Background
Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is the basis for all pregnancy tests.1 It is mainly produced by the syncytiotrophoblast cells of the placenta during pregnancy and can also be seen in gestational trophoblastic diseases (choriocarcinoma, hydatidiform mole) and testicular germ cell malignancies.1,2,3,7 It has been shown that the hCG produced through the majority of normal pregnancy is a smaller molecule than the hCG produced in choriocarcinomas and malignancies, due to four double sized O-linked oligosaccharide side chains of the molecule.8 Lesser differences are also found on the N-linked oligosaccharides.8 This larger molecule is named choriocarcinoma hCG, or hyperglycosylated hCG (hCG-H).
hCG-H is a cytokine-like molecule3 produced by stem cytotrophoblast cells, which are invasive cells that are active during implantation of the blastocyst in pregnancy.1,2,3 A monoclonal antibody (antibody B152) has been generated that has 0% cross-reactivity with regular hCG.9 An automated chemiluminescence assay is now marketed by Nichols Institute Diagnostics using B152 and an anti-β tracer antibody.3 This allows us to determine the immunoreactivity of hCG-H in urine and serum samples. Many studies have now shown hCG-H to be the most predominant form of hCG in early pregnancy. 1,3,4,5,6
Since there is such as high proportion of hCG-H in the first weeks of pregnancy, it is being studied to determine its significance as a marker of early pregnancy. This paper will review studies determining the effectiveness of using hCG-H to monitor pregnancy outcome, as well as studies researching the sensitivities of commercial pregnancy tests to hCG-H.
Scope of literature review
Research for this literature review was done using Web of ...
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...For pregnancy detection, companies producing at home detection tests may want to incorporate detection of hCG-H for greater accuracy in their results. This would allow for optimal detection of pregnancy even before the time of missed menses. For hCG-H testing to be used to clinically determine pregnancy outcome, other laboratories would need to evaluate their own set of data to be able to properly determine if the 13ug/L cut off point found by Sutton-Riley et al. (2006) is viable. Studies would have to take many factors into account including age, race, overall health, and so on, to properly determine what normal values are. Detecting hyperglycosylated human chorionic gonadotropin is changing the way we now look at pregnancies and pregnancy loss. With further research, its full applications in pregnancy outcome and detection are becoming closer to being realized.
Women who test positive for GBS are usually given antibiotics during childbirth to eliminate bacteria in their birth canals. However, there is no ben...
The Bishop score is a pelvic scoring system developed to make it easier to determine whether a multiparous woman was a suitable candidate for induction of pregnancy. Although the information in the Bishop score was known by many obstetricians for many years, Edward H. bishop is credited because he pulled the pieces together and formed an organized system accompanied by research and statistics to back up his findings. His paper is called the “Pelvic Scoring for Elective Induction”. In this paper, Bishop describes basic minimal requirements that must be met before any patient can be considered for elective induction of labor (1964).
Thrombocytopenia affects 6% to 10% of all pregnant women and, other than anemia, is the most common hematologic disorder in pregnancy (McCrae, 2010). Blood consists of three main ingredients: red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. Each plays an essential function to provide the human body with elements and protects the body against any exterior viruses and infections. Platelets are responsible for helping blood to clot. A deficiency or disorder of platelets leads to a disease called Thrombocytopenia.
As you know autoimmune diseases are your immune auto-generate antibodies against cells of your body. In here, I don’t tell physiology of autoimmune diseases but I will tell one of most autoimmune diseases that is immune fertility disease. Researchers at the University of Virginia Health System have found a new human protein, radical radial spoke protein 44 (RSP44) in July, 2007. RSP44 is antigen can be found in all men, residing in the sperm tail at the center of a structure known as the axoneme. Antigens can only stimulate antibody production when they come in contact with components of the blood. Under normal conditions, blood and sperm do not mix. Direct contact between the two is prevented by a cellular structure in the testes called
Mayo Clinic collaborative services educational publication. (2004). Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy. New York, NY, Harper Collins Publishers Inc.
Estimate frequency of multiple conceptions, Gestational Diabetes Mellitus, Pregnancy Induced Hypertension, Pre-eclempsia, preterm delivery and different modes of delivery in these pregnancies.
The child that I tested will be referred to as K.L. I tested her on April 14th 2016. K.L. is 2 years old, with her exact age being 2 years 9 months and 14 days. I called and asked her mother if she would mind dropping K.L. off with me for a few hours so I could perform the test, and then pick her back up after the test was complete. This test more accurate when the caregiver is not present. K.L. has a step sister and a baby brother on the way. She has always been in the daycare setting, because her grandmother is a provider. K.L. was delivered full term via planned cesarean section due to her mother’s small pelvis. There was no complications during this pregnancy. K.L. weighted 8 lbs. 4 oz. and was 20 ½ inches long at birth, now weighting in at ...
Jacobson, S.J., Jones, K., Ceolin, L., Kaur, P., Sahn, D., Donnerfeld, A.E., Rieder, M., Santelli, R., Smythe, J., Patuszuk, A., Einarson, T., and Koren, G., (1992). Prospective multicenter study of pregnancy outcome after lithium exposure during the first trimester. Laricet. 339: 530-533.
Performance Characteristics of Postpartum Screening Tests for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Women with a History of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: A Systematic Review, 18(7), Retrieved from http://lib-proxy.calumet.purdue.edu:2461/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?hid=15&sid=af725124-1c4c-4d18-9e92-35d14ad23d66%40sessionmgr4&vid=15&sid=af Diabetes Information Hub -. (2011). The 'Standard' of the 'Standard'. Retrieved from http://diabetesinformationhub.com/GestationalDiabetes.php. Mayo Clinic. (2010).
Prenatal genetic testing has become one of the largest and most influencial advances in clinical genetics today. "Of the over 4000 genetic traits which have been distinguished to date, more than 300 are identifiable via prenatal genetic testing" (Morris, 1993). Every year, thousands of couples are subjecting their lives to the results of prenatal tests. For some, the information may be a sigh of relief, for others a tear of terror. The psychological effects following a prenatal test can be devastating, leaving the woman with a decision which will affect the rest of her life.
second, prenatal testing, is a testing of a fetus at risk for the disease. The
Prenatal genetic screening in particular is a polarizing topic of discussion, more specifically, preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD). PGD is one of the two techniques commonly used to genetically screen embryos in vitro; it is usually done at the eight-cell stage of division. PGD is most often performed when there is the risk that one or both parents carry disease-causing mutations. It is extensively used by high-risk individuals trying to conceive babes who will be free of particular mutations. PGD can test for over 50 genetic conditions and even allows for sex selection if there are underlying gender-associated medical conditions. When the results are satisfactory, the selected embryo is implanted into the mother’s uterus. While a controversial technique, preimplantation genetic diagnosis is one example of some of the good genetic testing can do, more benefits will be furthe...
There is also a high-resolution ultrasound scanning that can detect chromosomal and physical abnormalities in the first trimester as opposed to the second trimester. A technology such as this can create many ethical problems. Mcfadyen describes the biggest problem as being informed consent. “They may believe that it will provide information only about gestational age and be unaware of the range of abnormalities that can be detected. Recent research suggests that many women are not told beforehand of the first scan’s potential to detect fetal anomalies.”
Additionally, the reason miscarriages are under recorded at times is because they occur before the woman even knows she is pregnant, so they may be confused as a late period. According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), 10-25% of all clinically recognized pregnancies will end in miscarriage. What is referred to as a “chemical pregnancy” also falls in this category, which accounts for 50-75% of all miscarriages. Moreover, chemical pregnancies are given this term because they are pregnancies that end very soon after a positive test result. Imagine taking a pregnancy test one day and having a faint positive result and testing again a few days later and getting a negative result. This is an extremely early misc...
Human Genetics Alert believes “Once we begin to consciously design ourselves, we will have entered a completely new era of human history, in which human subjects, rather than being accepted as they are will become just another kind of object, shaped according to parental whims and market forces”. HGA gives background information on the current available resources used in Genetic Engineering. Mentioned later in the article, “Most scientists say that what is preventing them from embarking on HGE is the risk that the process will itself generate new mutations, which will be passed onto future generations. Official scientific and ethical bodies tend to rely on this as the basis for forbidding attempts at HGE, rather than any principled opposition to the idea.” The idea of creating mutations in humans is one of the main reasons why human genetic engineering is such a controversial topic. The main positive effect on HGE is the elimination of a disease in a family line. Although this is true, genetic engineering is rarely the only option for curing a genetic disease. A pregnant woman that has a disorder that is most likely to be passed on has several options. The woman could adopt a child, or choose to not have children, as well as using donor eggs and sperm. HGA understands there are limited choices for helping and preventing HGE from occurring, “Not only are there no accepted criteria for deciding