Amino acid concentrations in fluids from the bovine oviduct and uterus and in KSOM-based culture media.

Amino acids in bovine oviductal and uterine fluids were measured and compared with those in modified simplex optimized medium (KSOM) supplemented with either fetal calf serum or Minimum Essential Medium amino acids in addition to bovine serum albumin, fetal calf serum or polyvinyl alcohol. Concentrations of cysteine, threonine, tryptophan, alanine, aspartate, glycine, glutamate, proline, beta-alanine, and citrulline were higher in oviductal fluids than in KSOM-based culture media. Nonessential and essential amino acids were present in ratios of 5:1 and 2:1 in oviductal and uterine fluids, respectively. Concentrations of alanine (3.7 mM), glycine (14.1 mM) and glutamate (5.5 mM) were high in oviductal fluids, comprising 73% of the free amino acid pool. Of the amino acids measured in uterine fluids, alanine (3.1 mM), glycine (12.0 mM), glutamate (4.2 mM), and serine (2.7 mM) were highest in concentration, and the first three comprised 43% of the free amino acid pool. In conclusion, amino acid concentrations in the bovine reproductive tract were substantially higher than those in embryo culture media. Certain amino acids, particularly alanine, glutamate, glycine and taurine, are present in strikingly high concentrations in both oviductal and uterine fluids, suggesting that they might play important roles in early embryo development. The particular pattern of amino acid concentrations may be an important factor to be considered for the improvement of embryo culture media.

[Hypertensive cardiopathy. Phonomechanocardiographic study and review of its physiopathological mechanisms]. / Cardiopatía hipertensiva. Estudio Fonomecanocardiográfico y revision de sus mecanismos fisiopatológicos.

Sixty four patients with essential hypertension were studied by phonocardiographic systolic time intervals. Prolongation of the pre-ejection period (PEP) at expense of the isovolume contraction time and of the true isovolume contraction time, which suggests myocardial contractile depression due to the increase in after-load. The significant increase, in rise of mean velocity of ventricular pressure suggests that the Anrep phemomena is used by the human heart as a compensatory mechanism in systemic hypertension. Ejection fraction in hypertensives was significantly lower (P less than 0.001) than that of normal controls, which indicates subclinical depression of ventricular function in the former. Myocardial hypertrophy can be considered as a compensatory mechanism which appears late in systemic hypertension and helps normalize ventricular performance and MVO2. It is clinically detected by an s-4 (registered by phonocardiographic tracings) and by an increase in the "A" index and the apexcardiogram (14.5 +/- 8%). The authors conclude that hypertensive heart disease can be identified early through the functional adaptations wich produce detrimental physiopathological reactions to the heart compensated initially by homeometric autorregulation and latter by myocardial hypertrophy.