Tumor necrosis factor-alpha in the placenta is not elevated in pre-eclamptic patients despite its elevation in peripheral blood.

Problem: Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) is present in human placental and uterine cells at the early and late stages of gestation and promotes the regulation of trophoblast growth and invasion. We evaluated whether TNF-alpha levels in the placenta and blood of pre-eclamptic women differed from those with normal pregnancies.

Method Of Study: The subjects were 39 pregnant women carrying single fetuses (21 normal-pregnant and 18 pre-eclamptic patients).

Macrophage colony-stimulating factor levels in amniotic fluid before and after the onset of labor do not differ in normal pregnancies.

Problem: Macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF) promotes placental growth and maintenance. M-CSF also regulates trophoblast invasion into the placental bed. We evaluated whether M-CSF levels in amniotic fluid during labor contributing to subsequent delivery differed from those before the onset of labor in normal pregnancies.

Elevation of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor in the placenta and blood in preeclampsia.

Objective: This study investigated whether granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) levels in the placenta and blood in preeclampsia differed from those in normal pregnancies. Macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF) levels in the placenta were also measured.

Study Design: The subjects were 44 pregnant women carrying single fetuses, of whom 22 were women with normal pregnancies and 22 were women with preeclampsia.

Elevation of serum macrophage colony-stimulating factor before the clinical manifestations of preeclampsia.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine whether the increase in serum macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF) levels preceded the onset of preeclampsia.

Study Design: We selected 146 women, of whom 36 were nonpregnant women participating in the preliminary study and 110 were normotensive pregnant women at risk for preeclampsia who were carrying single fetuses at about 18 weeks of gestation. The blood was collected and serum was stored at -20 degrees C until assay.

Serum levels of macrophage colony-stimulating factor after cesarean section, vaginal delivery, or laparotomy in normal pregnant women and gynecologic patients.

Background: Macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF) is located in villous cells lining the vessels in the placenta in the third trimester and has been implicated in placental growth and development. Macrophage colony-stimulating factor levels in peripheral blood increased significantly with progression of pregnancy in uncomplicated pregnancies. The serum levels of M-CSF appear to be altered after laparotomy in normal pregnant women and nonpregnant gynecologic patients.

Successful conception following Fallopian tube recanalization in infertile patients with a unilateral proximally occluded tube and a contralateral patent tube.

Background: There are many published case reports of successful conception following transcervical Fallopian tube recanalization (T-FTR) in patients with bilateral proximally occluded Fallopian tubes. However, no serial trials have been published with respect to successful conception following unilateral tubal recanalization in infertile patients with a unilateral proximally occluded tube and a contralateral patent tube. This study was designated to analyse the success rate of T-FTR and the pregnancy rate due to natural fertilization in the lumen of the recanalized tube in these patients.

Characterization of five marker levels of the hemostatic system and endothelial status in normotensive pregnancy and pre-eclampsia.

Objectives: Pre-eclampsia is associated with changes in the hemostatic system and endothelial status. Urinary 11-dehydrothromboxane B2/creatinine (11-DTXB2/Cr) is a marker for platelet activation and vascular constriction, thrombin-antithrombin complex (TAT) for thrombin formation, serum thrombomodulin (TM) for endothelial damage, and beta-thromboglobulin (beta-TG) and platelet factor 4 (PF-4) for platelet activation and releasing reaction. The present study attempted to evaluate these five markers in normotensive pregnancy and pre-eclampsia.

Changes in blood macrophage colony-stimulating factor levels after cesarean section in normotensive pregnancy and preeclampsia.

Background: Macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF) stimulates the proliferation and differentiation of placental trophoblasts and may regulate trophoblast invasion into the placental bed. M-CSF levels in peripheral blood show a significant increase in preeclampsia. Thus, the present study examined changes in blood levels of M-CSF before and after cesarean section and compared them between normotensive and preeclamptic pregnant women.

Elevated levels of serum macrophage colony-stimulating factor in normotensive pregnancies complicated by intrauterine fetal growth restriction.

Objective: Macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF) is considered an essential cytokine for placental growth and maintenance. M-CSF also may regulate trophoblast invasion into the placental bed. The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether serum M-CSF levels were altered in normotensive pregnancies complicated by intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) arising from unknown factors.

The levels of five markers of hemostasis and endothelial status at different stages of normotensive pregnancy.

Background: Urinary 11-dehydrothromboxane B(2)/creatinine (11-DTXB(2)/Cr) is a marker for in vivo platelet activation and vascular constriction, blood thrombomodulin (TM) for endothelial damage and associated thrombosis, thrombin-antithrombin complex (TAT) for thrombin formation, and beta-thromboglobulin (beta-TG) and platelet factor 4 (PF-4) for in vivo platelet activation and releasing reaction. Little is known about the quantitative relationship among them during pregnancy. The present study investigated levels of five markers at different stages of normotensive pregnancy.

Increased levels of macrophage colony-stimulating factor in the placenta and blood in preeclampsia.

Problem: Macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF) is considered an essential cytokine for placental growth and maintenance. We evaluated whether M-CSF levels in the placenta and blood in preeclampsia differed from those in normal pregnancies.

Method Of Study: The subjects were 37 pregnant women carrying single fetuses, of whom 19 were women with normal pregnancies and 18 were women with preeclampsia.

Changes in urinary excretion of six biochemical parameters in normotensive pregnancy and preeclampsia.

We evaluated renal functions by urinary biochemical parameters in normotensive pregnancy and preeclampsia. The parameters are expected to be altered resulting from different abnormalities of renal glomeruli and tubules. We chose N-acetyl-beta-d-glucosaminidase (NAG), beta2-microglobulin (beta2MG), total protein (TP), albumin (Alb), urea nitrogen (UN), uric acid (UA), and creatinine (Cr).