Vasopressin: mediator of the clinical signs of fetal distress.
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Acidosis↗
Biomedical subjects
D M Jenkins
Publications and source records attributed to D M Jenkins.
Plasma copper and zinc concentrations and infertility.
Plasma copper concentration was significantly lower in 48 infertile women than in 35 control subjects and somewhat lower in women with secondary rather than primary infertility. Plasma zinc concentration was not appreciably different in infertile and fertile women. Low plasma copper concentration may influence normal human female fertility.
Adolescent↗
Degenerative changes and detection of plasminogen in fetal membranes that rupture prematurely.
Amniochorion obtained at caesarean section and vaginal delivery, at 34-36 weeks gestation and at term, have been studied by electron microscopy and immunofluorescence for evidence of amniotic epithelial degenerative changes and the presence of plasminogen. When delivery was by caesarean section between 34-36 weeks, electron microscopy revealed no degenerative changes in four cases, but in two cases they were widespread. All but one membrane obtained at term showed only minimal amniotic epithelial cell degenerative changes, but extensive change was seen when delivery was premature after premature membrane rupture. Plasminogen was seen in amniotic epithelium proportional to the degree of cell degeneration; it was absent from healthy membranes. These findings demonstrate that degenerative changes are extensively present in membranes that rupture prematurely, particularly before the onset of premature labour, and suggest a role for plasminogen in membrane rupture.
Epithelium↗
Maternal and fetal plasma zinc concentration and fetal abnormality.
Plasma zinc concentration was significantly lower in the maternal blood of 54 women giving birth to congenitally abnormal babies either within 24 h or 24 months previously when compared with control mothers. Cord blood zinc concentrations in 20 congenitally abnormal babies were also lower than in the control babies. We conclude that low plasma zinc may be an associated factor in the aetiology of fetal abnormality.
Congenital Abnormalities↗
Coordinating and planning for human sexuality education.
The coordinator provides parent education, teacher and staff inservice training, team-teaching experiences, student counseling and a broad range of support activities related to the wider community as well as to the schools involved. The need for a coordinator for programs may depend on size and/or diversity of the school population, professional readiness of teachers and types of programs to be implemented. Despite the advances made in the Pomona program, there continue to be such problems as occasional resistance from special interest groups, administrators and school staff, individual instructors' personal value conflicts, transitional nature of student population and turnover in teacher personnel. A coordinator for sexuality programs is certainly not a total remedy for such problems in all school districts; but as an essential element in the solution of those problems, he/she provides an approach which will help school districts in initiating and implementing programs with a greater degree of success.
Adolescent↗
Prediction of fetal pulmonary maturity from amniotic fluid obtained from the vagina after premature rupture of the membranes. A patient treated with dexamethasone.
The case presented illustrates the potential of assessing fetal pulmonary maturity by analysing liquor draining vaginally after premature rupture of the membranes. The necessity of carrying out appropriate biochemical tests to detect contamination with maternal urine is emphasized.
Adult↗
Effects of delivery on fetal unbound cortisol concentration.
Non-protein-bound (free) cortisol in plasma is that fraction of the total plasma cortisol concentration that is generally regarded as biologically active. The concentration of free cortisol in cord vein plasma obtained at delivery was found to be related closely to the total cortisol concentration. After vaginal delivery following spontaneous onset of labor the free cortisol concentration in cord blood was not significantly different from that measured following induced onset of labor. The free cortisol concentration in the cord blood correlated significantly with the duration of the second stage of labor. These changes in the free cortisol concentration in cord plasma, rather than constituting a primary event in the onset of labor, may reflect the stress of vaginal delivery on the fetus.
Cesarean Section↗
Plasma prolactin and puerperal blood pressure.
Plasma prolactin concentration was measured on days 1, 3, 6 and 21 of the puerperium in women who had been normotensive or hypertensive during pregnancy. Elevated plasma prolactin concentration due to breast feeding or reduced plasma prolactin concentration due to treatment with bromocriptine was found not to be related to blood pressure changes in the puerperium in women with essential hypertension, pregnancy induced hypertension or in normotensive patients.
Blood Pressure↗
Effect of intrauterine contraceptive device on uterine haemostasis: a morphological study.
The effect of the intrauterine contraceptive device (IUCD) on uterine haemostasis was studied at various stages of the menstrual cycle in a series of 46 patients by light- and electron-microscopy and by following the distribution of an infusion of 51Cr-labelled autologous platelets. The endometrium in contact with the IUCD in the majority of cases showed grooving with atrophy and mild chronic inflammation in the surrounding tissues. The adjacent stroma also showed increased vascularity and occasional foci of haemorrhage but the increased blood loss associated with the presence of the IUCD could not be attributed to mechanical erosion or stromal blood vessels by the device. During menstruation the presence of an IUCD does not appear to inhibit the formation of fibrin/platelet thrombi although both in control and IUCD patients there was a striking paucity of platelet/fibrin thrombi in circumstances where their formation should be enhanced. In contrast to other workers we have not observed that gaps or breaks in the endothelial lining of endometrial blood vessels occur with any greater frequency in patients fitted with an IUCD. The principal mechanism by which uterine haemostasis is achieved remains to be established.
Adult↗
Heparin-like activity in uterine fluid.
Uterine fluid was collected from a group of normal patients and a group of patients with menorrhagia. Heparin-like activity was detected in 34 out of 38 samples using an anti-Xa heparin assay. The heparin-like activity in uterine fluid was inhibited by adding the heparin antagonist hexadimethrine bromide to the assay. Concentrations of fibrinogen-fibrin degradation products (FDPs) were measured in five samples of uterine fluid. FDPs in the concentration detected had no effect on the anti-Xa assay. Heparin-like activity was higher in the group with menorrhagia, although the differences were not significant. Heparin-like activity increased throughout the menstrual cycle and decreased during menstruation, suggesting a possible cyclical variation in activity. There was no correlation between mast cell numbers in the endometrium and myometrium and heparin-like activity in uterine fluid and no correlation between the numbers and the stage in the menstrual cycle. In a few patients with intrauterine contraceptive devices (IUCDs) heparin-like activity was increased.
Body Fluids↗
Immunology of pre-eclampsia.
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B-Lymphocytes↗
Immunology of pre-eclampsia.
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Birth Order↗
Human leucocyte antigens and mixed lymphocyte reaction in severe pre-eclampsia.
Human leucocyte antigens (HLA) and mixed lymphocyte reactions (MLR) were studied in 38 women with severe pre-eclampsia and their husbands. Thirty-nine women with normal pregnancies and their husbands served as controls. Thirty-three of the control women were matched for age and parity with members of the study group. Infants were studied when possible. HLA compatibility was increased in the pre-eclamptic group compared with matched controls and with theoretical estimates for possible matings. The one-way MLR at delivery showed diminished response of maternal to paternal and cord cells in pre-eclamptic women. This reduced maternal reactivity in women with pre-eclampsia may have a role in the illness, and paternal/maternal histocompatibility may be a feature of the severe form.
Female↗
Low thymic weight in small-for-dates babies.
The thymic weights of 20 growth-retarded babies dying at or about birth were found to be less than normal for their birth weights. It is suggested that small-for-dates babies that survive may be immunodeficient as are children who suffer from extrauterine malnutrition.
Birth Weight↗
Plasma prolactin in pregnancy induced hypertension.
In a prospective study, plasma prolactin concentration at 37 to 41 weeks gestation in 45 primigravidae showed a significant correlation with maximal rise in diastolic blood pressure between levels at 7 to 16 weeks and those measured between 28 weeks and delivery.
Female↗
T- and B-lymphocyte subpopulations following radiotherapy for invasive squamous cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix.
Lymphocyte subpopulations in patients with cervical carcinoma were studied before and after radiotherapy. T lymphocytes were recognized by their ability to form spontaneous rosettes with sheep erythrocytes (E rosettes). Two surface marker characteristics were used to detect B lymphocytes: receptors for activated complement responsible for erythrocyte--antibody--complement (EAC) rosette formation, and surface membrane immunoglobulin (SmIg), readily stainable by immunofluorescence. We have demonstrated a significant depression of total lymphocytes after radiotherapy which persists for more than 5 years. This reduction in lymphocytes is due to a loss of E rosette-forming T cells, SmIg-bearing B cells and null cells. Absolute numbers of EAC rosette-forming B cells are not altered by treatment, and there is a rise in this cell type when the results are expressed as percentages of the total lymphocyte count. The possible functional immunological significance of these changes is discussed.
Adult↗