Vascular endothelial growth factor and angiopoietin production by primate follicles during culture is a function of growth rate, gonadotrophin exposure and oxygen milieu.

STUDY QUESTION: What is the time course of production of vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A), angiopoietin (ANGPT)-1 and ANGPT-2 by primate follicles during encapsulated three-dimensional culture, and what conditions affect their production? SUMMARY ANSWER: Primate follicles produce VEGF-A and ANGPT-2 in vitro, particularly after developing to the antral stage, with VEGF production influenced by FSH concentration and O(2) tension. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY: Folliculogenesis, i.e. the development of primordial follicles into mature, antral follicles, requires the creation of a vascular network in the follicle wall via a process called angiogenesis. Angiogenic factors including VEGFs and ANGPTs have documented roles in angiogenesis. However, direct studies on the production and regulation of angiogenic factors by individual, growing follicles are limited. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION: Ovaries (n = 9 pairs) were obtained from rhesus macaques during the early follicular phase of the menstrual cycle (cycle days 1-4). Secondary (125-225 µm) follicles were isolated mechanically, encapsulated into alginate (0.25% w/v) and cultured for 40 days. MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS: Individual follicles were cultured in a 5 or 20% O(2) environment in alpha minimum essential medium supplemented with recombinant human (h) FSH. Half of the follicles had recombinant hLH added to the media from Days 30 to 40. Follicle diameters were measured weekly. Follicles were categorized at Week 5 as no-grow (NG; <250 µm in diameter), slow-grow (SG; 251-499 µm) and fast-grow (FG; >500 µm). VEGF-A, ANGPT-1 and -2 concentrations in media were measured by ELISA. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE: VEGF concentrations were low throughout the culture for NG follicles. SG and FG follicles had detectable VEGF concentrations at Week 2, which continued to rise throughout culture. VEGF concentrations were distinct (P < 0.05) among all three follicle categories during Weeks 4 and 5. VEGF concentrations were higher (P < 0.05) in SG follicles in the presence of high/mid-dose FSH at 5% O(2). In contrast, there were no dose-dependent differences in VEGF production for FG follicles based on FSH concentrations or O(2) tension. At Week 5, follicles that produced metaphase II oocytes, following exposure to an ovulatory hCG dose, secreted higher concentrations of VEGF than those containing germinal vesicle-intact oocytes. Media concentrations of ANGPT-1 were low throughout culture for all three follicle categories. ANGPT-2 concentrations were low throughout culture for NG follicles. In contrast, ANGPT-2 concentrations of SG and FG follicles continued to rise from Weeks 1 to 4. During Weeks 2-4, ANGPT-2 concentrations in FG follicles were significantly higher than those of SG and NG follicles (P < 0.05). LIMITATION, REASONS FOR CAUTION: This study reports VEGF-A, ANGPT-1 and -2 production by in vitro-developed individual primate (macaque) follicles, that is limited to the interval from the secondary to small antral stage. After VEGF and ANGPT-1 assays, the limited remaining samples did not allow assessment of the independent effects of gonadotrophin and O(2) on the ANGPT-2 production by cultured follicles. Findings await translation to human follicles. WIDER IMPLICATION OF THE FINDINGS: The above findings provide novel information on the process of primate follicle maturation. We hypothesize that a symbiotic relationship between elevated concentrations of ANGPT-2 and VEGF allows FG antral follicles to excel in follicle maturation, e.g. by promoting its vascularization. Elevated ANGPT-2 may also offer possible insight into future oocyte quality as early as Week 2, compared with Week 4 for VEGF and follicle size. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S): The study was funded by the following grants: NIH U54 RR024347/HD058294/PL1-EB008542 (Oncofertility Consortium), NIH U54-HD018185 (SCCPIR), NIH ORWH/NICHD 2K12HD043488 (BIRCWH), NIH FIC TW/HD-00668, ONPRC 8P51OD011092. There are no conflicts of interest to declare.

[Phonomechanocardiographic study of congestive myocardiopathy]. / El estudio fonomecanocardiográfico de la miocardiopatía por dilatación (congestiva).

There were studied 14 patients with congestive myocardiopathy demonstrated by cardiac catheterism at nine, echocardiogramme at five and/or necropsy at four. There were registered mytral insufficiency blowings at thirteen and tricusp insufficiency blowings at five. Of them, there were 11 that presented pathologic noises III and IV. Right apexcardiogramme showed growth of such cavity at the twelve patients that were studied. "a" index of the same precordiogramme had qualitative correlation with systolic pulmonary pression. Apexcardiogramme showed ventricular growth at twelve from thirteen patients and "a" index was also qualitatively correlated with direct deermination of the left ventricule's telediastolic pression. Chronocardiometry was anormal at all of them. Short expulsive period, long pre-expulsive period, expulsion's fraction diminution reckoned by this method and systolic quotient, all of them diminished, translated the cardiac expense fall by "pump" fail. Elongation of pre-isosystolic phase, isosystolic phase, true isosystolic phase, and diminution of ventricular pression's elevation middle velocity and contractility index were consequences of myocardic contraction's bad quality. Decrement of ventricular pression's elevation velocity, added to the important elevation of left ventricle's final diastolic pression determined the "pseudonormality" of IIa-0 interval, and of the integrated isovolumetric pression. Shortening of fast filled's phase is explained by a minor ventricular filled in order to the volume's increase and diastolic pression's increase (Board VII). By last, shortening of Q-IIa interval, coinciding with the cardiac frecuence's increase is explained by catecolamins' increased secretion like compensating mechanism of chronic cardiac insufficiency. Phonomechanocardiogramme is useful for entity's diagnostic and it informs about ventricular disfunction which characterise the suffering.