The exogenous gonadotropins— equine chorionic gonadotropin (eCG; also known as PMSG) and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG)— can be used to stimulate the onset of estrus and ovulation in gilts and sows.1 The decision to employ exogenous gonadotropins, however, must take into account the possibility that using them to stimulate quiescent ovaries may result in the breeding of females that are oth...

The concept of using thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) receptor antagonists in the management of Graves' disease is intriguing. Therefore, we investigated a TSH receptor antagonist derived from human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) with respect to TSH receptor binding, adenylate cyclase activity, thyroid hormone release, and HLA class II antigen expression in vitro and in an in vivo model. A varia...

Endothelin (ET)-2 plays a crucial role in ovarian ovulation in mammals. The present study was designed to test the hypothesis that hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1α-mediated transcriptional activation contributes to the increased expression of ET-2 gene in response to hCG in rat ovarian granulosa cells (GCs) during gonadotropin-induced superovulation. By real-time RT-PCR analysis, ET-2 mRNA exp...

BACKGROUND Several markers were studied previously in order to predict the pregnancy outcome of assisted reproductive techniques; however, serum beta human chorionic gonadotropin was found to be the most predictive marker. AIMS To evaluate the value of serum beta human chorionic gonadotropin levels in discriminating biochemical and clinical pregnancies 12 days after embryo transfer, while det...

Maternal testosterone has been indicated to affect sex ratio of offspring. The present study was conducted to elucidate the role of androgen receptor in this regard by blockade of androgen receptor using flutamide in female mice. Mice were randomly assigned to two experimental groups. Mice in the control (n = 20) and treatment (n = 20) groups received 8 IU equine chorionic gonadotropin (eCG) fo...

Luteinizing hormone (LH) and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) are widely recognized for their roles in ovulation and the support of early pregnancy. Aside from the timing of expression, however, the differences between LH and hCG have largely been overlooked in the clinical realm because of their similar molecular structures and shared receptor. With technologic advancements, including the de...

Patient. A 65-year-old man was admitted with a large primary retroperitoneal tumor and an increased beta-human chorionic gonadotropin (beta-HCG) serum level. A germ cell tumor was suspected; however, a computed tomography-guided biopsy failed to enable tumor classification. After two courses of chemotherapy, the beta-HCG serum level had returned to the normal level and a diagnostic laparotomy w...

Ectopic secretion of beta-human chorionic gonadotropin is considered a poor prognostic marker in epithelial tumors. However, very few cases have been reported in sarcomas. We present the case of a 26-year-old female who presented with a metastatic osteosarcoma. She underwent usual testing prior to starting treatment and was found to have elevated levels of beta-human chorionic gonadotropin. As ...