Comparisons of the concentrations of palmitate and cortisol in amniotic fluid for the prediction of pulmonary maturity.
The concentrations of palmitic acid, derived from lecithin, and of cortisol in samples of amniotic fluid collected during the last trimester of human pregnancy, ranged from 28 to 420 mumol/l and from 16 to 104 nmol/l, respectively. There was a weak (r = 0.43) but significant (p less than 0.01) correlation between the concentrations of cortisol and palmitate in the samples. Measurement of the cortisol concentration in amniotic fluid provided an unreliable index of pulmonary immaturity, whether this was assessed with reference to the concentration of palmitate or from subsequent development of the respiratory distress syndrome. Measurement of cortisol in amniotic fluid cannot be recommended for this purpose.
D000653:Amniotic Fluid / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000378:metabolism*; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D010168:Palmitates / Q000378:metabolism*; D010169:Palmitic Acids / Q000378:metabolism*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011263:Pregnancy Trimester, Third; D011296:Prenatal Diagnosis; D012127:Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Newborn / Q000175:diagnosis
D005938:Glucocorticoids; D010168:Palmitates; D010169:Palmitic Acids; D006854:Hydrocortisone