Abstract
A modification of the Ascheim-Zondek method was reported for the rapid diagnosis of early pregnancy. 1 The luteinizing hormone was concentrated in samples of urine and injected in 2 doses into immature female rats which were autopsied within 36 hours. A total of 265 specimens collected up to that time was diagnosed without error.
During the past 2 years I have attempted to shorten the time required for diagnosis and to use immature female mice as well as rats in performing the test. Notwithstanding the preference expressed in certain quarters for the rabbit as a test animal in the diagnosis of pregnancy by the Friedman 2 technic, this method does not appear to offer any special advantages. If greater accuracy can be obtained by another method and the time required for diagnosis be equal to that claimed for the rabbit intravenous technic, the advantages attending the use of small animals become quite obvious.
The procedure shortens the time required for diagnosis to 18-24 hours instead of 36 hours. A smaller quantity of urine is needed and hence the amount of alcohol used in the purification process is reduced to one-third of that required in the older method. A single subcutaneous injection is sufficient. Alkaline urines are acidified slightly with acetic acid before concentrating. Preservatives such as boric acid or ether-tricresol do not interfere with the test.
To 50 cc. of recently voided morning urine are added 4 volumes of 95% ethyl alcohol and the mixture is placed in the ice-chest at a temperature of 4 to 6° C. for several hours, or until the precipitate has settled out. (This can be hastened by centrifuging the material promptly.) The clear supernatant fluid is decanted and the residue admixed with a small volume of alcohol is placed in a centrifuge tube and centrifuged briefly to pack the sediment.
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