Biomedical subjects

V D Castracane

Publications and source records attributed to V D Castracane.

94 records · Page 6Linked to original sources

PubMedDate not supplied

Late luteal rescue in the baboon (Papio cynocephalus).

Numerous studies have used human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG) administration to study the response of the primate ovary to gonadotrophin stimulation. These studies are generally performed in the luteal phase with very few studies of the follicular phase. We have studied the effect of both HCG and gonadotrophin releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist administered at the early follicular phase in normally cycling baboons (Papio cynocephalus). Five baboons were treated with increasing doses of HCG for 5 consecutive days starting on day 1 of the cycle and three untreated baboons served as controls. Follicular and luteal phase lengths were determined and serum samples were assayed for progesterone, oestradiol and 17alpha-OH progesterone. In a separate study, six baboons were treated with GnRH agonist (WY-40972) on days 2-6 of the cycle and saline-treated baboons served as controls (n = 5). Mean peak progesterone concentrations (+/- SE) during the treatment interval were 3.88+/-0.56 ng/ml in HCG-treated baboons compared to 0.19+/-0.07 ng/ml in controls (P < 0.001). A similar significant increase (P < 0.001) in serum 17alpha-OH progesterone concentrations was also observed (6.13+/-1.12 ng/ml versus 1.13+/-0.49 ng/ml). In association with the increase in luteal steroids there was also a significant prolongation of menstrual cycle length from 32.7+/-1.2 days in controls to 46.8+/-4.9 days in HCG-treated baboons (P < 0.05), which involved prolongation of the follicular phase (16.7+/-1.2 days to 29.0+/-4.6 days; P < 0.05) with no difference in luteal phase length or progesterone concentrations. In GnRH agonist-treated baboons, mean (+/- SE) cycle length was prolonged to 46.3+/-1.6 days and in saline-treated controls was 32.8+/-0.8 days (P < 0.001), again this was completely represented by the change in follicular phase length, from 13.4+/-0.7 days in controls to 27.2+/-2.1 days in agonist-treated baboons (P < 0.001). In contrast, there was no significant difference in luteal phase length between these two groups (19.4+/-0.7 versus 19.2+/-1.0 days). The prolongation of the follicular phase was accompanied by significant increases in both progesterone (P < 0.01) and oestradiol (P < 0.01) during GnRH agonist treatment above control concentrations. Luteal phase concentrations of these hormones were not different from controls. These results demonstrate the previously unreported finding that gonadotropin stimulation will rescue the corpus luteum in the next follicular phase.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Low pregnancy-associated plasma protein-a at 10(+1) to 14(+6) weeks of gestation and a possible mechanism leading to miscarriage.

OBJECTIVE: To compare pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A) serum levels at 10(+1) to 14(+6) weeks gestation in groups of patients with different obstetrical outcomes. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The medical records of women who had consented to donate blood for biochemical research purposes while their pregnancies were uncomplicated were reviewed to define the clinical groups. After the clinical groups were defined, the donated maternal serum samples were thawed and PAPP-A measured by ELISA. ANOVA was used to compare mean values within groups. RESULT: All groups had similar gestational ages at blood donation (overall mean 12.5 weeks; no difference in gestational age was found within groups, p = 0.18). The overall PAPP-A serum level was 2.01 mIU/ml with only the spontaneous abortion group having a statistical different PAPP-A level (0.09 mIU/ml; p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: These data suggest that those women who experienced spontaneous abortions had significantly different mean PAPP-A serum levels at 10(+1) to 14(+6) weeks gestation. Several lines of evidence suggest that downregulation of insulin-like growth factor-II availability due to a decreased PAPP-A serum level may be the cause of spontaneous abortion in these women.

Abortion, Spontaneous↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Effect of normoglycemia before conception on early pregnancy hormone profiles.

Insulin-dependent diabetic women have been shown to have subnormal hormone levels in the first trimester of pregnancy. To determine whether these abnormalities were the result of poor diabetes control, testosterone, androstenedione, human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG), and prolactin were studied longitudinally in diabetic women made normoglycemic before conception (N = 11) and normal (N = 6) control subjects beginning at the fifth week of gestation. HCG levels rose normally in all 11 diabetic and six control subjects and then declined as expected, with peak levels between 8 and 12 wk of gestation. Prolactin levels similarly rose significantly (P less than 0.00001) during the period studied. Plasma androstenedione did not increase during the course of this study, but testosterone levels increased significantly (P = 0.0001). Androgen levels were consistently higher in diabetic subjects despite the normoglycemic state, although the differences reached statistical significance at only one point. This study demonstrates that when normoglycemia is achieved before conception, HCG and prolactin are normal at 5 wk after the last menstrual period. The possibility that androgen levels may be higher in insulin-requiring diabetic women, perhaps due to peripheral hyperinsulinemia, should be explored.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Single-monthly-dose vitamin D supplementation in elderly patients.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the serum levels of calcidiol and calcitriol in 2 men and in 21 postmenopausal, primarily elderly women receiving hormone replacement therapy, orally administered calcium citrate, and an additional supplement of 50,000 IU of vitamin D (1.25 mg of cholecalciferol) once monthly for various periods. METHODS: We determined plasma calcidiol and calcitriol levels at various times, ranging from -1 to +60 days after intake of a single dose of 1.25 mg of vitamin D in 10 initial or short-term users (1 to 6 months) and in 13 women who had been using this monthly regimen for several years. The primary concerns were the safety and adequacy of the blood levels achieved with a regimen that encouraged compliance. RESULTS: In long-term users of monthly vitamin D regimens, calcidiol levels were usually slightly in excess of the upper limit of normal (that is, >52 ng/mL [>130 nmol/L]) at all times throughout the month; in contrast, calcitriol levels exceeded the normal range (8 to 52 pg/mL [19 to 125 pmol/L]) only once in 18 samplings. In short-term users, calcidiol levels exceeded the normal range only once shortly after intake, and no calcitriol level exceeded the normal range. CONCLUSION: Once-a-month dosage of 50,000 IU (1.25 mg) of vitamin D in elderly women receiving hormone replacement therapy plus supplemental calcium and uncontrolled generic multivitamin intake yields calcitriol levels within the normal range, even after years of use of this regimen. Calcidiol levels exceeded the normal range at all times in long-term users but only once in short-term users. Calcidiol concentrations, however, were found to be far below levels (>150 ng/mL [>375 nmol/L]) that might produce hypercalciuria or hypercalcemia.

Journal Article↗