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Biomedical subjects

G F Read

Publications and source records attributed to G F Read.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1985

Evaluation of luteal-phase salivary progesterone levels in women with benign breast disease or primary breast cancer.

Salivary progesterone concentrations were determined in premenopausal parous women with a mean age of ca. 40 yr who had a history of either benign breast disease (n = 15) or primary breast cancer (n = 15) and in a group of age-matched healthy women (n = 15). Saliva samples were collected at 09.00 and 21.00 hr daily for one complete menstrual cycle and progesterone concentration was measured by radioimmunoassay. Characteristic luteal-phase progesterone profiles were observed in all subjects in each of the three groups but no statistical intergroup differences could be demonstrated for age-matched subjects in each group. These studies indicated that ovarian dysfunction, as judged from salivary progesterone concentrations, was not apparent in older premenopausal women with a history of benign breast disease or primary breast cancer when compared with age-matched controls.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Characterization of profiles of salivary progesterone concentrations during the luteal phase of fertile and subfertile women.

Salivary progesterone concentrations were measured in daily samples collected between 08.00 and 09.00 h throughout the menstrual cycle of women with a history of fertility. The luteal-phase salivary progesterone profiles in these normally menstruating, healthy women were characterized using a computer program based on a cumulative sum procedure. This method of statistical analysis led to the development of a 'progesterone boundary diagram', the inner and outer domains of which distinguished between the profiles of salivary progesterone considered compatible with fertility, and those observed in subfertile women attending an infertility clinic.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

Salivary oestriol in normal and abnormal pregnancies.

Profiles of daily salivary oestriol concentrations throughout the third trimester of pregnancy have been constructed for 14 normal and 11 abnormal pregnancies. Day-to-day variations were significantly higher than those reported for unconjugated oestriol in plasma or serum. A sustained decline in salivary oestriol concentrations was observed in one pregnancy in which intrauterine death occurred. Sustained falls were also observed in two pregnancies in which a healthy infant was born at term. In all other patients a normal salivary oestriol profile correlated with a favourable outcome. Salivary oestriol measurements provide similar information to plasma unconjugated oestriol measurements while offering the advantages of a simple, non-invasive sample collection procedure.

Estriol↗
PubMed1984

Effect of inhaled beclomethasone dipropionate on saliva cortisol concentrations.

Serial saliva cortisol measurements were used to assess pituitary-adrenal function in a group of asthmatic children treated with beclomethasone dipropionate (400 micrograms daily). Asthmatic children who were not being treated with steroids and normal children were also studied for comparison. A diurnal cortisol rhythm was observed in all three groups. Early morning cortisol concentrations were significantly higher in the group treated with beclomethasone dipropionate than in the normal children; this may indicate a stress induced response to decreased morning peak expiratory flow. In both groups, plasma and salivary cortisol responses after adrenocorticotrophic hormone stimulation test were normal but peak cortisol concentrations showed a 7 fold increase over basal values in saliva compared with a three fold increase in plasma. Beclomethasone dipropionate does not suppress pituitary-adrenal function in children when used in recommended doses. Serial measurement of the salivary cortisol concentration is a simple, safe, and sensitive method for the routine monitoring of adrenal function in children treated with this steroid. Monitoring may be supplemented with an assessment of the adrenal response to adrenocorticotrophic hormone stimulation, if necessary.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

Control in congenital adrenal hyperplasia monitored by frequent saliva 17OH-progesterone measurements.

Treatment in a group of 19 patients with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) has been monitored by frequent, serial measurements of saliva 17OH-progesterone (17OHP) concentrations. Detailed 17OHP profiles were obtained during consecutive weekend days and every 1-2 h over a separate 24-hour period. Patients showed a marked diurnal rhythm in 17OHP levels, particularly when treated with hydrocortisone. In some patients, 10 mg/m2/day of hydrocortisone was sufficient glucocorticoid replacement to produce adequate control, although there was considerable individual variation. Saliva 17OHP profiles provided valuable information on the efficacy of hydrocortisone, cortisone acetate, prednisolone and dexamethasone as glucocorticoid suppressive regimes in the treatment of CAH. Preliminary results suggest that hydrocortisone given in two divided doses during the day, supplemented by a small dose of prednisolone at bedtime, is suitable treatment for CAH patients who are still growing. In the patient who has completed statural growth, single daily dose dexamethasone therapy ensures adequate adrenal suppression and is convenient in the longterm.

17-alpha-Hydroxyprogesterone↗
PubMed1984

Influence of sampling time on salivary oestriol concentrations in pregnant women.

Saliva specimens were collected at weekly intervals during the third trimester of 61 uncomplicated pregnancies. Oestriol concentrations, measured in samples collected in the early morning from fasting, recumbent subjects, were used to construct a provisional normal range. This proved to be higher than the corresponding normal range reported from another laboratory applying the same method to samples obtained at random from a different population of ambulant subjects. Interlaboratory variation in the assay of salivary oestriol was not sufficient to account for the difference in normal range. It is concluded that consideration should be given to the timing of sample collection if salivary oestriol concentration is to be monitored as a possible means of assessing fetoplacental function. A normal range for salivary oestriol concentration versus gestational age obtained from women sampled randomly may not be appropriate for monitoring patients with 'at-risk' pregnancies who are normally bed-rested.

Estriol↗
PubMed1984

A rapid assay for 17 alpha OH-progesterone in plasma, saliva and amniotic fluid using a magnetisable solid-phase antiserum.

A radioimmunoassay suitable for measurement of 17 alpha OH-progesterone concentrations in small aliquots of plasma (20 microL), amniotic fluid (20 microL) and saliva (200 microL) is described. The assay features an antiserum raised against a 17 alpha OH-progesterone-3-(O-carboxymethyl)oxime/BSA conjugate coupled to a magnetisable, solid-phase support; the homologous radioligand is a 125I-iodohistamine conjugate. This combination of a gamma-emitting ligand and a magnetic-separation procedure has the advantage of reducing assay time and cost; it also allows processing of plasma and saliva samples in the same assay batch. The method has satisfactory sensitivity, precision and accuracy. Data derived from clinical studies of patients with congenital adrenal hyperplasia indicate the usefulness of this assay in routine practice.

17-alpha-Hydroxyprogesterone↗
PubMed1984

The use of salivary progesterone assays in the assessment of ovarian function in postmenarcheal girls.

Menstrual cycle profiles of salivary progesterone were derived from daily samples obtained from 75 postmenarcheal girls aged between 12 and 17 years. Data were analysed to establish the proportion of girls exhibiting ovulatory cycles in each of several age groups following menarche or in groups based solely on chronological age. 'Luteal'-phase profiles of salivary progesterone, which were similar in shape to those characteristic of mature premenopausal women, were taken to indicate the probable occurrence of ovulation. The percentage of cycles in those subjects judged to be ovulatory, grouped according to gynaecological age, rose from 14% in the first year to 56% in the fourth year. Those classified according to chronological age, and where sufficient data permitted reliable estimates of the percentage of subjects ovulating, rose from 11% at 12 years of age to 64% for girls aged 16. These data are in reasonable concordance with published data using plasma progesterone and urinary methods for establishing ovulatory incidence, and indicate the value of salivary progesterone measurements in studies of ovarian function in adolescence.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

Hormone rhythms and breast cancer chronoepidemiology: salivary progesterone concentrations in pre- and post-menarchal girls and in normal premenopausal women.

Circadian and circatrigintan time series of salivary progesterone levels in premenarchal and adolescent girls and healthy mature premenopausal women have been investigated as a possible determinant for breast cancer risk. Circadian variations in progesterone appear to be more random than systematic and estimates of total daily progesterone output are better represented by samples pooled from several 2-hr specimens. Different patterns of circatrigintan progesterone secretion in girls are recognised and relate to those experienced in infertile and fertile women, though their relation to chronological or menarchal age is as yet uncertain. These data suggest that the measurement of salivary progesterone at premenarche, adolescence and maturity is a feasible, though statistically difficult, study for prospective identification of individuals at risk for breast cancer.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

Automated continuous-flow radioimmunoassay for salivary estriol.

We have automated a radioimmunoassay for salivary estriol by using the "Southmead" continuous-flow system. The assay, based on a well-validated manual assay, involves a Sepharose-coupled antiserum and an 125I-radioligand. The antibody-bound and free radioligand fractions are separated by on-line filtration. Performance of the automated assay has been reliable during six months of regular use, and compares favorably with that of the manual assay. Drift (0.5 nmol/L per 100 samples) and sample carryover (3%) are acceptable, and the throughput rate is 55 samples per hour. The system is suitable for the assay of the large numbers of samples generated by daily saliva specimen collection in the third trimester of pregnancy.

Autoanalysis↗
PubMed1983

Salivary cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate levels in postmenopausal women with primary breast cancer.

Cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHAS) were measured in saliva from postmenopausal women with primary breast cancer and a control group of comparable age. Specimens were collected at 2-hr intervals during wake-span for two consecutive days, and circadian rhythmicity was demonstrated for each of the hormones in both populations. The marginally elevated levels of cortisol and lower levels of DHAS associated with the cancer group, and the larger inter-subject variation, make it unlikely that these hormone measurements would be of value in identifying women at risk of developing breast cancer.

Aged↗
PubMed1983

Salivary steroid assays for assessing variation in endocrine activity.

Salivary sampling regimens are non-invasive, and therefore facilitate dynamic tests of hormone function and assessment of biological rhythms. Concentrations of neutral steroids in saliva are independent of flow rate and appear to reflect the non-protein-bound, 'free' fraction. Comparison of replicate determinations of quality control pools with determinations of samples collected at 2 min intervals allows the significance of short-term fluctuations in cortisol and testosterone secretory activity to be estimated. Samples collected at 15 min intervals provide a convenient way to estimate circadian rhythms, particularly in young children. Determination of salivary progesterone concentrations in samples collected by women daily, over extended periods of time, provides a valuable means of assessing ovarian function. Such assays may be used to monitor ovulation-induction therapy.

Adult↗
PubMed1982

A simple high-throughput enzymeimmunoassay for norethisterone (norethindrone).

A direct enzymeimmunoassay having the sensitivity required for determining norethisterone concentrations in small aliquots of plasma (10 microliter) has been developed. This assay featured a solid phase antiserum raised against a norethisterone-11 alpha-hemisuccinyl/bovine serum albumin conjugate. The antiserum was coupled to cyanogen bromide-activated magnetisable cellulose, and antibody-bound and free fractions were separated by a simple magnetic device. A norethisterone/horseradish peroxidase conjugate was used as the label; o-phenylenediamine/hydrogen peroxide being the substrate for colour development. The results obtained by this direct EIA, which allowed processing of at least 100 samples per day, were compared with those of a well-validated enzymeimmunoassay featuring solvent extraction and centrifugal separation of antibody-bound and free steroid; the results were in excellent agreement (n = 30; r greater than 0.99) suggesting the usefulness of the simple high-throughput procedure for processing the large sample numbers generated by field investigations and pharmacokinetic studies.

Centrifugation↗
PubMed1982

Menarche and subsequent ovarian function in girls with congenital adrenal hyperplasia.

The mean age at menarche in 6 girls on treatment for congenital adrenal hyperplasia from infancy was 13.6 years (range 12.6-14.5 years). Menarche or regular menses did not occur until plasma testosterone concentrations were within normal limits. This was achieved using single daily dexamethasone, 0.25-0.75 mg/day. The potency of this glucocorticoid in suppressing adrenal steroid biosynthesis relative to cortisol is about 80:1. The onset of regular, ovulatory menstrual cycles, as judged by daily salivary progesterone profiles, was achieved within 2-3 years of menarche using this treatment regimen. Such patients have a good prognosis for normal fertility.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1982

Simultaneous plasma and saliva steroid measurements as an index of control in congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH). A longitudinal study.

A detailed study involving simultaneous measurements of plasma and saliva 17OH-progesterone (17OHP), and plasma testosterone concentrations was performed at frequent intervals over a 3-year period in 16 patients with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH). There was a close correlation between the results of these three biochemical measurements over a wide range of concentrations. The practical application of a sensitive saliva 17OHP radioimmunoassay permitted detailed monitoring of patients receiving various glucocorticoid preparations through repeated frequent saliva sampling over the whole day. When the results of serial steroid measurements were analysed in relation to growth velocity in prepubertal patients, it was possible to device upper limits of 40 nmol/l, 0.8 nmol/l and 1,500 pmol/l for plasma 17OHP, plasma testosterone and saliva 17OHP concentrations, respectively, in well-controlled patients. Applying these guidelines from the early onset of treatment should ensure normal growth potential in treated CAH children, at least until puberty.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1982

Radioimmunoassay for salivary estriol, with use of an 125I radioligand and a solid-phase separation technique.

This simple, rapid radioimmunoassay for salivary unconjugated estriol in the third trimester of pregnancy is based on use of a Sepharose-coupled antiserum and a radioiodinated tracer, and requires only a 15-min incubation. Estriol conjugates are shown not to be present in saliva in significant concentrations; therefore a preliminary extraction is unnecessary. Determinations of unconjugated estriol in matched specimens of plasma and saliva correlate well (r = 0.95). A provisional normal range for 30 weeks to term agrees closely with those reported by others. This assay can give results quickly for the large numbers of specimens generated by weekly or daily sampling regimes.

Cross Reactions↗