Sertraline versus desipramine in the treatment of premenstrual syndrome: an open-label trial.

Background: Antidepressant medications have appeared to be effective treatments for premenstrual syndrome (PMS) in several small trials. This open-label study examined the efficacy of and tolerance for a new serotonergic antidepressant compared with a traditional tricyclic antidepressant in PMS treatment.

Method: For two menstrual cycles in women meeting well-defined criteria for PMS, an open-label comparison of the serotonin selective sertraline (N = 17) and the noradrenergic desipramine (N = 15) was performed.

Localization and regulation of the human very low density lipoprotein/apolipoprotein-E receptor: trophoblast expression predicts a role for the receptor in placental lipid transport.

The very low density lipoprotein/apolipoprotein-E receptor (VLDLR) is the newest member of the low density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) family. Very little is known about VLDLR localization and regulation. Immunohistochemical analysis of human placenta with a specific polyclonal antibody detected VLDLR in syncytiotrophoblast and intermediate trophoblast cells.

Effect of follicular size on oocyte retrieval, fertilization, cleavage, and embryo quality in in vitro fertilization cycles: a 6-year data collection.

Objective: To determine the effect of follicular size, including the size of the leading follicle, on oocyte retrieval, fertilization, cleavage, and embryo quality in IVF cycles based on a large data collection.

Design: Retrospective analysis of 1,109 IVF cycles between 1987 and 1993 at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania including 606 patients ranging in age from 23 to 49 years.

Results: Follicles with a volume < or = 1 mL show a significantly lower oocyte recovery rate than follicles with a volume of > 1 mL.

Neonatal depression after a protamine sulfate injection. A case report.

The intravenous administration of protamine sulfate in adults has been associated with acute hypotension, bradycardia and anaphylactoid reactions. However, no reports of its use in pregnancy have been available before. We describe a case of severe neonatal depression following maternal protamine sulfate injection immediately prior to delivery.

Cloning of a complementary deoxyribonucleic acid encoding the murine homolog of the very low density lipoprotein/apolipoprotein-E receptor: expression pattern and assignment of the gene to mouse chromosome 19.

We report the cloning of a complementary DNA for the mouse homolog of the very low density lipoprotein (VLDL)/apolipoprotein-E receptor (VLDLR), the deduced amino acid sequence of the protein, and the mapping of the gene encoding the receptor to mouse chromosome 19. Northern hybridization revealed that the VLDLR messenger RNA (mRNA) is most abundant in skeletal muscle, heart, kidney, and brain. It was also detected in lung and in low levels in liver, but it was not found in spleen or testes.

Longitudinal study of semen quality in Wisconsin men over one decade.

To determine whether there has been a time-related change in semen quality, we examined a Wisconsin population of men over a 10-year period. The semen quality of potential sperm donors was assessed between the years 1978 and 1987. The semen analyses included sperm concentration, motility, and morphology.

Localization of human epidermal growth factor receptor in cervical intraepithelial neoplasias.

Immunohistochemical staining of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGF-R) with a monoclonal antibody was performed in 43 biopsies of cervical tissue. The distribution of the receptors in normal cervical tissue differs from that of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) and squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix. Whereas the staining reaction in normal squamous epithelium was confined to the basal and deep parabasal cell layer, in all cervical intraepithelial neoplasias, with or without human papilloma virus association, a homogeneous EGF-R staining reaction could be observed throughout the entire lesion.

Estrogen increases precursor for pregnenolone synthesis with temperature-sensitive occupancy of P-450scc in mitochondria of rabbit corpus luteum.

To examine the mechanism of estrogen's direct stimulation of steroidogenesis in the rabbit corpus luteum, we tested the hypothesis that the effect of estrogen on progestin production occurs at the site of processing of the precursor for pregnenolone (i.e. cholesterol) in the mitochondrion.

Cholesterol metabolism in estrogen-sensitive progestin synthesis by rabbit corpus luteum.

To learn whether either reduced de novo cholesterol synthesis and/or altered cholesteryl ester metabolism is responsible for the deficient progestin production induced by estrogen withdrawal from pseudopregnant rabbits, we measured the luteal activity of three enzymes: 1) 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase (the rate-limiting step in de novo cholesterol synthesis), 2) cholesteryl ester hydrolase, and 3) acyl coenzyme A:cholesterol acyltransferase (ACAT) in estrogen-stimulated and estrogen-deprived rabbits. The only change in the activity of these enzymes and of the enzyme NADPH-cytochrome c reductase (a microsomal marker enzyme) after estrogen capsule removal for 12 or 24 h was a 30% decrease in HMG-CoA reductase activity after 24 h. The decrease in HMG-CoA reductase activity was not accompanied by a detectable change in either the content or localization of cellular free cholesterol.

Isoenzymes of cAMP-dependent protein kinase in developing rat liver and in malignant hepatic tissues.

Total R proteins and total cAMP-dependent protein kinase activity during rat liver development reach highest values per unit DNA when the organ has attained full metabolic competence. The parallel changes indicate coordinate synthesis of R and C subunits during hepatic development. In contrast to total R2 .