Prospective Evaluation of Fetal Hemoglobin Expression in Maternal Erythrocytes: An Analysis of a Cohort of 345 Parturients.

It is believed that fetal hemoglobin (HbF) expression in adults is largely genetically regulated. The increased expression of HbF in pregnancy has been reported in a small number of articles. Different mechanisms have been proposed, but the description of HbF expression during pregnancy remains unclear.

Early versus late amniotomy for labour induction: a randomized controlled trial.

Objective: To evaluate the impact of early vs. late amniotomy on delivery mode in women undergoing induction of labor.

Study Design: 143 women admitted for induction were randomized to early amniotomy (EA, concomitant with the beginning of oxytocin infusion; n = 71) or to late amniotomy (LA, four hours after the beginning of oxytocin; n = 72).

Modulation of fatty acid transport and metabolism by maternal obesity in the human full-term placenta.

Knowledge of the consequences of maternal obesity in human placental fatty acids (FA) transport and metabolism is limited. Animal studies suggest that placental uptake of maternal FA is altered by maternal overnutrition. We hypothesized that high maternal body mass index (BMI) affects human placental FA transport by modifying expression of key transporters.

Is pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified less stable than autistic disorder? A meta-analysis.

We reviewed the stability of the diagnosis of pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS). A Medline search found eight studies reiterating a diagnostic assessment for PDD-NOS. The pooled group included 322 autistic disorder (AD) and 122 PDD-NOS cases.

The role of uterine closure in the risk of uterine rupture.

Objective: To evaluate the effects of prior single-layer compared with double-layer closure on the risk of uterine rupture.

Methods: A multicenter, case-control study was performed on women with a single, prior, low-transverse cesarean who experienced complete uterine rupture during a trial of labor. For each case, three women who underwent a trial of labor without uterine rupture after a prior low-transverse cesarean delivery were selected as control participants.

Modulation of Apolipoprotein D levels in human pregnancy and association with gestational weight gain.

Background: Apolipoprotein D (ApoD) is a lipocalin involved in several processes including lipid transport, but its modulation during human pregnancy was never examined.

Methods: We investigated the changes in the levels of ApoD in the plasma of pregnant women at the two first trimesters of gestation and at delivery as well as in the placenta and in venous cord blood. These changes were studied in 151 women classified into 9 groups in relation to their prepregnancy body mass index (BMI) and gestational weight gain (GWG).

Investigating socio-economic disparities in preterm birth: evidence for selective study participation and selection bias.

Selective study participation can theoretically lead to selection bias. We explored this issue in the context of a multicentre cohort study of socio-economic disparities in preterm birth. Women with singleton pregnancies were recruited from four large Montreal maternity hospitals and invited to return for an interview, vaginal examination and venepuncture at 24-26 weeks of gestation.

Inherited thrombophilia and preeclampsia within a multicenter cohort: the Montreal Preeclampsia Study.

Objective: We sought to evaluate the association between inherited thrombophilia and preeclampsia.

Study Design: From a multicenter cohort of 5337 pregnant women, we prospectively identified 113 women who developed preeclampsia and selected 443 control subjects who did not have preeclampsia or nonproteinuric gestational hypertension. Blood samples were tested for DNA polymorphisms affecting thrombophilia (factor V Leiden mutation, prothrombin G20210A mutation, methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase C677T polymorphism), homocysteine, and folate levels, and placentae underwent pathological evaluation.

Impact of maternal circulating cholesterol and gestational diabetes mellitus on lipid metabolism in human term placenta.

Maternal hypercholesterolemia (HC) during pregnancy and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) are associated with disturbance of fetal development which may also modify key features of placental functions. In this study, we evaluated the impact of maternal hypercholesterolemia on placental cholesterol and lipid metabolism in 59 women classified in two groups according to the median concentration of plasma total cholesterol (6.42 mM).

Src family kinases play multiple roles in differentiation of trophoblasts from human term placenta.

Tyrosine phosphorylation plays a major role in controlling many biological processes in different cell types. Src family kinases (SFKs) are one of the most studied groups of tyrosine kinases and can mediate a variety of signalling pathways. However, little is known about the expression of SFKs in human term placenta and their implication in trophoblast differentiation.

ERK1/2 and p38 regulate trophoblasts differentiation in human term placenta.

Mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) control many cellular events from complex programmes, such as embryogenesis, cell differentiation and proliferation, and cell death, to short-term changes required for homeostasis and acute hormonal responses. However, little is known about expression and activation of classical MAPKs, extracellular signal-regulated kinase1/2 (ERK1/2) and p38 in human placenta. Therefore, we examined the expression of ERK1/2 and p38 in trophoblasts from human term placenta, and their implication in differentiation.

Expression of cFABP and PPAR in trophoblast cells: effect of PPAR ligands on linoleic acid uptake and differentiation.

Throughout gestation, fetal growth depends, in part, on placental transfer of maternal essential fatty acid (EFA) and long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid. All fatty acid (FA) can cross lipid bilayer by simple diffusion, such as those in the syncytiotrophoblasts, the multinucleated, terminally differentiated trophoblast cells. The trophoblasts differentiation process is accompanied by an increase of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) secretion and an inhibition of Human Achaete-Scute Homologue-2 expression (Hash-2).

Expression and role of calcium-ATPase pump and sodium-calcium exchanger in differentiated trophoblasts from human term placenta.

Although placental transfer of maternal calcium (Ca(2+)) is a crucial process for fetal development, the biochemical mechanisms are not completely elucidated. Especially, mechanisms of syncytiotrophoblast Ca(2+) extrusion into fetal circulation remain to be established. In the current study we have investigated the characteristics of Ca(2+) efflux in syncytiotrophoblast-like structure originating from the differentiation of cultured trophoblasts isolated from human term placenta.

Sublingual nitroglycerine as a tocolytic in external cephalic version: a comparative study.

Objective: To study the effect of sublingual nitroglycerine as a tocolytic on the success rate of external cephalic version (ECV) in nulliparous and parous women.

Methods: A retrospective case-controlled study of all ECV cases from February 1996 to February 2000 in a single centre. The rates of successful ECV were compared between women who had their ECV before February 1998 (control group), those who had their ECV after February 1998 and received 0.

Calcium uptake and calcium transporter expression by trophoblast cells from human term placenta.

Placental transfer of maternal calcium (Ca(2+)) is a crucial step for fetal development although the biochemical mechanisms responsible for this process are largely unknown. This process is carried out in vivo by the placental syncytiotrophoblast layer. The aim of this study was to define the membrane gates responsible for the syncytiotrophoblast Ca(2+) entry, the first step in transplacental transfer.

A comparative study of manganese and lead levels in human umbilical cords and maternal blood from two urban centers exposed to different gasoline additives.

Manganese (Mn) and lead (Pb) are two neurotoxic chemicals and experimental evidence suggests that they can cross the placental barrier. Tetraethyl lead was still in use as an antiknock agent in Paris during the sampling period of the study, while it has been replaced by methylcyclopentadienyl manganese tricarbonyl (MMT) in Canada since 1977. By 1990, MMT was in 100% of gasoline in Canada.