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Biomedical subjects

T Chard

Publications and source records attributed to T Chard.

At least 253 records · Page 14Linked to original sources
PubMed1985

Single measurements of chorionic gonadotropin and schwangerschafts protein for assessing gestational age and predicting the day of delivery.

Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) and schwangerschafts protein 1 (SP1) were measured in blood samples from 26 women at 36-60 days of normal pregnancy. There was a highly significant linear correlation between the levels of these placental proteins and the stage of gestation as judged from the day of the last menstrual period and the day of spontaneous delivery at term. There was no relationship between hCG and SP1 levels in early pregnancy and the sex or birth weight of the child. These findings confirm the previous demonstration of the practical value of biochemical estimations in dating an early pregnancy. In addition, and for the first time, they demonstrate that such determinations may be used to ascertain the expected date of term delivery.

Chorionic Gonadotropin↗
PubMed1985

Placental function studies in low birth weight infants with and without dysmaturity.

Maternal blood levels of human placental lactogen and schwangerschaftsprotein 1 were measured in 51 women who delivered a growth-retarded infant. The levels were substantially lower in the 27 women whose infants were clinically dysmature than in the 24 women whose infants were small but of normal appearance. About one-half (44%) the cases of true dysmaturity had abnormal concentrations of human placental lactogen (less than 4 mg/L), whereas none of the small but normal group had values in this zone. It is concluded that biochemical tests of this type reflect dynamic aspects of placental function and not simply the overall size of the fetus and placenta.

Female↗
PubMed1985

The perinatal database: content and collection.

Recent advances in computer technology provide improved means for the collection of information for the perinatal database. They depend principally upon online entry via a computer terminal which allows immediate checking of the data input. The availability of such effective procedures for information gathering demands a careful review of the purposes, content, and structure of a computerized perinatal questionnaire.

Computers↗
PubMed1984

Interpretation of single progesterone measurement in diagnosis of anovulation and defective luteal phase: observations on analysis of the normal range.

Single serum progesterone determinations were made in 79 apparently normal women with a regular menstrual cycle. A normal range (40 subjects) was derived from the concentrations in the follicular phase and used to define an "anovular" range for luteal phase values (nine out of 39 subjects). The remaining luteal phase values were used to construct an "ovular" range for the luteal phase and, within this range, to define a group of values (less than the 20th centile) which could be described as a "defective luteal phase." The cut off limits between ovular and anovular and between normal and defective luteal phases were respectively two and four times the follicular phase median. It is proposed that the numerical findings of this study may be used as a rule of thumb for defining normality and abnormality from a single serum progesterone determination.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

Strengths and weaknesses of direct patient interviewing by a microcomputer system in specialist gynaecological practice.

An inexpensive microcomputer system has been used to obtain histories in the gynaecological clinic. Initially, this system was applied to infertility/endocrine patients, but the programs were subsequently expanded to deal with a wide range of presenting symptoms. Questions are displayed on a visual display unit and the patient enters her answers on a simplified keypad. A formatted summary is provided by an interfaced printer. Cross-over comparison with manual histories showed that the computer produces an accurate and exhaustive record containing many additional items. This improvement was most marked for the infertility/endocrine system, where the computer provided 2.9-times as much information as a clinician. In the case of the general gynaecological history the computer obtained 1.6-times as much information. Both systems showed a high degree of consumer acceptance. This was more marked in the case of the specialist application: 77.5% of infertility/endocrine patients felt that the questionnaire had adequately covered their problem, compared to 44.5% of general gynaecological patients. Over-reporting of apparently trivial symptoms was more marked in the general system. Thus, we conclude that direct patient-interviewing systems can be recommended for relatively complex specialist applications, such as infertility/endocrinology. They may be less suitable for general applications such as gynaecology as a whole.

Computers↗
PubMed1984

Prognostic value of biochemical tests in the assessment of fetal outcome in threatened abortion.

Maternal concentrations of serum progesterone, oestradiol, chorionic gonadotrophin, Schwangerschaftsprotein 1 and placental protein 5 were measured in 67 patients with threatened abortion. The levels of all biochemical variables were significantly reduced in those patients who had an unfavourable outcome. The clinical efficiency of each of these tests was very similar.

Abortion, Threatened↗
PubMed1984

Human placental lactogen in pre-eclampsia.

Serum placental lactogen (hPL) was measured in serial blood samples obtained from 663 pregnant women at weekly intervals from 36 to 40 weeks. The group included 231 women with pre-eclampsia. Levels of hPL were significantly elevated in primigravidae with this condition but not in multigravidae. In all groups hPL levels were significantly reduced in association with growth retardation, but the clinical value of this observation appeared to be greater in multigravidae than in primigravidae. It is suggested that in primigravidae with pre-eclampsia maternal hPL levels reflect both the pathology of the disease as well as the condition of the fetus.

Birth Weight↗
PubMed1984

Long-term phenothiazine treatment does not cause pituitary tumours.

In order to explore the possibility that prolactinomas may be caused by prolonged under-inhibition of prolactin-secreting cells we examined the pituitary fossa in 69 patients on long-term phenothiazine treatment. The average duration of treatment was 12.5 years and 55 (80 per cent) of the patients had persistently raised serum prolactin levels. The incidence of radiologically detectable pituitary fossa abnormalities was not significantly different to that in control populations. In 62 per cent of patients the skull x-rays from an earlier admission were available. Comparison of these with earlier films did not show a higher incidence of pituitary fossa abnormalities after prolonged exposure to phenothiazines.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Circulating placental proteins in pregnancies complicated by RH isoimmunization.

Nine pregnant women with Rh isoimmunization who delivered newborns with hydrops fetalis were studied. The placental proteins, pregnancy specific beta 1-glycoprotein (SP1), human placental lactogen, and placental protein 5 (PP5) were measured in maternal serum by radioimmunoassays. The results indicate that both the serum human placental lactogen and PP5 levels were significantly higher than those observed in normal pregnancy. The strikingly higher circulating PP5 levels found in all nine patients with Rh isoimmunization studied suggests that serum PP5 may be specifically elevated in pregnant patients with Rh isoimmunization and hydrops fetalis.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

The use of a small computer to provide action suggestions in the booking clinic.

The principal function of antenatal care is the identification of clinical features which require further action. Nevertheless, human vigilance is imperfect and medical staff fail to recognise 20% of risk factors. We describe here the use of microcomputers to supply action suggestions (clinical reminders) on the basis of the antenatal booking interview. Interactive programs obtain the history and provide a neatly formated hard-copy containing the action suggestions. A total of 82 suggestions are included in the programs and the average history generates 1.5 of these. These reminders are a form of quality control and they will become even more important as technological advances expand the range of possible investigations. This method is presented as an alternative to risk scoring. The suggestions are intended as reminders of items that may have passed unnoticed; they are not intended to limit or constrain individual judgement. Furthermore, they can easily be altered to suit the resources and preferences of individual hospitals. As a result of the low cost of newer microcomputers, this form of electronic reminder has now become a viable proposition on a large scale.

Computers↗
PubMed1983

Spurt release of oxytocin during surgical induction of labor in women.

Oxytocin levels were measured in closely spaced samples of maternal blood from 10 women who underwent amniotomy for induction of labor. The procedure was associated with a spurt release of oxytocin, the highest frequency being found during sweeping and rupture of the membranes. It was concluded that the main stimulus to this release was vaginal distention (Ferguson's reflex) and that the same mechanism probably accounts for the increase in maternal oxytocin during the expulsive phase of labor.

Adolescent↗