Gentoo penguins (Pygoscelis papua) react to underwater sounds.

Marine mammals and diving birds face several physiological challenges under water, affecting their thermoregulation and locomotion as well as their sensory systems. Therefore, marine mammals have modified ears for improved underwater hearing. Underwater hearing in birds has been studied in a few species, but for the record-holding divers, such as penguins, there are no detailed data. We played underwater noise bursts to gentoo penguins (Pygoscelis papua) in a large tank at received sound pressure levels between 100 and 120 dB re 1 µPa RMS. The penguins showed a graded reaction to the noise bursts, ranging from no reactions at 100 dB to strong reactions in more than 60% of the playbacks at 120 dB re 1 µPa. The responses were always directed away from the sound source. The fact that penguins can detect and react to underwater stimuli may indicate that they make use of sound stimuli for orientation and prey detection during dives. Further, it suggests that penguins may be sensitive to anthropogenic noise, like many species of marine mammals.

Baseline non-fasting serum leptin concentration to body mass index ratio is predictive of IVF outcomes.

BACKGROUND: The present study was designed to determine whether circulating leptin concentrations and/or body mass index (BMI) in women undergoing IVF are predictive of outcomes. METHODS: IVF cycle outcomes, e.g. fertilization, embryo development, implantation, pregnancy, were analysed relative to baseline (i.e. day gonadotrophin stimulation was initiated) non-fasting serum leptin concentrations and BMI. RESULTS: Serum leptin concentrations correlated with BMI (r = 0.739, P < 0.0001) as expected. Multiple logistic regression analyses showed correlation between serum leptin and pregnancy success (likelihood ratio = 5.198, P < 0.05), but there was no association between pregnancy and BMI. However, the serum leptin to BMI ratio was more strongly correlated (likelihood ratio = 7.258, P < 0.01) with pregnancy success than was leptin alone. Moreover, women with a low leptin:BMI ratio (< or =0.3) had significantly more superior quality embryos on day 3 post-retrieval (2.5 versus 1.4, P < 0.05, Kruskal-Wallis) and a greater implantation rate (26.7 versus 13.2%, P < 0.025, chi(2)) than women with a high leptin:BMI ratio (> or =0.7). CONCLUSIONS: The leptin:BMI ratio appears to be highly predictive of IVF success. Elevated leptin concentrations, particularly relative to BMI, may negatively impact fertility by assisted reproduction, possibly through direct ovarian actions resulting in impaired oocyte quality and/or early embryo development.

Pelvic adhesion formation after intraperitoneal installation of gallstones in a rabbit model.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether intraperitoneal gallstones increase the risk of pelvic adhesions in a rabbit model. DESIGN: Prospective, randomized, blinded, sham and human antigen controlled trial. SETTING: An academic research environment. SUBJECT(S): Twelve New Zealand white rabbits. INTERVENTION(S): Twelve rabbits were divided into three groups of four each; a sham operation group, a gallstone and bile group (study group), and a human serum albumin and bile group (antigenic control). Three weeks after the operation individual subjects were randomized, with groups concealed to observers, and a necropsy was performed on each rabbit. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENT(S): Necropsy was performed on each rabbit, and the adhesions were scored for extent, type, tenacity, inflammation, and gallstone involvement. RESULT(S): There was a statistically and biologically significant increase in gallstone involvement in adhesions, especially pelvic adhesions, in the study group. CONCLUSION(S): This study, along with an increasing number of case reports, suggests that gallstones inadvertently left in the peritoneal cavity may increase the morbidity of laparoscopic cholecystectomy. In females of reproductive age these gallstones may induce pelvic adhesions that may interfere with fertility or be associated with pelvic pain.

Nonfunctioning pituitary macroadenoma presenting with mild hyperprolactinemia and amenorrhea.

OBJECTIVE: To describe a patient with a clinically nonfunctioning pituitary macroadenoma who presented with mild hyperprolactinemia and amenorrhea. DESIGN: Case report. SETTING: Tertiary care medical facility. PATIENT(S): A 44-year-old woman with a 6-month history of amenorrhea. INTERVENTION(S): Pituitary testing, magnetic resonance imaging of the sella turcica, and transsphenoidal surgery. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Pituitary function testing, magnetic resonance imaging, and return of menstrual cycles. RESULT(S): Baseline laboratory data revealed a serum prolactin level of 34 ng/mL (normal range, 3-20 ng/mL), normal thyroid function test results, and an FSH level of 6.7 mIU/mL. A second fasting prolactin level was 48 ng/mL. Magnetic resonance imaging of the sella turcica revealed a pituitary macroadenoma measuring 1.4 x 3.2 cm. Further testing of baseline pituitary function revealed normal findings. The patient underwent an uncomplicated transsphenoidal resection of the pituitary tumor and maintained normal pituitary function. Pathologic evaluation revealed a pituitary adenoma that stained positive for FSH and focally for the alpha subunit. The adenoma stained negative for GH, prolactin, ACTH, LH, and TSH. CONCLUSION(S): This patient had a nonsecreting gonadotroph macroadenoma that resulted in hypogonadotropic hypogonadism along with mild hyperprolactinemia, presumably secondary to interruption of normal transport down the pituitary stalk.

Androgens and bone health.

Osteoporosis is one of the most common metabolic bone diseases in the adult population and its prevalence will continue to rise as our population grows older. In both sexes, hypogonadism is associated with accelerated loss of bone and development of osteoporosis. Adrenal and gonadal androgen levels decline with advancing age in both sexes. Androgens act by either directly binding to androgen receptors, or by aromatization of androgens to estrogens and subsequently interacting with estrogen receptors. Both pathways are important for skeletal health. Direct androgen binding to an androgen receptor may play a more important role in early skeletal development and determination of sexual dimorphic traits. While bone remodeling, which is important in maintaining healthy bone through life, is primarily stimulated by estrogen, studies in the rat and human support the complex action of androgens and estrogens in bone modeling and remodeling, and hence the development and maintenance of healthy bone. In postmenopausal females, the addition of androgens to hormone replacement therapy results in significant additional improvement in bone mineral density compared to estrogen replacement alone. Accumulating evidence indicate that androgens play an important role in the health of bone and the potential benefit of adding these agents to hormone replacement regimens.

Paternal somatic and germ-line mosaicism for a sex-determining region on Y (SRY) missense mutation leading to recurrent 46,XY sex reversal.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the etiology for recurrent 46,XY sex reversal in a family with two Swyer siblings. DESIGN: Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) from peripheral lymphocytes and sperm were analyzed for duplication of the dosage sensitive sex locus (DSS) and for mutations in sex-determining region on Y (SRY). SETTING: An academic teaching hospital. PATIENTS: A family consisting of mother, father, and five phenotypic daughters, of which two were 46,XY sex-reversed females. INTERVENTION: Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) extraction, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), Southern blotting, dosage densitometry, single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP), and sequencing. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Comparison of control and subject DNA. RESULTS: Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) analysis of SRY in genomic DNA from the 46,XY sex-reversed siblings revealed identical missense mutations (T-->G) in both sisters. Analysis of the SRY gene in paternal lymphocyte and sperm DNA revealed mosaicism for wild and mutant (T-->G) SRY sequences. SRY analysis of sperm DNA also demonstrated the same mosaicism for the T-->G missense mutation. CONCLUSION: A postembryonic SRY mutation gave rise to paternal mosaicism for two distinct cell populations (SRY+/SRY-). The presence of a wild type SRY in the somatic cell line may account for a normal pattern of male sexual differentiation, whereas the presence of a mutated SRY in the germ line resulted in two 46,XY sex-reversed offspring. These results confirm a proposed mechanism for the condition of recurrent 46,XY sex-reversed females.

Massive ovarian enlargement in primary hypothyroidism.

OBJECTIVE: To report a case of ovarian cyst formation and myxedematous infiltration of the ovary in a subject with primary hypothyroidism. DESIGN: Retrospective case report. SETTING: University hospital. PATIENT(S): A 16-year-old female adolescent with pelvic pain, galactorrhea, irregular menses, and ovarian cysts on pelvic examination. INTERVENTION(S): Laparotomy with bilateral ovarian wedge resection and thyroid replacement therapy. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Ovarian histopathology, thyroid function tests, and menstrual history. RESULT(S): Resolution of patient's pain, galactorrhea, and resumption of normal menses. CONCLUSION(S): Ovarian cyst formation may accompany primary hypothyroidism in the child with accelerated or delayed sexual maturation. To date, the underlying pathophysiology of the morphological changes in the ovary remain enigmatic. This case report provides the first insight into the actual histologic changes that occur in ovaries of subjects with primary hypothyroidism without secondary ovarian pathology such as torsion. There is clear evidence of myxedematous infiltration into the ovarian stroma without luteinization of the theca interna. These microscopic findings suggest that local changes occurring independent of gonadotropin stimulation may contribute significantly to altered morphology of the ovaries in primary hypothyroidism.

Ovarian cholelithiasis after laparoscopic cholecystectomy associated with chronic pelvic pain.

OBJECTIVE: To report a case of chronic pelvic pain associated with ovarian cholelithiasis and discuss prevention and management of this condition. DESIGN: Case report. SETTING: University hospital. PATIENT(S): A 39-year-old woman who presented with right lower abdominal pain after a laparoscopic cholecystectomy. INTERVENTION(S): Diagnostic laparoscopy followed by laparotomy with lysis of adhesions and removal of three to four dozen gallstones. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Patient's subjective report of pain. RESULT(S): Resolution of patient's pain. CONCLUSION(S): Gallstones spilled into the peritoneal cavity may migrate and adhere to the dependent portions of the pelvis, potentially resulting in pelvic pain or infertility. This suggests the importance of removing inadvertently spilled gallstones at the time of surgery or using nonsurgical methods of gallstone management in reproductive-aged females.

Differential effects of plasma from normal and ectopic gestation on lymphocyte proliferation.

This study investigated immunoregulatory differences as a result of anatomical changes in the fetomaternal interface. Thirty-one female subjects were recruited from a military tertiary-care facility. Ten subjects were non-pregnant while 21 were pregnant (nine normal and 12 ectopic gestations). Immune tests included one-way mixed lymphocyte cultures with and without maternal plasma, phytohemagglutinin stimulation and lymphocyte phenotypes. Basic statistics and a one-way ANOVA using Tuckey's HSD model were employed. Autologous plasma significantly enhanced the allogeneic responses of first-trimester pregnant females with normal gestations to spouses as well as to control male lymphocytes. This enhancement was not observed in either ectopically-pregnant or non-pregnant subjects. Mitogen stimulation and lymphocyte populations were similar in all three groups. The first trimester of normal pregnancy is characterized by the presence of soluble intrauterine pregnancy-specific lymphocyte-enhancing factors. Ectopic gestation lacks this phenomenon.

Lack of magainin-like activity in human cervical tissue.

PROBLEM: The cervix plays an integral role in innate immunity of the human reproductive tract. Magainins are antimicrobial and spermicidal peptides recently described in human submandibular glands. We investigated the human cervix for magainin-like peptides. METHOD: Histologic sections of frozen and paraffin embedded cervical tissue from nine subjects were separately incubated with two rabbit, polyclonal, anti-magainin antibodies (CB-2 and CB-7) to investigate for magainin-like activity in the human cervix. RESULTS: There was no specific staining of cervical columnar cells within the endocervical canal or in the endocervical crypts. Magainin-like immunoreactivity in the human submandibular gland confirmed previous observations. CONCLUSION: Antigen related to magainin-like peptides were not discovered in the human cervix.

Calcium-activated sodium and chloride fluxes modulate platelet volume: role of Ca2+ stores.

An increase in cytosolic ionized Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) initiates volume changes in various types of cells. In response to increases in [Ca2+]i most cell types contract by efflux of K+ and Cl-, whereas platelets expand in response to rises in [Ca2+]i. This study examined the importance of the source of Ca2+, the flux of ions responsible for the volume change, and the role of Ca(2+)-dependent protein kinases in regulating these ionic fluxes. The baseline platelet volume was independent of extracellular Ca2+ but when stimulated by the Ca2+ ionophore A-23187 (50 nM) the volume increased in both the presence and absence of extracellular Ca2+ (1.18 +/- 0.08 vs. 0.83 +/- 0.06 fl, respectively). The increased volume was caused by the gain of Na+ and Cl-. Na+ entered through both conductive and nonconductive (Na+/H+ exchange) pathways, whereas the influx of Cl- was conductive and inhibited by the Cl- channel blocker 4,4'-diisothiocyanostilbene-2,2'-disulfonic acid. The Ca(2+)-induced volume change was blocked by both calmodulin and protein kinase inhibitors. Thus the activation of Ca(2+)-dependent protein kinases promotes platelet swelling by stimulating Na+ and Cl- influx.

An unusual complication of laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is gaining increasing acceptance as a mode of minimally invasive surgery. We describe a peculiar gynecologic complication following uncomplicated laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Our patient presented with a four-month history of subacute pelvic pain, primarily located in the right lower quadrant, two years after laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Diagnostic laparoscopy revealed a hemaclip embedded in the right ovarian capsule of an otherwise normal pelvis. The hemaclip had probably dislodged from its original site of placement in the upper abdomen, and migrated to the dependent portions of the pelvis, where it implanted in a follicular stigma and became affixed to the ovarian capsule. The hemaclip was removed without complications, and the patient's symptoms improved.

Suboptimal progesterone production in pathologic pregnancies.

Serum progesterone (P) levels were determined at the time of routine prenatal registration (227 patients) or upon presentation for evaluation of vaginal bleeding and/or abdominopelvic cramping/pain (135 patients). P associated with a normal intrauterine gestation was 24.63 +/- 4.19 (SD) ng/mL as compared with 6.29 +/- 2.43 ng/mL and 6.02 +/- 2.39 ng/mL for spontaneous abortions and ectopic gestations, respectively. Further, P differed between asymptomatic (11.92 +/- 9.61 ng/mL) and symptomatic patients (4.81 +/- 3.92 ng/mL) who were subsequently shown to have an abnormal gestation. By establishing a P cutoff point of < or = 14.2 ng/mL and < or = 10.5 ng/mL in asymptomatic and symptomatic patients, respectively, 100% screening sensitivity was reached, and therefore no abnormal gestations would escape detection in our study population. P was either in the normal or abnormal range as early as four weeks' estimated gestational age and persisted as such through the luteal-to-placental shift and up to the time of pregnancy loss or 12 weeks' estimated gestational age. Although there was no significant correlation between P and chorionic gonadotropin levels and pregnancy outcome, the binding constant for native chorionic gonadotropin was 15-52 times lower in 12 of 41 cases of spontaneous abortion but not ectopic gestation, suggesting a possible molecular basis for suboptimal P production. P is therefore an excellent adjunctive marker for prediction of early pregnancy outcome, and in some cases qualitative abnormalities in chorionic gonadotropin may dictate its production.

Changes in T-cell regulation of responses to self antigens in women with pelvic endometriosis.

OBJECTIVE: To study autoimmune aspects of endometriosis. DESIGN: Lymphoblast transformation and hemolytic plaque formation were used to assess specific T- and B-cell activity against endometrial antigens. SETTING: Military teaching hospital. PATIENTS: Ninety-four healthy women of reproductive age undergoing diagnostic laparoscopy as part of an evaluation for infertility or chronic pelvalgia were accordingly grouped into those with normal pelvic peritoneum (20), mild endometriosis (50), and severe endometriosis (24). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: The study assessed the proliferative and humoral responses of lymphocytes from women with and without endometriosis to endometrial antigens and quantified the number of B-cell precursors, T-helper cells, and T-suppressor cells to these antigens. RESULTS: Unfractionated endometrial antigens were similarly blastogenic for lymphocytes from women with and without endometriosis. Despite equivalent numbers of B-cell precursors to these antigens, antiendometrial antibody responsiveness appears to have increased in women with mild endometriosis because of a decrease in T-suppressor cell activity and declined in women with severe endometriosis because of a further drop in T-suppressor cell activity and an increase in T-helper cell activity, as compared with women without endometriosis. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, these experiments support the possibility that pelvic endometriosis may result from a break in specific T-cell tolerance rather than nonspecific polyclonal activation of responder lymphocytes.