Browsing by Author "Sulovic, V. (7006602555)"

Asymptomatic genital Herpesvirus hominis (HVH) infection in a group of 100 pregnant women with normal and high risk pregnancy was examined. Vaginal and cervical HVH shedding was diagnosed by the method of immunofluorescence. The results of cervical and vaginal swabs taken from the same patients, showed that in both groups of pregnant women examined, the presence of HVH infection in the vagina and cervix was not always simultaneous. Asymptomatic vaginal HVH type 1 infection was found more often in high risk pregnancy, and the difference in reference to the normal pregnancy was statistically significant. Asymptomatic cervical infection was more caused of HVH type 2 both in normal and high risk pregnancy.

Cytogenetic investigations of three married couples, having had spontaneous abortions, was carried out, and an abnormal chromosomal complement was established in one of the spouses. The balanced translocations were of the types: 13/15 (q14:126) and 13/18 (q34:q11). The same type of translocations 13/18 (q24:q11) was detected in two other couples. The translocation carriers are brother and sister. In the cases examined the balanced translocations were causes of spontaneous abortions and the birth of malformed children. According to the accessible literature data, translocations with the above-mentioned breaks on chromosomes have not been discovered until now.

Determination of serum levels of alpha1 antitrypsin was carried out on 20 women with normal pregnancy and on 60 women with complicated pregnancy. The analysis was performed on the Beckman Immunochemistry Analyzer. In addition to control group there were three groups of patients with complicated pregnancy: group I consisted of pregnant women with diabetes mellitus, group II was composed of patients with high blood pressure, and group III of pregnant women with threatened abortion. In control group the authors did not detect any significant change in the serum level of alpha1 antitrypsin during all pregnancies. In patients with diabetes mellitus alpha1 antitrypsin levels were significantly decreased in the first three months of pregnancy. In pregnant women with threatened abortion alpha1 antitrypsin concentrations were significantly reduced in both first and second three months of pregnancy. There were no changes in serum levels of alpha1 antitrypsin in pregnant women with high blood pressure.

[No abstract available]

A possible etiologic relationship between maternal asymptomatic genital HVH infection and pre-term labor was discussed on the base of the results of the investigation performed in this study. Latent HVH infection was diagnosed by the test of microneutralization. Asymptomatic HVH vaginal and cervical shedding was investigated by indirect immunofluorescence and cytologically. The incidence of latent HVH type 2 infection was higher in women with previous pre-term labor than in the control group. The difference appeared to be statistically significant. The comparison of HVH type 2 asymptomatic cervical infection of the examined and the control group shows that it lies on the boundary of statistical significance. It means that further research of the subject is needed including prospective virologic investigations with the aim of detecting active HVH infections at the time of pre-term labor. Concerning the increasing significance of genital HVH infections in our environment, it seems reasonable to aim diagnostic efforts at the determination of both latent and active HVH infections, in order to reduce the incidence of pre-term labor and the perinatal morbidity and mortality rates by use of appropriate preventive and therapeutic measures.

[No abstract available]

The infant presented was born at term. His weight was 2500 g and length 47 cm. He showed marked hypertelorism, deformed low set ears, short neck, and cleft of hard and soft palates. The mouth was small. The right leg was less well developed and hypoplastic, and there was pes equinovarus. He had hypoxia, had difficulties in adapting to extrauterine life, and died 4 days later. The findings were actue bilateral intra-alveolar bronchopneumonia, massive atelectasis, pulmonary oedema, compensating emphysema, acute hyperaemia, and mild internal hydrocephalus. Analysis of blood lymphocyte chromosomes showed an interstitial deletion (q31→q35) of the long arm of chromosome 2. Both parents had a normal chromosome complement. Taysi et al compared the clinical findings of four reported patients with 2q deletion including their own case. Different regions of the long arm of chromosome 2 were involved. One of these probands was found to have the deletion at 2q31→q33 and another, described by Warter et al, showed a 2q34→q36 deletion. Our proband's breakpoint was at 2q31→2q35. The common features were: intrauterine growth retardation, large malformed low set ears, and abnormalities of the central nervous system. While the CNS anomalies in the reported cases included microcephaly, our proband was found to have internal hydrocephalus of a mild degree, in addition to small head size.

The infant presented was born at term. His weight was 2500 g and length 47 cm. He showed marked hypertelorism, deformed low set ears, short neck, and cleft of hard and soft palates. The mouth was small. The right leg was less well developed and hypoplastic, and there was pes equinovarus. He had hypoxia, had difficulties in adapting to extrauterine life, and died 4 days later. The findings were actue bilateral intra-alveolar bronchopneumonia, massive atelectasis, pulmonary oedema, compensating emphysema, acute hyperaemia, and mild internal hydrocephalus. Analysis of blood lymphocyte chromosomes showed an interstitial deletion (q31→q35) of the long arm of chromosome 2. Both parents had a normal chromosome complement. Taysi et al compared the clinical findings of four reported patients with 2q deletion including their own case. Different regions of the long arm of chromosome 2 were involved. One of these probands was found to have the deletion at 2q31→q33 and another, described by Warter et al, showed a 2q34→q36 deletion. Our proband's breakpoint was at 2q31→2q35. The common features were: intrauterine growth retardation, large malformed low set ears, and abnormalities of the central nervous system. While the CNS anomalies in the reported cases included microcephaly, our proband was found to have internal hydrocephalus of a mild degree, in addition to small head size.

The possible influence of both beta-endorphin and insulin secretion on diabetes development in pregnant women was studied by means of radioimmunoassay technique (RIA-Nichols Institute). The study was carried out by determination of beta endorphins in peripheral blood samples of 28 pregnant women with gestational diabetes. They consisted of two subgroups: 14 women with insulin independence, and 14 with insulin-dependent disease. Beta endorphin increase was found in both groups, according to the progression of gestation, and the rise was significantly higher in the insulin-dependent group. At the same time, insulin application caused a marked growth of beta-endorphins in insulin-dependent group. Beta-endorphins, inhibiting insulin secretion, can influence gestional diabetes development.

The level of passive neonate protection against against HSV depends on the transplacentally acquired neutralized HSV antibodies' titer. In this study we investigated the anti HSV antibodies' transplacental passage in a group of women who delivered vaginally and pregnant women who had cesarean section, with the aim of examining the influence of the mode of delivery on the level of passive immunity to HSV. Serologic examination was performed in a group of 102 women who delivered vaginally and 80 pregnant women who had cesarean section, using the test of microneutralization. The titer of anti HSV type 1 anti HSV type 2 antibodies in the mothers' and cord blood was determined and compared. The cord serum neutralizing HSV type 1 antibodies titer, was twice higher as compared to those in mothers blood in 60.7% of paired sera in te group of women who delivered vaginally. The cord serum anti HSV type 1 titers were twice as high as compared to those in mothers' blood only in 15.5% of paired sera in group of pregnant women who had cesarean section. In the cases when cesarean section was performed, our results showed the lack of anti HSV type 2 antibodies in 15% of cord sera, even though the mothers' sera were anti HSV type 2 positive. The results of this study point to the possibility that antibody transfer through the placenta is an active and selective process that depends also on the mode of delivery: there are lower levels of HSV neutralizing antibodies in the cord sera of infants whose mothers had cesarean section compared to those who delivered vaginally.

[No abstract available]

This paper deals with beta-endorphin determination in 20 autopsy specimens of human fetal and neonatal pancreas, as well as in the placental tissue specimens of the same fetoplacental units, by means of radioimmunoassay (RIA - Nichols Institute). Peripheral blood samples of 10 healthy non-gravids were taken as controls. Our results present a marked increase of beta-endorphin levels with the progression of gestation, reaching a peak of 3960 pg/g at term. The data obtained indicate that beta-endorphin plays an important role in pregnancy and delivery regulation.

Complements C3 and C4, IgG, IgM, IgA and properdin factor B (PFB) were determined in maternal blood sera, sera from the umbilical cord and amniotic fluid in the group consisting of 30 healthy pregnant women and 30 patients with EPH gestoses. PFB and IgG were measured in urine, as well. Significant decrease of C3 complement in maternal sera and PFB in urine was found in the group with EPH gestoses, while a slight C4 complement enhancement was recorded in both maternal sera and the blood sera from the umbilical cord. PFB was conspicuously increased in maternal blood sera. IgG level was higher in the blood sera from the umbilical cord in comparison with that found in maternal sera in both groups examined. IgG, IgM and IgA levels were decreased in the group of patients with EPH gestoses in all fluids examined, while IgA level was significantly increased in the sera prepared from the blood from the umbilical cord.

A randomised group of 75 men with idiopathic oligoasthenozoospermia and asthenozoospermia were subjected to a control study with kallikrein. Kallikrein was given to 45 men, 600 units daily in a period of 3-6 months. The other group of 30 infertile men was followed during the same period of time. Percentage of motile sperm was significantly improved after 3-6 months' treatment with kallikrein. Sperm count and percentage of morphologically normal sperm showed improvement but this was not statistically significant. Infertile men with a sperm count below 20 x 106/ml had greater improvement in sperm count than men with a sperm count over 20 x 106/ml. This study emphasizes that kallikrein is a relatively good drug for restoring sperm motility in idiopathic oligoasthenozoospermia and asthenozoospermia.

[No abstract available]