Kisspeptin: new biomarker of pregnancy

Background: The recently identified hormone kisspeptin has been suggested to play an important regulatory role in placentation. The aim and objective of the study is the measurement of serum kisspeptin level in asymptomatic pregnant women and to find out the association of serum kisspeptin with gestational age in women with early pregnancy.Methods: This was a longitudinal study to the evaluation of 178 asymptomatic pregnant women with a gestation of 6 to 16 weeks attending routine antenatal booking visit recruited as study participants from the Antenatal Clinical of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Department, S.M.S. Medical College and Attached Hospitals, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India.Results: After initial clinical examination of every participant, a single blood sample was taken for the measurement of serum kisspeptin. Serum kisspeptin measurement test was performed by ELISA method and results were expressed as ng/ml. Pregnancy outcome was recorded prospectively. Mean serum kisspeptin level of study participants was 2.80±1.87ng/ml and median were 2.41 (Range 0.244-14.06ng/ml). Our result showed the relationship of serum kisspeptin with gestational age (GA) (p<0.000).Conclusions: serum kisspeptin level increases in pregnancy and showed positive relationship with gestational age significantly (p<0.000).

A study of pericardial fluid enzymes activities after death and their correlation with post-mortem interval.

The estimation of time since death at the time of autopsy has been and remains to be one of the challenges to the Forensic Pathologist. .A prospective study was undertaken in SMS Hospital, Jaipur on activity of Pericardial Fluid enzymes after death in deceased. A total of 50 study cases were randomly selected after screening. The pericardial fluid was examined biochemically for enzyme activity of Amylase, Creatine Kinase (CK), Gamma-glutamyl Transferase (GGT) and Lactate Dehydrogenase (LDH) enzymes by photoelectric colorimetry method. The enzyme activity levels so obtained were charted and statistically studied and graphical records obtained against known post-mortem interval. The data thus obtained was analysed with a view to ascertain whether such assays could be of any help to estimate time since death routinely. In this study we observed a positive correlation of all the four enzymes with the time elapsed after death of which rise in CK was found to be statistically significant.