Determination of pregnancy

Human chorionic gonadotropin A hormone secreted by the placenta that is used to aid in the determination of pregnancy. 

Shulman, A., R. Hauser, S. Lipitz, Y. Frenkel, J. Dor, D. Bider, S. Mashiach, L. Yogev, and H. Yavetz. 1998. Sperm motility is a major determinant of pregnancy outcome following intrauterine insemination. J. Assist. Reprod. Genet. 15(6) 381-385. 

Qin Q, Christiansen M, Lovgren T, Norgaard-Pedersen B, Pettersson K (1997) Dual-label time-resolved immunofluorometric assay for simultaneous determination of pregnancy-associated plasma protein A and free beta-subunit of human chorionic gonadotropin. J Immunol Methods 205 169-175... 

Nineteen women underwent amniocentesis for the determination of fetal sex. Several different X-llnked abnormalities constituted the Indications for this procedure, and these Included hemophilia A, hemophilia B, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, optic albinism, X-llnked mental retardation, the Lesch-Nyhan syndrome (due to dlflclency of hypoxanthlne-guanlne phosphorlbosyltransferase, and Fabry s disease (due to deficiency of an a-galact-osldase). Fourteen of the fetuses were male. Including one which turned out to be a set of twins, and most of the male pregnancies were terminated. The sex determination being carried out for Fabry s disease Is of particular Interest, since In this case It was desired to find out whether the fetus was a female. 

The monitoring of pregnancies for neural tube defects Is the most recent of the Indications for prenatal diagnosis In families In which one child has been affected, the risk of recurrence Is approximately 4% Of the 16 pregnancies In which amniocentesis was done to determine the level of a-fetoprotein, no affected fetuses were found ... 

Emory et al. (1999) evaluated 103 African-American newborns with the NBAS. Maternal PbB levels were obtained at 6-7 months of pregnancy. No significant differences were found between quartiles across Brazelton Cluster scores. The researchers then compared the low quartile group (maternal PbB 1 pg/dL mean=0.855 pg/dL n=26) with the high quartile group (maternal PbB 2.5 pg/dL mean=4.01 pg/dL n=14) and found modest detrimental effects as determined by four Brazelton item... 

Graziano JH, Popovac D, Factor-Litvak P, et al. 1990. Determinants of elevated blood lead during pregnancy in a population surrounding a lead smelter in Kosovo, Yugoslavia. Environ Health Perspect 89 95-100. 

Rubella component Administer 1 dose of MMR vaccine to women whose rubella vaccination history is unreliable or who lack laboratory evidence of immunity. For women of childbearing age, regardless of birth year, routinely determine rubella immunity and oounsel women regarding congenital rubella syndrome. Women who do not have evidence of immunity should receive MMR vaccine upon completion or termination of pregnancy and before discharge from the health-care facility. 

The test substance or vehicle is usually administered orally by intubation. If another route of administration is used, the tester should provide justification and reasoning for its selection, and appropriate modifications may be necessary. .. The dose to each animal should normally be based on the most recent individual body weight determination. However, caution should be exercised when adjusting the dose during the last trimester of pregnancy. Existing data should be used for dose selection to prevent excess maternal toxicity. 

Lipophilic compounds will cross the placenta most readily by passive diffusion, whereas those ionized at plasma pH will generally not, unless they are substrates for a carrier-mediated transport system. Most foreign compounds will enter the embryonic bloodstream by passive diffusion, and the exposure of the embryo of fetus will therefore depend on the concentration of the compound in the maternal bloodstream and the blood flow, which increases as pregnancy progresses. The ability of the maternal organism to metabolize and excrete the compound, reflected in the plasma level and half-life, will therefore be a major determinant of... 

Estriol (estra-1,3,5(10)-trien-3,16-a,17-8 -triol) is the major estrogen metabolite found in the urine. It is excreted in the form of its conjugate with glucuronic acid. The determination of this steroid as an index of placental function has become one of the most widely used endocrine determinations. As pregnancy progresses, the excretion increases and reaches very high levels near term. In abnormal fetoplacental function, the levels of estriol will fall in some cases. The fall is usually progressive, and, because of this, serial determinations of urinary estriol must be carried out. The drop in estriol can be taken as evidence of placental insufficiency, and close watch by the physician is indicated, as a continued drop may necessitate Cesarean section to save the life of the infant. 

Latex agglutination immunoassays are easily formatted into simple kits which can provide yes/no and semiquantitative estimates of antigen (or antibody) in a sample. The first such assay was developed in 1957 for rheumatoid factor (15) and assays are on the market for the determination of many species of bacteria, fungi, Mycoplasma, parasites, Rickettsia, and viruses, as well as for the determination of autoimmune disease, hormones (qv), drugs (see Pharmaceuticals), and blood proteins (16). Latex agglutination is also the basis of many home pregnancy tests. 

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