In a retrospective study of 163 women with endometriosis, 76% had a history of menorrhagia, a larger percentage than that which might be normally expected. Only 10% of the women complained of infertility, while 13% had used oral contraceptives regularly, a much smaller proportion than expected. These findings are discussed in terms of the pathogenesis of endometriosis and the possible prophylactic role of oral contraceptives. The authors suggest the possibility that increased sensitivity to estrogens may lead to the development of endometriosis in some women.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Placental localization by liquid crystal thermography.

The accuracy of determining placentation by using plates of cholesteric thermocrystals has been studied, with the actual placental site being defined as that shown by ultrasound B scanning. In our study, 43 patients were examined, including eight with placenta previa. Although all eight cases of placenta previa were identified, there were three false-positive test results. It is believed that suitable modification of the composition of the liquid crystal mixture will improve the accuracy of this simple technique, which would be valuable in areas where sophisticated equipment is not yet available.

Female↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Transcervical chorionic villus biopsy with a brush.

A brush delivered to the biopsy site by a metal introducer and cannula set was tested as an alternative implement for transcervical collection of chorionic villi. This implement was easy to use and readily identified by ultrasound. With only one attempt at sampling, the overall collection rate for 83 patients was 65 per cent. With practice 84 per cent successful collection was achieved. Gestations between 8 and 11 weeks was the best time for collection of chorionic villi. A single sampling can produce adequate material (15 mg wet weight) suitable for diagnostic purposes. No gestation sac was perforated but some slight bleeding followed the procedure. Appreciable success following a single sampling attempt coupled with the low complication rate suggests that this technique may have clinical application and deserves further investigation.

Biopsy↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Removal of anticomplementary activity from human immune serum globulins by treatment with purified human plasmin.

Human immune serum globulin preparations were treated with highly purified human plasmin to remove their anticomplementary activity. The extent of anticomplementary activity removed and the amount of fragmentation obtained from immune serum globulin preparation depended upon the amount of plasmin added and the length of incubation time. The enzymatic reaction was stopped by removing plasmin with bentonite adsorption. Two types of plasmin-treated immune serum globulin that may be used for intravenous injection were obtained. One was a more fragmented product (35 to 45%) with lower anticomplementary activity, the other was a less degraded product (15 to 20%) with slightly higher anticomplementary activity. Antibody content of the former preparation was somewhat reduced while that of the latter preparation was virtually unchanged from the untreated immune serum globulin.

Complement System Proteins↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Renin mRNA concentration in rat hypothalamus is decreased by enalapril.

1. Renin mRNA is expressed in several extrarenal tissues, including brain. The aim of the present study was to quantify renin mRNA in the hypothalamus in response to a low NaCl diet and angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor treatment, both of which are well-known stimuli of renin mRNA in kidney. 2. Groups of six Sprague-Dawley rats were given either a normal diet, low NaCl chow (0.04% NaCl), enalapril (0.25 mg/mL in drinking water), or low NaCl + enalapril, for 7 days. Renin mRNA in the hypothalamus was quantified by a competitive reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) technique. 3. Renin mRNA concentration in the hypothalamus of rats receiving a normal diet was 52 +/- 3 S.E. fg/microgram total RNA. Low NaCl had no effect (57 +/- 7), whereas values were significantly lower in rats treated with enalapril, either given alone (38 +/- 2; P = 0.002) or combined with a low NaCl diet (33 +/- 4; P = 0.003). 4. In conclusion, we have quantified renin mRNA in the rat hypothalamus and shown that it can be suppressed significantly by enalapril. This response is opposite to that seen in the kidney after enalapril.

Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors↗