Low Prenatal Vitamin D Metabolite Ratio and Subsequent Postpartum Depression Risk.

Depression is a common complication of pregnancy and vitamin D deficiency is one biological risk factor for postpartum depression (PPD). We evaluated the ratio of 24,25(OH)D and 25(OH)D serum concentrations referred to as the Vitamin D Metabolite Ratio (VMR), a new candidate biomarker during pregnancyand its relationship with PPD. Women were enrolled in the first trimester of pregnancy and followed through four timepoints.

Disparities and relative risk ratio of preterm birth in six Central and Eastern European centers.

Aim: To identify characteristic risk factors of preterm birth in Central and Eastern Europe and explore the differences from other developed countries.

Method: Data on 33,794 term and 3867 preterm births (<37 wks.) were extracted in a retrospective study between January 1, 2007 and December 31, 2009.

Prenatal air pollution exposure and ultrasound measures of fetal growth in Los Angeles, California.

Background: Few previous studies examined the impact of prenatal air pollution exposures on fetal development based on ultrasound measures during pregnancy.

Methods: In a prospective birth cohort of more than 500 women followed during 1993-1996 in Los Angeles, California, we examined how air pollution impacts fetal growth during pregnancy. Exposure to traffic related air pollution was estimated using CALINE4 air dispersion modeling for nitrogen oxides (NOx) and a land use regression (LUR) model for nitrogen monoxide (NO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and NOx.

Placental Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone Mediates the Association Between Prenatal Social Support and Postpartum Depression.

Three decades of research point to both biological and psychological risk factors for postpartum depression, but very little research integrates the two. This study bridged this gap by testing whether prenatal social support predicted depressive symptoms at 8 weeks postpartum in a multiethnic sample of 210 women and whether the stress hormone placental corticotropin-releasing hormone (pCRH), measured at 19, 29, and 37 weeks' gestation, mediated this relationship. We found that prenatal family support predicted significantly fewer depressive symptoms postpartum and more gradual increases in pCRH from 29 to 37 weeks' gestation.

Biomarkers of spontaneous preterm birth: an overview of the literature in the last four decades.

Background: Understanding spontaneous preterm birth ([PTB] < 37 weeks) is difficult due to heterogeneities associated with multitudes of risk factors and pathophysiological pathways. Several biomarkers are routinely used clinically for predicting preterm labor; however, these factors are either nonspecific or detected too late.

Objective: Systematic review of literature on PTB biomarkers in the last 40 years to map out the existing knowledge and gaps in understanding PTB biomarkers.

Corticotrophin-releasing hormone in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated term fetal membranes and amniotic fluid from term and preterm birth in African Americans and Caucasians.

The objective of this study is to document differences in corticotrophin-releasing hormone (CRH), CRH receptor 1 (CRHR1), and CRH binding protein (CRHBP) gene expression in fetal membranes derived from African Americans and Caucasians in vitro in response to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation and to assess racial disparity in CRH concentrations in the amniotic fluid (AF) of women with spontaneous preterm birth (PTB). Fetal membranes (African American, n = 8; Caucasian, n = 8) at term, placed in an organ explant system, were stimulated with LPS. Microarray analysis documented differences in the mRNA expression pattern of CRH, CRHBP, and CRHR1 between races.