Umbilical cord vascular cell adhesion molecule concentration following labor.
OBJECTIVE
This study was designed to determine if VCAM concentrations are increased in serum from neonates delivered vaginally compared to those delivered by cesarean in the absence of labor at term.


METHODS
Serum was collected from umbilical cords immediately after delivery of term uncomplicated pregnancies either prior to onset of labor by scheduled cesarean or following labor. VCAM concentration was determined by commercial ELISA.


RESULTS
Mean VCAM concentration was significantly higher in the laboring (1,106.2 +/- 279 ng/ml) than the nonlaboring group (906.9 +/- 217 ng/ml, P = 0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
Increases in neonatal serum VCAM concentrations may represent a response to enhanced lipid peroxidation and oxidative stress during labor as well as a component of the normal fetal immune response.
Raynor
B D
BD
Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. braynor@emory.edu
Parthasarthy
S
S
Emory
E K
EK
D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002585:Cesarean Section; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007743:Labor, Obstetric; D049590:Postpartum Period; D011247:Pregnancy; D019010:Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 / Q000378:metabolism*
D019010:Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1