title: Pregnancy specific beta 1-glycoprotein and human chorionic gonadotrophin levels n amniotic fluid and maternal serum in the first half of pregnancy.
abstract: Pregnancy-specific beta 1-glycoprotein (PSBG) and chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG) were measured by radioimmunoassay in the amniotic fluid of 99 normal pregnancies, 19 pregnancies of women at risk of having another child with congenital nephrosis and 8 pregnancies in which the fetus had a neural tube defect. Maternal serum PSBG and HCG levels were estimated in 52 normal pregnancies and 15 pregnancies at risk for congenital nephrosis. Both amniotic fluid and maternal serum PSBG levels increased in either compartment after 14th week of pregnancy. There was a positive correlation between maternal serum and amniotic fluid PSBG concentrations (P less than 0.001), between maternal serum and amniotic fluid HCG concentrations (P less than 0.001), and between the amniotic fluid PSBG and HCG levels (P less than 0.05) at a given week of pregnancy (wk 15). On average the maternal serum PSBG level was 20-50 times and the HCG level 2-3 times the amniotic fluid level of normal pregnancies. In cases with a neural tube defect the amniotic fluid PSBG and HCG values were similar to those in normal pregnancy. In congenital nephrosis the amniotic fluid HCG concentration was higher than normal at 15-16 weeks of gestation (P less than 0.05), whereas the amniotic fluid PSBG concentration was normal. Thus, placental pathology in congenital nephrosis appears to be reflected as an increased amniotic fluid concentration of HCG in the second trimester.
mesh_terms: D000653:Amniotic Fluid / Q000032:analysis*; D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin / Q000032:analysis* / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009401:Nephrosis / Q000151:congenital; D009436:Neural Tube Defects / Q000175:diagnosis; D011247:Pregnancy; D011257:Pregnancy Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D011261:Pregnancy Trimester, First; D011262:Pregnancy Trimester, Second; D011268:Pregnancy-Specific beta 1-Glycoproteins / Q000032:analysis*; D011863:Radioimmunoassay / Q000379:methods; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin; D011257:Pregnancy Proteins; D011268:Pregnancy-Specific beta 1-Glycoproteins