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Biomedical subjects

D M Saunders

Publications and source records attributed to D M Saunders.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources
PubMed1981

Pregnancy-specific beta 1 glycoprotein and chorionic gonadotrophin levels following conception.

Levels of pregnancy-specific beta 1 glycoprotein (SP1) and beta-subunit human chorionic gonadotropin (beta-hCG) were measured in the plasma of 22 subjects in early pregnancy following spontaneous or induced ovulation. Minimum baseline levels for pregnancy detection were set at 4 microgram/liter for SP1 an 15 IU/liter for beta-hCG. Using these levels, in some cases SP1 was detectable by day 17 following ovulation and beta-hCG by day 13. All patients were diagnosed as pregnant by day 20 using SP1 and by day 18 using beta-hCG. Both placental proteins had similar doubling times in the plasma. These was no difference between pregnancies following spontaneous and induced ovulation. Until accurate normal ranges can be obtained, there will be problems of interpretation of levels near the limits of the sensitivities of the assay in clinical situations.

Chorionic Gonadotropin↗
PubMed1980

The prenatal determination of fetal sex: amniotic fluid testosterone as a preliminary screening test.

Amniotic fluid testosterone levels were measured by radioimmunoassay without chromatography on 101 specimens obtained at amniocenteses between 15 and 19 wk gestation. For the male fetus, the amniotic fluid testosterone level of 553 +/- 23 pmol/l (mean +/- SE) was significantly higher (P less than 0.0005) than the concentration found for the female fetus (206 +/- 9 pmol/l). There was an overlap of the ranges 74-1120 pmol/l for the male and 122-399 pmol/l for the female fetuses. Amniotic fluid testosterone levels above 400 pmol/l were observed in 84% of the male and in none of the female fetuses. The method allowed determination of testosterone levels within 8 h. It is concluded that amniotic fluid testosterone measured by radioimmunoassay without chromatography is a rapid and effective preliminary screening test for the prenatal diagnosis of fetal sex.

Amniocentesis↗
PubMed1980

Assessment of ovulation by ultrasound and estradiol levels during spontaneous and induced cycles.

Both Graafian follicle growth and subsequent ovulation were studied in 45 menstrual cycles of 28 patients by the estimation of plasma estradiol levels and by the measurement of follicle size and number by ultrasound. Twenty spontaneous ovulatory cycles were studied as controls compared with twenty cycles in which ovulation was induced by clomiphene and five cycles in which ovulation was induced by human pituitary gonadotropin. The means of the peak estradiol levels during the cycles in which one follicle was present were 1553.1 +/- 87.8 pmoles/liter in the spontaneous cycles and 2296.8 +/- 163.4 pmoles/liter in the clomiphene-treated cycles. Ultrasound was shown to be complementary to endocrine profiles because the number and diameter of Graafian follicles could be measured accurately by this technique.

Clomiphene↗
PubMed1980

Twin pregnancy suspected before implantation.

A case is reported in which the diagnosis of twin pregnancy was suspected by the appearance of 2 follicles on ultrasound examination and by high levels of plasma estradiol and progesterone.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

Randomised comparison of methyldopa and oxprenolol for treatment of hypertension in pregnancy.

Fifty-three pregnant women with moderately severe hypertension were randomly allocated to treatment with methyldopa or oxprenolol. There were no significant differences between the groups in age, height, weight, parity, or stage of gestation at the start of treatment. The outcome of pregnancy was better in the group treated with oxprenolol, with greater maternal plasma volume expansion and placental and fetal growth. No intrauterine deaths occurred in either group, and antepartum fetal distress, detected by oxytocin challenge testing, was evident in only one patient, who received methyldopa. This infant, and one other in the methyldopa group, died in the neonatal period. No neonatal deaths occurred in the oxprenolol-treated group. Even in this small number of patients these results were considerably better than those in untreated women with hypertension of similar severity. Apgar scores in both groups were equivalent at birth, while blood sugar concentrations were higher in the oxprenolol group. Oxprenolol appears to be safe and effective in controlling hypertension during pregnancy. There was no evidence of harmful effects on the fetus, and oxprenolol may offer a selective advantage over methyldopa for fetal growth and wellbeing in utero.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

Treatment of luteal phase inadequacy with bromocriptine.

A group of 15 women diagnosed as having luteal phase inadequacy (LPI) and a history of 1--2 years of infertility were treated with bromocriptine continuously for 4 months. Plasma levels of prolactin, progesterone, 17 alpha-hydroxy-progesterone and estradiol were measured by radioimmunoassay in a control month and each of the treatment months. There was no significant improvement in the levels of the steroids over the 4-month period, although the prolactin levels were depressed, and 2 subjects became pregnant during the study.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

Assessment of ovulation by ultrasound and plasma estradiol determinations.

The timing of ovulation was studied daily during the periovular period in 19 women attending an artificial insemination clinic during 24 menstrual cycles; B-mode ultrasound examination and plasma estradiol (E2) determinations were used. The maximum diameters of the ovarian follicles and the peak plasma E2 determinations all occurred within 2 days prior to and including the day of ovulation, as determined by conventional means, in the 12 normal cycles studied. The average values on the day prior to ovulation (day -1) for maximum follicle size and peak E2 determination were 2.5 cm and 1660 pmole/liter, respectively. Two definite ultrasonic patterns were noted after ovulation: The follicle either disappeared or filled with internal echoes. It is concluded from the preliminary study that ultrasound examination and plasma E2 determinations are equally effective in predicting the time of ovulation.

Estradiol↗
PubMed1978

Comparative studies on two combination oral contraceptives, one containing synthetic estrogen, the other "natural" estrogens.

Two combined oral contraceptives, one containing ethinyl estradiol and the other micronized estradiol and estriol, were compared by measuring a variety of endocrine and renal parameters over nine months. Significant changes were observed in plasma renin activity (P.R.A.) on the synthetic estrogen. Much larger changes were observed in the total urinary estrogens on patients taking the "natural" estrogens reflecting the amount of estrogens required to be excreted in the urine.

Adult↗
PubMed1978

Changes in peripheral hormone levels after therapeutic abortion.

Plasma levels of progesterone, 17 alpha-OH progesterone, hPL and beta-subunit hCG were measured in a group of women for 24 h after therapeutic abortion. Progesterone, hCG and hPL levels fell more rapidly than 17 alpha-OH progesterone levels. This might suggest that the main site of synthesis of 17 alpha-OH progesterone is probably in the corpus luteum of pregnancy or that the prolonged half-life of hCG maintains the corpus luteum to secrete longer. Human placental lactogen fell dramatically within 4 h but the hCG level was maintained. This difference probably reflects only the differences in half-lives of these hormones.

17-alpha-Hydroxyprogesterone↗
PubMed1978

Improvement in foetal growth with treatment of maternal hypertension in pregnancy.

1. A highly significant inverse relationship was found between blood pressure in untreated hypertensive subjects in late pregnancy and birth weight. 2. Reversal of this intrauterine growth retardation was achieved in 19 patients by treatment of hypertension with oxprenolol. 3. No adverse effects from oxprenolol were found in the patients or in their babies.

Birth Weight↗
PubMed1978

The effect of oestradiol valerate therapy on coagulation factors and lipid and oestrogen levels in oöphorectomised women.

The effect of oestradiol valerate on levels of blood cholesterol, triglycerides, free oestradiol and coagulation factors, as well as on urinary oestrogens and free cortisol was measured in 10 oöphorectomised women. Despite the very high urinary oestrogen levles obtained, there was no significant change found in the other parameters during and after treatment. These findings are discussed, as is the significance of the metabolism of both endogenously produced and orally administered oestrogens in the menopausal woman.

Adult↗