Preterm Birth

Preterm birth

Inflammation and preterm birth.

Preterm birth is the leading cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality. Although the underlying causes of pregnancy-associated complication are numerous, it is well established that infection and inflammation represent a highly significant risk factor in preterm birth. However, despite the clinical and public health significance, infectious agents, molecular trigger(s), and immune pathways unde...

Relaxin and preterm birth.

Preterm birth (PTB) is a global problem with a high incidence in the developing world. Relaxin (RLN) has classically been associated with parturition, but its role(s) in the human have been difficult to determine. For the first time, we bring together the systemic (ovarian) and autocrine/paracrine (intrauterine) sources of RLN, in an attempt to understand how RLN contributes to PTB in women.

Infection and preterm birth.

As many as 50% of spontaneous preterm births are infection-associated. Intrauterine infection leads to a maternal and fetal inflammatory cascade, which produces uterine contractions and may also result in long-term adverse outcomes, such as cerebral palsy. This article addresses the prevalence, microbiology, and management of intrauterine infection in the setting of preterm labor with intact me...

Progestins and Preterm Birth

Premature delivery (PTD), defined as birth prior to 37 weeks’ gestation, remains one of the major problems that lead to perinatal morbidity and mortality in the developed countries (Goldenberg et al., 2008). It affects approximately 12.7% of all deliveries in the United States and 4.4 – 8.2% in many other developed countries such as Australia, New Zealand, Sweden, Canada and Japan (Hamilton et ...