background and objective: preterm birth occurs in 8% to 11% of all pregnancies and is responsible for 75% to 80% of all neonatal deaths. cytokines may be involved in the etiology of preterm birth through their stimulation of prostaglandin synthesis. cytokines may be released intocervicovaginal fluid during the breakdown of the chorio-decidual adhesion or from an inflammatory reaction in the sam...

BACKGROUND Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) occurs in 3-5% of all pregnancies. GDM increases both maternal and fetal risks, causes fetal macrosomia, and hence increases the rates of caesarean sections and delivery complications such as shoulder dystocia. An early predictive marker and consequent early treatment could be beneficial, so amniotic fluid insulin and C-peptide have been examined i...

RATIONALE Chorioamnionitis is associated with preterm delivery and involution of the fetal thymus. Women at risk of preterm delivery receive antenatal corticosteroids which accelerate fetal lung maturation and improve neonatal outcome. However, the effects of antenatal corticosteroids on the fetal thymus in the settings of chorioamnionitis are largely unknown. We hypothesized that intra-amnioti...

OBJECTIVE High sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) is a serum marker for acute inflammation and/or infection. The diagnostic value of serum levels of this protein has been investigated among patients with preterm delivery, premature rupture of the membranes (PROM) and preeclampsia. In this study, the predictive value of hs-CRP for successful labour induction in patients with PROM has been eva...

OBJECTIVES To identify combinations of tests and treatments to predict and prevent spontaneous preterm birth. DATA SOURCES Searches were run on the following databases up to September 2005 inclusive: MEDLINE, EMBASE, DARE, the Cochrane Library (CENTRAL and Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group trials register) and MEDION. We also contacted experts including the Cochrane Pregnancy and Childb...

Intraamniotic infection is associated with increased IL-1 activity in amniotic fluid, increased incidence of preterm labor, and with decreased incidence of respiratory distress syndrome in infants born prematurely. We hypothesized that an elevated IL-1 in amniotic fluid promotes fetal lung maturation. On day 23 or 25 of gestation (term 31 d), either IL-1alpha (150 or 1,500 ng per fetus) or its ...

background: endometriosis is defined as the existence of endometrial-like tissue outside the uterus. diagnosis of endometriosis is a challenging theme. despite the broad search for innovative laboratory tests and advances in imaging technologies, there are still no easy, non-invasive diagnostic tests available. due to inflammatory process of endometriosis, still c-reactive protein (crp) level m...

The aim of this study was to determine whether intra-amniotic infection/inflammation (IAI) was associated with subsequent ruptured membranes in women with preterm labor and intact membranes who had a clinically indicated amniocentesis. This retrospective cohort study included 237 consecutive women with preterm labor (20-34.6 weeks) who underwent amniocentesis. The clinical and laboratory parame...

  Background and Objective: Preterm birth occurs in 8% to 11% of all pregnancies and is responsible for 75% to 80% of all neonatal deaths. Cytokines may be involved in the etiology of preterm birth through their stimulation of prostaglandin synthesis. Cytokines may be released intocervicovaginal fluid during the breakdown of the chorio-decidual adhesion or from an inflammatory reactio...