Aims: To study the validity of a scoring system in evaluating embryo quality and predicting pregnancy potential. The scoring system was formulated using morphologic parameters and cleavage rates. Embryos were scored between 0 and 10 according to morphologic criteria and cleavage rate. Materials and METHODS: The pregnancy results of 2,371 fresh embryos scored by this criteria and transferred between January 1991 and September 1992 in the Monash IVF Program, Melbourne, Australia were analysed for this study. RESULTS: Analysis of 2,371 fresh embryos scores from 926 consecutive transfers showed that intrauterine and multiple pregnancy rate increased significantly along with increased total score per transfer(p < 0.05). Pregnancy rate also increased from 10.7% to 21.6% as the number of embryos with a score of 7 or more(good embryo) increased from 0 to 3(p < 0.05). The well-known relationship between the number of embryos transferred and pregnancy rate was also found but this correlation could not seen when all of added embryos were scored less than 7. When all the embryos in a given transfer were scored less than 4(poor embryo), the pregnancy rate was near zero regardless of the number of embryos transferred. Conclusion: This study indicated that an embryo scoring system based on morphologic and cleavage rate criteria could be useful in selecting good quality embryos and predicting the pregnancy rate in an IVF/ET program.
Australia ; Embryonic Structures* ; Female ; Pregnancy Rate ; Pregnancy* ; Pregnancy, Multiple

No abstract available.
Drug Therapy*

Ovulation induction in hypothalamic amenorrhea using gonadotropin- releasing hormone(GnRH) pulse therapy is complicated by widely variant patient responses ranging from anovulation to multiple pregnancy. Route of administration(intravenous vs subcutaneous), pulse therapy, GnRH dose, infusion interval, or hormone preparation may contribute. We evaluated the bioactivity of 4 GnRH preparations(Relisorm,Serono; Lutrelef,Ferring; Factrel,Ayerst; GnRH,Sigma) in a rat anterior cell bioassay. Dispersed rat anterior pituitary cells were placed for 48 hrs at 5x105 cells/well, washed and incubated with GnRH. The GnRH was diluted according to the manufacturer's culture medium(10(-12) to 10(-5)M). GnRH stimulated immunoreactive luteinizing hormone(LH) production was assested in culture medium after 4 hrs by radioimmunoassay(RIA). A linear dose-response relationship was exhibited by all preparations from 10(-10) to 10(-7)M. Msximal LH production was 249+/-24 ng/ml/4hrs(mean+/-SEM) and was not different among the preparations tested(ANOVA, p>0.05). The minimal effective dose of GnRH was 10-10M for all preparations(basa1=27+/-4ng/ml/4hrs:mean+/-SEM). No significant differences were noted for MED, or dose-response slope(p<0.05, ANOVA and slope test for parallelism, respectively). In addition, bioactive LH and immuno and bioactive follicular stimulating hormone(FSH) dose responses were confirmed. We concluded that the principal variability of patient response seen with GnRH pulse therapy cannot be attributed to the bioactivity of these commercial GnRH preparations. But rather, most of the variability is due to the inherent individualism in patient response or other factors of the treatment protocol.
Amenorrhea ; Animals ; Anovulation ; Biological Assay ; Clinical Protocols ; Female ; Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone* ; Humans ; Lutein ; Ovulation Induction ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy, Multiple ; Rats

No abstract available.
Drug Therapy, Combination* ; Ulcer*

Silicone gel sheeting is widely used to manage the hypertrophic or keloid scars. Since first reported in 1982 to be an effective treatment for burn scars and contractures, many authors reported its efficacy to treat scars. Chemically silicone gel sheet composed of cross-linked dimethy1 and vinyl enblocked polydimethylsiloxane polymer. The exact mechanism of silicone gel sheet to treat hypertrophic scar was still unknown, but decreasing the water vapor transmission was supposed to level the scar. During out clinical experience, a few patients suffered from skin problems by silicone gel sheeting. So we designed a study to determine the severity of skin hypersensitivity of silicone gel sheeting. Four types of silicone gel sheets were applied to upper arms of 140 healthy voluntees. Resultant skin lesions were analysed 48 and 96 hours later to differentiate the irritation and the true hypersensitivity. About 30 percent of voluteers represented mild skin irritability(48 hours later), but true skin hypersensitivity was not found(96 hours later). The site to be applied with silicone gel sheet is very critical area, so pretesting the irritability of silicone gel sheeting to individuals is an important step to control the hypertrophic scar.
Arm ; Burns ; Cicatrix ; Cicatrix, Hypertrophic ; Contracture ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity* ; Keloid ; Patch Tests* ; Polymers ; Silicone Gels* ; Skin* ; Steam

Glutathione(GSH) has a very important role in detoxification of cells and is closely related to antitumor drug-resistance of cancer cells. In order to evaluate the importance of glutathione metabolism in the drug-resistant cancer cells, the concentration of celluar GSH and activities of y-glutamylcysteine synthetase(GCS), y-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) and glutathione S-transferases(GST) in the adriamycin, vincristine, or cisplatin resistant L1210 (L1210AdR; L1210VcR, or L12100s) sublines were measured. Expression and amplification of GCS, GGT, and GST-i7 genes were also observed in the parent L1210 and the drug-resistant L1210 sublines. The concentration of GSH was increased 5.34 fold in L12100s, 2.83 fold in L1210VcR, and 1.78 fo-d in L1210AdR, compared to L1210. The activities of GCS and GGT were -increased in drug-resistant L1210 sublines. The GST activity was increased in L1210VcR and L1210Cis but decreased in L1210AdR compared to L1210. Expression of GCS, GGT, and GST-rr genes were increased in the resistant L1210 sublines compare to the parent L1210 in northern blot analyses. Overexpression of GCS, GGT, and GST-77 were observed in the resistant sublines, and the increases of the concentration of glutathione and the activities of GCS and GGT in the resistant sublines may be involved in a part of the drug-resistance in the resistant sublines.
Blotting, Northern ; Cisplatin ; Doxorubicin ; Drug Resistance ; Glutathione* ; Humans ; Metabolism* ; Parents ; Vincristine

Development of drug resistance in tumors during treatment is a major factor limiting the clinical use of anticancer agents. When tumor cells acquire resistance to anticancer drug, they show cross-resistance to other antitumor agents. In the present study, SNU-1 cell was induced adriamycin 10-7 drug resistance, SNU-1/ADR, in vitro culture system. We got the doubling time and number for viability test during 96 hours by MTT assay. To investigate the cross resistance of various anticancer drugs in human stomach cancer cell SNU-1 and SNU-1/ADR, We compared IC50 (drug concentration of 50% reduction) and the relative resistance (RR). SNU-1/ADR was expressed multidrug resistant with vinblastine (RR;>31.62), vincristine (RR;29.50), dactinomycin (RR;21.37), epirubicin (RR;17.78), daunorubicin (RR;14.12), adriamycin (RR;7.76), and etoposide (RR;4.46), and other drugs, 5-fluorouracil, cisplatin, cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, and calarubicin, have not cross resistant with adriamycin. There was double minute chromosome in SNU-1/ADR by karyotyping although this change was not seen in SUN-1.
Antineoplastic Agents ; Cisplatin ; Cyclophosphamide ; Dactinomycin ; Daunorubicin ; Doxorubicin ; Drug Resistance ; Epirubicin ; Etoposide ; Fluorouracil ; Humans ; In Vitro Techniques ; Inhibitory Concentration 50 ; Karyotyping ; Metabolism* ; Methotrexate ; Stomach Neoplasms* ; Stomach* ; Vinblastine ; Vincristine

Cytochrome P-450 (CP-450) is one of the three components of the liver microsomal enzyme system which hydroxylates fatty acids, hydrocarbons and a variety of drugs and other foreign compounds. Female Balb/c mice were immunized with purified polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) – induced CP-450 LMII. The spleen cells derived from immunized mice were fused with SP2 myeloma cells using polyethylene glycol (PEG 3500). The hybrid cells were selected by hypoxanthine-aminopterin-thymidine (HAT) medium and the culture fluid were screened by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to CP450 LMII. The hybrid cells(×107) were inoculated into intraperitoneal cavity of Balb/c mice for the purpose of production of ascetic fluids. Monoclonal antibody (Mab) was purified from ascitic fluid by DEAE cellulose ion exchange chromatography and I¹²⁵ labeled Mab was also confirmed by autoradiography and SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (MW:55,000 and 110,000)
Animals ; Ascitic Fluid ; Autoradiography ; Chromatography, Ion Exchange ; Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System* ; Cytochromes* ; DEAE-Cellulose ; Electrophoresis ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Fatty Acids ; Female ; Humans ; Hybrid Cells ; Hydrocarbons ; Liver* ; Mice ; Polyethylene Glycols ; Rats* ; Spleen

Band 3, the predominant 95,000 dalton anion transport protein, is the major intrinsic glycoprotein of the human erythrocyte membrane. This anion carrier exists as a dimer and binds the cytoskeletons such as spectrin, ankyrin and actin. And the liposomes are vesicular structures which form spontaneously upon hydration of phospholipids. These artificial lipid vesicles have been investigated as model of the biological membranes and as a mean of improving the delivery of nucleic acids, drugs, proteins and biological substances to specific target tissues and cells. In this study, we were purified Band 3 from the human erythrocyte membrane (ghost) was prepared by hemolysis of intact human erythrocyte with weak alkali-hypotonic solution. Band 6 was removed from ghost by extracting with solution of an ionic strength of 0.15. Band 3 and Band 4 were solubilized selectively by extracting Band 6-depleted ghosts with Triton X-100 under nondenaturing conditions. Band 3 was then purified from Triton X-100 extract treated with p-chloromercuribenzoate by sucrose density gradient ultracentrifugation. This purified Band 3 was incorporated into liposomes prepared by reverse-phase evaporation. Phosphatidyl L-serine and cholesterol (1:1 molar ratio) were dissolved in chloroform and the chloroform was removed by rotator evaporation under reduced pressure. Band 3 solution without Triton X-100 was introduced into a mixture of lipids and diethylether. Diethylether was subsequently removed by evaporation. This purified Band 3 and its incorporation into liposomes were confirmed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis.
Actins ; Ankyrins ; Chloroform ; Cholesterol ; Cytoskeleton ; Electrophoresis ; Erythrocyte Membrane* ; Erythrocytes* ; Glycoproteins ; Hemolysis ; Humans* ; Liposomes* ; Membranes ; Molar ; Nucleic Acids ; Octoxynol ; Osmolar Concentration ; Phospholipids ; Serine ; Sodium ; Spectrin ; Sucrose ; Ultracentrifugation

This study was undertaken to observe the mutagenic occurrence in urine excreted after the ingestion of roast beef. Two healthy nonsmoker persons of both sex were selected for this test, employing two strains (TA98, TA100) of Salmonella typhimurium according to Ames' method. The mutagenic activity began to appear in urine of both sex three hours after ingestion of 300 g of roast beef, gradually increasing until 6 hours and declining thereafter.
Eating* ; Humans* ; Methods ; Red Meat* ; Salmonella typhimurium