The Beth Israel Hospital Association

Beth Israel Hospital

Jack Ludmir

Juan G Alvarez

Processes for detecting or quantitating a particular phosphoglyceride in a sample containing the phosphoglyceride and other lipids and clinical uses for the process (e.g. for diagnosing improperly functioning lungs and other conditions) are disclosed.

Processes for quantitating phosphoglycerides in a lipid mixture and

The present invention provides an accurate, rapid and precise methodology for assessing maturity of the lungs in a fetus prior to birth, especially for premature fetuses having a gestation period of 37 weeks or less. The methodology quantitatively measures a specific phosphoglyceride, dipalmitoyl phosphatidyl choline, in samples of amniotic fluid for the assessment of fetal lung maturity. The process enzymatically cleaves such phophoglycerides and preferably detects the resulting diacylglycerols by HPTLC-reflectance spectrodensitometry.

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Chestnut Hill, MA, United States of America

Jack Ludmir