Measurement of sVEGF R1 and PlGF in serum: comparing prototype assays from Beckman Coulter, Inc. to R&D Systems microplate assays.

Objective: To compare the performance of prototype Access® sVEGF R1 and PlGF automated immunoassays from Beckman Coulter to the Quantikine® microplate ELISA assays by R&D Systems.

Methods: Samples obtained from pregnant women, non-pregnant women and men were assayed according to manufacturers' instructions.

Results: Compared to the Quantikine assays, the Access assays demonstrated improved precision, increased sensitivity, broader dynamic ranges, and reduced analysis time.

Automated assays for sVEGF R1 and PlGF as an aid in the diagnosis of preterm preeclampsia: a prospective clinical study.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess the utility of soluble vascular endothelial growth factor 1 (sVEGF R1) and placental growth factor (PlGF) levels in the clinical diagnosis of preeclampsia.

Study Design: Plasma was collected prospectively from 457 subjects (n = 409 without preeclampsia, n = 48 with preeclampsia) at 20-36 weeks' gestation. Automated immunoassays were used to measure free sVEGF R1 and free PlGF.

The cerebroplacental Doppler ratio and neonatal outcome in diamnionic monochorionic and dichorionic twins.

Objective: Neonatal outcome in twins was studied in relation to the cerebroplacental ratio (CPR).

Methods: Seventy-five infants from twin pregnancies with fetal Doppler data obtained within 3 weeks of delivery were candidates for study (23 infants from diamnionic monochorionic and 52 infants from diamnionic dichorionic twin pregnancies). Multivariate regression analyses were expanded to include 114 twin infants (34 diamnionic monochorionic and 80 diamnionic dichorionic twins).

Diamnionic monochorionic twin gestations: an overview.

Monochorionic (MC) twins account for about 20-30% of all twins, but contribute disproportionately to mortality, intrauterine growth restriction, and preterm delivery compared with dichorionic (DC) twins. This higher mortality in MC twins is likely due to the effects of placental morphologic characteristics, which include complex vascular communications between the twins associated with twin-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS), and the tendency for the common placenta to be shared either symmetrically or asymmetrically. In assessment of clinical outcomes for TTTS, artery to vein anastomoses in the absence of artery to artery or vein to vein, especially if present with placental asymmetry, carry the worse prognosis.