title: Decreased plasma levels of metastin in early pregnancy are associated with small for gestational age neonates.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate whether pregnancies with small for gestational age (SGA) neonates, defined as customized birth weight below the 10th centile, are associated with altered levels of metastin in maternal plasma in the first trimester.
  
  
  METHODS
  Maternal blood was obtained between 8 and 14 weeks of pregnancy. Levels of metastin were measured in pregnancies with (n = 31) or without SGA-neonates (n = 31), matched for gestational age at venipuncture. Measurement of beta-hCG was included to study the influence of gestational age and placental volume on plasma levels of the measured markers.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Metastin was significantly lower in SGA-pregnancies compared to an equal number of matched uneventful pregnancies (metastin: 1376 +/- 1317 pmol/L vs 2035 +/- 1260 pmol/L, p = 0.035; mean +/- standard deviation). beta-hCG levels were not different.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Metastin is significantly lower in maternal plasma in the first trimester, in pregnancies with SGA-neonates. It might therefore be used in combination with other markers for risk estimation of growth impairment in the first trimester.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Chemistry, VU University Medical Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. e.m.l.smets@mca.nl
authors.forename: Eva M L
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Smets
authors.forename: Koen L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Deurloo
authors.forename: Attie T J I
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Go
authors.forename: John M G
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: van Vugt
authors.forename: Marinus A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Blankenstein
authors.forename: Cees B M
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Oudejans
mesh_terms: D001724:Birth Weight; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D005317:Fetal Growth Retardation / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007236:Infant, Small for Gestational Age / Q000097:blood; D059648:Kisspeptins; D011247:Pregnancy; D011261:Pregnancy Trimester, First / Q000097:blood*; D012307:Risk Factors; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin; C106628:KISS1 protein, human; D059648:Kisspeptins; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins