OBJECTIVE To examine the potential value of maternal serum level of α-fetoprotein (AFP) in the first trimester of pregnancy in the prediction of spontaneous early preterm delivery. METHODS Maternal serum concentration of AFP at 11-13 weeks' gestation was measured in a case-control study of singleton pregnancies delivering phenotypically normal neonates, including 33 cases with spontaneous del...

OBJECTIVE To investigate the potential value of repeat measurements of maternal serum concentration of soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt-1) at 22 and 32 weeks' gestation in the prediction of pre-eclampsia (PE) in women delivering after 32 weeks. METHODS The data were derived from prospective screening for adverse obstetric outcomes in women attending their routine hospital visit at 19-...

OBJECTIVE The objective of this study were to (1) quantify the concentrations of inhibin A, activin A, and follistatin in maternal serum and umbilical vein (inhibin A, activin A) in IUGR due to placental dysfunction pregnancies and control group, (2) determine the concentration differences of these factors in maternal and umbilical vein serum in control and subject group, and (3) examine the re...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate which Down syndrome screening strategy is the most cost-effective. METHODS Using decision-analysis modeling, we compared the cost-effectiveness of 9 screening strategies for Down syndrome: 1) no screening, 2) first-trimester nuchal translucency (NT) only, 3) first-trimester combined NT and serum screen, 4) first-trimester serum only, 5) quadruple screen, 6) integrated sc...

OBJECTIVE To examine the potential role of maternal serum level of adiponectin in the first trimester of pregnancy in the prediction of neonatal macrosomia. METHODS Maternal serum adiponectin concentration was measured in a case-control study of singleton pregnancies at 11 to 13 weeks' gestation, which included 50 cases that subsequently delivered macrosomic neonates with birth weight above t...

OBJECTIVES To evaluate the influence of cigarette smoking status on maternal serum free beta-hCG, PAPP-A and fetal nuchal translucency (NT) thickness at 11 to 14 weeks of gestation in a large cohort of women screened prospectively for chromosomal anomalies. METHODS Information on maternal cigarette smoking status, maternal age, maternal serum biochemical marker levels and fetal NT were collec...