The Novel Ceramide- and Phosphatidylcholine-Based Risk Score for the Prediction of New-Onset of Hypertension.

Ceramides and other sphingolipids are implicated in vascular dysfunction and inflammation. They have been suggested as potential biomarkers for hypertension. However, their specific association with hypertension prevalence and onset requires further investigation.

Rare variants in complement system genes associate with endothelial damage after pediatric allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Introduction: Complement system has a postulated role in endothelial problems after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). In this retrospective, singlecenter study we studied genetic complement system variants in patients with documented endotheliopathy. In our previous study among pediatric patients with an allogeneic HSCT (2001-2013) at the Helsinki University Children´s Hospital, Finland, we identified a total of 19/122 (15.

Genetic Risk Factors Associated With Preeclampsia and Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy.

Importance: A genetic contribution to preeclampsia susceptibility has been established but is still incompletely understood.

Objective: To disentangle the underlying genetic architecture of preeclampsia and preeclampsia or other maternal hypertension during pregnancy with a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This GWAS included meta-analyses in maternal preeclampsia and a combination phenotype encompassing maternal preeclampsia and preeclampsia or other maternal hypertensive disorders.

Identification of complement factor H variants that predispose to pre-eclampsia: A genetic and functional study.

Objective: The objective of the study was to investigate the role of genetic variants in complement proteins in pre-eclampsia.

Design: In a case-control study involving 609 cases and 2092 controls, five rare variants in complement factor H (CFH) were identified in women with severe and complicated pre-eclampsia. No variants were identified in controls.

High relative amount of nodular calcification in femoral plaques is associated with milder lower extremity arterial disease.

Background: Clinical implications of different types of vascular calcification are poorly understood. The two most abundant forms of calcification, nodular and sheet calcification, have not been quantitatively analyzed in relation to the clinical presentation of lower extremity arterial disease (LEAD).

Methods: The study analyzed 51 femoral artery plaques collected during femoral endarterectomy, characterized by the presence of > 90% stenosis.

Early-Career Complementologists (ECCO) - Past achievements and future directions.

The Early-Career Complementologists (ECCO) is a task force that was established, in close collaboration with the European Complement Network (ECN) and the International Complement Society (ICS), with the specific mission to support and connect early-career researchers (ECRs) in the complement field. ECRs are junior scientists at the early stages of their training which include undergraduate as well as graduate students, Ph.D.

Cervicovaginal Complement Activation and Microbiota During Pregnancy and in Parturition.

Background: Vaginal microbiome and the local innate immune defense, including the complement system, contribute to anti- and proinflammatory homeostasis during pregnancy and parturition. The relationship between commensal vaginal bacteria and complement activation during pregnancy and delivery is not known.

Objective: To study the association of the cervicovaginal microbiota composition to activation and regulation of the complement system during pregnancy and labor.

Circulating Levels of Anti-C1q and Anti-Factor H Autoantibodies and Their Targets in Normal Pregnancy and Preeclampsia.

Preeclampsia (PE) generally manifests in the second half of pregnancy with hypertension and proteinuria. The understanding of the origin and mechanism behind PE is incomplete, although there is clearly an immune component to this disorder. The placenta constitutes a complicated immune interface between fetal and maternal cells, where regulation and tolerance are key.

Pregnancy induced TMA in severe preeclampsia results from complement-mediated thromboinflammation.

Preeclampsia is a multifactorial vascular disease unique to human pregnancy. While genetic and antiangiogenic factors are important contributors to preeclampsia susceptibility, recent studies have shown that dysregulation and/or over-activation of the complement system has an integral role in disease etiology. Furthermore, the role of the coagulation cascade may be underappreciated in the development of the disease.

Activation of the Complement System in the Lower Genital Tract During Pregnancy and Delivery.

Background: Human pregnancy alters profoundly the immune system. The local involvement and mechanisms of activation of the complement system in the cervicovaginal milieu during pregnancy and delivery remain unexplored.

Objectives: To determine whether normal pregnancy and delivery are associated with local activation of complement or changes in the immunoglobulin profile in the cervix.

Osteoid Metaplasia in Femoral Artery Plaques Is Associated With the Clinical Severity of Lower Extremity Artery Disease in Men.

Lamellar metaplastic bone, osteoid metaplasia (OM), is found in atherosclerotic plaques, especially in the femoral arteries. In the carotid arteries, OM has been documented to be associated with plaque stability. This study investigated the clinical impact of OM load in femoral artery plaques of patients with lower extremity artery disease (LEAD) by using a deep learning-based image analysis algorithm.

Eculizumab Treatment for Postpartum HELLP Syndrome and aHUS-Case Report.

Preeclampsia is a pregnancy-specific disorder affecting ca 3% of all pregnant women. Preeclampsia is the source of severe pregnancy complications. Later life consequences for mother and infant include increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

Regulation of the complement system and immunological tolerance in pregnancy.

Preeclampsia is a serious vascular complication of the human pregnancy, whose etiology is still poorly understood. In preeclampsia, exacerbated apoptosis and fragmentation of the placental tissue occurs due to developmental qualities of the placental trophoblast cells and/or mechanical and oxidative distress to the syncytiotrophoblast, which lines the placental villi. Dysregulation of the complement system is recognized as one of the mechanisms of the disease pathology.

Complement in Human Pre-implantation Embryos: Attack and Defense.

It is essential for early human life that mucosal immunological responses to developing embryos are tightly regulated. An imbalance of the complement system is a common feature of pregnancy complications. We hereby present the first full analysis of the expression and deposition of complement molecules in human pre-implantation embryos.

Smoking during pregnancy reduces vitamin D levels in a Finnish birth register cohort.

Objective: Maternal vitamin D level in pregnancy may have implications for both the mother and fetus. Deficiency of vitamin D has been linked to several pregnancy complications and fetal skeletal health. Smoking has been associated with reduced serum level of the vitamin D metabolite, 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D).

The Immunogenetic Conundrum of Preeclampsia.

Pregnancy is an immunological challenge to the mother. The fetal tissues including the placenta must be protected from activation of the maternal immune system. On the other hand, the placental tissue sheds into the maternal circulation and must be adequately identified and phagocytized by the maternal immune system.

Protective Low-Frequency Variants for Preeclampsia in the Fms Related Tyrosine Kinase 1 Gene in the Finnish Population.

Preeclampsia is a common pregnancy-specific vascular disorder characterized by new-onset hypertension and proteinuria during the second half of pregnancy. Predisposition to preeclampsia is in part heritable. It is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease later in life.

Analysis of Complement Gene Reveals Susceptibility to Severe Preeclampsia.

Preeclampsia (PE) is a common vascular disease of pregnancy with genetic predisposition. Dysregulation of the complement system has been implicated, but molecular mechanisms are incompletely understood. In this study, we determined the potential linkage of severe PE to the most central complement gene, .

Upregulation of Early and Downregulation of Terminal Pathway Complement Genes in Subcutaneous Adipose Tissue and Adipocytes in Acquired Obesity.

Inflammation is an important mediator of obesity-related complications such as the metabolic syndrome but its causes and mechanisms are unknown. As the complement system is a key mediator of inflammation, we studied whether it is activated in acquired obesity in subcutaneous adipose tissue (AT) and isolated adipocytes. We used a special study design of genetically matched controls of lean and heavy groups, rare monozygotic twin pairs discordant for body mass index (BMI) [ = 26, within-pair difference (Δ) in body mass index, BMI >3 kg/m] with as much as 18 kg mean Δweight.

Cluster analysis to estimate the risk of preeclampsia in the high-risk Prediction and Prevention of Preeclampsia and Intrauterine Growth Restriction (PREDO) study.

Objectives: Preeclampsia is divided into early-onset (delivery before 34 weeks of gestation) and late-onset (delivery at or after 34 weeks) subtypes, which may rise from different etiopathogenic backgrounds. Early-onset disease is associated with placental dysfunction. Late-onset disease develops predominantly due to metabolic disturbances, obesity, diabetes, lipid dysfunction, and inflammation, which affect endothelial function.

Preeclampsia does not share common risk alleles in 9p21 with coronary artery disease and type 2 diabetes.

Introduction: Preeclampsia is a common and partially genetic pregnancy complication characterized by hypertension and proteinuria. Association with cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes has been reported in 9p21 by several genome-wide association studies. It has been hypothesized that cardiometabolic diseases may share common etiology with preeclampsia.

The Salivary Scavenger and Agglutinin (SALSA) in Healthy and Complicated Pregnancy.

Pre-eclampsia is a leading cause of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality worldwide. The etiology is not clear, but an immune attack towards components of placenta or fetus has been indicated. This involves activation of the complement system in the placenta.

Genetic analysis of membrane cofactor protein (CD46) of the complement system in women with and without preeclamptic pregnancies.

Preeclampsia is a common disorder of pregnancy characterized by endothelial dysfunction. It may be life-threatening for the mother and fetus in severe cases. Dysregulation of the complement system has been suggested to predispose women to preeclampsia.