dominant, hemisphere. We suggest that further study focusing on specific anatomical regions, rather than laterality, will help to elucidate the interrelationship between mood and brain function.

Bipolar Disorder↗
PubMed1996

Use of the silicone tracheal T-tube for tracheostenosis or tracheomalacia.

BACKGROUND: Tracheobtenosib and tracheomalacia are trivial diseases. The conventional choice of managements with tracheostomy, either temporary or long-term usage, can only partially resolve the problems of airway obstruction. Silicone tracheal T-tube presents a substitute for it. METHODS: We present 5 patients with tracheostenosis or tracheomalacia managed with nine procedures of long silicone Montgomery T-tube prothesis between 1984 and 1994 in VGH-Taipei. The primary diagnosis included tracheal injury (2), postintubation tracheal stenosis (2), and stenosis due to endotracheal tuberculosis (1). Three patients received a long segmental T-tube for permanent endotracheal stenting and the other two patients used T-tube insertion for temporary stenting of the trachea for 7 and 11 months, respectively, with satisfactory results. RESULTS: All patients got immediate benefit from the prothesis in respiration with simple postoperative care. Two patients with temporary T-tube placement had it successfully removed in 7 and 11 months, respectively. Placement of the T-tube for subglottic stenosis also protected the function of phonation. The tracheal T-tube restored airway patency reliably with good long-term results and could be the preferred management of chronic upper airway obstructive disease not amenable to surgical repair. The most common complication was airway obstruction caused by either granulations or sticky mucoid substance. Three patients and six tubes (60%) developed granulation obstruction and the average duration of granuloma formation was 7.7 months. Laser phototherapy or surgical intervention, such as tracheoplasty, with change of the T-tube was carried out for granuloma obstruction. CONCLUSIONS: T-tube is a good endoprothesis for tracheostenosis and tracheomalacia with minimal complication for cases of long tracheostenosis or complex tracheal injury.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Non-destructive analysis of the protein conformational structure of human pituitary adenomas using reflectance FT-IR microspectroscopy.

Reflectance Fourier-transform infrared microspectroscopy was used to determine the secondary structure and composition of the different human pituitary adenomas. Non-functioning pituitary adenomas exhibited similar protein secondary structure and conformational composition, but active pituitary adenomas revealed different behavior. The differences in secondary structure for the different human pituitary adenomas might possibly be due to the different protein conformations of the proliferated adenoma tissues and various hormones shared.

Adenoma↗
PubMed1995

Cloning and promoter mapping of mouse kappa opioid receptor gene.

We have isolated mouse kappa opioid receptor (KOR) genomic clones containing the complete 5'-untranslated region, a portion of the 3'-untranslated region, and its coding region. The mouse KOR gene spans at least 16 kb and contains at least 4 exons. Exon I encodes the major portion of 5'-untranslated sequence and transcription initiation is determined, by primer extension experiments, to reside at 3 major sites, located at 334, 340, and 716 nucleotides upstream from the translation initiation codon. No typical TATA or CAAT boxes can be identified within an approximately 1-kb upstream region. Exon II contains 271 nucleotides, including 14 nucleotides of 5'-untranslated sequence. Exon III contains 353 nucleotides and exon IV begins at amino acid position #204 and encodes the rest of the 3'-end sequence of the cloned cDNA. Based upon Northern blot analysis, KOR transcript is estimated to be approximately 6 kb in length.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1995

Production of insulin-like growth factor binding proteins (IGFBPs) by human endometrial stromal cell is stimulated by the presence of embryos.

PURPOSE: To identify IGFBPs among endometrial secretory products and study their role in implantation and early embryo development. METHODS: Two-cell CB6F1 mouse embryos were cultured alone or with human endometrial stromal cells in RPMI 1640 plus 10% fetal calf serum (FCS) with or without addition of IGF-I (20 micrograms/ml), IGF receptor antibody (0.1 microgram/ml), progesterone (P) (20 ng/ml) and relaxin (R) (20 micrograms/ml). On the designated day, the medium was changed to protein-free RPMI and incubated for 16 h. Both conditioned medium and conditioned protein-free medium were then collected for protein analysis and immunoradiometric assay. Cells were fixed with 4% paraformaldehyde for immunohistochemical staining. RESULTS: IGFBP1 (31 kDa), IGFBP2 (36 kDa), IGFBP3 (45 kDa and 50 kDa) and an unknown IGFBP (25 kDa) were identified in conditioned medium of human endometrial stromal cells cultured alone or cocultured with mouse embryos. Secretion of IGFBPs by endometrial stromal cells was stimulated in the presence of mouse embryos as well as by P and R. IGFBP3 appears to be more responsive to embryonic signals. On the other hand, the secretion of IGFBP1 was greatly stimulated by P and R. Immunolocalization revealed that all three BPs were present in both embryonic and endometrial cells and their immunological staining was heavily increased by P and R. CONCLUSIONS: Endometrial stromal cells were able to synthesize and secrete IGFBPs to modify IGF action on embryo development. Secretion of IGFBPs was stimulated by embryonic signals and was hormonally dependent. The fact that IGFBP3 was more responsive to embryonic signals suggests that it may be important in early implantation. On the other hand, IGFBP1 production was highly responsive to both P and R, suggesting that it may be important throughout pregnancy. In addition, the fact that IGFBPs were located in endometrial and embryonic cells may suggest that these secretory products have autocrine and/or paracrine effects on both types of cells.

Animals↗