Evaluation of Amniotic Fluid Elastolytic Activity: Can it be a Method of Fetal Lung Maturity Assessment? A Comparison with Gluck's L/S Test

Abstract

Amniotic fluid elastolytic activity was assessed in a group of 120 women who delivered preterm infants and in 35 women who delivered at term. Amniotic fluid elastolytic activity decreases as pregnancy progresses. The lecithin-to-sphingomyelin (L/S) ratio in women's amniotic fluid was determined by the method developed by Gluck and associates [6] and elastolytic activity by that developed by Mehdi and associates. A significant negative correlation was found between the amniotic fluid L/S ratio and amniotic fluid elastolytic activity (r = -0.932; p < 0.001). The border value of elastolytic activity that indicates lung maturity (L/S ratio equal to or greater than 2) is 2.01 +/- 0.05 mmol/min ml. In the amniotic elastolytic activity test, it is the value that differentiates mature from immature lungs. The amniotic fluid elastolytic activity test is characterized by high sensitivity (91.43%) and specificity (91.67%), high positive prognostic value (76.19%) and low negative prognostic value (2.65%). The test parameters do not therefore differ greatly from those of the Gluck test. Moreover, the amniotic fluid elastolytic activity test is cheaper and takes less time to perform.

Lysosomal Biology and Function: Modern View of Cellular Debris Bin

“…P2X4 receptor belongs to the family of purinoceptors and is a Ca 2+ -permeable channel ( Figure 2) widely expressed in the central and peripheral nervous system, epithelial cells and smooth muscle cells [119]. P2X4 is primarily localized within the lysosomal compartment, wherein they are targeted via di-leucine and tyrosine motifs and trafficked to the plasma membrane upon lysosome exocytosis [120].…”