No abstract available.
Humans ; Surgery, Plastic*

OBJECTIVE: To determine the expression of endometrial leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) in infertile women and to compare it with that of fertile women during the window of implantation METHODS: Endometrial biopsies were performed during the window of implantation from 10 normal fertile and 15 infertile women (5 unexplained infertility, 5 endometriosis and 5 tubal disease with hydrosalpinx). We performed immunohistochemistry using paraffin-embedded endometrial tissues. RESULTS: In fertile and infertile women, the staining intensities of LIF in the glandular epithelium were significantly higher (p<0.01) than those of stromal cells. There was no significantly difference in the expression of LIF between the glandular epithelium of infertile women with endometriosis or hydrosalpinx and those of fertile women. However, the staining intensities of LIF in the glandular epithelium of unexplained infertility patients were significantly lower (p<0.01) than those in fertile women. The staining intensities of LIF in stromal cell of women with unexplained infertility, endometriosis and hydrosalpinx were similar to those in fertile women. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that the glandular epithelial cells are more important sites of LIF secretion than stromal cells. The expression of endometrial LIF may be decreased in women with unexplained infertility during the window of implantation. Therefore, this result suggest that abnormalities of LIF expression in infertile women may underlie endometrial dysfunction in the adhesive phase of implantation.
Adhesives ; Biopsy ; Endometriosis ; Endometrium* ; Epithelial Cells ; Epithelium ; Female ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Infertility ; Leukemia Inhibitory Factor* ; Leukemia* ; Stromal Cells

Nitric oxide (NO), a free radical that has been postulated to act as a neurotransmitter, neuromodulator, or second messenger molecule in nervous system, is synthesized from L-arginine by nitric oxide synthase (NOS). The NADPH-diaphorase (NADPH-d) histochemical techenique provides a simple and robust method to stain the selected populations of NOS neurons in the brain. This study was aimed to clarify the distribution of NOS neurons in the brain stem of rats. To verify the distribution of NOS neurons in the brain stem, the neurons were stained by the NOS immunohis-tochemistry and NADPH-d histochemistry. Image analyzer-assisted densitometry and cell counting method have been used to quantitatively characterize groups of neuronal cells. Double labeling of NOS immunohistochemistry and NADPH-d histochemistry showed the coexistence of NOS and NADPH-d in same neurons. Neuronal cell bodies exhibiting NOS/NADPH-d staining were found in particular nuclei throughout the brain stem. The number of NOS/NADPH-d neurons were variable in brain stem nuclei. The NADPH-d neurons exhibited different intensities of reaction product. Some groups, including paradorsal raphe nucleus, laterodorsal tegmental nucleus and pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus were extremely heavily stained. Other neurons such as those in the interpeduncular nucleus, central gray, substantia nigra lateralis, nucleus solitarius and raphe obscurus nucleus were moderately stained, while other neurons such supragenual nucleus, lateral paragigantocellular nucleus and prepositus hypoglossal nucleus were weakly stained. The present study describes the many locations within the brain stem in which NADPH-d occurs. Since NADPH-d activity colocalizes with NOS, the results indicate the likely involvement of nitric oxide in the neuronal functions of many brain stem nuclei of rats.
Animals ; Arginine ; Brain Stem* ; Brain* ; Cell Count ; Densitometry ; Immunohistochemistry ; Nervous System ; Neurons ; Neurotransmitter Agents ; Nitric Oxide Synthase* ; Nitric Oxide* ; Pedunculopontine Tegmental Nucleus ; Raphe Nuclei ; Rats* ; Second Messenger Systems ; Solitary Nucleus ; Substantia Nigra