OBJECTIVES To examine the performance of screening for pre-eclampsia (PE) by a combination of maternal factors, soluble endoglin (sEng), pregnancy associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A), placental growth factor (PlGF) and uterine artery lowest pulsatility index (L-PI) at 11-13 weeks' gestation. METHODS Uterine artery L-PI, sEng, PAPP-A and PlGF were measured at 11-13 weeks in 90 singleton pregn...

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study is to identify potential biomarkers for fetal trisomy 21 from previous publications using proteomic techniques and examine the potential value of such biomarkers in early screening for this aneuploidy. METHODS This was a case-control study of 25 pregnancies with fetal trisomy 21 and 50 euploid controls undergoing first-trimester screening for aneuploidies by a ...

OBJECTIVE To investigate whether the maternal serum concentration of placental protein 13 (PP13) is altered in chromosomally abnormal pregnancies and to examine the potential value of this placental protein in screening for aneuploidies at 11-13 weeks. METHODS The maternal serum concentration of PP13 at 11-13 weeks was compared in 536 euploid and 134 aneuploid pregnancies (trisomy 21: n = 49;...

OBJECTIVE To demonstrate the potential value of screening for Down's Syndrome using highly correlated repeated measures of serum markers taken in the first and second trimesters of pregnancy. DESIGN A Monte Carlo simulation study. POPULATION Detection rates and false positive rates relating to the maternal age distribution of England and Wales for the period 1996 to 1998 were obtained using...

The use of maternal serum screening to assess individual risk for Down’s syndrome is now standard in many countries and new techniques such as detailed ultrasound screening for nuchal translucency and DNA based tests are rapidly becoming available for mass screening. The increased uptake of these screening and diagnostic tests has provoked concerns about their potential impact on individuals an...

OBJECTIVE To examine the distribution of maternal serum placental growth factor (PlGF) at 12, 22, 32 and 36 weeks' gestation in singleton pregnancies which develop pre-eclampsia (PE) and examine the performance of this biomarker in screening for PE. METHODS Serum PlGF was measured in 40 212 cases at 11-13 weeks, in 10 282 cases at 19-24 weeks, in 10 400 at 30-34 weeks and 4043 at 35-37 weeks....

In a previous retrospective study on the physical and psychomotor development of 868 children born after positive maternal serum triple test screening with normal prenatal karyotype, we found an increased incidence of complex multiple congenital anomalies syndromes (1.95%). In the present retrospective study, we collected data on 1799 children born after a pregnancy with a positive maternal ser...

The suggested strategies for a screening programme for Down's syndrome by maternal serum alpha fetoprotein concentration were examined and tested on the experience of the North East Thames Regional. Screening by maternal serum alpha fetoprotein concentration may be used to identify pregnancies at increased risk, but this is useful only in women aged over 32 whose collective risk is greater than...

Neonatal diagnosis of congenital toxoplasmosis is based on a combination serological and molecular tests. Maternal screening treatment differ according to national policies may impact the sensitivity diagnostic methods in infants at birth.