RU-486 as an antiprogesterone steroid: from receptor to contragestion and beyond
Article Abstract:
Oral contraceptive technology is aimed at preventing pregnancy by suppressing ovulation with the use of hormones. Another approach to contraceptive technology has been to develop an agent that would act to abort a fetus immediately after fertilization has taken place. The drug RU-486 prevents the hormone needed to establish and maintain a pregnancy from working in the uterus by chemically attaching to the cell receptors that are specifically designed for progesterone. This antiprogesterone agent therefore acts to interrupt an early pregnancy by creating an uterine environment hostile to pregnancy. RU-486 is also helpful in aiding difficult abortion and deliveries, although its effect on the fetus are unknown. In France, RU-486 is being used in combination with prostaglandin, a hormone-like agent, in more than 2,000 cases per month for complete abortions. Current methods of mechanical abortions can cause death, infertility and other serious complications. The RU-486 method is 95 percent effective in producing an abortion within 8 weeks, although 2 to 3 percent are incomplete and require further intervention. The use of RU-486 during a particular phase of the menstrual cycle, the follicular phase, can also prevent ovulation. The potential uses of RU-486 require further evaluation, but the drug appears promising in preventing and interrupting a pregnancy.
Publication Name: JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical Association
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0098-7484
Year: 1989
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Marfan syndrome, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy findings underline avoidance of some sports
Article Abstract:
Genetic screening for two hereditary diseases that can affect the heart will allow individuals with the genetic defects to avoid strenuous exercise. Marfan syndrome is a disorder of connective tissue that can cause sudden death from heart disease as a result of weakened heart valves or blood vessels. It has been traced to a defect in the gene for the protein fibrillin. The defect can be detected prenatally using chorionic villus sampling. Familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy may involve the gene for the protein myosin, which is partly responsible for muscle contraction and relaxation. Fifteen different defects have been identified so far, causing thickening of heart muscle that can range from mild to severe. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is the most common cause of death from heart disease in athletes.
Publication Name: JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical Association
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0098-7484
Year: 1992
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