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Inhibin A and pro‐αC inhibin in Down syndrome and normal pregnancies
Author(s) -
D'Antona Donato,
Wallace Euan M.,
Shearing Catherine,
Ashby J. Peter,
Groome Nigel P.
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
prenatal diagnosis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.956
H-Index - 97
eISSN - 1097-0223
pISSN - 0197-3851
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1097-0223(199811)18:11<1122::aid-pd414>3.0.co;2-p
Subject(s) - medicine , obstetrics , down syndrome , gynecology , psychiatry
Using two enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assays specific for inhibin A and pro‐αC inhibin, levels of the two proteins were assessed in maternal serum from 43 Down syndrome and 300 chromosomally normal pregnancies at 15–17 weeks' gestation. Compared to the control pregnancies, both inhibin A and pro‐αC inhibin were significantly elevated in the Down syndrome pregnancies with median levels, expressed as multiples of the normal median, of 1·53MoM and 1·34MoM, respectively ( P <0·001 and P =0·046 compared to controls). Levels of inhibin A and pro‐αC inhibin were weakly but significantly correlated in both the control and the Down syndrome sera ( r =0·25, P <0·0001; r =0·4, P =0·008, respectively). These data suggest that the mechanism(s) underlying the elevated inhibin levels observed in Down syndrome may affect the regulation of both the inhibin α‐ and β A ‐subunits. Copyright © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.