ABSTRACT
The introduction of highly sensitive methods, such as transvaginal sonography and measurement of serum b-human chorionic gonadotropin, has dramatically improved ectopic pregnancy diagnosis in recent years. Early diagnosis is the key to successful and conservative management of women with ectopic pregnancy; however, approximately 50 percent of such women are initially misdiagnosed, resulting in significant morbidity and mortality. In order to improve diagnosis, several serum markers are being investigated including progesterone, CA 125, pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A, vascular endothelial growth factor, and maternal creatine kinase. Measurement of serum vascular endothelial growth factor, alone or together with other markers, could be a promising method for earlier and more accurate differential diagnosis. However, the clinical applicability of these findings remains to be evaluated in larger prospective studies.
Subject(s)
Female , Humans , Pregnancy , /blood , Creatine Kinase/blood , Pregnancy, Ectopic/diagnosis , Pregnancy, Tubal/diagnosis , Pregnancy-Associated Plasma Protein-A/analysis , Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A/blood , Biomarkers/blood , Gestational Age , Pregnancy Trimester, First/blood , Pregnancy, Ectopic/blood , Pregnancy, Tubal/blood , Progesterone/blood , Progestins/bloodABSTRACT
This paper describes experiments designed to test the effect of depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) on calcium metabolism of adult ovariectomized rats. The 24 animals were randomly assigned to control or treated groups. Treated rats received 15 mg of DMPA i.m. per week, during four or twelve weeks. Controls received solvent alone. The variables characterizing the metabolism of Ca (daily rates of intestinal absorption and excretion, bone accretion and resorption and the sizes of the exchangeable pools and their rate constants) were measured with the aid of 45Ca according to Aubert and Milhaud. No effects were observed at four weeks of treatment. After twelve weeks, treatment produced serum levels of 46.5 ñ 5.6 nmoles of medroxyprogesterone/L, reduction of bone turnover (Ca accretion and resorption rates) and of the size of the slow exchanging Ca compartment. The increase in true Ca intestinal absorption was compensated by the increased endogenous fecal Ca excretion. The mass of body Ca was not affected by treatment.