title: Growth hormone binding protein in normal and aneuploid pregnancy: a paradoxical decrease in trisomy 18.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore whether abnormalities in growth hormone binding protein (GHBP) may underlie the growth restriction associated with fetal aneuploidy.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective casecontrol study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Monash Medical Centre. Clayton, Victoria, Australia.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-one trisomy 18, and 30 trisomy 21 pregnancies, and 170 chromosomally normal pregnancies at 15-18 weeks of gestation representing three to five controls per case matched for source, gestation and duration of storage.
  
  
  METHODS
  GHBP was measured using a ligand immunofunctional assay
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the chromosomally normal pregnancies GHBP levels decreased slightly but significantly across the narrow gestational window studied. Compared with controls, levels of GHBP, expressed as median (95% CI) multiples of the median (MoM). in the trisomy 21 pregnancies were similar, 1.0 (0.92-1.39) MoM and 1.27 (1.04-1.50) MoM, respectively; P = 0.061 (Mann-Whitney U test) but were significantly reduced in the trisomy 18 pregnancies, 0.68 (0.5 1-0.84) MoM: P = 0.0014 (Mann-Whitney U test).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These data suggest that decreased levels of maternal growth hormone binding protein, and by implication growth hormone receptor complement, may underlie the early severe growth restriction that is characteristic of trisomy 18.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: E M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Wallace
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: D'Antona
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Veveris-Lowe
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Crossley
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Barnard
mesh_terms: D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000097:blood*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002887:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 18 / Q000235:genetics*; D004314:Down Syndrome / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000097:blood; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014314:Trisomy
chemical_list: D002352:Carrier Proteins; C051815:somatotropin-binding protein