BACKGROUND Preeclampsia is associated with the placental release of soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 (sFlt-1) and soluble endoglin (sENG). These anti-angiogenic factors cause hypertension and multi-organ injury. Pravastatin decreases placental secretion of sFlt-1 in vitro and is currently being examined in clinical trials as a potential treatment for preeclampsia. However, it is possible that...

Humans parturition involves interaction of hormonal, neurological, mechanical stretch and inflammatory pathways and the placenta plays a crucial role. The paraoxonases (PONs 1-3) protect against oxidative damage and lipid peroxidation, modulation of endoplasmic reticulum stress and regulation of apoptosis. Nothing is known about the role of PON2 in the placenta and labour. Since PON2 plays a ro...

Introduction: Prematurity remains the main cause of mortality and morbidity in infants and a problem in the care of pregnant women world-wide. This study describes the risk factors for having a live preterm delivery in Bandar Abbas Shariati Hospital. Methods: In this case-control study, we studied 300 neonates who were borned in Shariati hospital in 2011 and divided them into two groups: case g...

The duration of pregnancy and initiation of labour are thought to be controlled by fetal, maternal and placental factors. The aim of this study was to investigate whether labour influences gene expression in placenta near term. Placental samples were obtained from 27 women after vaginal delivery (labouring) and 17 women after elective Caesarean section (non-labouring). All women were Caucasian ...

Background: It seems pregnant women who are young or those who are near menopause have risk for maternal complications of pregnancy. In this study, it was decided to investigate the correlation between the complications of pregnancy and age in Alzahra hospital in Rasht. Materials and Methods: In this survey the maternal complications of pregnancy (cesarien section, pregnancy induced Hypertensio...

To determine whether placental abnormality (placental abruption or placental previa) during pregnancy predisposes an infant to a high risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), the authors conducted a population-based case-control study using 1989-1991 California linked birth and death certificate data. They identified 2,107 SIDS cases, 96% of whom were diagnosed through autopsy. Ten controls...

During pregnancy, mother's well-being affects directly the newborn development. Some maternal and placental complications, such as gestational diabetes, preeclampsia (PE), preterm delivery and intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), may contribute to fetal growth deviations or fetal development modifications. Usually the newborn weight correlates positively with placenta weight, showing the int...

The human newborn is a reflection of the entirety of nutrients transferred from the maternal to the fetal circulation across the placenta during gestation. By extension, birth weight and newborn health depend on placental function. The goal of this paper is to introduce the use of optimal transport modeling to study the expected effects of (i) placental size, (ii) placental shape (separate from...

Antepartum haemorrhage is an important obstetric emergency and carries increased risk of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. It commonly arises from the placenta as placenta praevia or placental abruption and rarely it may be from a vasa 1 praevia or local lesions in the cervix or vagina . It is crucial to distinguish between these causes from the outset as their definitive manageme...

BACKGROUND Preterm birth, defined as birth occurring before 37 weeks gestation, is one of the most significant contributors to neonatal mortality and morbidity, with long-term adverse consequences for health, and cognitive outcome. OBJECTIVE The aim of the present study was to identify risk factors of preterm birth (≤36+6 weeks gestation) among singleton births and to quantify the contributio...