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Biomedical subjects

P F van Look

Publications and source records attributed to P F van Look.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

Chromosome abnormalities in human embryos after in vitro fertilization.

In vitro fertilization and embryo transfer is now an established treatment for certain forms of human infertility. High success rates have been reported following oocyte recovery and fertilization in vitro, the only major remaining difficulty being the high failure rate (80%) of implantation after replacement of the embryo into the mother. One possible reason for this failure of implantation is that some embryos may carry a lethal chromosome abnormality which does not allow development beyond the preimplantation stage. The need for information on the chromosomal status of early embryos fertilized and developed in vitro is recognized but two reported attempts to examine them have met with technical problems. Here we describe a method for examining chromosomes in 8-cell human embryos. Although we have made complete chromosome analyses for only three oocytes, our findings are surprising in that two of the three embryos were chromosomally abnormal. Data on the DNA content of the nuclei in a further eight cases showed that approximately 20% overall may be haploid.

Age Factors↗

Androstenedione and the control of luteinizing hormone in the ewe during anoestrus.

Androstenedione and oestradiol were measured by radioimmunoassay in the utero-ovarian venous plasma of two ewes during anoestrus. The concentrations of both steroids were significantly higher than the corresponding concentrations in peripheral plasma, indicating that androstenedione and oestradiol are secreted by the ovary during anoestrus. The concentration of LH during anoestrus was measured by radioimmunoassay in jugular venous plasma of control ewes, ewes immunized against 11alpha-OH-androstenedione-bovine serum albumin and ewes that had been ovariectomized and hystrectomized 9 months previously. During a 12 h sampling period, discharges of LH occurred more frequently in the immunized ewes than in the control group but less frequently than in the ovariectomized group. The frequency of discharge was positively correlated with the titre of androstenedione antibodies in the immunized animals. After injection of 25 mug oestradiol benzoate (OB) all controls, 3 out of 5 immunized and 4 out of 5 ovariectomized-hysterectomized ewes showed positive feedback. No positive feedback occurred in the two ewes with the highest antibody titres to androstenedione, but negative feedback in response of OB apperaed to function normally in all the androstenedione immunized sheep. It is postulated that androstenedione, or one of its metabolites, normally modulates the effects of oestradiol in the control of gonadotrophin secretion in the ewe.

Androstenedione↗