Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: EC:3.1.1.7 (acetylcholinesterase)
 28,390 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

A nomogram indicating the risk of having a fetus with open spina bifida in relation to a particular maternal serum and amniotic fluid alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) level is described. The nomogram is designed for counselling patients with borderline amniotic fluid AFP results, who on average are only marginally at risk of having a fetus with open spina bifida. The use of the nomogram will refine the estimate of risk for a particular woman by combining the estimate derived from the amniotic fluid AFP level with that derived from the maternal serum AFP level. Details are also given for further refining the estimate risk by using information from an amniotic fluid gel acetylcholinesterase determination.
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PMID:Nomogram for estimating an individual's risk of having a fetus with open spina bifida. 617 33

We have performed gel acetylcholinesterase analysis blindly on 1,300 consecutive amniotic fluid samples sent to our laboratory for alpha-fetoprotein measurement. Faint acetylcholinesterase bands were identified in nine of 1,300 samples, and all of these were associated with pregnancies free of major fetal malformations. Dense acetylcholinesterase bands were identified in four samples, and all were associated with major fetal malformations. Densitometric analysis of acetylcholinesterase bands provided additional objectivity in classifying band density.
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PMID:Densitometry as an aid in amniotic fluid gel acetylcholinesterase analysis. 618 43

Neural tube defects are relatively common congenital malformations. An assay is available which permits prenatal screening of maternal serum for alpha-fetoprotein (AFP). Elevated AFP levels are associated with neural tube defects and other developmental abnormalities. Two positive blood tests indicate the need for ultrasonography. Further diagnostic testing of amniotic fluid for AFP and acetylcholinesterase levels may be necessary to confirm a neural tube defect.
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PMID:Prenatal diagnosis of neural tube defects. 618 1

A 5-min optimized automated assay for measuring acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and total cholinesterase (ChE) in amniotic fluids is described in which a centrifugal analyzer is used. Total ChE was measured by using acetylthiocholine iodide and monitoring the color developed after 5,5'-dithiobis(2-nitrobenzoic acid) is added. We evaluated four direct and indirect procedures for measuring AChE in which thiocholine is generated. These methods involve either the specific enzyme inhibitors ethopropazine and BW284C51 or the specific substrates S-butyrylthiocholine and acetyl-beta-methylthiocholine. We found the last method distinguishes normal pregnancies most efficiently from those with neural tube defect. Filtering samples through 0.22-micron membrane filters before analysis decreased the incidence of false positives. Significantly increased AChE concentrations were noted in all abnormal pregnancies (n = 45) and in 4.8% of normal pregnancies (n = 310). The rapid AChE assay involving acetyl-beta-methylthiocholine, when applied alongside a rapid alpha-fetoprotein assay, increases the efficiency of screening programs for pregnancies with neural tube defect to 99.4%. It also identifies samples with negative results for alpha-fetoprotein that require further examination by the sensitive gel-electrophoretic test for AChE.
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PMID:Rapid acetylcholinesterase screening test for neural tube defect. 618 39

A growing number of metabolic genetic defects can be diagnosed prenatally; however, the most common genetic diseases defy our efforts so far. Promising new avenues are mentioned. Efforts to diagnose neural tube defects in early pregnancy have gained wide acceptance. The most widely used method is alpha-fetoprotein (AFP)-determination in amnion fluid supplemented by ultrasound examination and particularly successfully by the ACHE-(acetyl-cholinesterase)gel test. In many countries, a general introduction of AFP-screening in maternal serum for neural tube defects is being considered. Two large field studies, each including some 24,000 patients, will soon be completed in Giessen and Hannover. They were designed to supplement the data from Great Britain in judging the advisability of mass screening of maternal serum AFP in the second trimenon in a low-incidence area such as Western Germany. The concluding discussion touches on future aspects of prenatal diagnosis and ethical considerations.
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PMID:[Prenatal recognition of genetic diseases and neural tube defects]. 619 31

A comparison of preoperative serum tumor markers (lactate dehydrogenase, lactate dehydrogenase isoenzymes, alpha-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase, alkaline phosphatase, aldolase, leucine aminopeptidase, cholinesterase, erythrocyte sedimentation reaction, carcinoembryonic antigen, alpha-fetoprotein, and beta 2-microglobulin) was made in 76 patients with ovarian or uterine cancer. Sixty-six patients with benign ovarian tumor served as control subjects. From analysis of each tumor marker the greatest positive results were obtained with the markers beta 2-microglobulin (57.1%), lactate dehydrogenase (53.1%), and hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase (46.2%) for patients with carcinoma of the ovary. The use of these marker combinations in all ovarian cancer patients resulted in a marked increase of the positive rate from 57.1 to 85.2%. In stage I cases, the positive rate increased from 40.6 to 63.6%.
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PMID:Significance of serum tumor markers in patients with carcinoma of the ovary. 619 5

If, in twin pregnancy, one twin shows severe malformation, the question arises as to how the other twin can remain unaffected. For the purpose of ensuring the diagnosis in case of suspected neural tube defect, the main diagnostic tools are sonography, biochemical methods of alpha-fetoprotein determination and acetyl cholinesterase activity, as well as cell-morphological identification of so-called "rapidly adhering cells". Parents and obstetricians face a difficult decision when confronted by the possibilities of maintaining pregnancy or of induced abortion after diagnosis of a malformed and a healthy twin. The case of a severe discordant cranial malformation is described on the basis of a case report. The diagnostic and therapeutic problems are discussed.
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PMID:[Twin pregnancy with severe skull malformation of one twin]. 620 74

We report relatively high trehalase activity in the amniotic fluid of two fetuses affected with the congenital nephrotic syndrome of the Finnish type. The results suggest that prenatal detection of this condition can be done on this basis in conjunction with the alpha-fetoprotein and acetylcholinesterase tests in amniotic fluid.
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PMID:Prenatal detection of the congenital nephrotic syndrome (Finnish type) by trehalase assay in amniotic fluid. 620 21

Amniotic fluid samples from eight pregnancies associated with exomphalos or gastroschisis and 24 with open spina bifida were used to confirm the hypothesis that when the alpha-fetoprotein and gel acetylcholinesterase tests are positive in an amniotic fluid not visibly contaminated with blood, the two defects can be distinguished by scanning densitometry of the electrophoretic gel. The ratio of the density for the acetylcholinesterase band in the gel to that of the pseudocholinesterase band was less than or equal to 0.10 for the open abdominal wall defects and 0.27 or more for open spina bifida. Based on this and a previously reported series, a cut-off level of about 0.15 is suggested.
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PMID:Ratio of amniotic fluid acetylcholinesterase to pseudocholinesterase as an antenatal diagnostic test for exomphalos and gastroschisis. 623 41

Densitometry was used to measure gel acetyl- and pseudocholinesterase bands in a selection of amniotic fluid samples yielding positive alpha-fetoprotein and positive gel acetylcholinesterase results. The samples were associated with the following conditions: 28 anencephaly (10 stained with fetal blood), 20 open spina bifida (3 stained with fetal blood), 10 open ventral-wall defects (2 stained with fetal blood) and 5 unaffected pregnancies (all stained with fetal blood). In samples not visibly stained with fetal blood, the ratio of the acetylcholinesterase density to the pseudocholinesterase density distinguished between open ventral-wall defects and open neural-tube defects: the former group all had values less than 0.13, while the latter all had values greater than that. In amniotic fluid samples which were stained with fetal blood the acetylcholinesterase/pseudocholinesterase ratio did not offer useful diagnostic information; results from unaffected pregnancies overlapped with those from pregnancies with both ventral-wall defects and open neural-tube defects.
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PMID:Amniotic fluid gel cholinesterase density ratios in fetal open defects of the neural tube and ventral wall. 633 1


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