Clinical Chemistry Blog Notes 21B

Estrogen is a hormone that is found in three types, estrone, estradiol and estriol. Urinary estrogen test is done to monitor and asses the fetus during pregnancy. Estrogen especially estriol levels are known to have increased levels in the 24 hour urine during pregnancy or during the 9 month course of pregnancy.

This test can also be ordered when a patient is experiencing infertility or when taking a hormone replacement therapy to check for the effectiveness of the treatment.

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Kober reaction is the primary assay for urinary estrogen. In this assay the urine is heated in a strong aqueous sulfuric acid solution containing hydroquinone.

Before analysis the sample must be checked for glucose concentration. High levels of glucose can affect the reaction and can form acetaldehyde when reacted to hydroquinone thus giving false negative results. Hydrolysis of estrogen is accomplished by either adding HCl, heat or enzymatically. Ethyl acetate extraction separates the steroid hormones from other materials.

After hydrolysis and exclusion of the other urine materials, a combination of hydroquinone and sulfuric acid is added to the tube containing the estrogens. The tube is then heated to turn out a reddish-brown color solution. Absorbance is then determined spectrophotometry at 474, 512 and 556 nanometers. Followed by an Allen correction to estimate the estrogen concentration using standard solutions for calibration.

This assay is only relevant during the middle and latter stages of pregnancy or during the 15^th to 20^th week of gestation. Flourometric assays have a high sensitivity and accuracy for cases of non pregnancy.

Can cause false negative results:

· Ampicillin treatment

· Antibiotics

· Hydrochlorothiazine

· Meprobamate

Can cause false positive results:

· Meprobamate

· L-dopa

· Phenolphthalein

Increased and decreased levels of estrogen can be seen in patient with: click for website

If there is no drug testing before admission, youths who are addicted to this bad habit can enter freely to school and can influence other students to be hooked also in this vice, Thus increasing the population of drug addicts in the community.

We can always see these signs posted on wrappers and boxes of cigarette, but even if smokers often see them, they just simply ignore it and keep on practicing their favorite vice. .Smoking

But still what keeps them from smoking even though they are aware of the hazard this hobby can cause? One factor would be availability. Compared to cocaine, marijuana etc. cigarette is legally sold in almost every store in the streets. This gives the smoker more products to buy which makes him/her more hooked to it.

Peer factor or environmental factor can also affect the rate of smokers especially the youth; non-smokers are tempted to try smoking because they can see their friends or members of their family enjoying the habit.

Another factor is that Cigarette contains nicotine an addicting substance, this substance can travel to the brain faster than any injected substance of abuse because it does not need to travel intravenously for the smoker to feel its effect

The second hormone is estrogen which is also tested for fertility problems. Estrogen is comes in three types estrone, estradiol and estriol.

Estrone test is used to determine and screen patients for ovarian tumors polcystic ovarian syndrome, Turner’s syndrome and in males for gynecomastia ( man boobs ). While Estradiol test is used to evaluate ovarian function estradiol levels are increased in cases of gynecomastia in males, early puberty in females and to determine whether the cost of amenorrhea is from menopause or pregnancy and in some cases diseases associated with the reproductive system. On the other hand Estriol test is used to monitor high-risk pregnancy this test is done at the same time each day to monitor estriol level. Decreased level of estriol may indicate genetic diseases such as adrenal abnormality, down syndrome and neural tube defects.