We have devised a radioimmunoassay (RIA) for human choriogonadotropin (hCG) in first morning-voided urine specimens. Concanavalin A, a lectin, is used to extract and concentrate the hCG from urine. A high-affinity antiserum is used, directed to the hCG beta carboxy-terminal peptide, a unique immunological determinant not shared by the beta subunit of human lutropin. This ensures that urinary hu...

BACKGROUND Ovarian stimulation in humans might affect the perinatal outcome and be considered as a stress factor in the implantation process. In this study we compared the effects of recombinant and urinary gonadotrophins during the mouse peri-implantation period. METHODS Adult female CD1 mice were treated as follows (a) urinary hFSH and urinary hCG, (b) recombinant hFSH and recombinant hLH a...

BACKGROUND In natural cycles, women conceive when intercourse takes place during a six-day period ending on the day of ovulation. The current practice in intrauterine insemination (IUI) cycles is to perform the IUI 24-36 hours after the hCG administration, when the ovulation is already imminent. In this study hCG was administered after the IUI, which more closely resembles the fertilisation pro...

BACKGROUND The evaluation of prepubertal gonadal Leydig cells secretion requires gonadotropin stimulation. Urinary hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) is currently unavailable in many countries, however, recombinant hCG (rhCG) can be used. Our aim was to evaluate rhCG-stimulated testicular hormones in a group of patients with cryptorchidism. METHODS We evaluated 31 prepubertal boys (age range,...

BACKGROUND Iatrogenic transmission of human prion disease can occur through medical or surgical procedures, including injection of hormones such as gonadotropins extracted from cadaver pituitaries. Annually, more than 300,000 women in the United States and Canada are prescribed urine-derived gonadotropins for infertility. Although menopausal urine donors are screened for symptomatic neurologica...

Quantitative radioimmunoassay (RIA) of the beta chain of human chorionic gonadotropin (B-hCG) in serum has been used to evaluate the gestational status of 99 normal early pregnancies in contrast to 29 ectopic, threatened, aborted and/or terminated cases. Quantitative measurement of serum B-hCG-RIA standardized against the second international standard (2dIS) accurately established age of normal...

In a human conception cycle, the expected decline in progesterone production by the corpus luteum during the late luteal phase is prevented by human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG) secreted by the implanting blastocyst. This study investigated the expression of components of the synthetic pathway for progesterone in human corpora lutea in the presence and absence of HCG in vivo. Corpora lutea wer...

The fluorometric enzyme immunoassays that can be run on the automated Stratus analyzer (American Dade, Miami, FL) are based on monoclonal antibodies coated to glass-fiber paper tabs. The available assays are specifically designed for quantification of analytes in plasma and serum, but not in urine. For example, eight urine samples with hCG concentrations <2.5 mt.units/L according to the Tandem-...

OBJECTIVE We propose that the adrenal gland of an older higher primate female animal model will respond to human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) hormone challenge by secreting additional dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS). Such a response in surgically and chemically castrated animals will provide proof of concept and a validated animal model for future studies to explore the rise in DHEAS dur...