Relationship between psychological stress and reproductive outcome in women undergoing in vitro fertilization treatment: psychological and neurohormonal assessment.

PURPOSE: To evaluate whether psychological stress, as well as changes in hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and sympathetic nervous system (SNS) at different time points during a first in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycle, correlates with the reproductive outcome. METHODS: A prospective study was conducted in 264 women undergoing IVF or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) treatment between January 2009 and March 2010. Standardized psychological questionnaires were used to assess anxiety and depression. Norepinephrine and cortisol in serum were measured with specific assays. RESULTS: The non-pregnant women reported higher anxiety and depression scores at the pregnancy detection day compared with the pregnant group. Lower levels of norepinephrine and cortisol at the time of oocyte retrieval and lower levels of cortisol at the time of pregnancy test were found in women with successful treatment. Significant increases in serum norepinephrine and cortisol values were observed during ovarian stimulation. State Anxiety scores were negatively correlated with live birth rate, and positively associated with serum norepinephrine and cortisol values. CONCLUSIONS: State anxiety is associated with both pregnancy rate and live birth rate in IVF patients, an effect that is partly mediated by activities in the HPA and SNS.

Determination of total procyanidins in selected chocolate and confectionery products using DMAC.

A simple, specific, high-throughput colorimetric method based on the reaction of 4-dimethylaminocinnamaldehyde (DMAC) with flavan-3-ols was developed to determine total procyanidins in selected cacao-based products. Extracts of defatted samples were dispensed into a 96-well plate and reacted with DMAC. The absorbance of the reaction products was measured at 640 nm and compared to commercially available procyanidin B2 as a standard. The use of the 96-well plates and a plate reader dramatically improved sample throughput. A standard protocol was established and used for further studies. The calibration was found to be linear from 1-100 ppm. The DMAC reagent reacted relatively specifically to (-)-epicatechin, (+)-catechin, epigallocatechin, gallocatechin, the gallates of catechin, epicatechin, gallocatechin, and epigallocatechin, oligomeric procyanidins of cocoa up to n=4, and A-type procyanidins. Little or no reaction occurred with cyanidins and representative compounds of phenolic acids, flavones, flavanones, flavonols, anthocyanidins, isoflavones, and stilbenes. Sample precision studies were carried out on 10 different test materials over several weeks, and yielded RSD values of 4.0 to 9.5%. The method was ring-tested in three laboratories using blinded test materials including cocoa beans, cocoa powder, chocolate liquor, dark chocolate, and milk chocolate. There was excellent agreement of the results between laboratories.

Multi-laboratory validation of a standard method for quantifying proanthocyanidins in cranberry powders.

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to validate an improved 4-dimethylaminocinnamaldehyde (DMAC) colorimetric method using a commercially available standard (procyanidin A2), for the standard method for quantification of proanthocyanidins (PACs) in cranberry powders, in order to establish dosage guidelines for the uropathogenic bacterial anti-adhesion effect of cranberry. RESULTS: Commercially available cranberry samples were obtained (five from U.S. sources and six from European sources) for PAC quantification in five different analytical laboratories. Each laboratory extracted and analyzed the samples using the improved DMAC method. Within-laboratory variation (mean +/- SD) was 4.1 +/- 1.7% RSD (range, 2.3-6.1% RSD) and the between laboratory variability was 16.9 +/- 8.5% RSD (range, 8-32% RSD). For comparative purposes, the cranberry samples were alternatively quantified using weights of extracted PACs (gravimetric). The correlation coefficient between the two methods was 0.989. CONCLUSION: This improved DMAC method provides a simple, robust and relatively specific spectrophotometric assay for total PACs in cranberry samples using commercially available procyanidin A2 dimer as a standard. DMAC is most useful within a given type of food such as cranberries, but may not be appropriate for comparing concentrations across different food types, particularly in those cases where large differences exist among the relative amounts of each oligomer and polymer.

Application of digital tomosynthesis in diagnosing spinal tuberculosis.

OBJECTIVE: To study the value of digital tomosynthesis (DTS) applied in diagnosing spinal tuberculosis. METHODS: Images of digital radiology (DR) and DTS were retrospectively analyzed in patients with spinal tuberculosis, and image quality and ratio of detection of lesions were compared. RESULTS: Excellent ratio was higher for DTS images than DR images; ratios of detection of bone destruction, sequestration, and paraspinal abscess were higher for DTS than DR. CONCLUSIONS: DTS had better image quality and ratios of detection of lesions and could be applied in diagnosing and following spinal tuberculosis and other spinal conditions such as infections or suspected tumors.

Pituitary-adrenal and sympathetic nervous system responses to psychiatric disorders in women undergoing in vitro fertilization treatment.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether psychological variables as well as changes in hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and sympathetic nervous system (SNS) at baseline and in response to a psychosocial stressor affect the chance of achieving pregnancy in women undergoing a first in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycle. DESIGN: Prospective study. SETTING: Private IVF center. PATIENT(S): 264 women undergoing IVF or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) treatment. INTERVENTION(S): Oocyte retrieval after ovarian stimulation. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Standardized psychological questionnaires to assess anxiety and depression, and norepinephrine and cortisol in serum or follicular fluid measured by specific assays. RESULT(S): Only a trend increase was found in psychological scores during treatment, which did not affect the ongoing pregnancy rates. On the oocyte retrieval day, a statistically significant increase in norepinephrine and cortisol concentrations was found. Lower concentrations of norepinephrine and cortisol, both in serum and follicular fluid, were found in women whose treatments were successful. Concentrations of steroid in serum before treatment and in follicular fluid were positively associated with the State Anxiety scores. CONCLUSION(S): Norepinephrine and cortisol concentrations may negatively influence the clinical pregnancy rate in IVF treatment. These biological stress markers could be one of the links in the complex relationship between psychosocial stress and outcome after IVF-ICSI.

Bioavailability and antioxidant effects of a xanthone-rich Mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana) product in humans.

Oxidative damage is involved in many chronic diseases including those cited as the major causes of death in Western societies such as cardiovascular disorders and cancer. Antioxidants may prevent these degenerative processes by various mechanisms including the scavenging of free radicals. Intake of antioxidant supplements is associated with preventing oxidative damages. This study investigated the absorption and antioxidant effects of a xanthone-rich mangosteen liquid in healthy human volunteers after the acute consumption of 59 mL of the supplement. The liquid contained mangosteen, aloe vera, green tea, and multivitamins. Results indicated that alpha-mangostin and vitamins B(2) and B(5) were bioavailable, with observed C(max) at t(max) of around 1 h. The antioxidant capacity measured with the oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) assay was increased with a maximum effect of 18% after 2 h, and the increased antioxidant level lasted at least 4 h. Overall, this study demonstrated the bioavailability of antioxidants from a xanthone-rich mangosteen product and its in vivo antioxidant effects.

Novel high-throughput assay for antioxidant capacity against superoxide anion.

A novel high-throughput assay for measuring antioxidant capacity against superoxide anion has been developed and validated. In this assay, hydroethidine (HE), a fluorescent probe, is oxidized by superoxide anion generated by xanthine and xanthine oxidase and increases its fluorescence intensity. Therefore, the inhibition of loss of HE's fluorescence intensity in the presence of antioxidant is an index of antioxidant capacity. The result is expressed as superoxide dismutase (SOD) equivalent. Unlike other probes, such as tetrazolium and lucigenin, one major advantage of this assay is that the use of HE is not prone to artifact. The method was rigorously validated through linearity, precision, accuracy, and ruggedness. The linear range, limit of quantitation (LOQ), and limit of detection (LOD) are 0.22-3.75 units/mL, 0.30 unit/mL, and 0.10 unit/mL, respectively. A wide variety of phenolic compounds and fruit extracts were analyzed.

Effect of a mangosteen dietary supplement on human immune function: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

The effect of a mangosteen product containing multivitamins and essential minerals was tested on immune function and well-being in healthy adults. A randomized, double blinded, placebo-controlled study was conducted in 59 healthy human subjects (40-60 years old). Changes from baseline immune function were measured after a 30-day consumption of the mangosteen product and the placebo. The subjects' self-appraisal of their health status was also surveyed. A xanthone-rich mangosteen product intake increased mean values for peripheral T-helper cell frequency (P = .020) and reduced the serum C-reactive protein concentration (P = .014). Increases in peripheral CD4/CD8 double-positive (DP) T-cell frequency and serum complement C3, C4, and interleukin (IL)-1alpha concentrations were significantly higher in the experimental group than in the placebo group (DP, P = .038; C3, P = .017; C4, P = .031; IL-1alpha, P = .006). At the end of study, serum IL-1alpha and IL-1beta concentrations in the study group were significantly higher than that in the placebo group (IL-1alpha, P = .033; IL-1beta, P = .04). Furthermore, more participants in the experimental group reported greatly improved overall health status compared with participants receiving placebo (P = .001). The results indicated that the intake of an antioxidant-rich product significantly enhanced immune responses and improved the subject's self-appraisal on his or her overall health status.