Spontaneous preterm birth significantly contributes to the overall neonatal morbidity associated with preterm deliveries. Nearly 50% of cases are associated with microbial invasion of the amniotic cavity followed by an inflammatory response. Robust diagnostic tools for neonates jeopardized by infection and inflammation may thus decrease the overall neonatal morbidity substantially. Amniotic flu...

BACKGROUND The existence of a "placental clock" which determines the duration of gestation has been previously proposed. It is related to placental CRH secretion and is active from an early phase in human pregnancy. Urocortin is a specific ligand for the corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) receptor expressed by human trophoblast and fetal membranes. The purpose of this study was to evaluate wh...

background: high sensitive c-reactive protein (hs-crp) is a systemic inflammatory marker that is produced in a large amount by hepatocytes in response to interleukin-1 (il-1), il-6 and tumor necrosis factor after ischemic stroke. methods: measurement of hs-crp in the first 24 hours of onset in 162 patients suffering from ischemic stroke was done. relation of crp with the risk of early mortality...

Objective: To evaluate amniotic fluid glucose, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9, interleukin (IL)-6, and IL-12 for diagnosing subclinical chorioamnionitis in women with preterm labor. Methods: Forty-four women in preterm labor at 22–35 weeks gestation with suspected subclinical chorioamnionitis underwent amniocentesis. Amniotic fluid analysis included Gram stain, culture, and determination of g...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate amniotic fluid glucose, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9, interleukin (IL)-6, and IL-12 for diagnosing subclinical chorioamnionitis in women with preterm labor. METHODS Forty-four women in preterm labor at 22-35 weeks gestation with suspected subclinical chorioamnionitis underwent amniocentesis. Amniotic fluid analysis included Gram stain, culture, and determination of g...

OBJECTIVE A sonographically short cervix is a powerful predictor of spontaneous preterm delivery. However, the etiology and optimal management of a patient with a short cervix in the mid-trimester of pregnancy remain uncertain. Microbial invasion of the amniotic cavity (MIAC) and intra-amniotic inflammation are frequently present in patients with spontaneous preterm labor or acute cervical insu...

UNLABELLED Amniotic fluid Gram stain and culture have been utilized as laboratory tests of microbial invasion of the amniotic cavity. The Gram stain of amniotic fluid has a low sensitivity in the detection of clinical infection or microbial invasion of the amniotic cavity, and amniotic fluid culture results are not immediately available for management decisions. Glucose concentration is used to...

AIMS Our aim is to investigate, in 13 cases (delivering preterm) and 21 matched (for age, parity, and gestational age) controls (delivering at term), whether midtrimester amniotic fluid concentrations of elastase, secretory leukocyte proteinase inhibitor (SLPI), soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1, and soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule predict asymptomatic intra-amniotic inflammatio...

cerebrovascular accidents rank first in the frequency and importance among all neurological disease. although a number of studies had shown increased level of the high sensitive c-reactive protein (hs-crp) in patients with ischemic stroke, the association of increased hs-crp with various type of stroke especially the assessment hs-crp level in ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke have not been inves...