α and β-defensins and bacterial vaginosis as preterm birth predictors. A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Preterm birth is an entity with potential damage to the newborn and it is the leading cause of mortality in children under 5 years old. Even though research on this topic has been increasing in the last decade, it has not reflected in a reduction in the incidence of this problem. Nowadays, raised cervical-vaginal fetal fibronectin concentration and short cervical length are considered the only predictors of spontaneous preterm birth [1], and given the adverse and severe consequences of preterm birth, the early identification of women with a higher risk of presenting this type of delivery is crucial for pregnancy care. Several studies have tried to find new inflammation markers that may allow the early identification of pregnant women at high risk of premature delivery, because as on many diseases, inflammatory mediators play a role on the pathophysiology of this entity. This literature review aims to discuss recent findings regarding to the association between the innate immune response, specifically β-defensins with preterm birth.

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Prediction of spontaneous preterm birth in asymptomatic twin pregnancies with the use of combined fetal fibronectin and cervical length

American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology ◽

10.1016/j.ajog.2009.06.018 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 201 (3) ◽

pp. 313.e1-313.e5 ◽

Cited By ~ 33

Author(s):

Nathan S. Fox ◽

Daniel H. Saltzman ◽

Chad K. Klauser ◽

Danielle Peress ◽

Christina V. Gutierrez ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Preterm Birth ◽

Cervical Length ◽

Spontaneous Preterm Birth ◽

Fetal Fibronectin ◽

Twin Pregnancies

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Development and validation of a tool incorporating cervical length and quantitative fetal fibronectin to predict spontaneous preterm birth in asymptomatic high-risk women. K. Kuhrt , E. Smout, N. Hezelgrave, P. T. Seed, J. Carter and A. H. Shennan. Ultras

Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology ◽

10.1002/uog.15826 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 47 (1) ◽

pp. 15-16

Author(s):

N. A. B. Simpson

Keyword(s):

Preterm Birth ◽

High Risk ◽

Cervical Length ◽

Spontaneous Preterm Birth ◽

Fetal Fibronectin ◽

High Risk Women ◽

Development And Validation

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Cervical length and quantitative fetal fibronectin in the prediction of spontaneous preterm birth in asymptomatic women with congenital uterine anomaly

American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology ◽

10.1016/j.ajog.2019.05.032 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 221 (4) ◽

pp. 341.e1-341.e9 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Alexandra E. Ridout ◽

Linda A. Ibeto ◽

Georgia N Ross ◽

Joanna R. Cook ◽

Lynne Sykes ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Preterm Birth ◽

Cervical Length ◽

Spontaneous Preterm Birth ◽

Fetal Fibronectin ◽

Uterine Anomaly ◽

Congenital Uterine Anomaly ◽

Asymptomatic Women

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Evaluation of additive effect of quantitative fetal fibronectin to cervical length for prediction of spontaneous preterm birth among asymptomatic low-risk women

Acta Obstetricia Et Gynecologica Scandinavica ◽

10.1111/aogs.12907 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 95 (8) ◽

pp. 948-955 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Sushma Jwala ◽

Tino L. Tran ◽

Courtney Terenna ◽

Ali McGregor ◽

Jocelyn Andrel ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Preterm Birth ◽

Cervical Length ◽

Low Risk ◽

Additive Effect ◽

Spontaneous Preterm Birth ◽

Fetal Fibronectin ◽

Low Risk Women

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Detection of fetal fibronectin in twin pregnancies in relation to gestational age

Sao Paulo Medical Journal ◽

10.1590/s1516-31801999000300005 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 117 (3) ◽

pp. 121-124 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Tenilson Amaral Oliveira ◽

Carla Muniz Pinto de Carvalho ◽

Eduardo de Souza ◽

Corintio Mariani-Neto ◽

Luiz Camano

Keyword(s):

Preterm Birth ◽

Relative Risk ◽

Gestational Age ◽

Premature Delivery ◽

Spontaneous Preterm Birth ◽

Clinical Value ◽

Fetal Fibronectin ◽

Predictive Values ◽

Twin Pregnancies ◽

Study Setting

CONTEXT: The presence of fetal fibronectin in the cervix or vagina has been investigated as a possible marker for the risk of preterm birth. Fetal fibronectin in cervical fluid can provide direct evidence of pathologic changes at the interface of fetal and maternal tissues. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the presence of fetal fibronectin as a predictor of premature delivery in twin pregnancies in relation to gestational age. DESIGN: Acuracy study. SETTING: University referral unit. PARTICIPANTS: 52 pregnant women with twin pregnancies and gestational age of between 24 and 34 weeks. MAIN MEASUREMENTS: Sensivity, specifity, predictive values and relative risk ratios of the correlation between fetal fibronectin and preterm birth before 34 and 37 weeks using an immediate-reading membrane test on cervicovaginal secretions obtained from participants. RESULT: The sensitivity varied between 66.7% and 85.7%, whereas the specificity was from 58.3% to 81.8% according to gestational age at the time of sampling. The relative risk of spontaneous preterm birth after a positive fetal fibronectin test, as compared with a negative fetal fibronectin test, rose from 2.8 at 24-26 weeks to 4.1 at 27-30 weeks. Analyses of the risk of delivery before 34 weeks were not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Fetal fibronectin in the cervicovaginal secretions of patients with twin pregnancies is a useful tool for the early identification of twin pregnancies likely to deliver before 37 weeks. However, the clinical value of the fibronectin test is limited because of low indices for prediction of delivery before 34 weeks. The best period for performing the fetal fibronectin test in twin pregnancies to predict preterm delivery is between 27 and 30 weeks.

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Evaluation of additive effect of quantitative fetal fibronectin to cervical length for prediction of spontaneous preterm birth among asymptomatic high-risk women

The Journal of Maternal-Fetal & Neonatal Medicine ◽

10.1080/14767058.2018.1555816 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 33 (15) ◽

pp. 2628-2634 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Tino L. Tran ◽

Sushma Jwala ◽

Courtney Terenna ◽

Ali McGregor ◽

Anita Das ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Preterm Birth ◽

High Risk ◽

Cervical Length ◽

Additive Effect ◽

Spontaneous Preterm Birth ◽

Fetal Fibronectin ◽

High Risk Women

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Correlation of cervical length, fetal fibronectin, phIGFBP-1, and cytokines in spontaneous preterm birth up to 14 days from sampling

Journal of Perinatal Medicine ◽

10.1515/jpm-2014-0275 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 43 (5) ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Marija Hadži-Lega ◽

Ana Daneva Markova ◽

Milan Stefanovic ◽

Mile Tanturovski

Keyword(s):

Preterm Birth ◽

Preterm Delivery ◽

Preterm Labor ◽

Cervical Length ◽

Outcome Variable ◽

Spontaneous Preterm Birth ◽

Fetal Fibronectin ◽

Tnf Α ◽

Vaginal Swabs ◽

The Relationship

AbstractThe aim of this study was to determine the relationship between sonographic cervical length, fetal fibronectin (fFN), phIGFBP-1 (actim partus test), cytokines (IL-6, IL-2R, and TNF-α), and spontaneous preterm birth (SPTB) up to 14 days from sampling.Fifty-eight patients were recruited in a period of 6 months from September 2013 until March 2014 with symptoms or complaints suggestive of preterm labor. Consenting women were treated according to usual hospital protocol, with addition of vaginal swabs taken for fetal fibronectin, phIGFBP-1 (actim partus test) and cervical IL6, IL2R, and TNF-α. The outcome variable was occurrence of preterm delivery within 14 days from the day of hospital admission.Thirty-six patients (62.07%) were delivered within 14 days from admission. Our results indicated that the cervical length significantly inversely correlates with the concentration of IL-6 in the CVF (Spearman’s coefficient R=–0.382, P<0.05). Cervical length also correlated with a positive phIGFBP-1 test, i.e., patients with a positive test had an average cervical length of 18.5±4.63 mm, which is significantly lower than patients with a negative test –23.43±7.39 mm (P=0.003).The studied biochemical markers were only moderately successful in the prediction of preterm delivery.

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