BACKGROUND Patients with trophoblastic diseases produce ordinary and irregular forms of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG; e.g., nicked hCG, hCG missing the beta-subunit C-terminal segment, hyperglycosylated hCG, and free beta subunit) that are recognized to differing extents by automated immunometric hCG (or hCG beta) assays. This has led to low or false-negative results and misdiagnosis of pe...

Human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) was desialized by treatment with neuraminidase to yield asialo-HCG, and comparative physicochemical studies were carried out on HCG and asialo-HCG. The E:trn value at 276 nm was 5.47 for HCG and 5.72 for asialo-HCG. Intrinsic viscosities of HCG and asialo-HCG at near isoionic point were estimated to be 3.4 and 3.2 ml per g, respectively. HCG had an isoionic po...

We present the interferometric measurements of 2.6 mm CO (J = 1 ! 0) emission (F W HM 5 00) and the analysis of IRAS HIRES images of two Hickson Compact Groups HCG 31 and HCG 92 (\Stephan's Quintet"). The far infrared (FIR) emission is concentrated to a single region in HCG 31 while it is clearly extended and peaks near the group center in HCG 92. CO emission is weak in HCG 31, and the brightes...

We evaluated the performance of four visually read pregnancy tests (TestPack Plus hCG Combo, ICON II hCG, SureCell hCG-Serum/Urine and PregnaGen 1-Step) designed to detect increased concentrations of choriogonadotropin (hCG) in either serum or urine samples. The biochemical sensitivities and specificity in both serum and urine samples were similar for each kit. All kits correctly identified pre...

Serum and urinary neopterin concentrations were measured in 142 patients suffering from various malignant diseases. Increased serum and urinary neopterin levels were found in 48% and 55% of patients respectively. Neopterin showed sufficient sensitivity in the detection of haematological disorders and hypernephroma, whereas the sensitivity of neopterin was rather poor in patients with other soli...

Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) exhibits molecular heterogeneity in both its protein and carbohydrate moieties. This communication describes changes in hCG isoforms detected directly in clinical samples. These isoforms, quantified in blood or urine specimens, show a progression of change throughout normal pregnancy. Early pregnancy produces a type of hCG that resembles, in terms of immunorea...

patients were referred to an oncologist or gynecologic oncologist with a suspected diagnosis of trophoblast disease or postgestational choriocarcinoma. Four of the six cases received multiple courses of methotrexate chemotherapy, and one of the six received in addition EMACO chemotherapy, with no major quantitative reduction in false-positive hCG results. After chemotherapy, two patients underw...

Human gonadotrophins undergo metabolic transformations which result in the presence of several smaller, structurally and immunologically related forms of gonadotrophins in the urine. For luteinizing hormone (LH), a beta core fragment (LHbeta cf) has been isolated from the pituitary and characterized. The corresponding urinary fragment is inferred from mass spectral and immunochemical analysis o...

BACKGROUND The 1st WHO International Reference Reagents (IRRs) for 6 human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG)-related molecular variants, highly purified and calibrated in substance concentrations by the IFCC Working Group for hCG, permit experimental elucidation of what commercially available hCG methods measure in molar terms and enable assessment of their fitness for clinical purposes. METHODS P...