Ovarian tissue cryopreservation as a perspective for fertility preservation

In 2004 the first livebirth after cryopreserved ovarian tissue transplantation has been reported which is a turning point in fertility preservation after anticancer treatment and a result of almost 50 years of research. However transplantation of cryopreserved ovary is still experimental method and further study needs to be done on the risk of cancer cell reimplantation, this method is very promising for cancer patients who wants to preserve fertility after cancer treatment. This is a review of methods used for cryopreserved ovarian tissue.     

Large-scale candidate gene analysis of HDL particle features

Background

HDL cholesterol (HDL-C) is an established marker of cardiovascular risk with significant genetic determination. However, HDL particles are not homogenous, and refined HDL phenotyping may improve insight into regulation of HDL metabolism. We therefore assessed HDL particles by NMR spectroscopy and conducted a large-scale candidate gene association analysis.

Methodology/Principal Findings

We measured plasma HDL-C and determined mean HDL particle size and particle number by NMR spectroscopy in 2024 individuals from 512 British Caucasian families. Genotypes were 49,094 SNPs in >2,100 cardiometabolic candidate genes/loci as represented on the HumanCVD BeadChip version 2. False discovery rates (FDR) were calculated to account for multiple testing. Analyses on classical HDL-C revealed significant associations (FDR<0.05) only for CETP (cholesteryl ester transfer protein; lead SNP rs3764261: p = 5.6*10⁻¹⁵) and SGCD (sarcoglycan delta; rs6877118: p = 8.6*10⁻⁶). In contrast, analysis with HDL mean particle size yielded additional associations in LIPC (hepatic lipase; rs261332: p = 6.1*10⁻⁹), PLTP (phospholipid transfer protein, rs4810479: p = 1.7*10⁻⁸) and FBLN5 (fibulin-5; rs2246416: p = 6.2*10⁻⁶). The associations of SGCD and Fibulin-5 with HDL particle size could not be replicated in PROCARDIS (n = 3,078) and/or the Women''s Genome Health Study (n = 23,170).

Conclusions

We show that refined HDL phenotyping by NMR spectroscopy can detect known genes of HDL metabolism better than analyses on HDL-C.     

Serum-dependent depression of alkaline phosphatase in HeLa cells

Reduction in alkaline phosphatase activity was observed when HeLa S3 cells were grown in Puck's medium containing high concentrations of human serum. This effect was not seen with the enzyme of Chang liver 8A cells. The induction of increased alkaline phosphatase in HeLa S3 by prednisolone or by osmolality changes was not prevented by serum. The concentration of serum in the culture medium had no influence on acid phosphatase activity.     

Stimulation of myometrial and decidual prostaglandin production by amniotic fluid from term,but not midtrimester pregnancies

The effect of amniotic fluid obtained from second trimester (16–20 wks) and term pregnancies (38–41 wks) on the production of PGE and F by human amnion, decidua and myometrium at term was determined using tissue slices incubated in vitro. Midpregnancy amniotic fluid neither inhibited nor stimulated the prostanoid production by any of the tissues. In contrast, term amniotic fluid obtained before as well as after the onset of labor markedly increased the production of both PGE and PGF in decidua and myometrium from levels in Krebs solution. The prostanoid production (PGE + PGF) in amnoin was not significantly increased but the proportion of PGF was raised during incubations in term amniotic fluid. In decidua and myometrium the increase in PGE and PGF production in term amniotic fluid was approximately 200 and 400 percent respectively, from control values in Krebs solution. We propose that the stimulatory activity in term amniotic fluid in responsible for the accelerated synthesis of prostaglandins after of membranes, which is reflected in raised PGF metabolite levels in maternal circulation. It may also be the reason for the rise in amniotic fluid prostaglandin levels around the 35th week of gestation, and perhaps for the onset of labor.     

The effect of gonadotrophins on the 3',5'-AMP levels of seminiferous tubules

The addition of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) to isolated tubules from hypophysectomized rats was shown to increase the level of adenosine 3′,5′-monophosphate (3′,5′-AMP). In contrast, luteinizing hormone (LH) exerted no effect in this system. The results presented are consistent with the concept that FSH exerts a direct effect upon cells within the seminiferous tubule, possibly on Sertoli cells, whereas the effects of LH on spermatogenesis are primarily due to the stimulation of androgen production by the interstitial cells of the testis.     

Heidenhain's Hematoxylin in Cytological Studies of Penicillium Notatum

The nuclei in the hyphae of Penicillia can be stained with Heidenhain's hematoxylin, which allows their study before and after treatment with different chemicals. Conidia are inoculated on a very thin Czapek-Dox agar film covering a slide. The spores after germinating in a moist chamber can be fixed in Flemming's fluid and stained at various growth stages. The preparations may then be differentiated in 4% iron-alum until the nuclei (2-10 nuclei in normal cells, many more sometimes in induced cells) show full contrast. The preparations can be made permanent by sealing with Canada balsam. For photomicrographical purposes, embedding in glycerol is most suitable.     

Cytologische Untersuchungen am Gehirn alternder Bienen und die Frage nach dem Alterstod

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

The influence of externally supplied sucrose on phloem transport in the maize leaf strip

Sucrose (2,5–1000 mmol l^–1), labeled with [¹⁴C]sucrose, was taken up by the xylem when supplied to one end of a 30-cm-long leaf strip of Zea mays L. cv. Prior. The sugar was loaded into the phloem and transported to the opposite end, which was immersed in diluted Hoagland's nutrient solution. When the Hoagland's solution at the opposite end was replaced by unlabeled sucrose solution of the same molarity as the labeled one, the two solutions met near the middle of the leaf strip, as indicated by radioautographs. In the dark, translocation of ¹⁴C-labeled assimilates was always directed away from the site of sucrose application, its distance depending on sugar concentration and translocation time. When sucrose was applied to both ends of the leaf strip, translocation of ¹⁴C-labeled assimilates was directed toward the lower sugar concentration. In the light, transport of ¹⁴-C-labeled assimilates can be directed (1) toward the morphological base of the leaf strip only (light effect), (2) toward the base and away from the site of sucrose application (light and sucrose effect), or (3) away from the site of sucrose application independent of the (basipetal or acropetal) direction (sucrose effect). The strength of a sink, represented by the darkened half of a leaf strip, can be reduced by applying sucrose (at least 25 mmol l^–1) to the darkened end of the leaf strip. However, equimolar sucrose solutions applied to both ends do not affect the strength of the dark sink. Only above 75 mmol l^–1 sucrose was the sink effect of the darnened part of the leaf strip reduced. Presumably, increasing the sucrose concentration replenishes the leaf tissue more rapidly, and photosynthates from the illuminated part of the leaf strip are imported to a lesser extent by the dark sink.Supported by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft     

Influence of chain shortening on the inhibitor properties of hirudin and eglin c

To find out minimal sizes of the proteinase inhibitor proteins hirudin and eglin necessary for their biological activity the inhibitors were incubated with exopeptidases. From the incubation mixtures shortened derivatives were isolated and characterized. Eglin c can be N-terminally shortened by up to 6 amino-acid residues without any loss of affinity towards chymotrypsin. The complex of thrombin with hirudin lacking 3 C-terminal amino-acid residues showed a 15-20-fold increased Ki value as found previously for desulfato-hirudin and desulfato-hirudin shortened by 2 amino-acid residues. Obviously, the C-terminal part of the hirudin molecule has a positive influence on its affinity to thrombin.