Serologic study of human parvovirus B19 infection in pregnancy in Japan.

Objectives: To clarify the relationship between hydrops fetalis and parvovirus outbreaks in the community, seroprevalence of B19 antibody among women of childbearing age, and adverse effects of intrauterine B19 infection.

Methods: Sera were collected from 168 cases of hydrops fetalis which were diagnosed between 1987 and 1997 in Miyagi prefecture, Japan, from 232 healthy pregnant women in 1987 and 277 healthy pregnant women in 1997 in Miyagi, and from 48 women infected with B19 during pregnancy. The sera were examined for B19 IgG and IgM antibodies by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and for B19 DNA by polymerase chain reaction.

Immunoreactive corticotropin-releasing hormone in amniotic fluid.

Immunoreactive corticotropin-releasing hormone in the amniotic fluid of both human beings and rats was measured by a specific radioimmunoassay. In human subjects the hormone was detectable in all amniotic fluid samples (obtained during the sixteenth and eighteenth weeks of gestation) (2.5 +/- 1.

Placental corticotropin-releasing hormone may be a stimulator of maternal pituitary adrenocorticotropic hormone secretion in humans.

To clarify the physiological role of placental corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), we measured plasma CRH, ACTH, and cortisol throughout pregnancy. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) CRH levels and ACTH responsiveness to synthetic CRH were also quantified in pregnant and nonpregnant women. Maternal plasma CRH levels, which increased progressively during pregnancy, correlated well with both ACTH and cortisol in early labor, delivery, and postpartum samples, and also with cortisol levels in samples before labor.

[Screening for chromosomal anomalies with maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein].

Between July 1, 1986 and January 31, 1988, genetic amniocentesis was performed on 205 patients. The maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) and amniotic fluid AFP levels were measured by enzyme immunoassay. Gestational dates were confirmed by sonography, and AFP results were expressed as multiples of the median (MOM).

Isolation and characterization of a corticotropin-releasing hormone-like peptide from human placenta.

Immunoreactive CRH was detected in extracts of human term placentae [5.2 +/- 0.8 (+/- SE) pmol/g wet wt; n = 9].

Peptide histidine methionine may be a prolactin-releasing hormone in humans.

Peptide histidine isoleucine (PHI) was initially isolated from the porcine gastrointestinal tract and may be present in the brain. It has been suggested that PHI may be PRL-releasing hormone (PRH) because of its potent PRL-releasing activity and its existence in hypophysial portal plasma in rats. Vasoactive intestinal peptide and PHI are coded by the same gene, and human PHI has a C-terminal methionine instead of isoleucine [peptide histidine methionine (PHM)].

Effects of androgen on 17 beta-estradiol production by cultured human granulosa cells.

In order to determine whether androgen acts solely as a substrate for aromatization or whether it also influences on the activity of aromatase enzyme, human granulosa cells were incubated in vitro with or without androgen. Although basal production of 17 beta-estradiol (E2) in cultured granulosa cells obtained from follicles about 26 hr after the initiation of the LH surge was restricted in small quantities, a marked increase in E2 production occurred in the presence of testosterone (T) (10(-6) M) as aromatizable substrate. The non-aromatizable androgen, 5 alpha-dihydrotestosterone (DHT) (10(-7) M, 10(-6) M), slightly enhanced E2 production and it did not inhibit T aromatization in these cells.

The maternal serum cortisol levels after onset of labor.

We measured maternal cortisol levels after the onset of labor. Blood from 82 primiparas and 48 multiparas were collected 124 times and 60 times, respectively. When duration of labor was within 3 hr, there were no differences in cortisol levels between the primiparous (n = 11, 50.

Serum unconjugated estriol levels during spontaneous labor.

We measured maternal serum unconjugated estriol (SUE3) levels in 244 cases (218 cases with labor and 26 without labor) and investigated the relationships among several obstetrical factors and SUE3 levels. There was no significant difference in the SUE3 level between the group with labor and the group without labor. However, the SUE3 level decreased gradually with prolonged duration of labor in multipara.

Immunoreactive corticotropin-releasing hormone in human plasma during pregnancy, labor, and delivery.

We previously reported that immunoreactive corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) is present in human placenta and third trimester maternal plasma, and that such material is very similar to rat CRH and the predicted structure of human CRH. We suggested that maternal plasma immunoreactive CRH may be of placental origin. To further investigate this possibility, we measured plasma immunoreactive CRH in women during pregnancy, labor, and delivery and 1 and 2 h postpartum, and in nonpregnant women.

Human beta-endorphin and beta-lipotropin levels in maternal and fetal plasma and amniotic fluid.

We measured beta-endorphin (beta-EP) and beta-lipotropin (beta-LPH) levels in human maternal and fetal plasma and amniotic fluid, simultaneously. It appeared evident that maternal circulating levels of beta-EP (n = 11, 163.9 +/- 12.

Serum cortisol levels in pregnancy induced hypertension patients.

We measured the serum cortisol levels in 15 normal and 8 pregnancy induced hypertension (PIH) primigravidas. The normal pregnancy had a significant (p less than 0.05) higher cortisol level than that of PIH patient.

[TBG, TSH and thyroid hormones in fetus].

In this study, we measured cord serum thyroxine (T4), triiodothyronine (T3), reverse T3 (rT3), thyroxine binding globulin (TBG) and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) in 37 fetuses (29-42 gestational weeks). The mean cord serum TBG was 18.2 +/- 3.

[Studies on the alteration of the unconjugated estriol level of the maternal vein after the onset of labor].

We measured maternal venous unconjugated estriol (UE3) levels in 244 cases (218 cases with labor and 26 without labor). We investigated the relationships between several obstetrical factors and UE3 levels. There was no significant difference between the group with labor and the group without labor.

[Amniotic fluid 3,3',5'-triiodothyronine (reverse T3)].

RT3(3,3',5'-triiodothyronine) levels in amniotic fluid and T4(thyroxine), T3(triiodothyronine), rT3 and TSH(thyroid-stimulating hormone) levels in maternal and cord serum were determined simultaneously by RIA. We also determined the activities of the monodeiodination of thyroxine to rT3 in placentas. Amniotic fluid rT3 and cord serum rT3 levels decreased, but T4, T3 and TSH levels increased with advancing gestational age.

Human placental thyroxine inner ring monodeiodinase in complicated pregnancy.

Production of rT3 from T4 in the placenta were measured in four patients with induced abortion, in three patients with spontaneous abortion, in 19 patients with various complications of pregnancy including Graves' disease, and in 18 normal pregnancies. The placentas, obtained at delivery, were homogenized and centrifuged at 800 X g. Supernatants (1 mg protein) were incubated with 1 microgram of stable T4 and 50 mmol/L dithiothreitol at 37 degrees C for 60 minutes.

Serum cortisol levels in maternal venous, umbilical arterial and umbilical venous blood at delivery in the cases of fetal distress.

We measured maternal venous (MV), umbilical arterial (UA) and umbilical venous (UV) cortisol levels in 180 term pregnancies to investigate the changes of these hormone levels in the cases of fetal distress and neonatal asphyxia. The cortisol levels in UA and UV blood in the fetal distress group were significantly higher than those in the non-fetal distress group among spontaneous vaginal delivery cases. There were significant positive correlations among the cortisol levels in MV and UA, MV and UV, and UA and UV blood, respectively.

Simultaneous and serial measurement of serum levels of human placental lactogen, beta-human chorionic gonadotropin and unconjugated estriol levels in pregnant women.

Serum levels of human placental lactogen (hPL), beta-human chorionic gonadotropin (beta-hCG) and unconjugated estriol (E3) were measured simultaneously and serially in regular menstrual late pregnant women (155 samples) by radioimmunoassay. The peak of beta-hCG level was shown at 37 weeks' gestation. After that, there was a moderate decline of the beta-hCG level.

[Serum prolactin levels following abortion in normal and molar pregnancy].

The changes in serum specific hCG and prolactin levels were studied in 20 women after the evacuation of normal pregnancy at 5-10 weeks (group A) and 10 patients after the evacuation of molar pregnancy of 9-16 weeks (group B). The elimination of circulating hCG was faster in group A than in group B, and that in women after term delivery(group C)was faster than in both groups A and B. The half-life of the serum hCG level was 44.

The human fetal prolactin and estradiol levels, and their correlationship.

Serum prolactin and estradiol-17 beta levels were determined in umbilical cord sera obtained from 33 preterm, 118 full-term and 11 anencephalic infants and in peripheral sera obtained from 5 neonates. Prolactin levels increased from mid-gestation toward term, and markedly decreased after birth. Those in anencephalic infants (253 +/- 86 ng/ml, mean +/- S.

Changes in placental lactogen, beta 1-chorionic gonadotropin, and unconjugated and total estriol levels in the late course of normal human pregnancy.

The levels of human placental lactogen (hPL), beta-human chorionic gonadotropin (beta-hCG), unconjugated estriol (UE3) and total estriol (TE3) were measured radioimmunologically in women along their course of pregnancy. The serum hPL and beta-hCG levels were relatively constant in uncomplicated pregnancy, while UE3 and TE3 significantly rose towards 41 weeks of gestation. There were positive correlations between hPL and beta-hCG (n = 49, r = 0.

Serum cortisol levels of maternal vein, umbilical artery, and umbilical vein classified by mode of delivery.

We measured maternal venous (MV), umbilical arterial (UA), and umbilical venous (UV) cortisol levels of 180 pregnancies at term. The cortisol level of MV was higher than that of UA and UV in all deliveries. The cortisol levels of three samples had no difference between the induced labor group and the spontaneous onset of labor group regardless of delivery mode.