No correlation between the number of fetal nucleated cells and the amount of cell-free fetal DNA in maternal circulation either before or after delivery.

Objectives: We have determined the number of fetal nucleated cells and the concentration of cell-free fetal DNA in parallel in the same maternal blood samples either before or after delivery, and studied the relationship between these two.

Methods: Venous blood samples were taken at four points around delivery from ten women who had singleton male fetus with informed consent. The number of fetal nucleated cells having a Y chromosome specific signal treated by two-color fluorescence in situ hybridization technique was counted using maternal whole blood.

Increased plasma mRNAs of placenta-specific 1 (PLAC1) and glial cells-missing 1 (GCM1) in mothers with pre-eclampsia.

In this study we have investigated whether quantitative analysis of placental mRNAs in maternal plasma provides a way to monitor placental status. We measured plasma concentrations of human chorionic gonadotropin beta-subunit (betahCG) and human placental lactogen (hPL) mRNAs as previously reported mRNAs and pregnancy associated plasma protein A (PAPP-A), placenta-specific 1 (PLAC1) and glial cells-missing 1 (GCM1) mRNAs, which have not been measured during the course of normal pregnancy. Firstly, peripheral blood was obtained at various times from healthy pregnant women to clarify the time course of placental mRNAs.