Aplasia cutis congenita is a rare congenital defect in which localized or widespread areas of the skin are singly or multiply absent or already scarred at birth. Multiple etiologies have been suggested for the cause, however, methimazole exposure during pregnancy has rarely been postulated as the cause of aplasia cutis congenita. We report a case of an infant with scalp aplasia cutis congenita, whose thyrotoxic mother was treated with methimazole during the first 9 weeks of gestation. The casual relationship between the drug and the skin defect is still a matter of debate, therefore, propylthiouracil treatment appears to be preferable to methimazole during the fertile period.
Cicatrix ; Congenital Abnormalities ; Ectodermal Dysplasia* ; Female ; Fertile Period ; Humans ; Infant ; Methimazole* ; Mothers ; Parturition ; Pregnancy* ; Propylthiouracil ; Scalp ; Skin

OBJECTIVE: To determine if salivary ferning correlates significantly with sonographic indices in identifying the fertile period, and whether it may be used as a cheaper, and more convenient way to aid infertility patients in achieving pregnancy.

POPULATION: Subjects who complain of difficulty achieving pregnancy and for whom follicle monitoring was indicated were recruited from the Outpatient Department in a tertiary hospital in Manila.

METHODOLOGY: Patients (n=40) with Primary or Secondary Infertility from April 2013 to August 2015 who require serial follicle monitoring as part of infertility work up were recruited in the study. For every follicle monitoring by ultrasound done by one sonologist, a salivary sample was obtained from the subject and the ferning pattern was determined and recorded by one pathologist blinded as to the day of the subject's menstrual cycle.

RESULTS: There was a total of 40 subjects who underwent 2 serial follicle monitoring during the study. The 1 st TVS (preovulatory) was done between Day 9 to 14 of the cycle with an average of Day 11. Correspondingly, salivary ferning done showed that there were 26 (65.0%) with Salivary Ferning 1 pattern and 14 (35.0%) with Salivary Ferning 2 pattern (p=0.35). This showed no significant difference between follicle monitoring and salivary ferning pattern and either may be used in identifying fertile period preovulatory. The 2nd TVS (postovulatory) was done between Day 12 to 21 with an average of Day 16. All the second ultrasound findings showed signs of ovulation. Correspondingly, there were 1 (2.0%) showed Salivary Ferning 1 pattern, 11 (27.5%) showed Salivary Ferning 2 Pattern and 28 (70.0%) showed Salivary Ferning 3 Pattern 9 (p=0.05). This showed no significant difference between follicle monitoring and salivary ferning pattern, hence, TVS follicle monitoring remains more reliable in identifying that ovulation has occurred.

CONCLUSION: Salivary ferning corresponded well with ultrasonographic findings during the preovulatory phase of the cycle, while no correlation was noted between the salivary ferning pattern and the postovulatory phase of the cycle. Hence, sonographic follicle monitoring remains a better predictor of ovulation, and more effective in identifying the fertile period

Human ; Female ; Adult ; Pregnancy ; Follicular Phase ; Luteal Phase ; Fertile Period ; Tertiary Care Centers ; Outpatients ; Pathologists ; Ovulation ; Ovarian Follicle ; Infertility

N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU) is a potent mutagen in a mouse model by inducing point mutation in a random manner and, in particular, causing heritable base substitutions in spermatogonia. In this study, systematic development of phenotype-driven mutant mice with large scale was carried out by using ENU. Nine-week-old male mice of C57BL/6J received intraperitoneal injection at three times with 100 mg/kg of ENU at weekly intervals for three weeks. After injections with ENU, the changes of body weight, fatality, recovery of fertile period, and breeding record were measured in these mice. Body weight lost as a result of ENU treatments was reversed after the last ENU injection. Live fertile male mice recovered from infertility from 104 to 165 days after ENU treatments were mated with C57BL/6J female mice for generation of G1 offspring. An average birth rate was 5.9 mice from 1 pair of paternal and maternal mice. All of 231 G1 offspring mice were analyzed by modified-SHIRPA with standard procedure at nine weeks of age. Among G1 mice, 166 mice were identified as mutagenic phenotypes in 20 test items. The changes in mutagenic phenotypes after ENU treatments, for instance, pattern in the region with a different color, touch escape, changes in head morphology, pupil, and teeth, and negative geotaxis etc., were found in these mice. Taken together, these results indicate that ENU may be a trans-generational mutagen in C57BL/6J mice.
Animals ; Birth Rate ; Body Weight ; Breeding* ; Ethylnitrosourea* ; Female ; Fertile Period* ; Head ; Humans ; Infertility ; Injections, Intraperitoneal ; Male ; Mice* ; Phenotype ; Point Mutation ; Pupil ; Spermatogonia ; Tooth ; United Nations

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effects of maternal nutritional manipulation on fetal mRNA abundance of uncoupling protein UCP2, UCP3 and carnitine palmityl transferase 1 (CPT1), and find out an optimal maternal diet and targets for pharmacological prevention and treatment of obesity.

METHODSWistar pregnant rats were assigned to two groups which received a standard diet (SD) and a high protein diet (HPD) during pregnancy, respectively. After delivery, the male offspring were assigned to control group (CON) and high protein group (HP) according to their maternal diet, which were suckled by dams that received SD during pregnancy. Offspring were fed with SD from weaning (week 3) to week 8. Then CON were allocated to two groups: CON (SD during the whole experiment); HFCON (high fat control). HFCON and HP group rats were fed with high-fat diet (HFD) for 6 wk to induce obesity. At 0, 3, 8 and 14 wk of age, blood and tissue were collected for analyzing blood fat and abundance of UCP2, 3 and CPT1 mRNA.

RESULTSIn HP body weight and TG were decreased after weaning (F = 4.589, P = 0.039; F = 27.001, P = 0.000) and HFD (F = 16.076, P = 0.00; F = 71.518, P = 0.000). Obesity rates were significantly decreased in HP after HFD (chi2 = 8.076, P = 0.004). The abundance of UCP3 and CPT1 mRNA was persistently higher in HP than in CON or HFCON, and the abundance of UCP2 mRNA was also persistently higher than in CON or HFCON after weaning. Moreover the abundance of CPT1 mRNA was significantly increased after weaning and HFD compared with that after SD, the abundance of UCP2, UCP3 mRNA was also increased after HFD compared with that after SD.

CONCLUSIONSIncreasing protein intake during pregnancy might prevent offspring from HFD-induced obesity in adult, moreover might increase offspring the expression of UCP2, UCP3 and CPT1 mRNA. UCP2, UCP3 and CPT1 might participate in prevention and treatment of obesity by mediating fatty acid oxidation.

Animal Feed ; Animals ; Animals, Newborn ; Carnitine O-Palmitoyltransferase ; metabolism ; Dietary Proteins ; Female ; Fertile Period ; Ion Channels ; metabolism ; Male ; Mitochondrial Proteins ; metabolism ; Obesity ; metabolism ; Pregnancy ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Uncoupling Protein 2 ; Uncoupling Protein 3