Placental pathology measures: Can they be rapidly and reliably integrated into large-scale perinatal studies?

Pediatric Hepatitis C Screening by Maternal Hepatitis C Infection Status During Pregnancy

BACKGROUND

Screening for perinatal hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections remains low despite increases in the number of at-risk infants. It is unknown if pediatric screening varies by maternal HCV infection status during pregnancy.

METHODS

Using a retrospective cohort of mother-infant pairs born from 2015 to 2019, we identified women with HCV and classified their infection status during pregnancy as active, probable, or previous based on HCV RNA testing obtained during pregnancy. We used logistic regression to assess odds ratio (OR) of infant screening based on maternal HCV infection status.

RESULTS

Of the 503 HCV-exposed infants, 137 (27%) were born to women with previous infection, 106 (21%) to women with probable infection, and 260 (52%) to women with active infection. Completion of pediatric screening varied by maternal infection status (43% previous infection; 49% probable infection; 58% active; P = 0.014). Pediatric HCV infection ranged from 1.7 to 7.7% by maternal viral load (VL) status. Infants born to women with active infection were 2.5 times more likely (95% confidence intervals [CI]: 1.5-4.4) to have a screening test ordered versus infants of previously infected women; there was no difference for infants of women with probable infection (OR:1.6; 95% CI: 0.9-3.2). Test ordering was also associated with maternal smoking status, a visit at ≥18 months of age, and outpatient documentation of HCV exposure. If a test was ordered, there was no difference in test completion by maternal infection status. However, test completion was associated with living with a nonbiologic parent and earlier birth year.

CONCLUSION

Infants born to women with active infection are more likely to be screened for HCV, but many children continue to be unscreened and pediatric HCV infections are going undetected. New Centers for Disease Control and Prevention pediatric HCV screening guidelines recommending earlier screening may improve screening rates.

Association of Gestational Diabetes With Subclinical Cardiovascular Disease

Background

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is associated with increased long-term risk of cardiovascular disease but the cardiovascular structural and functional changes that contribute to risk are not well understood.

Objectives

The purpose of this study was to determine whether GDM is associated with adverse cardiac remodeling and endothelial dysfunction a decade after delivery, independent of type 2 diabetes.

Methods

Women with deliveries between 2008 and 2009 were initially selected from a prospective clinical cohort. Pregnancy history was chart abstracted and a follow-up study visit was conducted at 8 to 10 years postpartum. Cardiac structure and function were assessed with echocardiography. Endothelial function was measured with peripheral arterial tonometry and glycocalyx analysis.

Results

Among 254 women assessed at an average age of 38 years, 53 (21%) had prior GDM. At follow-up, women with GDM had more incident prediabetes or diabetes (58% vs 20% without GDM), more impairment in peripheral arterial tonometry (reactive hyperemia 1.58 vs 1.95; P = 0.01) and reduced perfusion, a marker of glycocalyx assessment (red blood cell filling 0.70 ± 0.04 vs 0.72 ± 0.05; P < 0.01). Despite adjustment for demographic and reproductive characteristics, women with GDM had great septal wall thickness by 8% (95% CI: 2.3%-14.7%) and worse diastology with higher E/E' by 11% (95% CI: 1.1%-21.5%). After additional adjustment for diabetes and prediabetes, several parameters remained significantly impaired.

Conclusions

Having GDM within the past decade was associated with more adverse cardiac structure/function and vascular endothelial function. Some, but not all, risks may be mediated through the development of prediabetes or type 2 diabetes. Enhanced preventive efforts are needed to mitigate cardiovascular risk among women with GDM.

Assessment of Racial Disparities in Aspirin Prophylaxis for Preeclampsia Prevention

OBJECTIVE

Low-dose aspirin is recommended for preeclampsia prevention among women with high-risk conditions, including chronic hypertension. Black women have higher rates of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, and whether this is related to disparities in aspirin prophylaxis is unknown. We investigated the relationship between race and counseling/prescription and uptake of aspirin among a cohort of women with chronic hypertension.

STUDY DESIGN

This is a single-institution, retrospective cohort study of women with chronic hypertension who delivered between 2016 and 2018. Medical record review was performed to assess counseling/prescription of aspirin prophylaxis and self-reported uptake. Self-reported uptake was determined by mention in the provider's notes or by inclusion in the medication reconciliation system. Demographic and obstetric outcome data were compared by self-reported race (Black vs. all other races) in univariate analysis. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate the association between race and aspirin adherence.

RESULTS

We included 872 women: 361 (41.4%) Black women and 511 (58.6%) white or other race women. Overall, 567 (65.0%) women were counseled and/or given a prescription for aspirin, and 411 (72.4%) of those women reported uptake. Black women were equally likely to be counseled and/or prescribed aspirin compared with all other races (67.3 vs. 63.4%; p = 0.7). However, Black women were less likely to report uptake of aspirin (63.8 vs. 79.0%; p < 0.001). After adjustment for total prenatal visits and tobacco use, Black race was associated with an adjusted odds ratio of 0.53 (95% confidence interval: 0.36-0.78) for uptake of aspirin.

CONCLUSION

In our cohort, recommendation for aspirin prophylaxis was suboptimal in all groups, reaching only 65% of eligible women. Black women were equally likely as women of other races to receive counseling about aspirin, but rates of uptake were lower. Our findings suggest that counseling and prescription of aspirin alone in high-risk Black women are not sufficient for utilization of this intervention.

KEY POINTS

· Rates of counseling about aspirin prophylaxis for preeclampsia did not vary by race.. · Black women had lower rates of uptake of aspirin compared with women of other races.. · Counseling about aspirin was inadequate in general, reaching only 65% of eligible women..

Prepregnancy obesity and risk of placental inflammation at term: a selection bias analysis

PURPOSE

Placental histopathology is a resource for investigating obesity-associated pregnancy conditions. However, studies oversample adverse pregnancies, biasing findings. We examine the association between prepregnancy obesity (risk factor for inflammation) and histologic placental inflammation (correlated with impaired infant neurodevelopment) and how selection bias may influence the association.

METHODS

Singleton term deliveries between 2008 and 2012 from the Magee Obstetric Maternal and Infant database were analyzed. Prepregnancy body mass index (BMI) was categorized as underweight, lean (referent), overweight, and obese. Outcomes were diagnoses of acute (acute chorioamnionitis and fetal inflammation) and chronic placental inflammation (chronic villitis). Risk ratios for associations between BMI and placental inflammation were estimated using selection bias approaches: complete case, exclusion of pregnancy complications, multiple imputation, and inverse probability weighting. E-values approximated how susceptible estimates were to residual selection bias.

RESULTS

Across methods, obesity was associated with an 8-15% lower risk of acute chorioamnionitis, a 7%-14% lower risk of acute fetal inflammation, and a 12%-30% higher risk of chronic villitis relative to lean women. E-values indicated modest residual selection bias could explain away associations, though few measured indications of placental evaluations met this threshold.

CONCLUSIONS

Obesity may contribute to placental inflammation, and we highlight robust methods to analyze clinical data susceptible to selection bias.

Patterns in Prenatal Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior: Associations With Blood Pressure and Placental Features in the MoMHealth Cohort

BACKGROUND

Moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and sedentary behavior (SED) are associated with blood pressure (BP) and adverse pregnancy outcomes. The authors investigated associations of prenatal MVPA and SED patterns with BP and with placental malperfusion features.

METHODS

Women enrolled in this prospective cohort study in the first trimester. MVPA, SED, and BP were measured objectively each trimester. MVPA and SED trajectories were constructed. Placental examinations were conducted in a subset. Associations of trajectories with BPs were assessed with linear regression adjusted for age, race, education, prepregnancy body mass index, and gestational age. Associations with placental malperfusion lesions and weight were adjusted for key covariates.

RESULTS

One hundred eleven participants were included; placental exams were available in 50. Participants with high (vs low) SED were younger and more likely to have adverse pregnancy outcomes. High SED (vs low) was associated with higher first trimester systolic (β = 5.3; 95% confidence interval, 0.0 to 10.6) and diastolic (β = 5.0; 95% confidence interval, 1.4 to 8.6) and higher second trimester diastolic (β = 4.9; 95% confidence interval, 1.6 to 8.2) BP. Medium and high MVPA groups were associated with lower postpartum diastolic BP. Trajectories were not associated with placental malperfusion.

CONCLUSIONS

MVPA and SED patterns were differentially associated with prenatal and postpartum BP. Encouraging favorable levels of both might help women achieve lower BP during and after pregnancy.

Latent class analysis of placental histopathology: a novel approach to classifying early and late preterm births

BACKGROUND

Neonatal morbidity attributable to prematurity predominantly occurs among early preterm births (<32 weeks) rather than late preterm births (32 to <37 weeks). Methods to distinguish early and late preterm births are lacking given the heterogeneity in pathophysiology and risk factors, including maternal obesity. Although preterm births are often characterized by clinical presentation (spontaneous or clinically indicated), classifying deliveries by placental features detected on histopathology reports may help identify subgroups of preterm births with similar etiology and risk factors. Latent class analysis is an empirical approach to characterize preterm births on the basis of observed combinations of placental features.

OBJECTIVE

To identify histopathologic markers that can distinguish early (<32 weeks) and late preterm births (32 to <37 weeks) that are also associated with maternal obesity and neonatal outcomes.

STUDY DESIGN

Women with a singleton preterm birth at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Magee-Womens Hospital (Pittsburgh, PA) from 2008 to 2012 and a placental evaluation (89% of preterm births) were stratified into early (n=900, 61% spontaneous) and late preterm births (n=3362, 57% spontaneous). Prepregnancy body mass index was self-reported at first prenatal visit and 16 abstracted placental features were analyzed. Placental subgroups (ie, latent classes) of early and late preterm births were determined separately by latent class analysis of placental features. The optimal number of latent classes was selected by comparing fit statistics. The probability of latent class membership across prepregnancy body mass indexes was estimated in early preterm births and in late preterm births by an extension of multinomial regression called pseudo-class regression, adjusting for race, smoking, education, and parity. The frequencies of severe neonatal morbidity (composite outcome: respiratory distress, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, intraventricular hemorrhage, necrotizing enterocolitis, periventricular leukomalacia, patent ductus arteriosus, and retinopathy of prematurity), small-for-gestational-age, and length of neonatal intensive care unit stay were compared across latent classes by chi-square and Kruskal-Wallis tests.

RESULTS

Early preterm births were grouped into 4 latent classes based on placental histopathologic features: acute inflammation (38% of cases), maternal vascular malperfusion with inflammation (29%), maternal vascular malperfusion (25%), and fetal vascular thrombosis with hemorrhage (8%). As body mass index increased from 20 to 50kg/m2, the probability of maternal vascular malperfusion and fetal vascular thrombosis with hemorrhage increased, whereas the probability of maternal vascular malperfusion with inflammation decreased. There was minimal change in the probability of acute inflammation with increasing body mass index. Late preterm births also had 4 latent classes: maternal vascular malperfusion (22%), acute inflammation (12%), fetal vascular thrombosis with hemorrhage (9%), and low-risk pathology (58%). Body mass index was not associated with major changes in likelihood of the latent classes in late preterm births. Associations between body mass index and likelihood of the latent classes were not modified by type of delivery (spontaneous or indicated) in early or late preterm births. Maternal malperfusion and fetal vascular thrombosis with hemorrhage were associated with greater neonatal morbidity than the other latent classes in early and late preterm births.

CONCLUSION

Obesity may predispose women to early but not late preterm birth through placental vascular impairment. Latent class analysis of placental histopathologic data provides an evidence-based approach to group preterm births with shared underlying etiology and risk factors.

Maternal Vascular Lesions in the Placenta Predict Vascular Impairments a Decade After Delivery

Women with adverse pregnancy outcomes later experience excess hypertension and cardiovascular disease, but how the events are linked is unknown. Examination of the placenta may provide clues to vascular impairments after delivery. Maternal vascular malperfusion lesions (MVMs) were abstracted from clinical reports, validated and characterized using clinical guidelines and severity score. A total of 492 women (170 with MVMs and 322 without MVMs) participated in a study visit 8 to 10 years after delivery to assess blood pressure, cardiometabolic factors, and sublingual microvascular features using sidestream dark field imaging. Covariates included age, race, adverse pregnancy outcomes (preeclampsia, small for gestational age, and preterm birth), and health behaviors. Women with versus without MVM had a distinct sublingual microvascular profile comprised of (1) lower microvascular density (-410 μm/mm², P=0.015), (2) higher red blood cell filling as a marker of perfusion (2%, P=0.004), and (3) smaller perfused boundary region (-0.07 µm, P=0.025) as a measure of glycocalyx integrity, adjusted for covariates including adverse pregnancy outcomes. Women with MVM also had higher adjusted diastolic blood pressure (+2.6 mm Hg, P=0.021), total and LDL (low-density lipoprotein)-cholesterol (+11.2 mg/dL, P=0.016; +8.7 mg/dL, P=0.031). MVM associations with subsequent cardiovascular measures did not vary by type of adverse pregnancy outcome, except among women with preterm births where blood pressure was higher only among those with MVM. Results were similar when evaluated as MVM severity. A decade after delivery, women with placental vascular lesions had an adverse cardiovascular profile comprised of microvascular rarefaction, higher blood pressure and more atherogenic lipids. Placental histopathology may reveal a woman's early trajectory toward subsequent vascular disease.

First trimester mechanisms of gestational sac placental and foetal teratogenicity: a framework for birth cohort studies

BACKGROUND

The function of the gestational sac (GS) and the placenta in the closely related processes of embryogenesis and teratogenicity in the first trimester has been minimally described. The prevailing assumption is that direct teratogenic effects are mediated by the critical extraembryonic organ, the placenta, which either blocks or transfers exposures to the foetus. Placental transfer is a dominant mechanism, but there are other paradigms by which the placenta can mediate teratogenic effects. Knowledge of these paradigms and first trimester human developmental biology can be useful to the epidemiologist in the conduct of biomarker-based studies of both maternal and child health.

OBJECTIVE AND RATIONALE

Our aim is to provide a causal framework for modelling the teratogenic effects of first trimester exposures on child health outcomes mediated by the GS and placenta using biomarker data collected in the first trimester. We initially present first trimester human developmental biology for the sake of informing and strengthening epidemiologic approaches. We then propose analytic approaches of modelling placental mechanisms by way of causal diagrams using classical non-embryolethal teratogens (diethylstilboestrol [DES], folic acid deficiency and cytomegalovirus [CMV]) as illustrative examples. We extend this framework to two chronic exposures of particular current interest, phthalates and maternal adiposity.

SEARCH METHODS

Information on teratogens was identified by a non-systematic, narrative review. For each teratogen, we included papers that answered the five following questions: (i) why were these exposures declared teratogens? (ii) is there a consensus on biologic mechanism? (iii) is there reported evidence of a placental mechanism? (iv) can we construct a theoretical model of a placental mechanism? and (v) can this knowledge inform future work on measurement and modelling of placental-foetal teratogenesis? We prioritized literature specific to human development, the organogenesis window in the first trimester and non-embryolethal mechanisms.

OUTCOMES

As a result of our review of the literature on five exposures considered harmful in the first trimester, we developed four analytic strategies to address first trimester placental mechanisms in birth cohort studies: placental transfer and direct effects on the foetus (DES and maternal adiposity), indirect effects through targeted placental molecular pathways (DES and phthalates), pre-placental effects through disruptions in embryonic and extraembryonic tissue layer differentiation (folic acid deficiency), and multi-step mechanisms that involve maternal, placental and foetal immune function and inflammation (DES and CMV).

WIDER IMPLICATIONS

The significance of this review is to offer a causal approach to classify the large number of potentially harmful exposures in pregnancy when the exposure occurs in the first trimester. Our review will facilitate future research by advancing knowledge of the first trimester mechanisms necessary for researchers to effectively associate environmental exposures with child health outcomes.

Association of Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy With Left Ventricular Remodeling Later in Life

BACKGROUND

Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) are associated with short-term cardiac structure and function abnormalities, but later life changes are not well studied.

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to determine if HDP history is associated with echocardiographic differences 8 to 10 years after delivery, and if subgroups with placental maternal vascular malperfusion (MVM) lesions or current hypertension may be particularly affected.

METHODS

Women with pregnancies delivered from 2008 to 2009 were selected from a clinical cohort with abstracted pregnancy and placental pathology data to undergo transthoracic echocardiography (2017 to 2020). Medical history, blood pressure, and weight were measured at the study visit.

RESULTS

The authors enrolled 132 women (10 ± 1 years post-delivery, age 38 ± 6 years): 102 with normotensive pregnancies and 30 with HDP: pre-eclampsia (n = 21) or gestational hypertension (n = 9). Compared with women with normotensive pregnancies, those with HDP history were more likely to have current hypertension (63% vs. 26%; p < 0.001). After adjusting for age, race, MVM lesions, body mass index, current hypertension, and hemoglobin A1c, women with HDP history had higher interventricular septal thickness (β = 0.08; p = 0.04) and relative wall thickness (β = 0.04; p = 0.04). In subgroup analyses, those with both HDP history and current hypertension had a higher proportion of left ventricular remodeling (79.0%) compared with all other groups (only HDP [36.4%; p = 0.01], only current hypertension [46.2%; p = 0.02], and neither HDP nor hypertension [38.2%; p < 0.001]), and lower mitral inflow E/A and annular e'. Accounting for placental MVM lesions did not impact results.

CONCLUSIONS

Women with both HDP history and current hypertension have pronounced differences in left ventricular structure and function a decade after pregnancy, warranting continued surveillance and targeted therapies for cardiovascular disease prevention.

Human Placenta Buffers the Fetus from Adverse Effects of Perceived Maternal Stress

Maternal stress during pregnancy is linked to several negative birth outcomes. The placenta, a unique pregnancy-specific organ, not only nourishes and protects the fetus but is also the major source of progesterone and estrogens. As the placenta becomes the primary source of maternal progesterone (P4) and estradiol between 6-9 weeks of gestation, and these hormones are critical for maintaining pregnancy, maternal stress may modulate levels of these steroids to impact birth outcomes. The objective was to test whether maternal perceived stress crosses the placental barrier to modulate fetal steroids, including cortisol, which is a downstream indicator of maternal hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis regulation and is associated with negative fetal outcomes. Nulliparous women, 18 years or older, with no known history of adrenal or endocrine illness were recruited during their third trimester of pregnancy at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) Mission Bay hospital obstetrics clinics. Simultaneous measurement of 10 steroid metabolites in maternal (plasma and hair) and fetal (cord blood and placenta) samples was performed using tandem mass spectrometry along with assessment of the perceived stress score and sociodemographic status. While the maternal perceived stress score (PSS) and sociodemographic status were positively associated with each other and each with the body mass index (BMI) (r = 0.73, p = 0.0008; r = 0.48, p = 0.05; r = 0.59, p = 0.014, respectively), PSS did not correlate with maternal or fetal cortisol, cortisone levels, or fetal birth weight. Regardless of maternal PSS or BMI, fetal steroid levels remained stable and unaffected. Progesterone was the only steroid analyte quantifiable in maternal hair and correlated positively with PSS (r = 0.964, p = 0.003), whereas cord estradiol was negatively associated with PSS (r = -0.94, p = 0.017). In conclusion, hair progesterone might serve as a better marker of maternal stress than cortisol or cortisone and maternal PSS negatively impacts fetal estradiol levels. Findings have implications for improved biomarkers of stress and targets for future research to identify factors that buffer the fetus from adverse effects of maternal stress.

Association of sedentary time with blood pressure in women of reproductive age

While the beneficial impact of moderate-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) on blood pressure is well-understood, the relationship between sedentary time (ST) and blood pressure is less clear. We aimed to evaluate the associations between ST and BP in reproductive-age women. This cross-sectional analysis consisted of 431 women enrolled in the Placenta as a Window to Maternal Microvascular Disease Risk study at Magee-Womens Hospital. Blood pressure and self-reported physical activity and ST were collected 8-10 years after delivery at study enrollment. Logistic and linear regression models examined associations between ST and blood pressure and adjusted for MVPA. Women with the highest amount of ST were less likely to be normotensive and more likely to have elevated blood pressure and Stage II hypertension (p = 0.02). Each additional hour of ST was associated with an increased risk of Stage II hypertension (OR 1.12 [1.01-1.24]) and higher systolic blood pressure (0.45 mmHg [0.08-0.82]), diastolic blood pressure (0.29 mmHg [0.02-0.56]), and mean arterial pressure (0.34 mmHg [0.05-0.63]), after adjustment for covariates. This relationship was more apparent in women who participated in less MVPA (bottom 50th percentile) versus more MVPA (top 50th percentile). ST is associated with higher blood pressure, particularly in women who engage in less aerobic activity, and could serve as an important intervention target for reducing blood pressure and hypertension during the reproductive years.

Clinical Course, Associated Factors, and Blood Pressure Profile of Delayed-Onset Postpartum Preeclampsia

OBJECTIVE

To identify clinical risk factors associated with development of delayed-onset postpartum preeclampsia, and to characterize management and subsequent risk of cardiovascular disease.

METHODS

This is a case-control study of women admitted to the hospital with delayed-onset postpartum preeclampsia (defined as a new diagnosis of preeclampsia presenting between 48 hours and 6 weeks postpartum) compared with women with full-term, uncomplicated pregnancies without a hypertensive diagnosis or diabetes. Included women delivered between January 2014 and June 2018 at a single tertiary care center. Women with an antenatal diagnosis of preeclampsia or chronic hypertension were excluded. Univariate analysis was used to identify risk factors associated with delayed-onset postpartum preeclampsia and to compare rates of hypertension and antihypertensive medication use, with follow-up beyond 3 months postpartum among a subset of women in the control group who were matched 2:1 with women in the case group. Multivariable logistic regression was performed and included covariates identified in a backward stepwise approach.

RESULTS

Compared with women in the control group (n=26,936), women with delayed-onset postpartum preeclampsia (n=121) were significantly more likely to be of non-Hispanic black race (31.4% vs 18.0%), obese (39.7% vs 20.1%), and deliver by cesarean (40.5% vs 25.8%), all P<.01. For women diagnosed with delayed-onset postpartum preeclampsia, the median postpartum day of presentation was 7.0 (interquartile range 5.0-9.0), with 93.4% presenting secondary to symptoms, which was most commonly a headache. A majority (73.6%) underwent imaging studies, and 49.6% received intravenous antihypertensive agents. A total of 86 (71.0%) women with delayed-onset postpartum preeclampsia and 169 (72.8%) women in the control group had longer term information available, with a median follow-up time of 1.5 years (interquartile range 0.8-2.8). Delayed-onset postpartum preeclampsia was associated with higher blood pressures at 3 months postpartum or later (median systolic 130 mm Hg vs 112 mm Hg and median diastolic 80 mm Hg vs 70 mm Hg, P<.001).

CONCLUSION

Delayed-onset postpartum preeclampsia is associated with variable management strategies. There is substantial overlap between the clinical risk factors for delayed-onset postpartum preeclampsia and antepartum preeclampsia. Our findings suggest that delayed-onset postpartum preeclampsia is also associated with an increased risk of progression to chronic hypertension.

Pre-conception blood pressure and evidence of placental malperfusion

Background

Evidence of placental maternal vascular malperfusion is associated with significant perinatal outcomes such as preeclampsia, intrauterine growth restriction and preterm birth. Elevations in pre-pregnancy blood pressure increase the risk for poor perinatal outcomes; however, the evidence linking pre-pregnancy blood pressure and placental malperfusion is sparse.

Materials and methods

We conducted a retrospective case-control study of women with singleton gestations with placental evaluations who delivered at Magee-Womens Hospital in 2012. Charts from 100 deliveries with placental malperfusion lesions (vasculopathy, advanced villous maturation, infarct, or fibrin deposition) and 102 deliveries without placental malperfusion were randomly selected for screening. Blood pressure, demographic, and clinical data were abstracted from pre-pregnancy electronic medical records and compared between women with and without subsequent placental malperfusion lesions.

Results

Overall, 48% of women had pre-pregnancy records, and these were similarly available for women with and without placental malperfusion. Women with placental malperfusion demonstrated a reduction in their pre- to early pregnancy decrease in diastolic blood pressure (DBP). Adjusted for race, pre-pregnancy BMI, age, pre-conception interval, and gestational age at the first prenatal visit, the difference in pre- to early pregnancy DBP was significantly less in women with placental malperfusion compared to those without this pathologic finding (− 1.35 mmHg drop vs − 5.6mmg, p < 0.05).

Conclusion

A blunted early gestation drop in DBP may be a risk factor for placental malperfusion, perhaps related to early pregnancy vascular maladaptation. The ability of the electronic medical record to provide pre-pregnancy data serves as an underutilized approach to study pre-pregnancy health.

Early pregnancy immune profile and preterm birth classified according to uteroplacental lesions

INTRODUCTION

Preterm birth is a heterogeneous phenotype, with placental abnormalities underlying many cases. The etiology of preterm births that occur in the absence of placental abnormalities, however, remain enigmatic and we considered that early pregnancy biomarkers may provide clues.

METHODS

Women from a hospital-based cohort (2008-2012, n = 397) were randomly selected within 6 strata of term and preterm birth with and without placental decidual vasculopathy (arteriopathy), intrauterine inflammation/infection (acute chorioamnionitis), or no lesions. Lipids and inflammatory markers were analyzed in first trimester samples (12.5 ± 0.6 weeks) and related to outcome groups (referent, term births with no lesions). Factor analysis then clustered analytes and related these to preterm birth groups, adjusted for covariates and stratified by pre-pregnancy obesity.

RESULTS

Three biomarker patterns were identified. Immune activation cytokines (33% of the variance) were associated with preterm birth with no lesions (aOR 1.5, 95%CI 1.1-2.1), particularly among obese women. In contrast, inflammatory chemokines (9% of variance) were associated with term and preterm vasculopathy among non-obese women (aOR 2.6 [1.3, 4.7] and 2.0 [1.1, 3.0], respectively).

DISCUSSION

The early pregnancy maternal immune profile is related to preterm births classified according to placental lesions, and these associations vary according to obesity status.

Placental findings in non-hypertensive term pregnancies and association with future adverse pregnancy outcomes: a cohort study

INTRODUCTION

Women with adverse pregnancy outcomes (APOs) have excess risk of later life cardiovascular disease (CVD) perhaps related to an underlying high-risk vascular phenotype. We sought to determine if placental evidence of maternal malperfusion in uncomplicated pregnancies is associated with an increased risk of APOs in subsequent pregnancies.

METHODS

536 women with more than one delivery and an initial uncomplicated pregnancy with placental pathology examination between 2008 and 2012 were included. APOs (small for gestational age, preterm delivery, or preeclampsia) were identified for each delivery. Multivariable log-binomial regression was used to estimate the risk of an APO in a subsequent pregnancy associated with MVM lesions in index pregnancy with adjustment for covariates.

RESULTS

Placental pathology from the initial pregnancy was compared between women with no APO in any pregnancy (-APO/-APO; n = 403) and women with an initial uncomplicated pregnancy and a subsequent adverse outcome (-APO/+APO; n = 133). Women with MVM lesions had an increased risk of an APO in a subsequent pregnancy relative to women with no MVM lesions after adjusting for covariates (aOR = 1.61; 95%CI = 1.06-2.46). Decidual vasculopathy was found in 13/133 (9.8%) of -APO/+APO women compared with 16/403 (4.0%) of -APO/-APO women, with an adjusted odds ratio of 2.51 (95% CI = 1.31-4.80).

DISCUSSION

MVM lesions found in placentas in uncomplicated pregnancies are associated with an increased risk of an adverse outcome in a subsequent pregnancy. Placental evidence of vascular malperfusion could offer a novel approach to risk stratification for subsequent pregnancy complications and perhaps future CVD.

Preterm birth with placental evidence of malperfusion is associated with cardiovascular risk factors after pregnancy: a prospective cohort study

OBJECTIVE

Preterm birth (PTB) is associated with excess maternal cardiovascular disease risk. We considered that women with PTB and placental evidence of maternal malperfusion would be particularly affected.

DESIGN

Pregnancy cohort study.

SETTING

Pittsburgh, PA, USA.

POPULATION

Women with PTB (n = 115) and term births (n = 210) evaluated 4-12 years after pregnancy.

METHODS

Cardiometabolic risk markers were compared in women with prior PTB versus term births; pre-eclampsia and growth restriction cases were excluded. Placental evidence of maternal vascular malperfusion (vasculopathy, infarct, advanced villous maturation, perivillous fibrin, intervillous fibrin deposition), acute infection/inflammation (chorioamnionitis, funisitis, deciduitus) and villitis of unknown aetiology (chronic inflammation) was used to classify PTBs.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT), fasting lipids, blood pressure (BP) and inflammatory markers measured after delivery.

RESULTS

Women with PTB and malperfusion lesions had higher total cholesterol (+13.5 mg/dl) and systolic BP (+4.0 mmHg) at follow up compared with women with term births, accounting for age, race, pre-pregnancy BMI, and smoking (P < 0.05). Women with PTB and malperfusion accompanied by inflammatory lesions had the most atherogenic profile after pregnancy (cholesterol +18.7, apolipoprotein B + 12.7 mg/dl; all P < 0.05), adjusted for pre-pregnancy features. Carotid IMT was higher in this group (+0.037 cm, P = 0.031) accounting for pre-pregnancy factors; differences were attenuated after adjusting for BP and atherogenic lipids at follow up (+0.027, P = 0.095).

CONCLUSION

PTBs with placental malperfusion were associated with an excess maternal cardiometabolic risk burden in the decade after pregnancy. The placenta may offer insight into subtypes of PTB related to maternal cardiovascular disease.

TWEETABLE ABSTRACT

Preterm births with placental malperfusion may mark women at higher cardiovascular disease risk.

Delayed villous maturation in term placentas exposed to opioid maintenance therapy: a retrospective cohort study

BACKGROUND

Opioid use disorder among pregnant women is associated with adverse perinatal outcomes and is increasing in the United States. The standard of care for pregnant women with opioid use disorder is opioid maintenance therapy including either methadone or buprenorphine, which can be initiated at any time during pregnancy. These medications are known to cross the placenta but their placental and fetal effects have not been well characterized. Delayed villous maturation, a placental finding associated with stillbirth, was observed in placentas exposed to opioid maintenance therapy. Given the association of delayed villous maturation with stillbirth, and the possible relationship between opioid maintenance therapy and delayed villous maturation, this study was undertaken to explore the association between opioid maintenance therapy and this placental finding. Delayed villous maturation was not previously reported in placentas exposed to opioids or opioid maintenance therapy.

OBJECTIVE

This study sought to compare risk of delayed villous maturation in term placentas exposed and unexposed to opioid maintenance therapy with buprenorphine or methadone.

STUDY DESIGN

This was a retrospective cohort study conducted between 2010 through 2012 at Magee-Womens Hospital comparing delayed villous maturation in placentas of women with opioid use disorder exposed to either buprenorphine (n = 86) or methadone (n = 268) versus women without opioid use disorder (n = 978). Potential covariates were assessed in univariate analyses with none significantly associated with delayed villous maturation. The final model used conditional logistic regression adjusting for smoking status alone.

RESULTS

Among women without opioid use disorder (and therefore not exposed to opioid maintenance therapy), delayed villous maturation was identified in 5.7% of placentas while the prevalence among women treated with buprenorphine or methadone was 8.1% and 10.8%. Overall, the crude odds of being diagnosed with delayed villous maturation were significantly greater in those exposed to opioid maintenance therapy compared to those not exposed (odds ratio, 1.86; 95% confidence interval, 1.20-2.89). When considered separately, women treated with methadone had significantly greater odds of having a placenta with delayed villous maturation than women without exposure to opioid maintenance therapy (odds ratio, 2.00; 95% confidence interval, 1.52-3.20). Women treated with buprenorphine did not have significantly greater odds of this placental diagnosis when compared to the women unexposed to opioid maintenance therapy (odds ratio, 1.46; 95% confidence interval, 0.64-3.31). Results were similar after accounting for smoking.

CONCLUSION

Delayed villous maturation was more common in the placentas of women exposed to opioid maintenance therapy. Further studies are required to characterize rates and extent of delayed villous maturation in the general population as well as to differentiate between possible effects of opioid exposure (eg, heroin, illicit use of prescription opioids) vs those of opioid maintenance therapy (buprenorphine and methadone).

Neonatal outcomes following preterm birth classified according to placental features

BACKGROUND

Preterm birth has staggering health implications, and yet the causes of most cases are still unknown. Placental features have been understudied as an etiology for preterm birth, and the association between placental pathologic lesions and neonatal outcomes are incompletely understood.

OBJECTIVE

We sought to characterize births according to placental pathology and relate these to adverse neonatal outcomes.

STUDY DESIGN

We studied 20,091 births (15,710 term and 4381 preterm) with placental evaluations. Births were classified according to the presence or absence of placental lesions consistent with malperfusion (vasculopathy, infarct, advanced villous maturation, perivillous fibrin, fibrin deposition) and intrauterine inflammation/infection (chorioamnionitis, funisitis, vasculitis). Outcomes were gestational week of delivery, birthweight z-score, neonatal respiratory distress syndrome, and intraventricular hemorrhage.

RESULTS

Among all preterm births, evidence of placental malperfusion was identified more often than inflammation/infection (50.6% vs 27.3%, P < .0001). Placental malperfusion was associated with reduced fetal growth (adjusted birthweight z-score, -0.83, P < .0001) and lesions of inflammation/infection were associated with earlier delivery (adjusted difference -2.08 weeks, P < .0001) than those with no lesions. When both placental lesions were present, earlier delivery (adjusted difference -2.28 weeks, P < .0001) and reduced fetal growth (adjusted birthweight z-score difference, -0.24, P = .001) were observed more often than when neither lesion was present. Findings were similar when restricted to cases of spontaneous preterm birth. Intraventricular hemorrhage was higher in preterm births with malperfusion lesions than cases with no lesions (7.6% vs 3.4%; odds ratio, 1.98; confidence interval, 1.18-3.32), accounting for gestational age and other covariates.

CONCLUSION

Placental pathology provides important insight into subtypes of preterm birth with adverse neonatal outcomes. Co-occurrence of malperfusion and inflammation/infection, especially among spontaneous preterm births, may be a novel pattern of placental injury linked to severe adverse outcomes.

Placental Elasticity and Histopathological Findings in Normal and Intra-Uterine Growth Restriction Pregnancies Assessed with Strain Elastography in Ex Vivo Placenta

The aim of this study was to investigate the differences of placental elasticity between intra-uterine growth restriction (IUGR) and normal pregnancies to show whether or not there is any association between histopathological changes and placental elasticity. Fifty-five human placentas were collected at delivery, including 25 with IUGR and 30 controls. Strain elastography (SE) was performed ex vivo and all placentas were examined histopathologically. Elasticity index (EI) and histopathological findings were compared between groups. The placental stiffness and presence of histopathological changes were higher in the IUGR group than in controls (p < 0.05). Also, histopathological findings were associated with decreased EI values, but no specific patterns of histologic abnormalities were identified except villitis and delayed villous maturity. Distinct reduced placental elasticity could be the result of the cumulative effects of all the histologic findings in IUGR.

Placental maternal vascular malperfusion and adverse pregnancy outcomes in gestational diabetes mellitus

INTRODUCTION

Maternal vascular malperfusion (MVM) lesions represent hypoxic-ischemic damage to the placenta, and they are associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes. Women with gestational diabetes (GDM) are at increased risk for pregnancy complications, so we set out to characterize the prevalence and clinical correlates of MVM lesions in this cohort.

METHODS

This was a retrospective cohort study of 1187/1374 (86.4%) women with GDM delivered between 2009 and 2012 who had placental pathology available. Placental lesions of all types were tabulated and grouped into constructs of related entities. MVM lesions specifically included villous infarcts, decidual vasculopathy, increased syncytial knots, perivillous fibrin, and fibrin deposition. We compared maternal characteristics between women with and without MVM lesions, and we also assessed the impact of these lesions on birth weight, preterm birth, and pre-eclampsia using multivariable logistic regression analysis.

RESULTS

MVM lesions were the most common placental lesion type in women with GDM (n = 362, 30.5%). Excess gestational weight gain was independently associated with MVM lesions (aOR 1.42, 95% CI 1.06-1.91, p = 0.02) after adjusting for maternal characteristics. MVM lesions were associated with lower birth weight (-90.3 g, 95% CI -148.0 to -32.7, p = 0.002), as well as a 2-fold increased risk for delivery of a small for gestational age infant (10.8 vs 5.9%, p = 0.01) in overweight and obese women. MVM lesions were also associated with increased risk for preterm birth <34 weeks (adjusted OR 2.36, 95% CI 1.31-4.23, p = 0.004) and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP; adjusted OR 1.58, 95% CI 1.13-2.22, p = 0.02).

DISCUSSION

Placental maternal vascular malperfusion lesions may be one pathway linking excess gestational weight gain to adverse pregnancy outcomes in women with GDM, and future studies are needed to identify metabolic factors that may explain this association.