title: Pre-conceptional natural killer cell activity and percentage as predictors of biochemical pregnancy and spontaneous abortion with normal chromosome karyotype.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the present study was to determine whether pre-conceptional natural killer (NK) cell activity and percentage are predictive of subsequent spontaneous abortion in women with recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA).
  
  
  METHODS
  Pre-conceptional NK cell activity and percentage in peripheral blood of women who had a history of two or more RSA was prospectively assessed. The 51Cr release assay and flow cytometric analysis were performed. A total of 113 RSA women were recruited, and 85 conceived later.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Pre-conceptional NK cell activity/percentage values in women whose next pregnancies ended in biochemical pregnancy and spontaneous abortion with normal fetal karyotype (n = 17, median 47%/17.1%), but spontaneous abortion with abnormal karyotype (n = 9, 27%/15.7%), were higher than those in live births (n = 59, 33%/13.1%). High values of pre-conceptional NK cell activity (> 46%; relative risk 3.6, 95%CI 1.6-8.0) and percentage (> 16.4%; 4.9, 1.7-13.8) were found to predict biochemical pregnancy and spontaneous abortion with normal karyotype in the next pregnancy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Pre-conceptional NK cell abnormalities were predictive of spontaneous abortion with normal fetal karyotype.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan. yhideto@med.hokudai.ac.jp
authors.forename: Hideto
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yamada
authors.forename: Mamoru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Morikawa
authors.forename: Emi H
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: Kato
authors.forename: Shigeki
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shimada
authors.forename: Gen
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kobashi
authors.forename: Hisanori
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Minakami
mesh_terms: D000026:Abortion, Habitual / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005306:Fertilization / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007621:Karyotyping; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome