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Background: The effects of intravenous oxytocics on blood loss and uterine contraction during cesarean section were studied in 136 parturients., Methods: The subjects were randomized to receive either methylergometrine 0.2 mg bolus (MEM group; n = 34), oxytocin 10 IU over 30 seconds (OX 30 s group; n = 34), oxytocin 10 IU over 5 minutes (OX 5 m group; n = 34) or oxytocin 10 IU over 15 minutes (OX 15 m group; n = 34). The subjects received spinal anesthesia with 11-12 mg of intrathecal isobaric bupivacaine (0.5%). Additional intramyometrial prostaglandin F2alpha (PGF2alpha) was administered when obstetrician diagnosed uterine atony. We analyzed total amount of blood loss including amniotic fluid and number of parturients that received additional intramyometrial PGF2alpha to evaluate uterine contraction., Results: The amounts of blood loss in the OX 30 s and OX 5 m groups were significantly lower than in the MEM group, and the numbers of parturients received additional PGF2alpha in all the oxytocin treat ment groups were significantly lower than in the MEM group (P < 0.05). There were no significant differences in blood loss and uterine contractior among the oxytocin treatment groups., Conclusions: Intravenous oxytocin 10 IU over 30 seconds to 15 minutes was effective to decrease blood loss and uterine contraction than intravenous methylergometrine 0.2 mg bolus.

Extracts of human term placenta were fractionated by Sephadex G-75 gel filtration and assayed for immunoreactive ACTH. Both high and low molecular weight protein fractions were detected to be immunologically reactive toward anti-human ACTH (1--39 alpha) antibody. For the extraction of low molecular weight ACTH from human term placenta (pl. -ACTH), a glacial acetic acid-acetone mixture was employed, while a pH 3.0-HCl solution was used for high molecular weight immunoreactive ACTH. The high molecular weight immunoreactive ACTH fraction (F-I), co-eluted with horse hemoglobin from a Sephadex G-75.column in 0.1M acetic acid, was essentially devoid of low molecular weight materials as revealed by polyacrylamide gel disc electrophoresis at pHs 9.5 and 4.3. Tryptic digestion of F-1 at pH 8.1 and 37 degrees C for 4 hr with E/S of 1/100, followed by fractionation with a Sephadex G-75, resulted in the formation of lower molecular weight fragments. One fragment was eluted at the same position as that of porcine ACTH with a recovery of 86% of immunoreactivity of F-I. Another fragment which was eluted last exhibited positive beta-endorphin receptor binding activity. These results suggest the presence of a common precursor protein to ACTH and beta-endorphin in human term placenta.