ALPHA-FETOPROTEIN. AFP was first recognized as a fetal-specific globulin in 1956. It is synthesized in the yolk sac, gastrointestinal tract and liver of the fetus. Fetal plasma levels peak at 10 to 13 weeks' gestation and decline progressively until term, 7 while maternal levels peak in the third trimester.2 Laboratory measurements of AFP levels are reported as multiples of the median (MOM).etal plasma levels peak at 10 to 13 weeks' gestation and decline progressively until term, 7 while maternal levels peak in the third trimester. 2 Laboratory measurements of AFP levels are reported as multiples of the median (MOM).
Minority population growing in the United States, census estimates show. Minorities now make up about 35% of the country's population, and about 57% of the population in California. Meanwhile, the white population continues to decline.
The Latino population, already the nationâs largest minority group, will triple in size and will account for most of the nationâs population growth from 2005 through 2050. Hispanics will make up 29% of the U.S. population in 2050, compared with 14% in 2005. Births in the United States will play a growing role in Hispanic and Asian population growth; as a result, a smaller proportion of both groups will be foreign-born in 2050 than is the case now.