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Alphafetoprotein in obstetrics

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Immunochemistry in Clinical Laboratory Medicine

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Abstract

The existence of a specific and distinct α1-globulin in human fetal serum was first noted in 19561, and named alphafetoprotein (AFP). It is the main protein in the circulation of the early fetus, being synthesized at a rate of up to 30 mg per day in the second trimester. Concentrations of AFP in fetal blood reach a peak of 3-4mg/ml at the 13th week of gestation, and thereafter decline. In amniotic fluid, levels of AFP closely parallel those in fetal serum but at about 1/100th of the concentration2.

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Authors
  1. D. J. H. Brock
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A. Milford Ward J. T. Whicher

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© 1979 MTP Press Limited

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Brock, D.J.H. (1979). Alphafetoprotein in obstetrics. In: Ward, A.M., Whicher, J.T. (eds) Immunochemistry in Clinical Laboratory Medicine. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-6591-4_14

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-6591-4_14

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-011-6593-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-011-6591-4

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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