Publications by authors named "Yoshiteru Noda"
Objectives: Alterations in the vaginal bacterial flora reflect the status of various obstetric conditions and are associated with mechanisms that underlie certain pregnancy-associated complications. These changes are also a predictive biomarker for clinical outcomes of these adverse events.
Methods: We examined the vaginal microbiome in samples from pregnant Japanese women with preterm labor.
Objective: The proprotein convertase furin is known to be involved in the processing of pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (proBNP) and prorenin receptor (PRR), suggesting that it has a potential function in blood pressure regulation. We investigated the role of furin in the etiology of pre-eclampsia and its related disorder, unexplained fetal growth restriction (FGR) without hypertension.
Methods: We evaluated serum and placental furin levels in pre-eclampsia, FGR and uncomplicated pregnancy.
Background: Soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 (sFlt-1) is believed to be a prominent component in the pathogenesis of pre-eclampsia, although the precise etiology has remained elusive. In this study, the etiological role of FLT1 variant was further validated in pre-eclampsia by examining this association in a Japanese sample population.
Methods: The genotypes of three variants (rs4769613, rs12050029 and rs149427560) were examined in the upstream region of the FLT1 gene in placentas from pre-eclamptic (n=47) or normotensive control (n=49) pregnancy samples.
Article Synopsis
- * The study utilized techniques like RT-PCR and western blot to confirm higher levels of nectin-4 in pre-eclamptic placentas, which was found at the apical membrane of certain placental cells.
- * Overexpression of nectin-4 in trophoblasts led to normal migration in a matrix, but made them susceptible to destruction by natural killer cells, suggesting a link to immune response issues in pre-eclampsia.
Examination of maternal plasma cell-free DNA (cfDNA) for noninvasive prenatal testing for fetal trisomy is a highly effective method for pregnant women at high risk. This can be also applied to fetal gender determination in female carriers of severe X-linked disease. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis is a relatively simpler and less expensive method of detecting Y chromosome-specific repeats (Y-specific PCR; YSP), but is limited by the risk of false-negative results.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMultiplex PCR in noninvasive prenatal diagnosis for FGFR3-related disorders.
Congenit Anom (Kyoto)
January 2019
Thanatophoric dysplasia and achondroplasia are allelic disorders caused by a constitutively active mutation in the FGFR3 gene. Because thanatophoric dysplasia is a lethal disorder and achondroplasia is non-lethal, they need to be distinguished after ultrasound identification of fetal growth retardation with short limbs. Accordingly, we have developed a noninvasive prenatal test using cell-free fetal DNA in the maternal circulation to distinguish thanatophoric dysplasia and achondroplasia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- * Higher serum corin levels were also noted in pregnancies with unexplained fetal growth restriction (FGR), indicating that this elevation isn't solely linked to hypertension in mothers.
- * While CORIN mRNA levels did not increase in placentas from pre-eclampsia or FGR cases, corin signals were elevated in maternal decidua cells, suggesting a potential common pathway for these conditions.
Objectives: With the maturation of the cervical canal during pregnancy, the cervical gland area (CGA) as observed on transvaginal ultrasonography is gradually obscured. The aim of this study was to elucidate the significance of CGA in the late third trimester as a determinant of the outcome of labor.
Methods: We investigated 123 primiparous women with singleton pregnancies at 36-41 weeks' gestation.