Habitual use of bidet toilets aggravates vaginal microflora, either by depriving normal microflora or facilitating opportunistic infection of fecal bacteria and other microorganisms.

The circulating levels of placental protein 12 (PP12), a somatomedin-binding protein, were measured by radioimmunoassay in 37 postmenopausal women with ovarian tumors. Elevated levels (above 47 pg/l) were observed in 16 of 25 patients (64%) with malignant and 2 of 12 patients (17%) with benign tumors. Elevated levels were more frequent and higher in patients with advanced disease. Within 1 week of surgery, the levels fell in 13 of 17 cases (77%). In addition to clinical interest, these results contribute to our knowledge of carrier proteins of growth factors in patients bearing malignant ovarian neoplasms.Cancer 58:2294-2297,1986.LACENTAL PROTEIN 12 (PPl2), a glycoprotein isolated P from the human placenta by Bohn and Kraus in 1980, has the electrophoretic mobility of an alpha-l-globulin and it contains 4.3% carbohydrate.' Depending on the method of measurement the molecular weight of PP 12 is 40,000 (gel filtration)' or 34,000 (SDS-gel electrophor e~i s ) .~ Our recent studies have shown that PP 12 synthesis takes place in decidualized endometrium but not in pla~e n t a .~-~ PP12 also has been detected in the ovarian follicular fluid and luteinized granulosa cells6 This finding led us to study the serum concentration of PP 12 in patients with ovarian tumors. Materials and MethodsSerum samples were obtained preoperatively from 37 postmenopausal women (mean age, 64 years; range, 48-8 1 years) with ovarian tumors. The tumor was malignant in 2 1 patients (mucinous cystadenocarcinoma in 4 cases; serous cystadenocarcinoma in 10 cases; endometrial adenocarcinoma in 1 case; clear cell adenocarcinoma in 1 case; poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma in 3 cases;

The serum concentration of placental protein 14 (PP14) was measured by radioimmunoassay in 129 apparently healthy pregnant women at 33-40 weeks, and the results were compared with those of 40 women with gestational hypertension either with or without proteinuria at similar weeks. In normal pregnancy, maternal serum PP14 levels decreased towards term. Therefore, the results were expressed as multiples of the normal median for each week. In gestational hypertension, the values were higher than normal (p less than 0.001): they were above the normal median in 32 (80%) cases (p less than 0.005), and above the normal 90th percentile in 15 (38%) cases (p less than 0.001). The presence or absence of proteinuria did not affect the result. Since recent findings suggest that PP14 is synthesized by late pregnancy decidua and not by the placenta, our results suggest that decidua may be affected in gestational hypertension.

Datura stramonium agglutinin (DSA) binds the asparagine‐linked sugar chains commonly found in the human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) purified from urine of patients with invasive mole or choriocarcinoma, but not in that of normal pregnant women or patients with hydatidiform mole. With the use of an immobilized DSA column, a novel method to discriminate urinary hCGs from various trophoblastic diseases was developed.

Objective. Can polymer-based immunohistochemical staining of p57kip2 replace DNA analysis as an inexpensive means of differentiating complete mole from partial mole or hydropic abortion? Methods and Materials. Original paraffin-embedded tissue blocks from 14 equivocal cases were turned over to our laboratory and examined by immunohistochemical staining of p57kip2. Results. Four of the 14 cases showed clearly negative nuclear staining in cytotrophoblasts and villous stromal cells: these results were fully concordant with the control staining. The remaining 10 cases showed apparently positive staining in cytotrophoblasts and villous stromal cells. Without DNA analysis we are able to clearly differentiate the 4 cases of complete mole among the 14 equivocal cases. During follow-up, secondary low-risk gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (GTN) developed in 1 of the 4 cases of complete mole: the GTN was treated by single-agent chemotherapy. No subsequent changes were observed during follow-up in the other cases. Conclusion. Polymer-based immunohistochemical staining of p57kip2 (paternally imprinted gene, expressed from maternal allele) is a very effective method that can be used to differentiate androgenetic complete mole from partial mole and hydropic abortion. We might be able to avoid the cost of DNA analysis.