OBJECTIVE To evaluate a soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt-1) to placental growth factor (PlGF) ratio cut-off of 38 for the prediction of pre-eclampsia (PE) in routine assessment in singleton pregnancies at 30-37 weeks' gestation. METHODS This was a prospective observational study in women attending a third-trimester ultrasound scan at 30-37 weeks as part of routine pregnancy care. Seru...

BACKGROUND Preeclampsia is a life-threatening pregnancy syndrome of uncertain origin. To elucidate the pathogenesis, we evaluated the temporal relationships between changes in vascular function and circulating biomarkers of angiogenic activity before and after the onset of preeclampsia and gestational hypertension. METHODS AND RESULTS Maternal mean arterial pressure, uterine artery pulsatilit...

Preeclampsia is a devastating multisystem syndrome and is a major cause of maternal, fetal and neonatal morbidity and mortality. Angiogenic factors contribute to the molecular mechanisms of preeclampsia and its main phenotypes such as hypertension and proteinuria. Very recently, novel anti-angiogenic proteins including soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt-1) and soluble endoglin (sEng), and...

Pre-eclampsia is a devastating disease of late (after week 20) pregnancy. The condition features hypertension, proteinuria, premature labor, haemolysis, liver abnormalities, thrombocytopenia (HELLP syndrome), seizures (eclampsia) and death [1]. Both mothers and children, if they survive delivery, can expect subsequent increased cardiovascular risk in the future. Preeclampsia affects about 5% of...

Background: Pre-eclampsia (P-EC) is a pregnancy-specific disorder, characterised by placental insufficiency and endothelial dysfunction. It significant cause of maternal fetal morbidity. Women with history P-EC have heightened risks future cardiovascular thromboembolic disease. In addition, pre- clamptic patients elevated levels clotting angiogenic factors; however it unclear whether these chan...

BACKGROUND Gestational hypertension (GH) and Preeclampsia, (PE) are the most complicated amongst hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. The mechanism that links hypertension in pregnancy to adverse maternal outcomes is not fully understood though some relate this to endothelial dysfunction originating from an imbalanced angiogenic regulators and oxidative stress biomarkers. This study assessed th...

Abstract Background Atrial fibrillation (AF) increases the risk of stroke. Soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt-1), a vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) antagonist, has been suggested as marker dysfunction, which are associated with both AF and coronary artery disease (CAD). Recently, we demonstrated that sFlt-1 is independently major adverse cardiovascular (CV) events (MACE) in pati...

Preeclampsia (PE) is a pregnancy-specific syndrome characterized by hypertension, proteinuria and edema, which resolves on placental delivery. It is thought to be the consequence of impaired placentation due to inadequate trophoblastic invasion of the maternal spiral arteries. In PE the maternal plasma concentration of free vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and placental growth factor (...

Preeclampsia, a hypertensive condition unique to pregnancy, remains a significant source ofmaternal and neonatalmorbidity andmortality. The general approach of aggressive antenatal surveillance, diagnosis, and delivery has historically improved outcomeswhenpreeclampsia presents at termornear term. In lowandmiddle-income countries, where an infrastructure of surveillance and management may not b...

INTRODUCTION Antihypertensive drugs lower the maternal blood pressure in pre-eclampsia (PE) by direct or central vasodilatory mechanisms but little is known about the direct effects of these drugs on placental functions. OBJECTIVE The aim of our study is to evaluate the effect of labetolol, hydralazine, α-methyldopa and pravastatin on the synthesis of placental hormonal and angiogenic protein...