Beta human chorionic gonadotrophin

KEY CLINICAL MESSAGE: To raise awareness about the increasing incidence of superfetation and heterotopic pregnancy in patients with ovarian induction, their insidious symptoms of abdominal pain, anemia, and hemodynamic instability in early pregnancy, and the usefulness of transvaginal ultrasound (TVUS) and quantitative beta human chorionic gonadotrophin (b-hCG) for diagnosis. ABSTRACT: Superfetation, occurrence of ovulation, fertilization, and implantation during an ongoing pregnancy and heterotopic pregnancy (HP) simultaneous presence of intrauterine and extrauterine pregnancies are infrequent phenomena...

BACKGROUND: Abnormally sited placenta is considered a major life-threatening condition for pregnant woman, and many debate about the way of early diagnosis and management to decrease the mortality and morbidity. AIM OF STUDY: To evaluate the role of beta-human chorionic gonadotrophin (B-HCG) level in the first half of pregnancy as a marker for prediction of placenta previa. STUDY DESIGN: This is a prospective study done in Al-Yarmouk Teaching Hospital from first of January 2020 till first of January 2021...

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effectiveness of the first-line medical management with Methotrexate (MTX) in the treatment of patients with stable tubal Ectopic Pregnancies (EPs) and varying ranges of Beta-Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (β-HCG) levels. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this retrospective cohort study, we reviewed the medical records of a total of 184 patients with the diagnosis of tubal EP, who received MTX as their first-line treatment. Patients with a baseline β-HCG< 4800 mIU/mL received single-dose MTX (n = 136) and those with an initial β-HCG≥ 4800 mIU/mL underwent the double-dose MTX regimen (n = 48)...

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) superfamily cytokines play critical roles during human pregnancy by promoting trophoblast differentiation, invasion, and endocrine function, and maintaining embryo immunotolerance and protection. In contrast, the unbalanced activity of pro-inflammatory factors such as interferon gamma (IFNγ) and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) at the maternal-fetal interface have detrimental effects on trophoblast function and differentiation. This study demonstrates how the IL-6 cytokine family member oncostatin M (OSM) and STAT3 activation regulate trophoblast fusion and endocrine function in response to pro-inflammatory stress induced by IFNγ and GM-CSF...

Gestational trophoblastic disease comprises hydatidiform mole (HM) (complete or partial) and gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (GTN). Complete and partial moles have different karyotypes, gross and microscopic histopathology, clinical presentation, prognosis, and chances of progress to GTN. Ultrasonography (USG) and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) quantification are commonly used to diagnose molar pregnancy and further follow-up until resolution. Our case reports two patients, one with a complete mole and another with a partial mole, who were evaluated and followed up with serial beta hCG as per protocol and were found to have persistent disease and referred for chemotherapy until complete resolution...

RESEARCH QUESTION: Does a commercially available quantitative beta-human chorionic gonadotrophin (BHCG) point of care testing (POCT) device improve workflow management in early pregnancy by performing comparably to gold standard laboratory methods, and is the performance of a validated pregnancy of unknown location (PUL) triage strategy maintained using POCT BHCG results? DESIGN: Women classified with a PUL between 2018 and 2021 at three early pregnancy units were included...

Ectopic pregnancies, characterized by the implantation of a fertilized ovum outside the uterine cavity, typically occur in the fallopian tubes. However, rare cases have been reported where implantation occurs in atypical locations. Round ligament pregnancy, a rare form of ectopic pregnancy, poses significant risks and can lead to life-threatening complications. This case report describes the presentation and management of a 31-year-old gravida four, para two (G4P2012) female who presented with acute left lower quadrant and pelvic pain...

BACKGROUND: Gonadotrophin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRHa) downregulates gonadotropin secretion in the pituitary gland. It is used both in ovulation induction protocols and in artificial endometrium preparation. Frozen-thawed embryo transfer to artificially prepared endometrium (FET-APE) is a frequent procedure in vitro fertilization (IVF) which requires GnRHa. It can be used either as a daily low-dose injection or as a single depot injection. It is unclear which of these two regimens is superior for artificial endometrium preparation...

OBJECTIVE: To determine the inter-relationships between five first-trimester biomarkers (pregnancy associated plasma protein A [PAPP-A], alpha-fetoprotein [AFP], beta human chorionic gonadotrophin [beta-hCG], placenta growth factor [PlGF] and soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase receptor-1 [sFlt-1]) and a range of adverse pregnancy outcomes (APOs). DESIGN: Prospective cohort study of nulliparous singleton pregnancy. SETTING: Cambridge, UK. POPULATION OR SAMPLE: 4056 pregnancy outcome prediction study participants...

OBJECTIVES: To describe cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) metabolomic pattern of pituitary stalk lesions. METHODS: CSF was collected from patients with different pituitary stalk lesions (germ cell tumor (GCT), n = 27; hypophysitis, n = 10; Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) or Erdheim-Chester disease (ECD), n = 10) treated at Peking Union Medical College Hospital. CSF metabolome profiling was characterized through Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometer (LC-MS)...

Gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (GTN) arising in the placenta and presenting as a metastatic disease concurrently in the mother and the baby is extremely rare. GTN poses a diagnostic dilemma to the treating clinicians. In the current review, an electronic search of Scopus, PubMed, Embase and other databases was conducted for case reports and case series of GTN co-existing or metastatic to both the mother and the baby, published to date. Globally, a total of twenty-two cases of GTN with metastasis to both the mother and baby was found...

Choriocarcinoma is a highly aggressive, malignant tumor that arises from trophoblastic cells. Although choriocarcinomas usually arise in the genital organs, they can also originate in extragenital organs, but gastrointestinal tract lesions are rare. Gastrointestinal choriocarcinoma can be primary or metastatic. Most primary gastrointestinal choriocarcinomas are associated with adenocarcinomas. We report a case of jejunal choriocarcinoma presenting with acute abdominal pain and intestinal bleeding. The patient had a very high serum beta-human chorionic gonadotropin (β-HCG) level with an isolated jejunal lesion on contrast-enhanced computed tomography of the abdomen and pelvis...

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association between hCG and adverse pregnancy outcomes. DATA SOURCES: Medline, Embase, PubMed and Cochrane were searched in November 2021 using medical subject headings (MeSH) and relevant keywords. STUDY ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: Published full text studies of pregnant women with serum hCG testing between 8-28 week gestation investigating fetal outcomes (fetal death in-utero, small for gestational age, preterm birth) or maternal factors (hypertension in pregnancy: preeclampsia, pregnancy induced hypertension, placental abruption, HELLP syndrome, gestational diabetes)...

Fetal growth restriction (FGR) is a major cause of stillbirth and poor neurodevelopmental outcomes. The early prediction may be important to establish treatment options and improve neonatal outcomes. The aim of this study was to assess the association of parameters used in first-trimester screening, uterine artery Doppler pulsatility index and the development of FGR. In this retrospective cohort study, 1930 singleton pregnancies prenatally diagnosed with an estimated fetal weight under the third percentile were included...

BACKGROUND: Gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (GTN) is a group of tumors highly responsive to chemotherapy. It has been suggested that cancer therapies have detrimental effects on female fertility. Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) is considered fertility potential and ovarian reserves in women. The aim of this study was to compare serum AMH levels between the patients with GTN treated with chemotherapy and the patients with hydatidiform mole who underwent suction curettage without receiving any chemotherapy...

Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), an endogenous glycoprotein hormone, has been widely used for the treatment of infertility and corpus luteum defect in women. The biological specificity of hCG is essentially determined by its beta (β-) subunit, whereas the alpha (α-) subunit is a common subunit shared among the gonadotropin family. In development of a therapeutic recombinant hCG, the purity analysis showed that the beta (β-) subunit has two variants, β1 and β2. Structural characterization using a combination of analytical techniques has demonstrated that β1-subunit is derived from non-glycosylation at Asn 13, whereas β2-subunit is a normal species with complete N-glycosylation at both Asn 13 and Asn 30...

Choriocarcinoma occurs mainly in the gonads, but an extragonadal origin has been reported, albeit infrequently. Primary hepatic choriocarcinoma (PHC) is a rare malignancy, with only 11 cases reported. Most cases reported were in males, with none reported in pregnant females. A 23-year-old primigravida presented with a large liver lesion involving the right lobe of the liver at 28 weeks of pregnancy. Preoperative imaging was suggestive of hepatocellular carcinoma. She underwent a non-anatomical resection of the liver lesion...

OBJECTIVE: The first trimester combined risk of trisomy 21 is obtained by multiplying the risk related to maternal age by the likelihood ratios of nuchal translucency, free beta-human Chorionic Gonadotrophin (β-hCG) and Placenta Associated Plasma Protein-A. Beyond 5 MoM of β-hCG, the risk of trisomy 21 is truncated. The objective of our study was to evaluate the evolution of the first trimester combined risk of trisomy 21 in individuals with first-trimester free-β-hCG levels between 5 and 10 MoM...

An epithelioid trophoblastic tumor (ETT) is an extremely rare gestational trophoblastic tumor. Cases of ETT present with abnormal vaginal bleeding in women of reproductive age group with marginally elevated beta human chorionic gonadotrophin (B-hCG) levels. Here, we describe a series of four patients (all were females) including histomorphology, immunoprofiles, and diagnostic difficulty of this rare entity. All cases were in their reproductive age group. The mean pre-treatment hCG level was 665.24 (mIU/mL)...

Background: Choriogonadotropin (CG) beta (FE 999302), a novel recombinant human (h)CG produced by a human cell line, has a longer half-life and higher potency than CG alfa produced by a Chinese hamster ovary cell line. hCG augments steroid production, but the extent of which CG beta treatment during ovarian stimulation (OS) increases steroidogenesis is unknown. Objective: To explore how increasing doses of CG beta during OS augment follicular steroidogenesis and change gene expression in cumulus cells...