title: Pyelonephritis during pregnancy: a cause for an acquired deficiency of protein Z.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Pyelonephritis has a more severe course during pregnancy than in the non-pregnant state. This has been attributed to the increased susceptibility of pregnant women to microbial products. An acquired protein Z deficiency has been reported when there is excessive thrombin activity. The aim of this study was to determine whether pyelonephritis during pregnancy is associated with changes in maternal plasma protein Z concentrations.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional study was conducted to compare plasma protein Z concentrations between normal pregnant women (N = 71) and pregnant women with pyelonephritis (N = 42). Protein Z concentrations were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Parametric and non-parametric statistics were used for analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients with pyelonephritis had a significantly lower median plasma concentration of protein Z than did patients with normal pregnancies (median 2.14 microg/mL (0.4-3.4) vs. median 2.36 microg/mL (1.09-3.36); p = 0.03). There was no difference in the median plasma concentration of anti-protein Z antibodies between patients with pyelonephritis and those with normal pregnancies.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The median maternal plasma protein Z concentration was significantly lower in patients with pyelonephritis during pregnancy than in patients with normal pregnancies.
authors.affiliation: Perinatology Research Branch, NICHD, NIH, DHHS, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
authors.forename: Jyh Kae
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Nien
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Romero
authors.forename: Debra
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hoppensteadt
authors.forename: Offer
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Erez
authors.forename: Jimmy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Espinoza
authors.forename: Eleazar
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Soto
authors.forename: Juan Pedro
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Kusanovic
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gotsch
authors.forename: Chong Jai
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Pooja
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mittal
authors.forename: Jawed
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fareed
authors.forename: Joaquin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Santolaya
authors.forename: Tinnakorn
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Chaiworapongsa
authors.forename: Samuel
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Edwin
authors.forename: Beth
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Pineles
authors.forename: Sonia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hassan
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001798:Blood Proteins / Q000172:deficiency*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000097:blood*; D011704:Pyelonephritis / Q000097:blood*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D001798:Blood Proteins; C026080:plasma protein Z