Purpose: The purpose of this study is to determine the effectiveness of second-trimester maternal serum screening for Down syndrome as a screening test for fetal hemoglobin (Hb) Bart's disease among an unselected population.
Methods: A secondary analysis of a large prospective database (20 254 pregnancies) was conducted to compare the levels of maternal serum screening, alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), free beta-human chorionic gonadotropin, and unconjugated estriol between pregnancies with Hb Bart's disease and unaffected pregnancies.
Results: The median AFP levels were much higher among affected fetuses (1.96 vs 1.12 multiple of the median; P < .001), yielding a sensitivity of 81.6% and specificity of 86.4%. Thus, AFP measurement is effective in predicting fetal Hb Bart's disease among an unselected population when using a cutoff value of 1.5 multiple of the median. The serum free beta-human chorionic gonadotropin levels were slightly, but significantly, higher in the affected pregnancies, while the serum unconjugated estriol levels were minimally, but significantly, lower among the affected pregnancies.
Conclusion: Second-trimester maternal serum AFP levels were significantly elevated in cases of fetal Hb Bart's disease. Pregnancies with unexplained elevated serum AFP levels in areas of high prevalence of Hb Bart's disease should always undergo a detailed ultrasound examination to detect any early signs of fetal anemia before development of hydrops fetalis.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/pd.5316 | DOI Listing |
Int J Womens Health
January 2025
Department of Medical Genetic, Ganzhou Maternal and Child Health Hospital, Ganzhou, Jiangxi, 341000, People's Republic of China.
Background: Few studies have evaluated the correlation between serum uric acid (SUA) levels and the prevalence of female infertility in the general population, and the effect of magnesium intake on this correlation has not been investigated.
Methods: All participants aged 18-45 years at baseline were enrolled from the National Health and Nutritional Examination Surveys (NHANES) 2013-2018. The continuous variable of SUA was divided into quartile (Q1: ≤3.
Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) is the leading cause of maternal mortality worldwide, which is often attributed to retained placenta (RP) after delivery. There are no biomarkers currently used to predict a risk of developing RP/PPH prior to labor. The objective of this study was to determine relationships between placental biomarkers measured in the first and second trimesters and proxy measures of postpartum blood loss relative to preeclampsia status in the Nulliparous Pregnancy Outcomes Study: Monitoring Mothers-to-Be (nuMoM2b) dataset.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnviron Epidemiol
February 2025
Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Joe C. Wen School of Population and Public Health, University of California, Irvine, California.
Background: Few studies have investigated associations between per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and childhood cancers. Detectable levels of PFAS in California water districts were reported in the Third Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule for 2013-2015.
Methods: Geocoded residences at birth were linked to corresponding water district boundaries for 10,220 California-born children (aged 0-15 years) diagnosed with cancers (2000-2015) and 29,974 healthy controls.
The optimal strategy for improving cardiometabolic factors (CMFs) in young obese individuals through diet and exercise remains unclear, as do the potential mechanisms. We conducted an 8-week randomized controlled trial to compare the effects of different interventions in youth with overweight/obesity. Gut microbes and serum metabolites were examined to identify regulating mechanisms.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEClinicalMedicine
January 2025
Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
Background: Limited studies have suggested an effect of dietary choline intake on uric acid levels. We aim to investigate the associations between choline intake and hyperuricemia (HUA), as well as the mediating role of kidney function in this relationship, among the Chinese population aged 6-17 years.
Methods: Participants were divided into quartiles according to residual energy-adjusted dietary choline intake in our cross-sectional study.
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