Amniotic fluid clusterin in pregnancies complicated by the preterm prelabor rupture of membranes

Absolute counts of leukocyte subsets in peripheral blood in pregnancies complicated by preterm prelabour rupture of membranes

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to assess variations in the absolute counts of various leukocyte subsets in the peripheral blood of women with pregnancies affected by preterm prelabour rupture of membranes (PPROM), in relation to the presence of intra-amniotic inflammation (IAI).

METHODS

The study included fifty-two women with singleton pregnancies experiencing PPROM. Absolute counts of different leukocyte subpopulations, such as granulocytes, monocytes, lymphocytes, T cells and their subsets, B cells and their subsets, and NK cells and their subsets, were measured in maternal peripheral blood samples using multicolour flow cytometry. IAI was identified by elevated concentrations of interleukin 6 (IL-6) in the amniotic fluid, which was collected through transabdominal amniocentesis.

RESULTS

Women with IAI exhibited higher absolute counts of leukocytes (p = 0.003), granulocytes (p = 0.008), and monocytes (p = 0.009). However, the presence of IAI did not significantly affect the absolute counts of lymphocytes or their subpopulations.

CONCLUSIONS

The study found that IAI is associated with changes in the absolute counts of leukocytes from the innate immunity compartment in the peripheral blood of women with pregnancies complicated by PPROM. Conversely, it does not significantly alter the counts of cells from the adaptive immune system. The changes observed may reflect the natural, temporal, and localised characteristics of IAI.

Study on plasma exosome biomarkers of pregnant women with intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy

OBJECTIVE AND AIMS

Serum total bile acid (TBA) level as the main index for the diagnosis of intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) has some limitations. The early diagnosis and new treatment of ICP still need to be further strengthened.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Plasma samples were collected, and exosomes were isolated. Key differential proteins were screened by bioinformatics methods. ELISA method was used to detect the concentration of the key differential protein in plasma samples, and the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) curve was drawn to find out the best critical value.

RESULTS

There were 138 differentially expressed proteins between the ICP and the normal groups by quantitative analysis. Cluster protein (CLU) was screened as a clinical validation index. The CLU concentration of plasma exosomes in the ICP group was significantly higher than that in the normal group (p < .0001). ROC curve analysis showed that the best critical point for diagnosing ICP according to the plasma exosomes CLU concentration of pregnant women was 255.28 ng/ml. In the ICP group, the best crucial point for predicting ICP with premature delivery is 286.72 ng/ml.

CONCLUSIONS

The plasma exosomes CLU in pregnant women with ICP is an important biomarker for clinical diagnosis and prediction of premature delivery of ICP.

Perinatal Infections With Ureaplasma

Ureaplasma species are increasingly recognized as relevant pathogens in prenatal, perinatal and postnatal morbidity. They are commonly found as commensals on the mucous membranes of the lower urogenital tract of pregnant women, but when ascending, they can cause bacterial vaginosis, chorioamnionitis, premature birth and postnatal morbidities such as bronchopulmonary dysplasia, and early-onset neonatal sepsis and meningitis. The detection of Ureaplasma species is challenging and is not covered by routine diagnostics, and current empiric antibiotic treatment in neonates suspected of infection is not directed against Ureaplasma species. The aim of this review is to discuss the pathophysiology of Ureaplasma infections, the clinical consequences and the current difficulties in diagnosis and treatment by providing an overview of the current literature.

Human β-defensin-3 participates in intra-amniotic host defense in women with labor at term, spontaneous preterm labor and intact membranes, and preterm prelabor rupture of membranes

Objective: Human β-defensin-3 (HBD-3) has a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity, and activity and, therefore, plays a central role in host defense mechanisms against infection. Herein, we determined whether HBD-3 was a physiological constituent of amniotic fluid during midtrimester and at term and whether the concentration of this defensin was increased in amniotic fluid of women with spontaneous preterm labor and intact membranes and those with preterm prelabor rupture of membranes (pPROM) with intra-amniotic inflammation or intra-amniotic infection.Methods: Amniotic fluid was collected from 219 women in the following groups: (1) midtrimester who delivered at term (n = 35); (2) with or without spontaneous labor at term (n = 50); (3) spontaneous preterm labor with intact membranes who delivered at term (n = 29); (4) spontaneous preterm labor with intact membranes who delivered preterm with or without intra-amniotic inflammation or intra-amniotic infection (n = 69); and (5) pPROM with or without intra-amniotic infection (n = 36). Amniotic fluid HBD-3 concentrations were determined using a sensitive and specific ELISA kit.Results: (1) HBD-3 is a physiological constituent of amniotic fluid; (2) the amniotic fluid concentration of HBD-3 did not change with gestational age (midtrimester versus term not in labor); (3) amniotic fluid concentrations of HBD-3 were higher in women with spontaneous labor at term than in those without labor; (4) in the absence of intra-amniotic inflammation, amniotic fluid concentrations of HBD-3 were similar between women with spontaneous preterm labor who delivered preterm and those who delivered at term; (5) among patients with spontaneous preterm labor who delivered preterm, amniotic fluid concentrations of HBD-3 were greater in women with intra-amniotic infection than in those without this clinical condition; (6) among patients with spontaneous preterm labor, amniotic fluid concentrations of HBD-3 were higher in women with intra-amniotic inflammation or intra-amniotic infection who delivered preterm than in those without these clinical conditions who delivered at term; and (7) women with pPROM and intra-amniotic infection had higher median amniotic fluid concentrations of HBD-3 than those without this clinical condition.Conclusion: Human β-defensin-3 is a physiological constituent of amniotic fluid and increases during the process of labor at term. Amniotic fluid concentrations of HBD-3 were increased in women with spontaneous preterm labor with intact membranes or pPROM with intra-amniotic inflammation or intra-amniotic infection, indicating that this defensin participates in the host defense mechanisms in the amniotic cavity against microorganisms or danger signals. These findings provide insight into the soluble host defense mechanisms against intra-amniotic inflammation and intra-amniotic infection.

Preterm labor is characterized by a high abundance of amniotic fluid prostaglandins in patients with intra-amniotic infection or sterile intra-amniotic inflammation

Objective: To distinguish between prostaglandin and prostamide concentrations in the amniotic fluid of women who had an episode of preterm labor with intact membranes through the utilisation of liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.Study design: Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analysis of amniotic fluid of women with preterm labor and (1) subsequent delivery at term (2) preterm delivery without intra-amniotic inflammation; (3) preterm delivery with sterile intra-amniotic inflammation (interleukin (IL)-6>2.6 ng/mL without detectable microorganisms); and (4) preterm delivery with intra-amniotic infection [IL-6>2.6 ng/mL with detectable microorganisms].Results: (1) amniotic fluid concentrations of PGE₂, PGF_2α, and PGFM were higher in patients with intra-amniotic infection than in those without intra-amniotic inflammation; (2) PGE₂ and PGF_2α concentrations were also greater in patients with intra-amniotic infection than in those with sterile intra-amniotic inflammation; (3) patients with sterile intra-amniotic inflammation had higher amniotic fluid concentrations of PGE₂ and PGFM than those without intra-amniotic inflammation who delivered at term; (4) PGFM concentrations were also greater in women with sterile intra-amniotic inflammation than in those without intra-amniotic inflammation who delivered preterm; (5) amniotic fluid concentrations of prostamides (PGE₂-EA and PGF_2α-EA) were not different among patients with preterm labor; (6) amniotic fluid concentrations of prostaglandins, but no prostamides, were higher in cases with intra-amniotic inflammation; and (7) the PGE₂:PGE₂-EA and PGF_2α:PGF_2α-EA ratios were higher in patients with intra-amniotic infection compared to those without inflammation.Conclusions: Mass spectrometric analysis of amniotic fluid indicated that amniotic fluid concentrations of prostaglandins, but no prostamides, were higher in women with preterm labor and intra-amniotic infection than in other patients with an episode of preterm labor. Yet, women with intra-amniotic infection had greater amniotic fluid concentrations of PGE₂ and PGF_2α than those with sterile intra-amniotic inflammation, suggesting that these two clinical conditions may be differentiated by using mass spectrometric analysis of amniotic fluid.

Evidence that antibiotic administration is effective in the treatment of a subset of patients with intra-amniotic infection/inflammation presenting with cervical insufficiency

BACKGROUND

Cervical insufficiency is a risk factor for spontaneous midtrimester abortion or early preterm birth. Intra-amniotic infection has been reported in 8-52% of such patients and intra-amniotic inflammation in 81%. Some professional organizations have recommended perioperative antibiotic treatment when emergency cervical cerclage is performed. The use of prophylactic antibiotics is predicated largely on the basis that they reduce the rate of complications during the course of vaginal surgery. However, it is possible that antibiotic administration can also eradicate intra-amniotic infection/inflammation and improve pregnancy outcome.

OBJECTIVE

To describe the outcome of antibiotic treatment in patients with cervical insufficiency and intra-amniotic infection/inflammation.

STUDY DESIGN

The study population consisted of 22 women who met the following criteria: (1) singleton pregnancy; (2) painless cervical dilatation of >1 cm between 16.0 and 27.9 weeks of gestation; (3) intact membranes and absence of uterine contractions; (4) transabdominal amniocentesis performed for the evaluation of the microbiologic and inflammatory status of the amniotic cavity; (5) presence of intra-amniotic infection/inflammation; and (6) antibiotic treatment (regimen consisted of ceftriaxone, clarithromycin, and metronidazole). Amniotic fluid was cultured for aerobic and anaerobic bacteria and genital mycoplasmas, and polymerase chain reaction for Ureaplasma spp. was performed. Intra-amniotic infection was defined as a positive amniotic fluid culture for microorganisms or a positive polymerase chain reaction for Ureaplasma spp., and intra-amniotic inflammation was suspected when there was an elevated amniotic fluid white blood cell count (≥19 cells/mm³) or a positive rapid test for metalloproteinase-8 (sensitivity 10 ng/mL). For the purpose of this study, the "gold standard" for diagnosis of intra-amniotic inflammation was an elevated interleukin-6 concentration (>2.6 ng/mL) using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The results of amniotic fluid interleukin-6 were not available to managing clinicians. Follow-up amniocentesis was routinely offered to monitor the microbiologic and inflammatory status of the amniotic cavity and fetal lung maturity. Treatment success was defined as resolution of intra-amniotic infection/inflammation or delivery ≥34 weeks of gestation.

RESULTS

Of 22 patients with cervical insufficiency and intra-amniotic infection/inflammation, 3 (14%) had microorganisms in the amniotic fluid. Of the 22 patients, 6 (27%) delivered within 1 week of amniocentesis and the remaining 16 (73%) delivered more than 1 week after the diagnostic procedure. Among these, 12 had a repeat amniocentesis to assess the microbial and inflammatory status of the amniotic cavity; in 75% (9/12), there was objective evidence of resolution of intra-amniotic inflammation or intra-amniotic infection demonstrated by analysis of amniotic fluid at the time of the repeat amniocentesis. Of the 4 patients who did not have a follow-up amniocentesis, all delivered ≥34 weeks, 2 of them at term; thus, treatment success occurred in 59% (13/22) of cases.

CONCLUSION

In patients with cervical insufficiency and intra-amniotic infection/inflammation, administration of antibiotics (ceftriaxone, clarithromycin, and metronidazole) was followed by resolution of the intra-amniotic inflammatory process or intra-amniotic infection in 75% of patients and was associated with treatment success in about 60% of cases.

Cervical human papillomavirus infection in women with preterm prelabor rupture of membranes

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the association between cervical human papillomavirus (HPV) infection at the time of admission and the presence of microbial invasion of the amniotic cavity (MIAC) and intra-amniotic inflammation (IAI) in women with preterm prelabor rupture of membranes (PPROM) and to determine the association between cervical HPV infection and short-term neonatal morbidity.

METHODS

One hundred women with singleton pregnancies complicated by PPROM between the gestational ages of 24+0 and 36+6 weeks were included in the study. The presence of HPV DNA was evaluated in scraped cervical cells using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Amniotic fluid samples were obtained by transabdominal amniocentesis.

RESULTS

The rate of cervical HPV infection in women with PPROM was 24%. The rates of MIAC and IAI were not different between women with cervical HPV infection and those without cervical HPV infection [MIAC: with HPV: 21% (5/24) vs. without HPV: 22% (17/76), p = 1.00; IAI: with HPV: 21% (5/24) vs. without HPV: 18% (14/76), p = 0.77]. There were no differences in the selected aspects of short-term neonatal morbidity between women with and without cervical HPV infection.

CONCLUSIONS

In women with PPROM, the presence of cervical HPV infection at the time of admission is not related to a higher risk of intra-amniotic infection-related and inflammatory complications or worse short-term neonatal outcomes.

Human β-defensin-1: A natural antimicrobial peptide present in amniotic fluid that is increased in spontaneous preterm labor with intra-amniotic infection

PROBLEM

Human β-defensins (HBDs) are antimicrobial peptides that participate in the soluble innate immune mechanisms against infection. Herein, we determined whether HBD-1 was present in amniotic fluid during normal pregnancy and whether its concentrations change with intra-amniotic inflammation and/or infection.

METHOD OF STUDY

Amniotic fluid was collected from 219 women in the following groups: (a) midtrimester who delivered at term (n = 35); (b) term with (n = 33) or without (n = 17) labor; (c) preterm labor with intact membranes who delivered at term (n = 29) or who delivered preterm with (n = 19) and without (n = 29) intra-amniotic inflammation and infection or with intra-amniotic inflammation but without infection (n = 21); and (d) preterm prelabor rupture of membranes (pPROM) with (n = 19) and without (n = 17) intra-amniotic inflammation/infection. Amniotic fluid HBD-1 concentrations were determined using a sensitive and specific ELISA kit.

RESULTS

(a) HBD-1 was detectable in all amniotic fluid samples; (b) amniotic fluid concentrations of HBD-1 were changed with gestational age (midtrimester vs term no labor), being higher in midtrimester; (c) amniotic fluid concentrations of HBD-1 were similar between women with and without spontaneous labor at term; (d) among patients with spontaneous preterm labor, amniotic fluid concentrations of HBD-1 in women with intra-amniotic inflammation/infection and in those with intra-amniotic inflammation without infection were greater than in women without intra-amniotic inflammation or infection who delivered preterm or at term; and (e) the presence of intra-amniotic inflammation and infection in patients with pPROM did not change amniotic fluid concentrations of HBD-1.

CONCLUSION

HBD-1 is a physiological constituent of amniotic fluid that is increased in midtrimester during normal pregnancy and in the presence of culturable microorganisms in the amniotic cavity. These findings provide insight into the soluble host defense mechanisms against intra-amniotic infection.

Maternal white blood cell count cannot identify the presence of microbial invasion of the amniotic cavity or intra-amniotic inflammation in women with preterm prelabor rupture of membranes

Objective

The main aim of this study was to determine the relationship between the maternal white blood cell (WBC) count at the time of hospital admission in pregnancies complicated by preterm prelabor rupture of membranes (PPROM) and the presence of microbial invasion of the amniotic cavity (MIAC) and/or intra-amniotic inflammation (IAI). The second aim was to test WBC diagnostic indices with respect to the presence of MIAC and/or IAI.

Methods

Four hundred and seventy-nine women with singleton pregnancies complicated by PPROM, between February 2012 and June 2017, were included in this study. Maternal blood and amniotic fluid samples were collected at the time of admission. Maternal WBC count was assessed. Amniotic fluid interleukin-6 (IL-6) concentration was measured using a point-of-care test, and IAI was characterized by an IL-6 concentration of ≥ 745 pg/mL. MIAC was diagnosed based on a positive polymerase chain reaction result for the Ureaplasma species, Mycoplasma hominis, and/or Chlamydia trachomatis and/or for the 16S rRNA gene.

Results

Women with MIAC or IAI had higher WBC counts than those without (with MIAC: median, 12.8 × 10⁹/L vs. without MIAC: median, 11.9 × 10⁹/L; p = 0.0006; with IAI: median, 13.7 × 10⁹/L vs. without IAI: median, 11.9 × 10⁹/L; p < 0.0001). When the women were divided into four subgroups based on the presence of MIAC and/or IAI, the women with both MIAC and IAI had a higher WBC count than those with either IAI or MIAC alone, and those without MIAC and IAI [both MIAC and IAI: median, 14.0 × 10⁹/L; IAI alone: 12.1 × 10⁹/L (p = 0.03); MIAC alone: 12.1 × 10⁹/L (p = 0.0001); and without MIAC and IAI: median, 11.8 × 10⁹/L (p < 0.0001)]. No differences in the WBC counts were found among the women with IAI alone, MIAC alone, and without MIAC and IAI.

Conclusion

The women with both MIAC and IAI had a higher maternal WBC count at the time of hospital admission than the remaining women with PPROM. The maternal WBC count at the time of admission showed poor diagnostic indices for the identification of the presence of both MIAC and IAI. Maternal WBC count at the time of admission cannot serve as a non-invasive screening tool for identifying these complications in women with PPROM.

Amniotic fluid pentraxins: Potential early markers for identifying intra-amniotic inflammatory complications in preterm pre-labor rupture of membranes

In this study, pentraxin 3 (PTX3), C-reactive protein (CRP), and serum amyloid P component (SAP) concentrations in the amniotic fluid of women with preterm pre-labor rupture of membranes (PPROM) were evaluated based on evidence of microbial invasion of the amniotic cavity (MIAC), intra-amniotic inflammation (IAI), and microbial-associated IAI. A total of 149 women with PPROM were included in this study. Amniotic fluid samples were obtained by transabdominal amniocentesis. Amniotic fluid PTX3, SAP, and CRP concentrations were assessed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. PTX3 and CRP concentrations were higher in women with MIAC, IAI, and microbial-associated IAI than in women without these conditions. SAP concentrations were only higher in the presence of IAI and microbial-associated IAI. Amniotic fluid PTX3 concentrations of 11 ng/mL were found to be the best value for identifying the presence of microbial-associated IAI and IAI in women with PPROM. To conclude, amniotic fluid pentraxins are involved in intra-amniotic inflammatory responses in pregnancies complicated by PPROM.