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KMID : 0358219930200030191
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Korean Journal of Fertility and Sterility
1993 Volume.20 No. 3 p.191 ~ p.200
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Detection of Early Pregnancy Factor in Sera of Pregnant Women, GIFT(Gamete intrafallopian Transfer) Patients and in Human Embryo Culture Media
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이진용
김정구/최두석/이철민/최영민/신창재/문신용/장윤석
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Abstract
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Although two decades have passed sine Morton first described pregnancy associated serum protein early pregnancy factor (EPF) which binds to lymphocytes and enhances the inhibitory effects of antilymphocyte serum in rosette inhibition test, the
presence
and physiological role of EPF in human pregnancy has remained controversial.
We measured EPF activity using a modified microrosette inhibition assay in sera of 15 pregnant women during first trimester of pregnancy, sera of 24 infertile women undergoing GIFT procedures and in the culture supernatant of human eggs obtained
from 23
natural IVF-ET patients. Sera obtained from 15 normal healthy women with tubal ligation during mid-follicular phase were served as controls. Rosstte inhibition titer≥3 was defined as an index for the presence of EPF activity.
EPF activity was observed in all maternal sera during first trimester of pregnancy and also detected in the culture supernatants in which fertilization occurred but not in nonfertilization media. The sera of 9 women who became pregnant after GIFT
procedures were positive for EPF activity on the 5th day but this activity disappeared in 3 sera on the 13th day after procedures. In 9 sera of the remaining 15 GIFT patients who were unsuccessful in achieving pregnancy, EPF activity was found on
the
5th day but undetectable on the 13th day after procedures.
These data suggest that EPF may be helpful in diagnosing early pregnancy and in differentiating implantation failure from nonfertilization of oocytes as a cause of infertility.
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