Biomedical subjects

T Falcone

Publications and source records attributed to T Falcone.

75 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

PubMedDate not supplied

Effect of peritoneal fluid from endometriosis patients on sperm motion characteristics and acrosome reaction.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether peritoneal fluid from women with endometriosis contributes to infertility by impairing sperm motion and functional characteristics. METHODS: Women with endometriosis (n = 20) underwent laparoscopy for infertility or pelvic pain. Patients undergoing tubal ligation served as controls (n = 14). Peritoneal fluid was aspirated from women with endometriosis, or from women undergoing laparoscopic tubal ligation. Sperm motility, motion characteristics and acrosome reaction were assessed following incubation with peritoneal fluid. RESULTS: Sperm motility, motion characteristics, and acrosome reaction did not differ significantly between the two groups after 3, 5, or 24 hours of incubation with peritoneal fluid. CONCLUSIONS: Sperm motion or functional characteristics showed no significant impairment when sperm from normal donors were incubated with peritoneal fluid from patients with endometriosis. It is unlikely that peritoneal fluid in these patients contributes to infertility.

Acrosome Reaction↗

PubMedDate not supplied

The effect of follicular fluid reactive oxygen species on the outcome of in vitro fertilization.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the presence of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the follicular fluid of women undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) and identify its role in pregnancy outcome. STUDY DESIGN: In this prospective study, ROS and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) levels were measured by the chemiluminescence method in the follicular fluid of 53 women. Age, number of oocytes recovered, percentage of oocytes fertilized, ROS and TAC levels were compared in women who did and did not become pregnant. RESULTS: Patients who become pregnant had significantly higher log-transformed ROS levels (1.01 +/- 0.14, P = 0.031 than those who did not (0.69 +/- 0.08). Women with endometriosis or male factor infertility who became pregnant had significantly higher ROS levels (1.44 +/- 0.23 and 1.31 +/- 0.19) than those who did not (0.60 +/- 0.17 and 0.67 +/- 0.16; P < .006 and P < .01). CONCLUSION: Follicular fluid ROS, at low concentrations, may be a potential marker for predicting success in IVF patients.

Age Factors↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Treatment of ectopic pregnancy by systemic methotrexate, transvaginal methotrexate, and operative laparoscopy.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of treatment of ectopic pregnancy by local administration of methotrexate, systemic methotrexate, and laparoscopy. METHODS: This study was a retrospective analysis from the department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of two university-affiliated hospitals. Medical records of 40 patients who were treated by methotrexate from January 1991 to October 1994 and 66 patients who were treated surgically by laparoscopy from April 1986 to June 1994 were reviewed. Among the methotrexate group, 19 patients were treated by ultrasound-guided injection and 31 others were treated by intramuscular administration. Success rate of the primary treatment and the duration of hospitalization were examined for each group. The cases of methotrexate failure were characterized and compared with the primary laparoscopic group. RESULTS: The success rate was similar between the local (79.8%) and the systemic (66.7%) methotrexate groups. The primary laparoscopy group had a significantly higher success rate (95.5%) than the methotrexate group (72.5%); P < .01. When patients who had laparoscopy as their primary treatment (n = 66) were compared with those who underwent surgery after failed methotrexate treatment (n = 11), the primary laparoscopic group were seen to have shorter hospitalization time, smaller tubal diameter at surgery, and higher pre-operative hemoglobin level (P < .05). More patients in the methotrexate failure group (45.5%) had hemoperitoneum of > 500 mL than those in the primary laparoscopy group (1.5%; P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: There is no difference in efficacy between local and systemic methotrexate administration. Laparoscopic treatment of ectopic pregnancy is associated with a higher success rate than methotrexate treatment. Patients treated by laparoscopy after methotrexate failure were sicker than those who were treated by laparoscopy as their primary treatment.

Adult↗