title: Pentraxin 3 in amniotic fluid as a marker of intra-amniotic inflammation in women with preterm premature rupture of membranes.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether amniotic fluid levels of pentraxin 3 (PTX3) are of value in the prenatal diagnosis of acute histological chorioamnionitis in preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM).
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty pregnant women with PPROM between 24 and 36 weeks of pregnancy without (n=21) and with (n=19) histological chorioamnionitis (PPROM group) and 42 women between 16 and 20 weeks of pregnancy (midtrimester group) were included in the study. We compared amniotic fluid PTX3 levels in the PPROM group with versus without histological chorioamnionitis, and between the PPROM and the midtrimester groups using nonparametric tests (Mann-Whitney test), given the non-normal distribution of the analyte.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients with histological chorioamnionitis had a significantly higher median amniotic fluid PTX3 concentration than patients without the histological signs of chorioamnionitis (3.69ng/mL [0.51-106.8] versus 0.8ng/mL [0.36-121.0]; P=0.015). Patients in the PPROM group reached a significantly higher median amniotic fluid concentration of PTX3 compared with those in the midtrimester group (1.0ng/mL [0.36-121.0] versus 0.67ng/mL [0.4-2.8]; P=0.007).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Histological chorioamnionitis is associated with a significant increase of amniotic fluid pentraxin 3 levels. Amniotic fluid pentraxin 3 appears to be a marker of intra-amniotic inflammation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Charles University, Medical School and University, Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic. kacermar@fnhk.cz
authors.forename: Marian
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kacerovsky
authors.forename: Jindrich
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tosner
authors.forename: Marcela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Drahosova
authors.forename: Helena
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hornychova
authors.forename: Ctirad
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Andrys
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000653:Amniotic Fluid / Q000378:metabolism*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000378:metabolism*; D002821:Chorioamnionitis / Q000378:metabolism*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012372:ROC Curve; D000683:Serum Amyloid P-Component / Q000378:metabolism*; D000099153:Pentraxins
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D002097:C-Reactive Protein; D000683:Serum Amyloid P-Component; D000099153:Pentraxins