Angiotensin receptors modulate the renal hemodynamic effects of nitric oxide in conscious newborn lambs

Article deposited according to John Wiley & Sons OnlineOpen policy for Physiological Reports, http://olabout.wiley.com/WileyCDA/Section/id-406241.html, July 17 2014.YesFunding provided by the Open Access Authors Fund

The Influence of Back Pain and Urinary Incontinence on Daily Tasks of Mothers at 12 Months Postpartum.

The present study examined back pain (BP) and/or urinary incontinence (UI) impact on the ability to perform daily tasks at 12 months after childbirth in healthy reproductive women who sought maternity care in community based family practice clinics.This study is a secondary analysis from the All Our Babies Study, a prospective, community-based pregnancy cohort in Calgary, Alberta. Maternal self-reported information on demographics, lifestyle, experiences with pregnancy and childbirth, occurrence of BP, UI and consequent impairment of daily tasks were collected by questionnaires administered before 25 weeks, at 34-36 weeks gestation and at 4 and 12 months postpartum. The occurrence and severity of BP and UI at one year after childbirth was assessed using descriptive and bivariate analyses. Logistic regression models examined the association between demographic and obstetrical variables and the severity of functional impairment due to UI and BP.From 1574 women with singleton pregnancies included in the study, 1212 (77%) experienced BP, 773 (49%) UI, and 620 (40%) both BP and UI. From the 821 women reporting impairment of daily tasks due to BP, 199 (24 %) were moderately and 90 (11%) severely affected with the remainder, 532 (64%) being mildly affected. From 267 women with functional impairment due to UI, 52 (19%) reported moderately to severe impairment in their ability to perform daily tasks. Obesity and parity were risk factors for impairment of daily functioning due to BP, whereas obesity and vaginal delivery increased the risk of moderate to severe impairment due to UI.BP and UI are common occurrences 1 year after childbirth. Maternal performance of daily tasks and women's health and quality of life are more often impaired due to BP than UI. Our study brings new evidence of the risk factors that predict severity and impact of these conditions on women functioning at 12 months postpartum

Characteristics of the study participants (N = 1574).

<p>¹The education categories included: for the High school category: some high school, graduated high school, some post-secondary, and for the Post-secondary category: graduated post-secondary, some graduate school, or completed graduate school</p><p>²Pregnancy complications included at least one of the following: pregnancy induced hypertension, pre-eclampsia, eclampsia, placental abruption, gestational diabetes, or placenta praevia)</p><p>Characteristics of the study participants (N = 1574).</p

Biomarkers of spontaneous preterm birth: a systematic review of studies using multiplex analysis

Objective: Despite decades of research on risk indicators of spontaneous preterm birth (PTB), reliable biomarkers are still not available to screen or diagnose high-risk pregnancies. Several biomarkers in maternal and fetal compartments have been mechanistically linked to PTB, but none of them are reliable predictors of pregnancy outcome. This systematic review was conducted to synthesize the knowledge on PTB biomarkers identified using multiplex analysis. Materials and methods: Three electronic databases (PubMed, EMBASE and Web of Science) were searched for studies in any language reporting the use of multiplex assays for maternal biomarkers associated with PTB published from January 2005 to March 2014. Results: Retrieved citations (3631) were screened, and relevant studies (33) were selected for full-text reading. Ten studies were included in the review. Forty-two PTB-related proteins were reported, and RANTES and IL-10 (three studies) followed by MIP-1 beta, GM-CSF, Eotaxin, and TNF-RI (two studies) were reported more than once in maternal serum. However, results could not be combined due to heterogeneity in type of sample, study population, assay, and analysis methods. Conclusion: By this systematic review, we conclude that multiplex assays are a potential technological advancement for identifying biomarkers of PTB, although no single or combination of biomarkers could be identified to predict PTB risk.Hologic, Inc., CA, USAPREBIC Annual Meeting in Florence, ItalyUniv Texas Med Branch, Dept Obstet & Gynecol, Div Maternal Fetal Med & Perinatal Res, MRB, 301 Univ Blvd,Room 11-138, Galveston, TX 77555 USAUniv Western Sao Paulo, UNOESTE, Fac Hlth Sci, Sao Paulo, BrazilUniv Barcelona, Inst Biomed Invest August Pi i Sunyer IDIBAPS, Maternal Fetal Med Dept, Hosp Clin, Barcelona, SpainUniv Hosp Hradec Kralove, Biomed Res Ctr, Hradec Kralove, Czech RepublicCharles Univ Prague, Dept Obstet & Gynecol, Fac Med Hradec Kralove, Univ Hosp Hradec Kralove, CR-11636 Prague 1, Czech RepublicUniv Calgary, Cumming Sch Med, Dept Pediat, Calgary, AB, CanadaMed Univ Bialystok, Dept Perinatol & Obstet, Bialystok, PolandAcad Med Ctr, Dept Obstet & Gynecol, Amsterdam, NetherlandsMed Univ Vienna, Dept Obstet & Gynecol, Vienna, AustriaUCL, Div Surg, Northwick Pk Inst Med Res Campus, London, EnglandUniv Southern Denmark, Odense Univ Hosp, Dept Gynecol & Obstet, Inst Clin Res,Res Unit Gynecol & Obstet, Odense, DenmarkJuntendo Univ, Fac Med, Dept Obstet & Gynecol, Tokyo, JapanHologic, Sunnyvale, CA USAUniv Fed Sao Paulo, UNIFESP, Dept Obstet, Sao Paulo, SP, BrazilNew York State Inst Basic Res Dev Disabil, 1050 Forest Hill Rd, Staten Isl, NY 10314 USAUniversidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), Dept Obstet, Sao Paulo, SP, BrazilWeb of Scienc

Maternal Whole Blood Gene Expression at 18 and 28 Weeks of Gestation Associated with Spontaneous Preterm Birth in Asymptomatic Women

The heterogeneity of spontaneous preterm birth (SPTB) requires an interdisciplinary approach to determine potential predictive risk factors of early delivery. The aim of this study was to investigate maternal whole blood gene expression profiles associated with spontaneous preterm birth (SPTB, <37 weeks) in asymptomatic pregnant women. The study population was a matched subgroup of women (51 SPTBs, 114 term delivery controls) who participated in the All Our Babies community based cohort in Calgary (n = 1878). Maternal blood at 17–23 (sampling time point 1, T1) and 27–33 weeks of gestation (T2) were collected. Total RNA was extracted and microarray was performed on 326 samples (165 women). Univariate analyses determined significant clinical factors and differential gene expression associated with SPTB. Thirteen genes were validated using qRT-PCR. Three multivariate logistic models were constructed to identify gene expression at T1 (Model A), T2 (Model B), and gene expression fold change from T1 to T2 (Model C) associated with SPTB. All models were adjusted for clinical factors. Model C can predict SPTB with 65% sensitivity and 88% specificity in asymptomatic women after adjusting for history of abortion and anaemia (occurring before T2). Clinical data enhanced the sensitivity of the Models to predict SPTB. In conclusion, clinical factors and whole blood gene expression are associated with SPTB in asymptomatic women. An effective screening tool for SPTB during pregnancy would enable targeted preventive approaches and personalised antenatal care