Amniotic fluid and maternal serum leptin levels in pregnant women who subsequently develop preeclampsia

Author(s):  
Te-Fu Chan ◽  
Jinu-Huang Su ◽  
Yueh-Fang Chung ◽  
Yu-Hsin Hsu ◽  
Yao-Tsung Yeh ◽  
...  
1981 ◽  
Vol 97 (4) ◽  
pp. 559-561 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Lehtovirta ◽  
T. Ranta

Abstract. The effect of short-term bromocriptine treatment on amniotic fluid and maternal prolactin concentrations was studied in 9 pregnant women in the first half of pregnancy. Bromocriptine suppressed the maternal serum prolactin level, but had no effect on the amniotic fluid level. Since both foetal and maternal prolactin secretion are suppressed by bromocriptine our results suggest that amniotic fluid prolactin is produced by extrapituitary tissues, which do not contain dopamine receptors.


2005 ◽  
Vol 230 (4) ◽  
pp. 251-254 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Daniel Castracane ◽  
Andrew G. Hendrickx ◽  
Michael C. Henson

Leptin is a hormone that is produced during mammalian pregnancy in the placental trophoblast and other tissues, including! fetal and maternal adipocytes. Synthesis of the polypeptide and the presence of its specific receptors throughout the human maternal fetoplacental unit suggest direct effects on conceptus growth and development. However, both the physiologic roles of leptin and the mechanisms regulating leptin synthesis in human pregnancy differ from those in laboratory and domestic species, necessitating the development of nonhuman primate research models. Therefore, we compared serum leptin concentrations in nonpregnant and pregnant women with those in both old world nonhuman primates (i.e., baboon, rhesus monkey, cynomolgus monkey) and new world nonhuman primates (i.e., squirrel monkey, titi monkey). As expected, maternal leptin levels were elevated in human and baboon pregnancies (P < 0.05 and P < 0.001, respectively). Levels in both species of old world monkeys were also greatly enhanced (P < 0.001). Although maternal serum concentrations were slightly elevated compared to nonpregnant levels in both species of new world monkeys, overall concentrations were dramatically lower than for either old world primates or humans. Results provide comparisons of serum leptin concentrations in pregnant and nonpregnant humans and baboons with those in both old and new world monkeys and further characterize these nonhuman primates as models for the investigation of leptin dynamics in pregnancy.


2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roberta Rizzo ◽  
Liliana Gabrielli ◽  
Daria Bortolotti ◽  
Valentina Gentili ◽  
Giulia Piccirilli ◽  
...  

Human leukocyte antigen-G (HLA-G) is a nonclassical HLA class I antigen that is expressed during pregnancy contributing to maternal-fetal tolerance. HLA-G can be expressed as membrane-bound and soluble forms. HLA-G expression increases strongly during viral infections such as congenital human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infections, with functional consequences in immunoregulation. In this work we investigated the expression of soluble (s)HLA-G and beta-2 microglobulin (component of HLA) molecules in correlation with the risk of transmission and severity of congenital HCMV infection. We analyzed 182 blood samples from 130 pregnant women and 52 nonpregnant women and 56 amniotic fluid samples from women experiencing primary HCMV infection. The median levels of sHLA-G in maternal serum of women with primary HCMV infection were higher in comparison with nonprimary and uninfected pregnant women (p<0.001). AF from HCMV symptomatic fetuses presented higher sHLA-G levels in comparison with infected asymptomatic fetuses (p<0.001), presence of HLA-G free-heavy chain, and a concentration gradient from amniotic fluid to maternal blood. No significant statistical difference of beta-2 microglobulin median levels was observed between all different groups. Our results suggest the determination of sHLA-G molecules in both maternal blood and amniotic fluid as a promising biomarker of diagnosis of maternal HCMV primary infection and fetal HCMV disease.


Obesity Facts ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Małgorzata Stefaniak ◽  
Ewa Dmoch-Gajzlerska

<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> Leptin is a polypeptide hormone, and in pregnancy, it is secreted by the placenta and maternal and fetal adipose tissues. Normal leptin production is a factor responsible for uncomplicated gestation, embryo development, and fetal growth. The study compared maternal serum and cord blood leptin concentrations at delivery in normal pregnancies and in pregnancies complicated by intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). <b><i>Methods:</i></b> The study was performed in 25 pregnant women with isolated IUGR and in 194 pregnant women without any complications. Leptin concentrations in maternal serum and in cord blood samples collected at delivery were measured by ELISA and subsequently analyzed by maternal body mass index (BMI), mode of delivery, and infant gender and birth weight. For comparative analyses of normally distributed variables, parametric tests were used, that is, the Student <i>t</i> test and a one-way ANOVA. The nonparametric Mann-Whitney test was used when the distribution was not normal. The Pearson correlation coefficient was calculated to assess the correlation between normally distributed variables (<i>p</i> &#x3c; 0.05). <b><i>Results:</i></b> In pregnancies complicated by IUGR, the mean maternal serum leptin concentration at delivery was significantly higher (52.73 ± 30.49 ng/mL) than in normal pregnancies (37.17 ± 28.07 ng/mL) (<i>p</i> = 0.01). The mean cord blood leptin concentration in pregnancies complicated by IUGR was 7.97 ± 4.46 ng/mL and significantly lower than in normal pregnancies (14.78 ± 15.97 ng/mL) (<i>p</i> = 0.04). In normal pregnancies, but not in pregnancies complicated by IUGR, a statistically significant correlation was established between maternal serum leptin concentrations and maternal BMI at delivery (<i>r</i> = 0.22; <i>p</i> = 0.00). No statistically significant correlation was found between cord blood leptin concentrations and maternal BMI in either study subjects or controls. In normal pregnancies, but not in pregnancies complicated by IUGR, a strong correlation was observed between cord blood leptin concentrations and birth weight (<i>r</i> = 0.23; <i>p</i> = 0.00). <b><i>Conclusions:</i></b> Elevated maternal blood leptin concentrations in pregnancies complicated by IUGR may indicate a significant adverse effect of elevated leptin on fetal growth. The differences in leptin concentrations, measured in maternal serum and in cord blood, between the study subjects and controls suggest that deregulated leptin levels may increase the risk of obstetric complications associated with placental insufficiency.


2008 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Aydin ◽  
S. P. Guzel ◽  
S. Kumru ◽  
Suna Aydin ◽  
O. Akin ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Marina Pekar-Zlotin ◽  
Anat Alufi Naim ◽  
Perry Eliassi Revivo ◽  
Nadav Kugler ◽  
Yaakov Melcer ◽  
...  

<b><i>Objective:</i></b> In 2011, the Israeli Ministry of Health (MOH) published standard guidelines for the follow-up of pregnant women infected by CMV, recommending that amniocentesis be performed in cases of maternal serum viral seroconversion or abnormal sonographic findings suggestive of CMV, in order to prove fetal infection before electing for pregnancy termination. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> A retrospective cohort study was performed, describing 448 pregnant women from 2006 to 2017. We collected data from all women that elected to continue their pregnancies after seroconversion and also of those who chose to undergo pregnancy termination. Subsequently, a telephone survey was then conducted to record outcomes of the newborns of women with CMV seroconversion during pregnancy. <b><i>Results:</i></b> 325 (73%) women chose to continue their pregnancy, while 123 (27%) opted for termination of pregnancy. We found that pregnancy termination due to CMV infection was reduced by 7%, from 72 cases (32%) to 51 cases (25%) after the implementation of the MOH guidelines in 2011. In addition, 182/305 (60%) of women responded to our telephone questionnaire regarding newborn outcomes. Of these women, 45/305 (14%) reported complications, and no correlation was found between the prenatal findings and postnatal outcome among those who have responded to our survey. <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> Implementation of the new MOH guidelines has reduced the rate of pregnancy termination, without increasing the rate of neonatal complications in Israel with a similar outcome of complication rate as reported in the literature.


Author(s):  
Margit Steinholt ◽  
Shanshan Xu ◽  
Sam Ol Ha ◽  
Duong Trong Phi ◽  
Maria Lisa Odland ◽  
...  

We conducted a cross-sectional study among 194 pregnant women from two low-income settings in Cambodia. The inclusion period lasted from October 2015 through December 2017. Maternal serum samples were analyzed for persistent organic pollutants (POPs). The aim was to study potential effects on birth outcomes. We found low levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorine pesticides (OCP), except for heptachlors, β-hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH), heptachlor epoxide, and p,p’-DDE. There were few differences between the two study locations. However, the women from the poorest areas had significantly higher concentrations of p,p’-DDE (p < 0.001) and hexachlorobenzene (HCB) (p = 0.002). The maternal factors associated with exposure were parity, age, residential area, and educational level. Despite low maternal levels of polychlorinated biphenyls, we found significant negative associations between the PCB congeners 99 (95% CI: −2.51 to −0.07), 138 (95% CI: −1.28 to −0.32), and 153 (95% CI: −1.06 to −0.05) and gestational age. Further, there were significant negative associations between gestational age, birth length, and maternal levels of o,p’-DDE. Moreover, o,p’-DDD had positive associations with birth weight, and both p,p’-DDD and o,p’-DDE were positively associated with the baby’s ponderal index. The poorest population had higher exposure and less favorable outcomes.


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