This article reports a MEMS (Micro-ElectroMechanical-Systems)-based column separator designed for potential integration with portable medical point-of-care testing (POCT) devices. The MEMS column uses size exclusion chromatography (SEC) to pre-separate raw samples by size, and is made of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) fabricated on a glass slide. The MEMS SEC column separates 300 ng/mL of beta-hum...

The structure-stabilizing effect of homologous and heterogeneous desensitization and albumin on rat ovarian LH/hCG receptors was analyzed by thermal perturbation technique. HCG-induced down-regulation shifted the heat inactivation profile of hCG-binding sites to a temperature lower by about 7 degrees C (T50 values). In heterogeneous desensitization, which also involves uncoupling of receptors f...

OBJECTIVE To investigate the potential value of maternal serum concentrations of free β-human chorionic gonadotrophin (β-hCG), pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A) and placental growth factor (PlGF) at 30-33 weeks of gestation in the prediction of pre-eclampsia (PE) developing at or after 34 weeks. METHODS Serum free β-hCG, PAPP-A and PlGF were measured at 11-13 and at 30-33 weeks o...

Placenta growth factor (PIGF), an angiogenic factor belonging to the vascular endothelial growth factor family, pregnancy-associated plasma protein A (PAPP-A) and free beta-human chorionic gonadotrophin (beta-hCG) were measured in maternal serum from 45 pregnancies with trisomy 21, 45 with trisomy 18 and 493 normal controls at 10-13 completed weeks of gestation. In the normal pregnancies matern...

OBJECTIVES To use multiple regression analysis to define the contribution of maternal variables that influence the measured concentration of free beta-human chorionic gonadotropin (beta-hCG) and pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A), and the interaction between these covariates, in first-trimester biochemical screening for trisomy 21. METHODS This was a multicenter study of prospecti...

This case report summarizes the sequence of events that led to the detection of a molar pregnancy missed by ultrasound and initial pathology examinations. This patient illustrates that following serial quantitative beta-human chorionic gonadotropin (B-hCG) levels after spontaneous, therapeutic, and elective abortions will help detect potentially life-threatening molar and ectopic pregnancies. F...

We describe a 26-year-old man with metastatic choriocarcinoma who presented with hyperthyroidism associated with elevated β-human chorionic gonadotropin (B-HCG) and respiratory failure secondary to diffuse lung metastasis. After the first cycle of chemotherapy, the concentration of B-HCG dramatically decreased and the patient became euthyroid, allowing us to discontinue antithyroid medications....

Maternal cigarette smoking is associated with alterations in maternal serum analytes used in screening for trisomy 21 during the second trimester of pregnancy. Thus, serum free b-hCG levels in women who smoke are reduced by 11±14% in unaffected pregnancies (Spencer, 1998; Ferriman et al., 1999) and by 16% in pregnancies affected by trisomy 21 (Spencer, 1998). The consequence of this reduction i...

BACKGROUND Previous studies showed that soluble LHCGR/hCG-sLHCGR concentrations in serum or plasma combined with PAPP-A and free βhCG significantly increased the sensitivity of Down's syndrome screen at early pregnancy without altering the false positive rate. The goal of the present study was to further examine the role of sLHCGR forms as combinatorial markers and to investigate whether sLHCGR...

Aim: Alterations in thyroid function with a simultaneous increase of hCG in some pregnancy diseases have been reported. However, the relationship between thyroid hormones and hCG during preeclampsia is not yet evaluated. In this study we determined serum levels of hCG, TSH, free T3 (fT3) and free T4 (fT4) in normal pregnant woman and in patients with preeclampsia and evaluated the correlation b...