Endothelin-1,2 levels in umbilical vein serum of intra-uterine growth retarded fetuses as detected by cordocentesis.

Introduction: The objective of this study was to determine whether the circulatory levels of endothelins, potent vasoconstrictor polypeptides produced mainly by endothelial cells, are increased in growth-retarded fetuses.

Study Design: Fetal venous serum samples, withdrawn by ultrasound-guided cordocentesis from 11 growth-retarded fetuses and 10 normally-growing fetuses who underwent the procedure because of other unrelated indications, were examined for immunoreactive endothelin-1,2 by radioimmunoassay.

Results: Higher mean endothelin-1,2 levels were found in the sera of growth-retarded fetuses than in controls (16.

Exogenous estrogen therapy concurrent with clomiphene citrate--lack of effect on serum sex hormone levels and endometrial thickness.

The antiestrogenic action of clomiphene citrate (CC) is claimed to have an adverse effect on the development of the secretory endometrium. This effect can be assessed: (1) sonographically by measuring endometrial thickness, and (2) by serum hormone levels. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether administering ethinyl estradiol (EE) during CC treatment has any effect on endometrial thickness and/or hormone levels.

Is early discharge following isolated splenic injury in the hemodynamically stable child possible?

Nonoperative treatment of splenic injury is well accepted. Two questions have not been answered. (1) What is the intensity of monitoring required in the hemodynamically stable patient? (2) How long do patients need to be hospitalized? Ninety-one patients having computed tomography (CT) or surgically proven splenic injury were treated between September 1986 and September 1991.

A comparison of the nonstress test, oxytocin challenge test, Doppler velocimetry and biophysical profile in predicting umbilical vein pH in growth-retarded fetuses.

Objective: To examine and compare the value of the nonstress test (NST), oxytocin challenge test (OCT), Doppler velocimetry (S/D ratio), and biophysical profile (BPP) in predicting fetal acidosis.

Method: NST, OCT, S/D ratio and BPP were performed in 23 pregnancies with growth-retarded fetuses. The value of each parameter in predicting fetal acidosis (umbilical vein pH obtained by cordocentesis) was examined.

Evaluation of a labor and delivery videodisc simulation.

The purpose of this project was to determine the impact of an interactive videodisc (IVD) simulation in labor and delivery on the learning and clinical confidence of junior-level nursing students. Two clinical groups of students were created from the total 39 and both groups were pretested on knowledge and clinical confidence. Group 1 (n = 18) completed the IVD program before the first clinical experience in the labor and delivery setting.

Reduction of acute-phase proteins with tenidap sodium, a cytokine-modulating anti-rheumatic drug.

Four independent studies have investigated and compared the effects of tenidap sodium, naproxen and placebo on CRP in patients with active RA. One of these studies also investigated the effects of tenidap and naproxen on serum amyloid A (SAA) concentrations and ESR. The duration of the four studies ranged between 2 weeks and 24 weeks, and depending on the study, tenidap sodium was administered orally in doses of 40-120 mg/day and naproxen in doses of 1000 mg/day.

[Congenital hypothyroidism in the Jezreel Valley].

39 patients in the Jezreel Valley area with congenital hypothyroidism were studied during the years 1978-1991. The incidence of the disease was 1:3.085 births.

Vaginal bleeding: presenting symptom of acquired primary hypothyroidism in a seven year-old girl.

A seven year-old girl who presented with vaginal bleeding and a right ovarian cyst was diagnosed as having acquired primary hypothyroidism. She had menstruation in spite of a delayed bone age, absence of pubertal growth spurt and lack of adrenarche. Elevated levels (age-matched) of gonadotropins, normal levels of estradiol, and hyperprolactinemia were documented.

Autoantibodies in patients with primary pulmonary hypertension: association with anti-Ku.

Purpose: Patients with primary pulmonary hypertension (PPH) frequently have Raynaud's phenomenon, serum antinuclear antibodies (ANAs), and/or pulmonary vascular lesions similar to those seen in certain connective tissue diseases, especially scleroderma. A number of relatively disease-specific autoantibodies have been described in connective tissue diseases but have not been studied in patients with PPH. Therefore, sera from PPH patients were studied for a variety of autoantibodies, seeking a possible link between this pulmonary disorder and connective tissue diseases.

Ultrasonic diagnosis of mediastinal cystic hygroma.

The incidence of cystic hygroma, which represents dilated obstructed jugular lymph sacs, is 1 in 6000 pregnancies. Cystic hygromas can be located in the nuchal area or in any other location. The prenatal ultrasonic diagnosis of a cystic hygroma in the mediastinum is presented.

Hippocampal neuropeptide Y mRNA is reduced in a strain of learned helpless resistant rats.

The learned helpless rat is considered to be one of the better animal models of depression. A genetically inbred strain with a high vulnerability to develop helplessness (LH), as well as a highly resistant strain (NLH) have both been developed. Since the brain peptide neuropeptide Y (NPY) is involved in the regulation of a number of behaviors known to be altered in clinical depression as well as in learned helplessness, we measured the relative level of NPY mRNA in the hippocampus and cortex of control Sprague Dawley (SD), LH and NLH rats.

High levels of maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein and human chorionic gonadotrophins leading to the diagnosis of combined neural tube defect and partial mole.

A case of combined partial mole and neural tube defect is presented. The detection of high levels of both maternal serum (MS) alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) and human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) during the second trimester led to the ultrasonic demonstration of anencephaly, omphalocele, and partial mole. This is the first report of combined elevation of MSAFP and MShCG.

Pharmacokinetics of methotrexate after local tubal injection for conservative treatment of ectopic pregnancy.

Methotrexate peak level after intratubal injection was found to be significantly lower than the accepted toxic level. After IM injection, MTX peak level and the AUC were found to be similar to the levels observed after intratubal injection. The advantage of tubal injection over IM injection is challenged.

First-trimester ultrasonic diagnosis of twin reversed arterial perfusion sequence.

Twin reversed arterial perfusion (TRAP) syndrome sequence is a rare specific anomaly of twin gestation with fused placentae and umbilical anastomosis. This syndrome occurs once in very 35,000-48,000 births and has been described in the second trimester (23-29 weeks of gestation). We report on early sonographic diagnosis (10 and 12 weeks' gestation) of two cases of TRAP sequence, together with their umbilical cord Doppler studies.

Acute lithium treatment enhances neuropeptide Y gene expression in rat hippocampus.

It has been suggested that the therapeutic action of lithium in affective disorders may be due to its inhibition of signal transduction and second messenger synthesis, in particular of the phosphoinositide (PI) pathway. Yet, previous work in neuronal cell lines indicates that lithium has an enhancing effect on gene expression mediated by protein kinase C, which is activated by the PI pathway. In this report, we have analyzed the effect of lithium on two neuropeptide encoding genes that are regulated by second messenger systems; neuropeptide Y (NPY) and proenkephalin (Enk).

Giardia lamblia: phospholipid analysis of human isolates.

Thin layer chromatograms for phospholipids obtained from 11 human Giardia lamblia isolates and their culture media have shown that phosphatidylcholine and sphingomyelin are the predominant phospholipid classes in all samples. A decrease in the relative percentage of the different classes, especially of phosphatidylcholine, was noticed in the medium after Giardia growth. Fatty acid analysis of the parasite phosphatidylcholine demonstrated that while oleate and palmitate were the major fatty acids in most isolates, arachidonate predominated in two of those studied.

Effect of corn and coconut oil-containing diets with and without cholesterol on high density lipoprotein apoprotein A-I metabolism and hepatic apoprotein A-I mRNA levels in cebus monkeys.

The mechanism(s) by which diets containing corn or coconut oil (31% of energy as fat) totally free of cholesterol or with 0.1% added cholesterol by weight (0.3 mg/kcal) affect plasma high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), apoprotein (apo) A-I levels, apo A-I kinetics, and hepatic apo A-I mRNA concentrations were investigated in 26 cebus monkeys.

Pseudomonoamniotic twins with cord entanglement following genetic funipuncture.

Amniocentesis was performed twice on a twin gestation, and twice there was cell growth failure in one of the twins. Therefore, funipuncture was attempted at 24 weeks. The anatomical relationship and position of the fetuses, placental cord insertion, and membranous septum dictated needle entry into the cord of the lower left fetus through the sac of the upper right fetus and the septum.

Lithium augments pilocarpine-induced fos gene expression in rat brain.

Lithium salts are considered the most effective agents used in treating manic-depression. Previous studies in PC12 pheochromocytoma cells indicate that lithium has a dramatic augmenting effect on expression of the fos proto-oncogene, a component of the AP-1 transcription factor. Although fos expression is activated by agonists that function through different signal transduction pathways, the lithium augmenting effect appears to be specific for receptor and post-receptor stimulators of protein kinase C (PKC).

[Ultrasonic estimation of fetal weight].

To generate formulas to estimate fetal weight on the basis of sonographic measurements, 226 pregnant women were scanned within 3 days of delivery. Measurements included: biparietal diameter, head circumference and area, abdominal circumference and area, and femoral length. The contribution of each parameter to the estimation of fetal weight was tested by stepwise regression analysis.

Ectopic pregnancy: sonographically-guided transvaginal reduction.

The advanced modalities of vaginal ultrasonography and sensitive human chorionic gonadotropin assays have greatly facilitated the diagnosis of early ectopic pregnancy. The treatment spectrum for ectopic pregnancy ranges from a variety of conservative operative measures, including salpingectomy and operative laparoscopy, to various medical regimens or simply watchful observation alone. We report 12 cases in which the ectopic gestation was treated by transvaginal instillation of potassium chloride or methotrexate under sonographic guidance.