Abstract. Hypothalamic decapeptide, gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) has been found to stimulate human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) secretion by trophoblast cells in vitro. To determine the biological effect of GnRH on the release of hCG in vivo, we studied the effect of the administration of GnRH on the serum levels of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) during pregnancy. Serum hCG levels were measured before and 15, 30, and 60 min after the intravenous administration of 100 µg of GnRH to 22 volunteers with normal pregnancy. Nine of the 12 (75%) women responded to GnRH in the first trimester, while only 1 of the 5 women (20%) responded to GnRH in the second trimester. None of the 5 women tested in the third trimester showed a significant response of hCG to the injection of GnRH. The average increase in hCG during the first, second and third trimester was 160.7± 13.5%,111.0±7.4% and 95.0±2.3%, respectively (mean ± SEM). Whereas the pregnant courses of all the cases were uneventful and normal, other abnormal pregnancies were also investigated with informed consents. Three patients with missed abortions also showed a significant response of hCG to GnRH (increase: 136.7±8.5%) when GnRH was administered before curettage of the uterine cavity. However, 4 patients with unruptured ectopic pregnancies did not respond to GnRH stimulation. These findings indicate that GnRH can stimulate the release of hCG by the placenta in vivo, consistent with the previous in vitro study, while the responsiveness depends on gestational age and the implantation site.
Hypoallergenic wheat flour (HWF) in which gluten is partially hydrolyzed by enzymes has recently been developed. However, the manufacturing of HWF products is difficult compared to that of normal wheat products due to the marked physical property differences of HWF. In this study, we first investigated the manufacturing conditions of Japanese wheat noodles using HWF and then evaluated their physical properties. HWF noodles were prepared by combining HWF with sodium alginate, starch, curdlan, and salt solution, and then soaking in calcium lactate solution before boiling. The addition of sodium alginate increased rupture strength of HWF noodles, and the addition of starch and curdlan significantly improved rupture strength and hardness. However, rupture strength of HWF noodles was markedly lower than that of normal wheat flour noodles. These results suggest that HWF combined with sodium alginate, starch, and curdlan may be suitable for preparing noodles for wheat allergy patients.
In this report, we describe a case of thrombosed valve in early postpartal period. The patient was a 35-year-old woman who received an operation of aortic valve replacement (Bjork-Shiley valve) for her rheumatic heart disease 13 years ago. Since then she was constantly on oral anticoagulants. Two years ago she intentionally stopped to take oral warfarin because of her wish to have a baby. She became pregnant early 1985, since then low-dose heparin injection combined with oral dipyridamole had begun. On Oct. 3, 1985 she gave a birth to a 3,080 g baby. But on the 8th postpartal day, she began to complain of increasing dyspnea. Her chest X-ray film showed remarkable pulmonary congestion. She died on 12th day following the delivery due to heart failure. The postmortem examination revealed a thrombosed Bj ork-Shiley valve with very limited leaflet motion.
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