An evaluation of the automated assay of urinary oestrogens in pregnant women.

An automated assay suitable for estimating urinary oestrogens in pregnant women has been investigated. Fluorimetry was found to have considerable advantages over colorimetry. The fluorimetric assay was simpler, more precise, more sensitive, and eliminated the need for correction for non-specific chromogens; in the assay of oestriol in pregnant women there was no need for correction for non-specific fluorescence.

Vaginal fluid enzyme patterns in benign and malignant lesions of the female genital tract.

The enzymes phosphohexose isomerase, lactate dehydrogenase, hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase, isocitric dehydrogenase, glutamate dehydrogenase, and sorbital dehydrogenase were assayed in cases of known carcinoma of the cervix and of carcinoma in situ. Phosphohexose isomerase, lactate dehydrogenase, and isocitric dehydrogenase were also assayed in a number of normal women and in those with benign lesions. It is unlikely that vaginal fluid enzymology will provide a screening test for cervical carcinoma.

A trial of phosphohexose isomerase as a means of detecting cervical carcinoma.

Phosphohexose isomerase activity has been studied in a well women's clinic with an automated method. In this series, in which freeze drying was used, the assay was not a reliable screening technique, as it was found that the method caused considerable loss of enzyme activity.

Possible use of phosphohexose isomerase as a preliminary to exfoliative cytology in screening for cervical carcinoma.

The activities of phosphohexose isomerase and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase have been studied in the vaginal fluid of women from the gynaecological departments. Women from these departments gave a very high false positive rate, though no cases of carcinoma in situ were not detected by estimating phosphohexose isomerase levels. It gave considerably better results in malignancy than 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase.