context maternal serum human chorionic gonadotropin (hcg) and alpha fetal protein (afp) were originally introduced to detect trisomy 21 and neural tube defects. however, in the absence of aneuploidy or neural tube defects, mid-trimester maternal serum hcg and/or maternal serum afp associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes. pregnancies with unexplained mid-trimester elevation in maternal serum ...

OBJECTIVE To investigate the association between adverse childhood experiences (ACE) and pain with onset during pregnancy. DESIGN Cross-sectional study. SETTING Eighteen antenatal clinics in southern Mid-Sweden. SAMPLE Of 293 women invited to participate, 232 (79%) women agreed to participate in early pregnancy and were assessed in late pregnancy. METHODS Questionnaires were distributed...

Pregnancy-mediated sodium (Na) retention is required to provide an increase in plasma volume for the growing fetus. The mechanisms responsible for this Na retention are not clear. We first used a targeted proteomics approach and found that there were no changes in the protein abundance compared with virgin rats of the β or γ ENaC, type 3 Na(+)/H(+) exchanger (NHE3), bumetanide-sensitive cotrans...

It is not fully known whether maternal prehypertension is associated with increased risk of adverse fetal outcomes, and it is debated whether increases in blood pressure during pregnancy influence adverse fetal outcomes. We performed a population-based cohort study in nonhypertensive women with term (≥37 weeks) singleton births (n=157 446). Using normotensive (diastolic blood pressure [DBP] <80...

Regulatory T cells (Tregs) support pregnancy maintenance by suppressing placental inflammation, while diminished Treg function may accompany reproductive failure. Experimental FIV infection frequently results in vertical transmission and increased pregnancy failure in the cat. The mechanism of reproductive compromise is unknown. We hypothesized that FIV infection alters endometrial Treg populat...

Studies were made on the cellular components of the blood, the serum iron concentration, and the circulating blood and plasma volumes of rats in pregnancy and on the iron transport from the maternal blood to the conception products (uterus and its contents) using radioactive iron. Anemia of pregnancy developed and was most pronounced during late pregnancy when the conception products developed ...