Serum-prostatic specific antigen level as a promising marker in infertile women with polycystic ovarian disease

Objective: To evaluate value of serum prostatic specific antigen (PSA) as a marker for PCOS infertile women undergoing ovulation induction. Design: A prospective clinical trial Setting: Department of obstetric and gynecology, Suez Canal university. Materials and Methods: Eighty four women (64 with PCOS, 20 normoovulatory as control) were evaluated clinically and by pelvic ultrasound. Serum FSH, LH and Testosterone were estimated at 2nd day of menses while E2 and Progesterone were estimated at the midluteal phase using highly sensitive ELFA technique ,TPSA was estimated at both 2nd day of menses and at the midluteal phase using the Immulite / Immulite 1000 system. Results: The study group exhibited significant higher mean TPSA 2nd day (0.040 ng/dl) versus (0.003 ng/dl, P=0.031) in normal control group, and also significant higher mean TPSA midluteal (0.020 ng/dl) versus (0.002 ng/dl, P=0.022) as compared to control group. Subgroup analysis according to response showed that responders exhibited significant reduction in TPSA level midluteal (0.008 ng/dl) than that on 2nd day (0.011 ng/dl, P<0.001). Conclusion: the mean serum TPSA could be detected in high significant concentrations in the serum of PCOD infertile women with significant decreasing concentrations after induction of ovulation, thus TPSA can be used as a promising marker for ovarian response in infertile women due to PCOD

Summertime low-ozone episodes at northern high latitudes

A pool of low-ozone air resides in the Arctic stratosphere in summer. Its formation and maintenance arise from a combination of chemical ozone-destruction and transport processes. The summertime ozone destruction is induced by gas-phase chemistry dominated by nitrogen and hydrogen catalytic cycles, which are efficient due to long summertime insolation at high latitudes. It is shown that, during events referred to as low-ozone episodes (LOEs), column ozone can locally decrease to values comparable with the seasonal minimum. A combination is used of (i) assimilation of satellite ozone observations from the Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment, (ii) chemical trajectory modelling, and (iii) the gathering of new lidar and in situ ozone observations in the European Arctic in summer 2000. Hence it is shown that such LOEs involve the displacement of the pool of lowozone air in the middle stratosphere, which is more dynamic than previously thought and undergoes pronounced meridional excursions, in particular towards northern Europe. The thinner the ozone layer, the more ultraviolet (UV) radiation reaches the ground, where it can impact on human health and ecosystems. Erythemal UV dose enhancements of the order of 10-15% were observed in northern Norway during the LOEs in summer 2000