Publications by authors named "Ellis Becking"
Objectives: Noninvasive prenatal testing (NIPT) to screen for fetal aneuploidies by analysing cell-free DNA in maternal plasma is available to pregnant women worldwide. In the future, the scope of NIPT could potentially be expanded to the prediction of adverse pregnancy outcomes. The objective of this study was to assess and compare the preferences of pregnant women and obstetric healthcare professionals on this new test purpose of NIPT.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFrom an ethical point of view, there is an important distinction between two types of prenatal screening. The first of these targets maternal or foetal conditions (e.g.
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- Early risk assessment in pregnancy can help prevent serious issues like preeclampsia and gestational diabetes by identifying at-risk mothers early on.
- This study reviewed 77 articles on first-trimester prediction models focused on maternal characteristics, excluding those using biochemical or ultrasound data, and found varied effectiveness in predicting outcomes.
- Many of the models showed a high risk of bias, and there’s a need for better validation processes, indicating that while tools exist, their reliability and clinical use must be improved.
Objective: To assess the added value of fetal fraction of cell-free DNA in the maternal circulation in the prediction of adverse pregnancy outcomes.
Design: Retrospective cohort study.
Setting: Nationwide implementation study on non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT; TRIDENT-2 study).
Objective: To explore the perspectives of pregnant women on broadening the scope of noninvasive prenatal testing (NIPT) from screening for foetal aneuploidies to prediction of adverse pregnancy outcomes.
Methods: Four online focus groups (n = 23 participants) and 14 individual semi-structured interviews were conducted. Participants included pregnant women with and without a history of adverse pregnancy outcomes.
Background: Noninvasive prenatal testing by cell-free DNA analysis is offered to pregnant women worldwide to screen for fetal aneuploidies. In noninvasive prenatal testing, the fetal fraction of cell-free DNA in the maternal circulation is measured as a quality control parameter. Given that fetal cell-free DNA originates from the placenta, the fetal fraction might also reflect placental health and maternal pregnancy adaptation.
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- A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to evaluate the relationship between low fetal fraction (LFF) in cell-free DNA screening and the risk of fetal chromosomal abnormalities.
- The analysis included 27 studies with over 243,700 singleton pregnancies, showing that LFF is significantly linked to an increased risk of certain conditions like trisomy 13 and 18, but not trisomy 21.
- The review suggests further research is necessary to explore other types of fetal chromosomal issues associated with LFF, highlighting a limitation due to potential bias in how outcomes were assessed across studies.
Background: Fetal fraction (FF) measurement is considered important for reliable noninvasive prenatal testing (NIPT). Using minimal FF threshold as a quality parameter is under debate. We evaluated the variability in reported FFs of individual samples between providers and laboratories and within a single laboratory.
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- * Conducted on women who had a low FF result (<4%) in a nationwide screening program, the study found that these women had higher rates of conditions like pregnancy-induced hypertension and gestational diabetes compared to the general population.
- * The authors concluded that low FF is linked to negative pregnancy outcomes, but further research is needed to confirm its predictive value for these risks.
Objective: Low fetal fraction (LFF) in prenatal cell-free DNA (cfDNA) testing is an important cause of test failure and no-call results. LFF might reflect early abnormal placentation and therefore be associated with adverse pregnancy outcome. Here, we review the available literature on the relationship between LFF in cfDNA testing and adverse pregnancy outcome.
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