Successful Vaginal Delivery of a Pregnant Woman with Cantrell's Pentalogy

Cantrell's Pentalogy is a rare condition that consists of defects involving the abdominal wall, lower sternum, anterior diaphragm, pericardium, and heart. In the literature to date, pregnant women with Cantrell's Pentalogy have not been discussed. We performed successful vaginal delivery of a 23-yr-old nulliparous, primigravid woman who had been diagnosed with this condition. Diagnosis was based on cardiac catheterization, angiography, and echocardiogram, and abdominopelvic CT. Vaginal delivery may be an option for women with Cantrell's Pentalogy and may be attempted with caution

Preliminary Experience of Amnioinfusion

Oligohydramnios is considered as one of the major obstetrical dilemmas for the multiple serious complications associated with the condition. The condition hampers an appropriate ultrasonographic evaluation of the fetal anatomy and frequently causes variable fetal heart rate decelerations by compressing the fetal cord, often to incur irreversible damage to the fetus. Based on precedent reports regarding the effect of amnioinfusion in managing oligohydramnios-complicated pregnancies, we report here our experience of amnioinfusion in 8 cases complicated by oligohydramnios which we have experienced from November of 1990 to May of 1993 at Seoul National University Hospital(SNUH). The procedure was applied largely for three purposes, viz., diagnostic(3cases), therapeutic (4cases), and prophylactic(lcase) with favorable results. We concluded that amnioinfusion can be of important use in the detection of fetal anomalies, relief of abnormal fetal heart rate pattern, and prevention of intrapartum fetal complications

Self-reported Smoking and Urinary Cotinine Levels among Pregnant Women in Korea and Factors Associated with Smoking during Pregnancy

This study examined urinary cotinine levels and self-reported smoking among pregnant women in Korea and the factors associated with smoking during pregnancy. The subjects were selected from pregnant women who visited 30 randomly sampled obstetric clinics and prenatal care hospitals in Korea in 2006. Smoking status was determined by self-reporting and urinary cotinine measurement. A total of 1,090 self-administered questionnaires and 1,057 urine samples were analyzed. The percentage of smoking revealed by self-reporting was 0.55% (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.11-0.99) and that revealed by urinary cotinine measurement (>100 ng/mL) was 3.03% (95% CI, 1.99-4.06). The kappa coefficient of agreement between self-reported smoking status and urinary cotinine measurement was 0.20 (95% CI, 0.03-0.37). Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that early gestational period, low educational level, and being married to a smoker were significant risk factors for smoking during pregnancy. Smoking among pregnant women in Korea is not negligible, and those who are concerned to maternal and child health should be aware of this possibility among pregnant women in countries with similar cultural background

태아 흉부 하강대동맥 혈류속도파형에 의한 태아의 산성증 예측

Fetal descending thoracic aorta blood flow velocity waveforms were measured in 63 pregnancies. They were either delivered by elective CIS before labor (56 patients) or suffered an antefartum fetal death (7 patients). There was a significant correlation between the aorta waveforms and the cord arterial pH. A cord arterial pH less than 7.20 or an intrauterine fetal death were used as our criteria for fetal acidosis. Using the above criteria, the specificities and negative predictive values of these testings in predicting fetal acidosis were over 80%. When fetal compromise was defined as either fetal acidosis or fetal growth retardation, the positive predictive values of these studies in forecasting fetal compromise heightened (range 81% to 92%) compared to those in predicting fetal acidosis (range 56% to 75%), although other predictive values remained similar. In conclusion, Doppler measurement of fetal descending thoracic aorta flow velocity waveform may be a valuable adjunctive noninvasive method of fetal surveillance

Identification and characterization of proteins in amniotic fluid that are differentially expressed before and after antenatal corticosteroid administration

OBJECTIVE: We sought to examine changes in the intraamniotic proteomic environment after the administration of antenatal corticosteroids to women with impending preterm delivery. STUDY DESIGN: Amniotic fluid samples were collected at the time of clinically indicated amniocentesis before and within 7 days of administration of antenatal corticosteroids for impending preterm delivery (n = 12). Proteins differentially expressed before and after corticosteroids were identified by surface-enhanced laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. They were isolated, characterized, and quantified by fast protein liquid chromatography, sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, in-gel tryptic digestion, immunodepletion assays, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry. RESULTS: Five protein peaks of interest were identified and characterized, all of which were significantly decreased after antenatal corticosteroid administration. These included 2 isoforms of transthyretin, albumin, prothrombin fragment 2, and lumican. CONCLUSION: Four proteins, identified and characterized in amniotic fluid, were differentially expressed with antenatal corticosteroid administration. These data may provide additional insight into the molecular mechanisms by which antenatal corticosteroids prevent neonatal complications.Park JS, 2008, REPROD SCI, V15, P457, DOI 10.1177/1933719108316909Mavrou A, 2008, J PROTEOME RES, V7, P1862, DOI 10.1021/pr700588uRomero R, 2008, J MATERN-FETAL NEO M, V21, P367, DOI 10.1080/14767050802045848Liu LY, 2007, CANCER SCI, V98, P1617, DOI 10.1111/j.1349-7006.2007.00576.xDasgupta SK, 2007, J THROMB THROMBOLYS, V24, P157, DOI 10.1007/s11239-007-0018-8Wu F, 2007, J BIOL CHEM, V282, P26409, DOI 10.1074/jbc.M702402200Maurya P, 2007, ANTICANCER RES, V27, P1247Escher N, 2007, NEOPLASIA, V9, P254, DOI 10.1593/neo.06805Vascotto C, 2007, J PROTEOME RES, V6, P160, DOI 10.1021/pr060315zGuerrier L, 2007, NAT PROTOC, V2, P831, DOI 10.1038/nprot.2007.114Michaels JEA, 2007, J PROTEOME RES, V6, P1277, DOI 10.1021/pr060543tRichardson BS, 2006, AM J OBSTET GYNECOL, V195, P1357, DOI 10.1016/j.ajog.2006.03.053Miguet L, 2006, J PROTEOME RES, V5, P2258, DOI 10.1021/pr060058yTsangaris GT, 2006, PROTEOMICS, V6, P4410, DOI 10.1002/pmic.200600085Gharraee Z, 2006, J INVEST MED, V54, P245, DOI 10.2310/6650.2006.05060ROBERTS D, 2006, COCHRANE DB SYST REV, V3, P4454, DOI DOI 10.1002/14651858.CD004454.PUB2Park SJ, 2006, PROTEOMICS, V6, P349, DOI 10.1002/pmic.200500084Kao WWY, 2006, EXP EYE RES, V82, P3, DOI 10.1016/j.exer.2005.08.012Cho S, 2005, PROSTAG OTH LIPID M, V78, P139, DOI 10.1016/j.prostaglandins.2005.06.003Kozak KR, 2005, PROTEOMICS, V5, P4589, DOI 10.1002/pmic.200500093Karcher R, 2005, AM J OBSTET GYNECOL, V193, P1680, DOI 10.1016/j.ajog.2005.03.080Fung ET, 2005, INT J CANCER, V115, P783, DOI 10.1002/ijc.20928Buhimschi IA, 2005, BJOG-INT J OBSTET GY, V112, P173, DOI 10.1111/j.1471-0528.2004.00340.xYeh LK, 2005, INVEST OPHTH VIS SCI, V46, P479, DOI 10.1167/iovs.04-1014Gravett MG, 2004, JAMA-J AM MED ASSOC, V292, P462, DOI 10.1001/jama.292.4.462McElrath TF, 2004, OBSTET GYNECOL, V103, P463ZHU XD, 2004, WORLD J GASTROENTERO, V10, P2327Kaplan LA, 2002, CLIN CHIM ACTA, V326, P61Chakravarti S, 2002, GLYCOCONJUGATE J, V19, P287Kim BJ, 2002, THROMB RES, V106, P81Oliveira FR, 2002, BRAZ J MED BIOL RES, V35, P215Hamilton JA, 2001, CELL MOL LIFE SCI, V58, P1491Bolt RJ, 2001, PEDIATR PULM, V32, P76Kallapur SG, 2001, AM J PHYSIOL-LUNG C, V280, pL527Shimoya K, 2000, HUM REPROD, V15, P2234CROWLEY P, 2000, COCHRANE DB SYST REV, V2, DOI DOI 10.1002/14651858Winn HN, 2000, J PERINAT MED, V28, P210Tan RC, 1999, AM J PHYSIOL-LUNG C, V277, pL1142Dolhnikoff M, 1998, AM J RESP CELL MOL, V19, P582Bry K, 1997, J CLIN INVEST, V99, P2992Jensen ON, 1997, ANAL CHEM, V69, P1706Yoon BH, 1996, OBSTET GYNECOL, V88, P1034Berman S, 1996, AM J OBSTET GYNECOL, V175, P73HanlonLundberg KM, 1996, OBSTET GYNECOL, V87, P128DEKOWSKI SA, 1995, PEDIATR RES, V38, P513GROVER J, 1995, J BIOL CHEM, V270, P21942CROWLEY PA, 1995, AM J OBSTET GYNECOL, V173, P3221995, AM J OBSTET GYNECOL, V173, P246LOLIS D, 1995, GYNECOL OBSTET INVES, V40, P231ROONEY SA, 1994, FASEB J, V8, P957TANEDA H, 1994, J BIOCHEM-TOKYO, V116, P589WINN HN, 1992, AM J PERINAT, V9, P326LIEBERMAN E, 1992, OBSTET GYNECOL, V79, P564FUNDERBURGH JL, 1991, J BIOL CHEM, V266, P24773GROSS I, 1990, AM J PHYSIOL, V259, pL337BALLARD PL, 1989, ENDOCR REV, V10, P165RATH W, 1984, Z GEBURTSH PERINATOL, V188, P218HEYES H, 1982, ARCH GYNECOL, V233, P7TORDAY JS, 1981, AM REV RESPIR DIS, V123, P205LIGGINS GC, 1972, PEDIATRICS, V50, P515LIGGINS GC, 1969, J ENDOCRINOL, V45, P515

Identification of proteomic biomarkers of preeclampsia in amniotic fluid using SELDI-TOF mass spectrometry

OBJECTIVE: To identify proteomic biomarkers in amniotic fluid (AF) that can distinguish preeclampsia (PE) from chronic hypertension (CHTN) and normotensive controls (CTR). METHODS: AF from women with PE, CHTN, and CTR were subjected to proteomic analysis by surface-enhanced laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. RESULTS: Proteomic profiling of AF identified 2 biomarkers: peak X (17399.11 Da), which distinguished PE from CTR, and peak Y (28023.34 Da), which distinguished PE and CHTN from CTR. High performance liquid chromatography fractions containing the biomarkers were subjected to sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and in-gel tryptic digestion. The biomarkers were matched to proapolipoprotein A-I (peak Y) and a functionally obscure peptide, SBBI42 (peak X). Western blot analysis confirmed that AF from PE and CHTN had higher proapolipoprotein A-I levels than CTR. CONCLUSION: Proteomic analysis of AF can distinguish PE from CHTN and CTR. The discriminatory proteins were identified as proapolipoprotein A-I and SBBI42