Do macromorphological features of the human placenta influence somatic and psychomotor development of the newborn and early infant? A historic question revisited.

Objective: We examined the meaning of placental weight, form (massive and thick or extended and flat) and circumference for early somatic and psychomotor childhood development.

Methods: In this prospective study, fresh placentas (n = 265) were measured for weight and circumference and correlated with neonatal data. A subset of placentas statistically defined as 'massive' (circumference <10th percentile) and 'extended' (circumference >90th percentile) was correlated with somatic and basic psychomotor variables during the first 4 years of life.

Fetal short time variation during labor: a non-invasive alternative to fetal scalp pH measurements?

Objective: To determine whether short time variation (STV) of fetal heart beat correlates with scalp pH measurements during labor.

Patients And Methods: From 1279 deliveries, 197 women had at least one fetal scalp pH measurement. Using the CTG-Player, STVs were calculated from the electronically saved cardiotocography (CTG) traces and related to the fetal scalp pH measurements.

Testing of functional integrity of p53 protein in primary breast cancer by a rapid quantitative p53-p21 double assay may improve the clinical value of p53.

We hypothesized that inclusion of p21(WAF1), an indicator of biological function, into the p53 assay might improve the clinical value of p53 in breast cancer diagnosis. In primary breast carcinomas (n = 146) and healthy/benign controls (n = 40), the p53 protein was quantified by luminescence immunoassay. The p21 protein was simultaneously measured by quantitative ELISA in a representative subgroup of breast cancers (n = 52) and controls (n = 17).