Amniotic band syndrome (ABS) is a rare condition, potentially associated with a variety of different birth defects. It is also known as ADAM complex (amniotic deformities, adhesion, mutilation), amniotic band sequence, amniotic disruption complex, annular grooves, congenital amputation, congenital constricting bands, Streeter bands, Streeter anomaly, transverse terminal defects of limb, aberran...

PURPOSE The immunogenic characterization of amniotic membrane is still unknown. This study was designed to examine the immunogenicity of human amniotic membrane, by using experimental xenotransplantation models. METHODS Anti-human class I, class II, and Fas ligand monoclonal antibodies were used against cryopreserved amniotic membrane and cell viability tested for cryopreserved amniotic membr...

OBJECTIVE Recent studies indicate that clinical chorioamnionitis is a heterogeneous condition and only approximately one-half of the patients have bacteria in the amniotic cavity, which is often associated with intra-amniotic inflammation. The objective of this study is to characterize the nature of the inflammatory response within the amniotic cavity in patients with clinical chorioamnionitis ...

PURPOSE To identify the gray-scale and color Doppler ultrasonography (US) findings of amniotic sheets. MATERIALS AND METHODS Among 1201 pregnant patients who underwent detailed second trimester US, nine had amniotic sheets. An amniotic sheet was defined as a shelf-like structure in the uterine cavity with a free edge not attached to the fetus or umbilical cord. There was no major fetal anomal...

OBJECTIVE Antibiotic administration has become part of the standard of care for patients with preterm premature rupture of membranes (PROM). Yet, the natural history of intrauterine infection/inflammation during antibiotic therapy remains largely unknown. This study was conducted to determine if antibiotic administration to the mother eradicates intra-amniotic infection and/or reduces the frequ...

The soluble form of the inhibitory immune receptor leukocyte-Associated Ig-like Receptor-1 (sLAIR-1) is present in plasma, urine and synovial fluid and correlates to inflammation. We and others previously showed inflammatory protein expression in normal amniotic fluid at term. We hypothesized that sLAIR-1 is present in amniotic fluid during term parturition and is related to fetal lung function...

Fetal swallowing of amniotic fluid, which contains numerous cytokines and growth factors, plays a key role in gut mucosal development. Preterm birth interrupts this exposure to amniotic fluid-borne growth factors, possibly contributing to the increased risk of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) in premature infants. We hypothesized that supplementation of formula feeds with amniotic fluid can prov...

Intramembranous absorption increases during intra-amniotic infusion of physiological saline solutions. The increase may be due partly to the concomitant elevation in fetal urine production as fetal urine contains a stimulator of intramembranous absorption. In this study, we hypothesized that the increase in intramembranous absorption during intra-amniotic infusion is due, in part, to dilution o...

OBJECTIVE We explored the possibility that perturbations in amniotic fluid glucose, insulin, and insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 1(IGFBP1) and/or metabolic acids exist before routine screening for GDM. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We selected consenting mother-infant pairs (n = 408) who met our inclusion criteria (singleton pregnancy, no genetic abnormalities, and no preexisting dia...