34 Pre-eclampsia represents a state of increased or prolonged vasoconstriction, partially 35 linked to the potent vasocontractile effect of isoprostanes. The process of Rho A– 36 mediated calcium sensitization is inherent to a state of prolonged contractility in many 37 smooth muscle types. The aims of this study were 1), to investigate mRNA expression 38 levels of Rho A and Rho kinase isoforms...

OBJECTIVE To examine the predictive value of clinical examination, laboratory tests and Doppler ultrasound examination in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and/or antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) pregnancies. METHODS A prospective study of 116 pregnancies followed in a single tertiary referral centre. Outcomes analysed were fetal/neonatal death and adverse pregnancy outcome. Univariate analys...

OBJECTIVE To investigate the hypothesis that alterations in heart rate variability, peak systolic velocity variability and time-averaged velocity variability in the human umbilical artery may predict early signs of dysfunctional fetal-placental coupling in pregnancies that later develop pregnancy-induced hypertension. METHODS Doppler flow velocity recordings from the umbilical artery were per...

BACKGROUND Intrauterine growth restriction /retardation (IUGR) is defined as birth weight below the 10th percentile for a given gestational age. Placental insufficiency is the primary cause of intrauterine growth retardation in normally formed fetuses and can be identified using umbilical artery Doppler velocimetry which is a non-invasive technique. The objective of this study was to compare pe...

PURPOSE To evaluate the merit of umbilical artery Doppler study as a predictive marker of perinatal outcome in preterm small for gestational age (SGA) infants. MATERIALS AND METHODS A total of 218 patients at 27 - 36 weeks of gestational age (GA) who received antenatal umbilical artery Doppler velocimetry and delivered singleton infants with SGA. The ratio of peak-systolic to end-diastolic bl...

OBJECTIVE Our aim was to identify the role of the homeostatic chemokines CCL19 and CCL21 and their common receptor CCR7 in atherogenesis and to study the relationships between CCL19, CCL21, and CCR7 gene variants and coronary artery disease in a Chinese Han population. APPROACH AND RESULTS Immunohistochemical analysis of samples with atherosclerosis of various stages showed increased CCL19, C...