Impact of follicular G-CSF quantification on subsequent embryo transfer decisions: a proof of concept study.

in Human Reproduction (2013), 28(2), 406-13

BACKGROUND: Previous experiments have shown that granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), quantified in the follicular fluid (FF) of individual oocytes, correlates with the potential for an ongoing ... [more ▼]

BACKGROUND: Previous experiments have shown that granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), quantified in the follicular fluid (FF) of individual oocytes, correlates with the potential for an ongoing pregnancy of the corresponding fertilized oocytes among selected transferred embryos. Here we present a proof of concept study aimed at evaluating the impact of including FF G-CSF quantification in the embryo transfer decisions. METHODS: FF G-CSF was quantified with the Luminex XMap technology in 523 individual FF samples corresponding to 116 fresh transferred embryos, 275 frozen embryos and 131 destroyed embryos from 78 patients undergoing ICSI. RESULTS: Follicular G-CSF was highly predictive of subsequent implantation. The receiving operator characteristics curve methodology showed its higher discriminatory power to predict ongoing pregnancy in multivariate logistic regression analysis for FF G-CSF compared with embryo morphology [0.77 (0.69-0.83), P < 0.001 versus 0.66 (0.58-0.73), P = 0.01)]. Embryos were classified by their FF G-CSF concentration: Class I over 30 pg/ml (a highest positive predictive value for implantation), Class II from 30 to 18.4 pg/ml and Class III <18.4 pg/ml (a highest negative predictive value). Embryos derived from Class I follicles had a significantly higher implantation rate (IR) than those from Class II and III follicles (36 versus 16.6 and 6%, P < 0.001). Embryos derived from Class I follicles with an optimal morphology reached an IR of 54%. Frozen-thawed embryos transfer derived from Class I follicles had an IR of 37% significantly higher than those from Class II and III follicles, respectively, of 8 and 5% (P < 0.001). Thirty-five per cent of the frozen embryos but also 10% of the destroyed embryos were derived from G-CSF Class I follicles. Non-optimal embryos appear to have been transferred in 28% (22/78) of the women, and their pregnancy rate was significantly lower than that of women who received at least one optimal embryo (18 versus 36%, P = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: Monitoring FF G-CSF for the selection of embryos with a better potential for pregnancy might improve the effectiveness of IVF by reducing the time and cost required for obtaining a pregnancy. [less ▲]

Comment je traite ... une grossesse extra-uterine

in Revue Médicale de Liège (2006), 61(12), 797-803

Nowadays, the management of ectopic pregnancy should be codified as often as possible. Two types of treatment are possible. One surgical and the other medical. Our study is concerned with a series of 97 ... [more ▼]

Nowadays, the management of ectopic pregnancy should be codified as often as possible. Two types of treatment are possible. One surgical and the other medical. Our study is concerned with a series of 97 patients hospitalized for suspicion of ectopic pregnancy for whom the risk factors and treatment were analyzed. Our conclusion is that the medical treatment should be more frequently proposed and surgery should prefer the conservative treatment whenever it is still possible. [less ▲]

Du nouveau à l'interface materno-foetale: rôle du couple hCG/récepteur LH-hCG dans l'implantation embryonnaire

in Revue Médicale de Liège (2006), 61(10), 705-12

Implantation of the embryo into the maternal endometrium represents a unique biological process, combining an immunological (tolerance of an allograft) and biological (adhesion of two epitheliums) paradox ... [more ▼]

Implantation of the embryo into the maternal endometrium represents a unique biological process, combining an immunological (tolerance of an allograft) and biological (adhesion of two epitheliums) paradox. The success of implantation depends on a receptive endometrium, a functionally normal blastocyst and a synchronized cross-talk between embryonic and maternal tissues. Though sexual steroids control the process, a cascade of growth factors or cytokines are the prime paracrine mediators of the dialogue at the maternal-embryonic interface. HCG is one of the molecules most precociously produced by the embryo and is the most specific marker of its presence. HCG is a luteotropic factor which relays the inadequate support provided by the reduced rates of LH, but also influences the pregnancy on a paracrine mode by a local action on implantation process, probably by interacting with its receptor, the LH/hCG-R that we have evidenced on endometrial epithelium. We demonstrate that embryo actively participate into its implantation, tolerance and placentation. [less ▲]

Twin pregnancy obtained with frozen-thawed embryos after in vitro maturation in a patient with polycystic ovarian syndrome

in Journal of Assisted Reproduction & Genetics (2003), 20(8), 347-350

Purpose: A twin pregnancy was obtained in a patient with polycystic ovary syndrome after the transfer of three in vitro maturation-derived day 3 embryos that has been frozen and thawed. Methods: The ... [more ▼]

Purpose: A twin pregnancy was obtained in a patient with polycystic ovary syndrome after the transfer of three in vitro maturation-derived day 3 embryos that has been frozen and thawed. Methods: The patient had received mild hMG stimulation followed by hCG injection. After culture for 24 - 48 h, mature oocytes were fertilized by ICSI. Embryos were cultured until day 3; supernumerary embryos were cryopreserved using a slow protocol. Results: Among 15 nonatretic oocytes, 9 matured, 8 were fertilized. Four embryos were transferred but they did not implant. The subsequent transfer of three frozen - thawed embryos resulted in the delivery of two healthy girls. Conclusions: These results indicate that a pregnancy could be obtained with in vitro maturation-derived day-3 frozen - thawed embryos. [less ▲]

Regrets apres sterilisation tubaire

in Journal de Gynécologie, Obstétrique et Biologie de la Reproduction (2000), 29(5), 485-91

OBJECTIVE: To examine thoroughly the profile and motivations of a group of women who regretted sterilization so much that they were prepared to undergo reversal microsurgery or in vitro fertilization ... [more ▼]

OBJECTIVE: To examine thoroughly the profile and motivations of a group of women who regretted sterilization so much that they were prepared to undergo reversal microsurgery or in vitro fertilization treatment. MATERIAL: and methods. The study followed one hundred women from their first consultation for a period of 3 years in order to analyze the outcome of their initial decision. RESULTS: Analysis of the circumstances at the time of the sterilization indicate 3 main factors which later caused the women to regret the decision Three years after the initial consultation, 69% of the patients have withdrawn from further investigation and /or treatment for different reasons analyzed in this study. 17 of the patients have undergone reversal microsurgery and 14 have attempted one or more in vitro fertilization treatments. Of these 31 patients, 12 (38.7%) have given birth to at least one child. CONCLUSION: These results sufficiently prove that tubal sterilization is worthy of consideration as much by the patient as by the physician as a method of irreversible contraception despite the developments in tubal microsurgery or in medically assisted procreation. [less ▲]

Les états précancéreux de l'endomètre: aspects hormonaux

in Bulletin de l'Académie Nationale de Médecine (1997), 181(7), 1395-4041404-5

The two types of endometrial carcinomas are preceded by precancerous lesions. Type I endometrial carcinomas are most commonly encountered in perimenopausal women with the classical risk factors associated ... [more ▼]

The two types of endometrial carcinomas are preceded by precancerous lesions. Type I endometrial carcinomas are most commonly encountered in perimenopausal women with the classical risk factors associated with estrogen exposure: obesity, multiparity, diabetes, estrogen treatment, ... Hyperplasia (simple, followed by complex forms without cellular atypias and subsequently by complex hyperplasias with cellular transformation) precede such cancers. Estrogens exert a promoting effect on these lesions but do not initiate them. Progesterone and progestins exert a preventive and protective effect. However, the progressive loss of steroidal receptors is correlated to the progression of tissular anomalies and to the onset of cytogenetic anomalies and to mutations of p53 anti-oncogene. The preventive role of progestin is well established, but their curative beneficial effect on atypical precursors forms of endometrial cancers and on endometrial carcinomas remains controversial. The second type of endometrial cancer appears during the postmenopause and is characterized by an increased invasiveness and a poor prognosis, devoid of identifiable risks factors, these aggressive cancers are not preceded by hormone-sensitive precancerous lesions, but by an intra-epithelial endometrial carcinoma. This lesion appears most often in an atrophic endometrium. Finally, the two types of precancerous states are characterized by distinct gene anomalies suggesting two different pathogenic mechanisms of cancerisation. [less ▲]

Ultrastructural Modifications in Cultured Fetal Quail Hepatocytes Exposed to Pesticides and Pcbs

in Ecotoxicology & Environmental Safety (1996), 34(2), 145-55

There is increasing interest in cultured hepatocytes as a tool for solving toxicological and pharmacological problems while reducing laboratory animal experimentation. In the present study, fetal ... [more ▼]

There is increasing interest in cultured hepatocytes as a tool for solving toxicological and pharmacological problems while reducing laboratory animal experimentation. In the present study, fetal hepatocytes from the Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) were used as an in vitro alternative model for evaluating the effects of PCBs and various pesticide-type chemicals on cell ultrastructure. Major alterations were demonstrated. The most striking effects of toxicants were an increase in the number of cisternae of the rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER), various alterations of mitochondrial morphology, a decreased glycogen content, vacuolization of the cytoplasm, and the appearance of concentric membrane arrays (CMA's), also called myelin-like figures. Other changes were sometimes observed, such as altered cell junctions, an increased lipid content, deformations of the nuclei, or the appearance of crystalline structures. These ultrastructural modifications seem to be dose-dependent. The present in vitro findings are validated by similar observations previously made in vivo on Japanese quail. They confirm the effectiveness of this technique as a biomonitoring tool for the evaluation of environmental quality. Yet the multiplicity of possible toxic effects, even for xenobiotics of a same category, makes it necessary to screen additional indicators of toxicity, such as the detoxifying activity of monooxygenases. [less ▲]

Enregistrement de l'activité électrophysiologique des neurones monoaminergiques chez le rat

in Archives Internationales de Physiologie et de Biochimie (1977), LXXXV(3), 603-612

Caractères chimiques et propriétés pharmacologiques de plusieurs alcaloïdes extraits du Strychnos usambarensis

in Archives Internationales de Physiologie et de Biochimie (1974), 82

The pharmacological properties of ten tertiary, hybrid and quaternary alkaloids isolated from the barks of Strychnos usambarensis roots have been investigated. Usambarensine, a tertiary bis-indole ... [more ▼]

The pharmacological properties of ten tertiary, hybrid and quaternary alkaloids isolated from the barks of Strychnos usambarensis roots have been investigated. Usambarensine, a tertiary bis-indole alkaloid, inhibits the muscarinic effects of acetylcholine. Four ammonium quaternary products (C-dihydrotoxiferine, afrocurarine ( a new compound), C-curarine and C-calebassine are potent curarizing agents. [less ▲]