Urinary digoxin-like immunoreactive substance in pregnancy. Relation to urinary electrolytes.

High concentrations of digoxin-like immunoreactive substance (DLIS) have been identified in amniotic fluid and in blood during pregnancy. In this study, urine from healthy women was analyzed for DLIS during pregnancy and following delivery, and levels were related to various clinical and urinary findings. Urinary DLIS increased progressively during pregnancy, having a linear relation to gestational week (DLIS = 0.

Antenatal diagnosis of sickle cell disease: amniotic fluid cell DNA analysis.

Using recombinant DNA methods and amniocentesis, the antenatal diagnosis of sickle cell disorders can be accomplished. This article presents the authors' experiences with 21 pregnancies at risk using HpaI and Hind III restriction enzyme digestions of adult leukocytic and fetal amniotic fluid cell DNA. The authors were able to establish direct beta A- and beta S-globin gene linkages to the restricted fragments in 9 families.

Prolongation of rat gestation time by unsaturated fatty acids.

Arachidonic, linoleic, linolenic, and oleic acids, administered to Sprague-Dawley rats on Days 20 and 21 of gestation prolonged the gestation time; neither the duration parturition, parturitional bleeding, nor the perinatal mortality rate was affected. Since arachidonic acid is the obligatory precursor of prostaglandins E2 and F2 alpha, currently believed to be associated with the initiation of labor, and polyunsaturated fatty acids inhibit the cell-mediated immune response in vivo, the precise role of prostaglandins and their precursors in the initiation of parturition must be critically examined.

Effect of aspirin on bleeding time during elective abortion.

The template bleeding time, indicative of a predictable measure of potential blood loss due to altered platelet function, is unaffected by pregnancy or by the first stage of labor. Two tablets of aspirin (650 mg), but not sodium salicylate or acetaminophen, significantly prolongs the template bleeding time for at least 26 hours after consumption in patients undergoing first or second trimester induced abortion. Patients anticipating induced pregnancy interruption should refrain from any aspirin consumption for at least 26 hours prior to abortion.

Pregnancy associated with renal glucosuria.

On reviewing 17,647 pregnancies over a 6-year period, 291 of 17,229 singleton pregnancies were noted to be associated with renal glucosuria. On analyzing these 291 pregnancies in 277 women, renal glucosuria was more frequently observed in those women with blood group types A and B and less in those with blood group type O. The incidence of renal glucosuria in nulliparous women, 2.