Biological research in pregnancy and perinatology最新文献

From the ultrafiltrate of human term placental homogenate, a reductant possessing an absorption maximum at 345 nm but not around 260 nm was isolated through the process of Sephadex G-25 gel filtration and DEAE-Sepharose column chromatography. This substance bore resemblance to a reduced nicotinate moiety of nicotinamide nucleotide in regard to a decay in 345 nm absorption and 457 nm fluorescence maximum on oxidation and to an irreversible shift of absorption maximum from 345 nm to 300 nm on acidification. Unlike ascorbate, its ferricytochrome c-reduction was not superoxide-dependent. It scavenged hydroxyl radical produced by Fenton reaction. It did not promote the iron-catalyzed lipid peroxidation of intact and heat-inactivated rat liver microsomes but it inhibited the NADPH or ascorbate-mediated microsomal lipid peroxidation. In the placenta, containing high concentrations of ascorbate and iron ion, 345 nm substance was understood as an antioxidative reductant.

The authors examined 160 non-selected patients between the 28th and 40th weeks of gestational age with mycotic vaginitis. The chemosusceptibility of the isolated yeast to the main antimycotic drugs was evaluated through the Kirby-Bauer method as well as the determination of MIC. The antimycotic drugs tested were Nystatin, Miconazole, Ketoconazole, Clotrimazole, Amphotericin B, Econazole and 5-Fluorocytosine. The obtained data indicate a lacking effectiveness of Clotrimazole in contrast with the high percentage of therapeutical success reported in the literature. Better results were found with Econazole and the other antimycotic drugs tested. Nystatin is the most effective drug "in vitro". The authors furthermore highlight the utility of MIC determination, above all in the cases of recurrent vaginitis and when systemic therapy is undertaken.

We report a further case of human placental lactogen (hPL) deficiency associated with a normal pregnancy. To our knowledge this is the first report in which the examination of placenta by means of the immunoperoxidase technique confirmed that hPL was absent from the trophoblast.

Variations of the plasma and erythrocyte lipid composition were studied in 110 clinically normal pregnant women at different gestational ages; a longitudinal study, carried out in 10 of these women, confirms the results of the cross-sectional study. The main changes observed in the plasma are a rise of the levels of triglycerides, phosphatidyl-cholines and to a lower extent of sphingomyelins; these increases are significantly correlated with the gestational age. The RBC lipid composition is faintly modified throughout pregnancy; the most important changes are observed close to term: after 35 weeks of gestation, the concentration of sphingomyelins, phosphatidyl-cholines and phosphatidyl-ethanolamines are higher and that of the cholesterol/phospholipids is lower than at the beginning of pregnancy. Modifications of some erythrocyte physical properties occurring in the course of gestation cannot mainly be attributed to variations of the membrane lipid composition.

Metrial gland is a separate class of cells associated with decidualization. These granulated cells, which are early detectable in the endometrium at implantation sites, become more prominent in the mesometrial triangle of rats as pregnancy advances. Typical ultrastructural features which include the presence of pleomorphic granules characterize these cells and recent observations indicate differentiation of these cells from lymphocyte-like precursors. Presence of IgG in the cytoplasm of metrial gland cells and their origin from bone marrow suggest an immune function.

Ceftazidime pharmacokinetics were studied in 13 preterm newborns requiring antibiotic treatment, following intramuscular administration of a 50 mg/kg dose in the first 24 hours of life. The main pharmacokinetic parameters (peak concentration, time to reach peak, plasma half-life, area under the curve, elimination constant, distribution volume and plasma clearance) were determined directly from the serum concentrations observed. The clinical and bacteriological response to ceftazidime treatment was good; no side effects or alterations of biohumoral parameters were noted.

Treatment of pregnant women with estrogenic compounds such as diethylstilbestrol (DES) has been associated with genital tract abnormalities in their male and female offspring. Since these data suggest the developing fetus is highly susceptible to the tumorigenic and dysmorphogenic effects of estrogenic substances, knowledge of the estrogenic activity of some drugs commonly used during pregnancy is important. Based on structural similarities to other known estrogenic compounds and to the frequency of use among pregnant women, phenobarbital, saccharin and acetaminophen were assayed for estrogenic activity; DES was used as a positive control. Using a competitive receptor binding assay, these compounds did not show appreciable binding to a soluble uterine receptor preparation while DES showed strong binding interactions. Analysis of the compounds in an in vivo uterotropic bioassay using immature female mice showed that, over the dose range used (5 micrograms/kg-50 micrograms/kg), only DES had any estrogenic activity while the other compounds were negative. Therefore, phenobarbital, saccharin and acetaminophen did not display estrogenic activity under the conditions of test.

Neonatal prognostic significance of some biometric parameters in a population study of 331 low-birth-weight newborns was investigated. Multiple logistic regression analysis demonstrates that length, head size and weight are the best predictors of neonatal outcome in small for gestational age (SGA) newborns. In the population of SGA newborns biometric parameters more affected by growth failure were thoracic circumference, weight, head circumference and length, in that order. It seems that the best parameters for the sonographic diagnosis of growth failure are the poorest predictors of neonatal outcome. The possible role of ponderal index as an expression of fetal and neonatal well-being is discussed.

Tritiated water was injected into 19-day pregnant rats and the rate of incorporation into their fetuses was estimated. The transfer of tritiated water from mother to fetus and then to the surrounding uterus was estimated by measuring the appearance of radioactivity in an albumin-saline solution that bathed externally one conceptus freed of its surrounding uterus except for the placental attachment. There was a very significant transfer of tritium water, even before isotopic equilibration of the fetus, estimated at more than 1.5 ml/h. The reverse, the transfer of tritium from the saline solution towards the mother, resulted in only a small fraction of that figure. The results suggest the existence of unidirectional water circulation in the materno-fetal unit: maternal arterial blood----placenta----fetal circulation----amniotic fluid----amniotic membranes----endometrium----maternal venous blood.