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Objective: To compare expression of endometrial estrogen (ER) and progesterone (PR) receptors, β3-integrin subunit, leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and pinopodes in Indian women using ormeloxifene as a contraceptive with fertile and infertile subjects during the window of implantation. Design: Controlled, prospective, clinical study. Setting: Hospital-based reproductive health unit and research laboratories. Patient(s): Thirteen fertile women, 6 using ormeloxifene (30 mg/week), 29 with primary and 10 with secondary infertility. Intervention(s): Transvaginal ultrasonography, midluteal endometrial biopsies, and blood samples. Main Outcome Measure(s): Histologic dating, endometrial thickness, immunohistochemical localization of ER, PR, β3-integrin subunit, LIF, and IL-6 and scanning electron microscopy. Result(s): Ormeloxifene significantly reduced endometrial thickness, pinopode density, and caused histologic delay with increased epithelial ER and PR and unaltered epithelial β3-integrin subunit expression. Appearance of fully developed pinopodes, down-regulation of epithelial PR, and increased epithelial β3-integrin subunit expression was observed in in-phase endometrium from fertile and infertile women. LIF and IL-6 expression and serum estradiol and progesterone levels remained unaltered between groups. Conclusion(s): Ormeloxifene-induced effects might produce asynchrony between endometrial and embryo development resulting in implantation failure. Based on unaltered luteal phase serum progesterone concentration, ormeloxifene did not appear to prevent ovulation in any participant. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Summary: The aim of the study was to investigate whether the estimation of circulating Vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A) levels by ELISA could be used as surrogate of VEGF-A expression in tissues of pre-malignant oral lesions (PMOLs) and oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) as compared to that in healthy controls. The study samples comprised of tissue and blood samples from 60 PMOLs, 60 OSCC, and 20 healthy controls. Serum VEGF-A levels were determined by an ELISA based assay (Quantikine human VEGF; R & D System, Minneapolis USA). Tissue VEGF-A expression and microvessel density (MVD) were assessed by immunohistochemistry (IHC) using antibodies against VEGF-A and CD-34 on formalin fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE) tissue sections. VEGF-A mRNA expression was analyzed by real-time PCR in snap frozen tissues. Serum VEGF-A levels and immunohistochemical VEGF-A expression were significantly high in PMOLs and OSCC in comparison with controls. VEGF mRNA gene expression showed more than 50-fold increase in PMOLs and OSCC. VEGF-A levels in serum correlated in a linear fashion with the tissue expression in oral pre-malignant and malignant lesions, suggesting that the serum levels may serve as surrogate material for tissue expression of VEGF-A. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Azoospermia factor locus (AZF) is assumed to contain the genes responsible for spermatogenesis. Deletions in these genes are thought to be pathologically involved in some cases of male infertility associated with azoospermia or oligozoospermia. An attempt was made to establish the prevalence of micro-deletions on the Y chromosome in 79 infertile North Indians with azoospermia and oligozoospermia. Detail clinical examinations as well as endocrinological parameters were also done. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) micro-deletion analysis was done in 79 infertile men. For this, genomic DNA was extracted from the peripheral blood. Seven sets of primers were used encompassing AZFa, AZFb and AZFc regions. Micro-deletions in five of the 79 cases (6.3%) showed deletions of at least one of the STS markers. Deletions were detected with known and unknown aetiology and at least in one of the infertile male with varicocele. AZF micro-deletions seen in idiopathic infertile males suggest the need for molecular screening in non-idiopathic cases. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]