Characteristics of pica practice during pregnancy in a sample of Argentine women.

The purpose of this study was to describe the practice of pica during pregnancy in Argentine women. Maternal and fetal characteristics as well as the practice of pica were evaluated during the puerperium in a sample of 1,014 women from five different geographical areas. Pica prevalence for the total sample was 23.2% (95% CI 20.6-25.8). Pagophagia (ice consumption) was the main type of pica practice, followed by geophagia (earth intake) and the ingestion of soap, toothpaste and chalk. The onset of the practice was mainly in the first months of pregnancy. A total of 49.8% of women revealed a family history of pica; 30.6% had pica in childhood and 13.2% suffered from polypica. Women with pica during pregnancy had similar age, pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI), parity, neonatal birth weight and gestational age compared with non-pica mothers, although maternal haemoglobin concentration was lower in women with pica than in non-pica mothers (p = 0.0001).

[Use of midodrine and frozen semen to treat semen transport disturbances. Report of 2 cases]. / Uso de midodrín y congelación de semen en el tratamiento de las alteraciones del transporte espermático. Caso clínico.

Retrograde ejaculation severely compromises male fertility. The use of sympathicomimetics for the treatment of this condition has poor results, except in patients with partial retrograde ejaculation, whose semen has a higher spermatozoa concentration. The semen of two patients with partial retrograde ejaculation was collected and frozen after the injection of a sympathicomimetic (Midodrine). The frozen/thawed samples were mixed with fresh semen recently ejaculated to obtain a minimal number of motile spermatozoa, and used for intrauterine insemination (> de 1 x 10(6) motile spermatozoa/ml). In both cases, pregnancies that developed satisfactorily, were obtained.

[Count of salivary Streptococci mutans in pregnant women of the metropolitan region of Chile: cross-sectional study]. / Recuento de Streptococci mutans en la saliva de mujeres embarazadas de la Región Metropolitana: estudio transversal.

BACKGROUND: Salivary Streptococci mutans contamination is considered the main microbiological risk factor for the initiation of caries. AIM: To assess the oral health of pregnant women, counting Salivary Streptococci mutants. PATIENTS AND METHODS: One hundred seventy four pregnant women, in the first, second and third trimester of pregnancy, aged 27 +/- 5 years old, consulting at a public primary health center, were studied. Puerperal women that had their delivery two months before, were studied as a control group. Salivary samples were obtained and Streptococci mutans colonies were counted using quantitative and semiquantitative methods. RESULTS: There was a good concordance between both counting methods. No differences in Streptococci mutans counts were observed among the three groups of pregnant women, but the latter as a group had higher counts than puerperal women. Women with more than 5 caries had also higher counts. CONCLUSIONS: Semiquantitative Streptococci mutans counts are easy, rapid and non invasive and have a good concordance with quantitative counts in saliva.

Evaluation of nuclear maturity in human spermatozoa obtained by sperm-preparation methods.

Change in the nuclear maturity has been considered as an index of sperm quality. This is done by using aniline blue staining that stains spermatozoa with disturbances in the chromatin condensation. Therefore, this technique was used to evaluate the quality of sperm obtained by sperm preparation methods. In 14 semen samples from healthy donors with normal semen analysis and normal forms, the swim-up (SU), Percoll gradient centrifugation (PG), glass wool column filtration (GW) and sedimentation-migration (SM) were performed. GW and SM methods presented the lowest number of spermatozoa with alteration in the nuclear maturity (ANM), 11, 14% and 12, 42% compared to native semen (19%) (P < 0.005 and P < 0.05 respectively). SU and PG did presented no significant difference compared to native semen. In tests using the four methods, approximately 60% of the ANM occurred in normal spermatozoa. In the cells with pathologic abnormalities and ANM, 74.5% corresponded to macrocephalic forms, as this abnormality correlated mainly with ANM. It is concluded that in a semen sample with a higher percentage of normal forms, approximately 19% will have an ANM. GW and SM methods obtain the lowest percentage of ANM. ANM presents itself in 98% of the macrocephalic forms and they are effectively isolated with the PG method. The practice of this simple technique may orientate towards the sperm preparation methods to be used in assisted reproduction.

Ultrastructural analysis of the attachment sites of Escherichia coli to the human spermatozoon after in vitro migration through estrogenic cervical mucus.

The in vitro attachment between Escherichia coli and the human spermatozoon was studied using transmission and scanning electron microscopy, and ultracytochemistry. Samples from estrogenized cervical mucus columns containing migrating spermatozoa revealed two types of contact areas: Type I corresponded to the interaction of the bacterial fimbriae with the spermatozoal surface, and Type II, to the intermingling of the eukaryotic and prokaryotic cell glycocalyx. In both types of associations, the attachment area was lanthanum positive and displayed glycoconjugates. These types of intercellular contacts could represent the morphological basis of a mechanism by which bacteria are attached to spermatozoa and are consequently transported to the upper female genital tract.

Estudio inmunocitoquímico de Receptores de Estrógeno Fracción Alfa y de Progesterona en Pólipos Endometriales / Immunocytochemistry Study of Estrogen Receiver Alfa Fraction and Progesterone in Endometrial Polyps

Los pólipos endometriales son causa frecuente de metrorragia y, en algunos casos, pueden ser responsables de esterilidad. Su patogenia es poco conocida, dando origen a masas sésiles o pedunculadas que protruyen en la cavidad uterina y que histológicamente corresponden a endometrio proliferativo de estroma fibroso dentro del cual se encuentran glándulas de tipo estrógenico en proporción variable que pueden mostrar irregularidad y, ocasionalmente, hiperplasia. La acción hormonal es fundamental para el desarrollo del endometrio tanto normal como patológico. Alteraciones cuantitativas a nivel de los receptores de estrógeno y progesterona podrían contribuir a la patogenia de los pólipos; siendo ellos el resultado de esta alteración. Su expresión podría corresponder a un aumento localizado de receptores de estrógeno (RE), de una disminución de receptores de progesterona (RP) o de ambos factores. Nuestro objetivo fue evaluar mediante método inmunocitoquímico, la presencia de receptores de estrógeno fraccion alfa y receptores de progesterona, en 9 pacientes portadoras de pólipos endometriales. La intensidad de la tinción fue evaluada como intensa, moderada, débil o negativa y comparada con muestras control de endometrio normal. Se observó un aumento de RE a en el estroma, en el epitelio glandular y en el endotelio de pequeños vasos que rodean a las glándulas endometriales. Los RP fueron negativos o no cuantificables, en el estroma y en el tejido glandular. Concluimos que los pólipos endometriales presentan una alteración de la distribución de los receptores con un aumento localizado de los REa en el estroma y en el epitelio glandular y una disminución de los RP, destacándose la presencia de REa en las células perivasculares y en el endotelio de pequeños vasos.

The endometrial polyps are a frequent cause of anormal bleeding and in same cases responsible of sterility. Their pathogenesis is poorly understand. They are masses sessiles or pedunculated that protrudes into the endometrial cavity.Thehistologic pattern resembles proliferative endometrium with fibrous stroma and estrogenic glands that can show irregularity and occasionally hyperplasia. The hormonal action is fundamentalfor the development of normal and pathologic endometrium. Quantitativealterations of the estrogen and progesterone receptors contributes to the pathogenesis of endometrial polyps. They could arise from localized overexpression of estrogen receptors (ER), reduced expression of progesterone receptors (PR) or both. This study was undertaken to evaluate with inmunocytochemistry the presence of estrogen receptors alfa and progesterone receptors in endometrial polyps of 9 patients. The intensity of staining was record on a scale high, moderate and weak or negative and compared with the staining in normal endometrium. High levels of ER a was seen in glandular epithelium, stroma and endothelial cells of capillaries that are surrounding the glands. The PR are negatives or very weak in stoma and glands. We conclude that endometrial polyps have a alterate distribution of the receptors with and increase number of stromal and glandular epitheliumlER alfa and a decrease of PRdetaching the large number of ER a in perivascular cells and in endotelial cells.