First-trimester maternal placental protein 13 levels in pregnancies resulting in adverse outcomes.
BACKGROUND
In a previous study, reduced levels of maternal serum placental protein 13 (PP13) in the first trimester have been correlated with adverse pregnancy outcomes. The objective of this study was to compare first-trimester PP13 levels in control pregnancies with pregnancies resulting in one or more of the following adverse outcomes: intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), small and very small (3rd, 5th, 10th centile) for gestational age (SGA), low (<1.5 and < 2.5 kg) birth weight (LBW), macrosomia (the > 90th centile), large birth weight (>4.5 kg), preterm (35-36 weeks) and very early (<34 weeks) delivery (PTD), and intrauterine fetal demise (IUFD).


METHODS
Maternal serum samples from 1940, 11 to 14 weeks singleton pregnancies, were assayed for PP13 and the concentrations were corrected for gestational age, maternal weight, smoking status, and ethnic origin. A comparison of the levels of PP13 in 364 controls and 1576 adverse outcome categories was made. PP13 levels were expressed in terms of both concentration and multiple of medians (MoMs).


RESULTS
Comparison of PP13 MoMs from SGA, PTD, and low birth weight samples with control pregnancy samples showed no statistically significant difference. In macrosomic pregnancies (>90th centile), levels of PP13 were significantly higher than controls (p = 0.0263) although the number of cases in this study was small.


CONCLUSIONS
Decreased levels of PP13 were not significantly correlated with the studied adverse pregnancy outcomes of IUGR, PTD low birth weight, and IUFD. Further studies are required to evaluate if measurement of PP13 has any value in the early assessment of pregnancies.
Cowans
Nicholas J
NJ
Prenatal Screening Unit, Department of Clinical Biochemistry, King George Hospital, Barley Lane, Goodmayes, Essex IG3 8YB, UK.
Spencer
Kevin
K
Meiri
Hamutal
H
D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D005313:Fetal Death / Q000097:blood; D005317:Fetal Growth Retardation / Q000097:blood; D005320:Fetal Macrosomia / Q000097:blood; D037161:Galectins / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D007230:Infant, Low Birth Weight / Q000097:blood; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007236:Infant, Small for Gestational Age / Q000097:blood; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D011257:Pregnancy Proteins / Q000097:blood*; D011261:Pregnancy Trimester, First / Q000097:blood*; D047928:Premature Birth / Q000097:blood
D015415:Biomarkers; D037161:Galectins; C038195:LGALS13 protein, human; D011257:Pregnancy Proteins