ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: The implementation of antenatal screening for Down's syndrome at 10-13. week using nuchal translucency, maternal serum free subunit of human chorionic gonadotrophin and the mother's age. DESIGN: Nuchal translucency scan (NT) and serum free beta human chorionic gonadotrophin subunit (FB hCG) were measured at 283 consecutive pregnant women booked at the same antenatal care facility between 10-13. gestational week. SETTING: Antenatal screening center Klimentska, Prague. METHODS: Medians of both markers according to gestational age as well as retrospective combined risk of Down's syndrome were assessed. RESULTS: 95 per cent of NT measurements was below 1.77 multiples of median. 95 per cent of FB hCG measurements was below 1.88 multiples of median. Combined risk higher than 1/300 had 1 per cent mothers (total 3 screen positive results). CONCLUSION: The results of this pilot study serve for implementation of screening for Down's syndrome at 10-13. week as well as for integration of both first and second trimester screening systems.
Subject(s)
Down Syndrome/diagnosis , Prenatal Diagnosis , Adult , Chorionic Gonadotropin, beta Subunit, Human/blood , Female , Humans , Maternal Age , Neck/diagnostic imaging , Pilot Projects , Pregnancy , Pregnancy Trimester, First , Risk Factors , Ultrasonography, PrenatalABSTRACT
New control material EXAPHARM (IMUNA s.p., Sarisské Michalany, Slovakia) for therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) was evaluated. It is produced in two types: Exapharm AED containing 6 antiepileptic drugs and Exapharm CARD with 4 cardiac and antiasthmatic drugs. Both contain horse serum as a matrix, which is different in some parameters from human serum. Our results approved an outstanding stability and inter-bottle homogeneity of the material. Evidence was presented that no interferences occur in high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) under the conditions described. It is concluded, that this control serum is very suitable for TDM by HPLC.
Subject(s)
Drug Monitoring/standards , Animals , Anticonvulsants/blood , Anticonvulsants/standards , Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid/methods , Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid/standards , Evaluation Studies as Topic , Humans , Quality Control , Reference Standards , Theophylline/blood , Theophylline/standardsABSTRACT
Quinidine-like immunoreactivity (Abbott TDx Quinidine fluorescence polarization immunoassay) was measured in control, sham-operated, abdominal aorta stenotic and hyperthyroid (thyroxine feeding 0.1 mg/rat/day rats. The mean quinidine levels (mumol quinidine/1 serum) were 0.07, 0.14, 0.13 and 0.25, respectively. The elevation in experimental hyperthyroidism was statistically (analysis of variance, Duncan's test) significant. The possibility of the existence of an endogenous antiarrhythmic, immunologically cross-reacting in quinidine immunoassay, is discussed.
