Long-acting progestin-only contraceptives enhance human endometrial stromal cell expressed neuronal pentraxin-1 and reactive oxygen species to promote endothelial cell apoptosis.

CONTEXT: Despite the absence of progesterone receptor protein in human endometrial endothelial cells (HEECs), endometria of women receiving long-acting progestin-only contraceptives (LAPCs) display reduced uterine blood flow, elevated reactive oxygen species generation, increased angiogenesis, and irregularly distributed, enlarged, fragile microvessels resulting in abnormal uterine bleeding. OBJECTIVE: We propose that paracrine factors from LAPC-treated human endometrial stromal cells (HESCs) impair HEEC functions by shifting the balance between HEEC viability and death in favor of the latter. DESIGN AND SETTING: Proliferation, apoptosis, and transcriptome analyses were performed in HEECs treated with conditioned medium supernatant (CMS) derived from HESCs treated with estradiol (E2) ± medroxyprogesterone acetate or etonogestrel under normoxia or hypoxia. Mass spectrometry interrogated the CMS secretome while immunostaining for neuronal pentraxin-1 (NPTX1), cleaved caspase-3, and cytochrome c was performed in cultured HEECs and paired endometria from women using LAPCs. MAIN OUTCOME: HEEC apoptosis and its underlying mechanism. RESULTS: HESC CMS from E2 + medroxyprogesterone acetate or E2 + etonogestrel incubations under hypoxia induced HEEC apoptosis (P < .05), whereas mass spectrometry of the CMS revealed increased NPTX1 secretion (P < .05). Endothelial cleaved caspase-3 and stromal NPTX1 immunoreactivity were significantly higher in LAPC-treated endometria (P < .001). Transcriptomics revealed AKT signaling inhibition and mitochondrial dysfunction in HEECs incubated with HESC CMS. In vitro analyses proved that CMS decreased HEEC AKT phosphorylation (P < .05) and that recombinant NPTX1 (P < .05) or NPTX1 + H2O2 (P < .001) increase HEEC apoptosis and cytosolic cytochrome c levels. CONCLUSIONS: LAPC-enhanced NPTX1 secretion and reactive oxygen species generation in HESCs impair HEEC survival resulting in a loss in vascular integrity, demonstrating a novel paracrine mechanism to explain LAPC-induced abnormal uterine bleeding.

An evaluation of residential treatment for sexually aggressive youth.

This longitudinal study investigated the effectiveness of a one and one-half year long residential treatment program for 26 boys aged 11-15 with histories of sexually aggressive behavior. The clients were assessed with self-report and staff-report measures at the beginning and end of treatment and at several time points in between; also, aggressive acts were tabulated during a one-year follow-up period. There was evidence of improved functioning on 10 of the 12 measures. During the follow-up, 27% of the sample committed an aggressive act, and 8% committed a sexually aggressive act. On most of the measures, improvement occurred gradually over the course of treatment, and on some measures most of the improvement occurred late in the placement.

Dehydrothalebanin: a source of resistance from Glycosmis pentaphylla against the citrus root weevil Diaprepes abbreviatus.

Roots of a citrus relative, Glycosmis pentaphylla (orangeberry), were shown to inhibit the growth and survival of larvae of the citrus root weevil Diaprepes abbreviatus. Roots of G. pentaphyllaincorporated into the diet of D. abbreviatus increasingly inhibited the growth of neonate larvae with increased concentration of roots, while roots from citrus rootstocks produced little inhibition. The diet-incorporation assay was used to guide fractionation of an active acetone extract of G.pentaphylla roots. Three major fractions from silica open-column liquid chromatography were active, and these were purified using semipreparative normal-phase HPLC. A single active HPLC subfraction was isolated from each of the three liquid chromatography fractions, and two active compounds were isolated and identified by GC-MSD. GC-MSD and NMR identified one compound as the amide dehydrothalebanin B, and the other was identified by GC-MSD as dieldrin, a chlorinated hydrocarbon insecticide whose origin in our samples is uncertain.

Vitellin and vitellogenin in the soldier bug, Podisus maculiventris: identification with monoclonal antibodies and reproductive response to diet.

A 171,000 M(r )polypeptide of Podisus maculiventris (Say) (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) that constituted 16% of the protein in eggs also constituted up to 25% of the protein in hemolymph of fed females. It was identified as the major or sole apoprotein of vitellogenin. Eggs contained major polypeptides of 171, 106, and 51 kDa. The hemolymph polypeptide was identified with a polypeptide (vitellin) in egg extracts by comparing molecular weights, specificity of occurrence in fed females, and immunological reactivities. Females, starved for 5 days after eclosion to assure complete previtellogenic development, produced vitellogenin within a day after feeding on larval Galleria mellonella, and within 4 days after feeding on an artificial diet. Appearance of vitellogenin preceded ovarian growth by 2-3 days. Two monoclonal antibodies raised against egg proteins of P. maculiventris were selected for their strong reaction against egg extract and female hemolymph and null reaction against male hemolymph. Only one 170-kDa band in egg and hemolymph reacted with the antibodies on denaturing Western blots. These monoclonal antibodies are being used to develop an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to quantitate reproductive response of females to diets of differing quality.

Reanimation of the paralyzed eyelid with the enhanced palpebral spring or the gold weight: modern replacements for tarsorrhaphy.

The enhanced palpebral spring and the gold weight are the modern devices that should nearly completely replace tarsorrhaphy in the management of ocular problems secondary to facial paralysis. They actually reanimate the lid, rather than merely hold the lids closed in a disfigured position, as does tarsorrhaphy. The surgical techniques of each procedure, results, and pros and cons of each are compared. Personal experience with over 1400 spring implantations is discussed, as is experience with the use of bandage contact lenses in lieu of lid surgery. The gold weight implantation is simpler to learn and perform than the enhanced spring procedure, in which the levator is tightened in addition to implanting the spring. However, when it is really important to close the eye well, the spring is the superior procedure. Unlike the weight, the spring closes the eye well in the supine position, such as when the patient sleeps.

Identification of sources of plant resistance to Diaprepes abbreviatus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) by three bioassays.

Host plant resistance to the root weevil Diaprepes abbreviatus (L.) was assessed for 3 citrus rootstock cultivars, 5 promising hybrid rootstocks, and 3 citroid fruit trees using 3 bioassay methods: a pot bioassay with 1-yr seedlings; a new, 21-cm plastic cell bioassay with 5-mo seedlings; and a diet incorporation bioassay. The plastic cell bioassay is a more rapid screening method and is capable of evaluating a larger number of entries in a shorter period compared with current methods. The 3 bioassays yielded similar results. Larval growth was inhibited by 2 of the remote citroid fruit trees, Murraya koenigii (L.) Sprengel and Glycosmis pentaphylla (Retzius) Correa, compared with growth on commercial rootstock cultivars. Specifically, larvae allowed to feed on roots of M. koenigii or G. pentaphylla gained less weight compared with larvae fed on the commercial rootstock cultivar 'Swingle' [Citrus paradisi Macfayden x Poncirus trifoliata (L.) Rafinesque-Schmaltz]. The resistance of G. pentaphylla confirms previous reports. M. koenigii is a new source of resistance to D. abbreviatus.