Binding of beta2-GP I to anionic phospholipids is thought to be the major antigen required in the reaction of anticardiolipin antibodies to phospholipids. The aim of this study was to investigate the changes of anti-beta2-GP I IgG during the first and second trimester of pregnancy and the relationship between the levels of anti-beta2-GP I and fetoplacental antigens and the correlation between anti-beta2-GP I IgG and antibodies against oxidized low-density lipoprotein IgG (oLAb) in serum of pregnant women. We determined anticardiolipin antibodies (ACA) IgG and maternal serum levels of alpha1-fetoprotein (AFP), human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG) and trophoblast-specific beta1-glycoprotein (SP1) in 204 pregnant women in the first and second trimester. From this group we selected 52 serum samples positive for ACA IgG and 16 samples negative for ACA IgG. In the samples of selected patients, the levels of anti-b2-GP I IgG and oLAb IgG were determined. Anti-b2-GP I IgG levels significantly decreased in the second trimester (6.2±9.3 U/ml, mean ± S.D.) in comparison with the first trimester (8.3±10.4 U/ml) (p=0.05). Multiple of median (MoM) AFP correlated negatively but not significantly in the first trimester with anti-b2-GP I (r = -0.261, p = 0.12). In the second trimester this correlation was significantly negative (r = -0.278, p = 0.04). The Spearman correlation coefficients for MoM HCG and anti-beta2-GP I were 0.158 for the first trimester and 0.174 for the second trimester. MoM SP1 also did not correlate significantly with anti-beta2-GP I in both trimesters. The correlation between anti-beta2-GP I IgG and oLAb IgG was not significant (r = -0.06). In the first trimester 40 % serum samples were positive for anti-b2-GP I IgG and negative for oLAb IgG or vice versa, while 60 % samples in the second trimester were positive only for one determined autoantibody. We can conclude that the levels of a, L. Fialová, I. Malbohan, L. Mikulíková, O. Benešová, A. Zwinger., and Obsahuje bibliografii
a1_Oxidized low density lipoproteins (oxLDL) formed in vivo induce a humoral immune response. Oxidative modification of LDL renders it immunogenic and a heterogeneous population of specific anti-oxLDL antibodies is produced. These antibodies could represent a biological marker of oxidative stress and serve as markers of atherosclerosis. Autoantibodies against oxLDL (oLAb) have been detected in human subjects practically of every age. oLAb also appear in the blood of pregnant women. Some studies have shown that the levels of antibodies to oxLDL were elevated in women with established preeclampsia. The present study was aimed to estimate the oLAb IgG levels in the first and second trimester of pregnancy. Furthermore, we estimated the correlation between maternal serum (MS) levels of oLAb and alpha-1-fetoprotein (MS AFP), human chorionic gonadotrophin (MS HCG) and trophoblast-specific-beta-1-glycoprotein (MS SP1), because these proteins are determined as a part of prenatal biochemical screening for fetal congenital abnormalities. Our study deals with the oLAb changes in women with pregnancy-induced hypertension. We also investigated the correlation between oLAb IgG and anticardiolipin antibodies IgG (ACA) in the serum of pregnant women. We examined 40 pregnant women attending Institute for Mother and Child Care for their antenatal care as outpatients. Routine blood samplings between the 9-13th week of pregnancy and 16-18th week of pregnancy were performed as a part of biochemical prenatal screening for fetal congenital abnormalities (Group 1). Their mean age was 27±4.1 years. Furthermore, we examined 26 women in the second or third trimester with pregnancy-induced hypertension (Group 2). Group 2 was compared with 49 pregnant women in the second or third trimester who were normotensive (Group 3)., a2_We used commercial standardized ELISA kits for determination of oLAb IgG, ACA IgG, MS AFP and MS HCG, MS SP1 was analyzed by single radial immunodiffusion. We did not find any differences in the levels of oLAb IgG in the first and second trimester in the women of Group 1. The correlation between oLAb and ACA IgG was not statistically significant (Spearman coefficient r=0.22, p=0.1). The correlation between oLAb IgG with MS AFP, MS HCG and MS SP1 was not statistically significant. Weak negative correlation for AFP and HCG was suggested both in the first and in the second trimester. The levels of oLAb IgG in the group of women with pregnancy-induced hypertension were significantly lower than in the group of normotensive women (348±388 U/ml v.s. 579±400 mU/ml, p<0.01). We can conclude that the levels of oLAb do not differ in the first and second trimester of gravidity. However, we cannot exclude the possible influence of an inverse relationship between oLAb IgG titers and the synthesis of fetoplacental antigens. This finding is important especially in the context of the results of prenatal biochemical screening. Pregnancy-induced hypertension is associated with lower levels of oLAb. Weak cross-reactivity between oLAb and anticardiolipin antibodies may exist but there is a possibility that there are two different populations of antibodies reacting with various antigens., L. Fialová, L. Mikulíková, I. Malbohan, O. Benešová, S. Štípek, T. Zima, A. Zwinger., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Few investigators have simultaneously evaluated leptin, soluble leptin receptor (SLR) and leptin gene polymorphisms in preeclampsia cases and controls.We examined these three biomolecular markers in 40 preeclampsia cases and 39 controls.Plasma leptin and SLR concentrations were determined using immunoassays. Genotype for the tetranucleotide
repeat (TTTC)n, polymorphism in the 3′-flanking region of the leptin gene was determined using PCR.Alleles of the polymorphism were characterized by size distributions [short repeats (class I); and long repeats (class II)].Logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratio
s (OR) and 95 % confidence intervals (CI).Leptin concentrations were
higher in our cases than in the controls (53.1±4.7 vs. 17.7±2.4 ng/ml,p<0.05).
SLR concentrations were slightly lower in our patients than in the controls (25.7±1.9 vs. 29.1±1.1 ng/ml, p>0.05). Elevated leptin (≥ 14.5 ng/ml) was associated with a 3.8-fold (CI 1.0-14.4) increased risk; whereas low SLR (< 28.5 ng/ml) was associated with a 6.3-fold (CI 1.7-23.2) increased risk of preeclampsia. The I/II genotype was associated with a 3.8-fold increased risk of preeclampsia (OR=3.8; 95 % CI 0.8-18.0); and the II/II genotype was not observed among our cases (0 % vs. 33 % p<0.001). Larger studies would be needed to confirm and further clarify the relations between functional variants in the leptin gene and preeclampsia risk.
Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), a disulphide-linked homodimeric glycoprotein that is selectively mitogenic for endothelial cells, plays an important role in vasculogenesis and angiogenesis. Preeclampsia, a relatively common complication of pregnancy that is characterized by diffuse endothelial dysfunction possibly secondary to impaired trophoblast invasion of the spiral arteries during implantation, has recently been associated with alterations in maternal serum/plasma concentrations of VEGF, and other related growth factors and their receptors. We examined the relationship of maternal plasma VEGF, sVEGF-R1 and PlGF levels to the risk of preeclampsia among women delivering at Harare Maternity Hospital, Zimbabwe. 131 pregnant women with preeclampsia and 175 controls were included in a case-control study. Maternal plasma concentrations of each biomarker were measured using enzymatic methods. We used logistic regression to calculate odds ratios (OR) and 95 % confidence intervals (CI). Preeclampsia risk was inversely related with quartiles of plasma VEGF (OR: 1.0, 1.0, 0.7, and 0.5, with the lowest quartile as reference; p for trend = 0.06). We noted a strong positive association between preeclampsia risk and sVEGF-R1 concentrations (OR: 1.0, 6.5, 9.7, 31.6, with the first quartile as the referent group; p for trend < 0.001). After adjusting for confounders, we noted that women with sVEGF-R1 concentrations in the highest quartile (≥ 496 pg/ml), as compared with those in the lowest quartile (< 62 pg/ml) had a 31.6-fold increased risk of preeclampsia (OR = 31.6, 95 % CI 7.7-128.9). There was no clear evidence of a linear relation in risk of preeclampsia with PlGF concentrations. In conclusion, plasma VEGF, sVEGF-R1 and PlGF concentrations (measured at delivery) were altered among Zimbabwean women with preeclampsia as compared with normotensive women. Our results are consistent with some, though not all, previous reports. Prospective studies are needed to: 1) identify modifiable determinants of maternal plasma concentrations VEGF, sVEGF-R1, and PlGF; and 2) evaluate the temporal relationship between observed alterations of these biological markers in preeclamptic pregnancies.
The aim of the study was to detect changes of both the QT dispersion and T-loop morphology resulting from the changed spatial position of the heart during pregnancy. Electrocardiographic and vectorcardiographic recordings were obtained from 37 healthy women 19-36 years old in the 36th to 40th week of physiological pregnancy and 2 to 6 days after delivery. The same recordings were obtained from 18 healthy women of the same age. The average QT dispersion (±S.D.) in normal subjects was significantly lower (34±12 ms) than in those in late pregnancy (73±18 ms) (P<0.001). The average amplitude of T-loop (Ta) in women in late pregnancy was significantly (P<0.001) smaller (532±98 mV) and the width of T-loop (Tw) was wider (21.24±11.48 deg) than in the control group (793±114 mV and 7.17±3.02 deg, respectively). The partial post-partum restoration of all parameters was not significant. In all groups, the QT dispersion was significantly correlated with Tw but not with Ta. According to these results we can conclude that the QT dispersion is an indirect reflection of the complete process of ventricular repolarization, reflected in the morphology of the T-loop., M. Lechmanová, O. Kittnar, M. Mlček, J. Slavíček, A. Dohnalová, Š. Havránek, J. Kolařík, A. Pařízek., and Obsahuje bibliografii