Journal of Maternal-fetal & Neonatal Medicine 

About: Journal of Maternal-fetal & Neonatal Medicine is an academic journal published by Informa. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Pregnancy & Gestational age. It has an ISSN identifier of 1476-4954. Over the lifetime, 9320 publications have been published receiving 140448 citations. The journal is also known as: Journal of maternal-fetal and neonatal medicine.

Depression and anxiety during pregnancy: a risk factor for obstetric, fetal and neonatal outcome? A critical review of the literature.

Abstract: Objective. Research from the past two decades has suggested a link between prenatal maternal psychological distress and adverse obstetric, fetal and neonatal outcome. Comparability of study results, however, is complicated by a diversity of definitions and measurements of prenatal maternal stress and different time points of assessment. Our aim was to critically review studies assessing maternal anxiety and depression during pregnancy and their impact on obstetric, fetal and neonatal outcome.Methods. We carried out a computerized literature search of PubMed, PsycLIT and EMBASE (1990–2005) and a manual search of bibliographies of pertinent articles. In total 35 studies were identified that fulfilled the inclusion criteria.Results. Elevated levels of depression and anxiety were found to be associated with obstetric outcome (obstetric complications, pregnancy symptoms, preterm labor and pain relief under labor), and had implications for fetal and neonatal well-being and behavior. However, prediction of the i...

A longitudinal study of angiogenic (placental growth factor) and anti-angiogenic (soluble endoglin and soluble vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-1) factors in normal pregnancy and patients destined to develop preeclampsia and deliver a small for gestational age neonate

Abstract: Introduction Accumulating evidence suggests that an imbalance between pro-angiogenic (i.e., vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and placental growth factor (PlGF)) and anti-angiogenic factors (i.e., soluble VEGF receptor-1 (sVEGFR-1, also referred to as sFlt1)) is involved in the pathophysiology of preeclampsia (PE). Endoglin is a protein that regulates the pro-angiogenic effects of transforming growth factor beta, and its soluble form has recently been implicated in the pathophysiology of PE. The objective of this study was to determine if changes in maternal plasma concentration of these angiogenic and anti-angiogenic factors differ prior to development of disease among patients with normal pregnancies and those destined to develop PE (preterm and term) or to deliver a small for gestational age (SGA) neonate. Methods This longitudinal nested case-control study included 144 singleton pregnancies in the following groups: (1) patients with uncomplicated pregnancies who delivered appropriate for gestational age (AGA) neonates (n = 46); (2) patients who delivered an SGA neonate but did not develop PE (n = 56); and (3) patients who developed PE (n = 42). Longitudinal samples were collected at each prenatal visit, scheduled at 4-week intervals from the first or early second trimester until delivery. Plasma concentrations of soluble endoglin (s-Eng), sVEGFR-1, and PlGF were determined by specific and sensitive ELISA. Results (1) Patients destined to deliver an SGA neonate had higher plasma concentrations of s-Eng throughout gestation than those with normal pregnancies; (2) patients destined to develop preterm PE and term PE had significantly higher concentrations of s-Eng than those with normal pregnancies at 23 and 30 weeks, respectively (for preterm PE: p Conclusions (1) Changes in the maternal plasma concentration of s-Eng, sVEGFR-1, and PlGF precede the clinical presentation of PE, but only changes in s-Eng and PlGF precede the delivery of an SGA neonate; and (2) differences in the profile of angiogenic and anti-angiogenic response to intrauterine insults may determine whether a patient will deliver an SGA neonate, develop PE, or both.

Epidemiology of preterm birth and its clinical subtypes.

Abstract: Preterm birth (<37 weeks) complicates 12.5% of all deliveries in the USA, and remains the leading cause of perinatal mortality and morbidity, accounting for as many as 75% of perinatal deaths. Desp...

Funisitis and chorionic vasculitis: the histological counterpart of the fetal inflammatory response syndrome

Abstract: Objective: To determine whether there is a relationship between the presence of histological signs of inflammation in the extraplacental membranes and umbilical cord and the concentrations of fetal plasma interleukin-6 (IL-6). Methods: The study examined a cohort of patients who were admitted with preterm labor or preterm premature rupture of the membranes (PROM) and who underwent cordocentesis. Inclusion criteria included fetal plasma available for IL-6 determination, histological examination of the umbilical cord and placenta, and delivery within 48 h of the procedure. This last criterion was used to preserve a meaningful temporal relationship between fetal plasma IL-6 and the results of histological examination of the placenta. Fetal plasma IL-6 was determined by a high sensitivity ELISA. Forty-five patients were available for study: 18 patients had preterm labor with intact membranes and 27 had preterm PROM. Results: The incidence of funisitis was 44.4% (20/45): 27.8% (5/18) in patients with preterm l...

Maternal vitamin D status and adverse pregnancy outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract: Objective: To estimate the associations between maternal vitamin D status and adverse pregnancy outcomes.Study design: We searched electronic databases of the human literature in PubMed, EMBASE and the Cochrane Library up to October, 2012 using the following keywords: “vitamin D” and “status” or “deficiency” or “insufficiency” and “pregnancy”. A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted on observational studies that reported the association between maternal blood vitamin D levels and adverse pregnancy outcomes including preeclampsia, gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), preterm birth or small-for-gestational age (SGA).Results: Twenty-four studies met the inclusion criteria. Women with circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] level less than 50 nmol/l in pregnancy experienced an increased risk of preeclampsia [odds ratio (OR) 2.09 (95% confidence intervals 1.50–2.90)], GDM [OR 1.38 (1.12–1.70)], preterm birth [OR 1.58 (1.08–2.31)] and SGA [OR 1.52 (1.08–2.15)].Conclusion: Low maternal vit...