John D. Paulson

Free testosterone concentration in serum: elevation is the hallmark of hirsutism.

A simple, reliable procedure for quantitating the concentration of free (not protein bound and thus biologically active) testosterone in serum has been applied to normal and hirsute patients. Each of 32 hirsute women studied had a significantly elevated level of free testosterone (that is, more than two standard deviations above the mean of that found in normal women), although half of them had a total serum testosterone level within normal limits. Suppression of free testosterone to within normal limits could be accomplished by dexamethasone alone in 47 per cent of the hirsute group. In the remainder of the hirsute group, suppression of free testosterone to within normal limits could be accomplished by addition of Enovid-E. Use of free serum testosterone concentration is clearly superior to the use of total serum testosterone concentration for the identification and rational therapy of simple hirsutism.

The use of carbon dioxide laser laparoscopy in the treatment of tubal ectopic pregnancies

Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy of the treatment of unruptured tubal ectopic pregnancies by the use of carbon dioxide laser laparoscopy. Study Design: A series of 125 consecutive ectopic pregnancies were treated laparoscopically; the tubal pregnancy was removed by a laparoscopic laser technique. Preoperative assessment included monitoring s-human chorionic gonadotropin levels, use of vaginal ultrasonography, and preoperative and postoperative hematocrit levels. Results: Laparoscopic laser surgery was successful for removal of tubal ectopic pregnancies in all but four patients, in whom a laparotomy was required. Hematocrit levels before and after surgery were similar. The time necessary for β-human chorionic gonadotropin to fall to nondetectable levels averaged between 3 and 4 weeks. There were five patients who had complications requiring additional surgery and/or medical treatment. Conclusion: The techniques are easy to learn, and the use of laparoscopic laser surgery in the treatment of tubal ectopic pregnancies appears to be a safe procedure with definite advantages for both the patient and the physician. There are decreased operating times, shorter hospital stays, and lower medical costs compared wtih those for major surgery. Subsequent successful intrauterine pregnancy rates are comparable to those of conservative methods previously reported.

Comparative synthetic substrate kinetics of porcine acrosin and porcine β-trypsin

Abstract 1. 1. Acrosin demonstrated a preferential binding of arginine containing substrates relative to lysine containing substrates and bound benzoyl containing substrates better than tosyl containing substrates. 2. 2. No clear cut pattern was observed in the maximal velocities of the acrosin catalyzed reactions. 3. 3. β-Trypsin manifested no selectivity for substrates containing arginine over lysine in either binding or maximal velocity, but greater maximal velocities were obtained for tosyl containing substrates relative to benzoyl containing substrates. 4. 4. The difference between the Kmapp, values for amide substrates and ester substrates indicated that acrosin hydrolysis proceeded through the classical double displacement mechanism.

Demonstration of Proacrosin and Quantitation of Acrosin in Ejaculated Human Spermatozoa**Supported by a grant from The Rockefeller Foundation, United States Public Health Service Grant HD 09422 (to K. L. P.), and a grant from the Missouri Agriculture Station (journal series No. 7747 (to W. L. Z.).

Proacrosin has been isolated from human ejaculated spermatozoa and constitutes at least 90% of the total acrosin present. The total amount of acrosin in milli-international units per million spermatozoa was between 4.4 and 8.9, with a mean of 6.5. This is the first report of the demonstration of proacrosin and the quantitation of total acrosin in human spermatozoa.

Isolation of a Spermatozoal Immobilization Factor from Escherichia Coli Filtrates**Supported in part by a grant from The Rockefeller Foundation.

A low-molecular weight spermatozoal immobilization factor (SIF) has been isolated from Escherichia coli cultures. This factor is stable to heating, freezing, and lyophilization, and immobilizes but does not kill spermatozoa. The concentration of spermatozoa influenced the effectiveness of the SIF in immobilizing spermatozoa, indicating that bacterial infections could have a greater influence on the oligospermic ejaculate than on a normal specimen. SIF is a stable factor and binds to spermatozoa via a reversible mechanism.

A Glass Wool Column Procedure for Removing Extraneous Material from the Human Ejaculate**Supported in part by a grant from The Rockefeller Foundation.

A glass column has been devised which removes the majority of debris and agglutinated and dead spermatozoa from, as well as reduces the total viscosity of, the semen sample. It is a simple procedure to perform and may have potential clinical significance.