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Cholinesterase evaluation in the prenatal diagnosis of open neural tube defects

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Ricerca in clinica e in laboratorio

Summary

α-fetoprotein (AFP) and cholinesterase levels in amniotic fluid were determined and the efficiency of these laboratory tests in the prenatal diagnosis of neural tube defects was examined. Using the AFP test with cut-off levels correlated to gestational age, we have detected 8 cases of neural tube defects and one case of abdominal wall defect in about 1,200 pregnancies; false-negative values were absent. Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase activities were measured and the electrophoretic pattern of AChE was examined in 100 amniotic fluid samples. The diagnosis of neural tube defects was always confirmed. There were no diagnostic problems due to blood-contaminated amniotic fluid samples. The results obtained using different quantitative methods for the determination of cholinesterase activity, as well as the potential use of these tests in routine examinations, are discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Istituto di Istologia ed Analisi di Laboratorio, Università degli Studi di Urbino, Via Saffi 46, 61029, Urbino (PS), Italy

    Rosario Troccoli, Stefano Biagioni & Francesco Stella

  2. Centro Diagnosi Prenatale, II Clinica Ostetrica e Ginecologica, Università ‘La Sapienza’, Roma

    Antonio Pachì, Michele Ermini & Marina Toschi

  3. Dipartimento di Biologia Cellulare e dello Sviluppo, Università ‘La Sapienza’, Roma

    Gianfranco Scarsella & Mauro Giorgi

Authors
  1. Rosario Troccoli
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  2. Stefano Biagioni
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  3. Francesco Stella
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  4. Antonio Pachì
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  5. Michele Ermini
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  6. Marina Toschi
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  7. Gianfranco Scarsella
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  8. Mauro Giorgi
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Additional information

This work was supported by funds (contracts 1981 and 1982) fromMinistero della Pubblica Istruzione, Roma, Italy.

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Troccoli, R., Biagioni, S., Stella, F. et al. Cholinesterase evaluation in the prenatal diagnosis of open neural tube defects. La Ricerca Clin. Lab. 15, 53–62 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03029162

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03029162

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