title: Maternal plasma concentration of the pro-inflammatory adipokine pre-B-cell-enhancing factor (PBEF)/visfatin is elevated in pregnant patients with acute pyelonephritis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Visfatin/pre-B-cell-enhancing factor (PBEF) has been implicated in the regulation of the innate immune system, as well as in glucose metabolism. Specifically, visfatin plays a requisite role in delayed neutrophil apoptosis in patients with sepsis. The aim of this study was to determine whether pyelonephritis during pregnancy is associated with changes in maternal plasma visfatin concentration in normal weight and overweight/obese patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  This cross-sectional study included the following groups: (1) normal pregnant women (n = 200) and (2) pregnant women with pyelonephritis (n = 40). Maternal plasma visfatin concentrations were determined by ELISA. Non-parametric statistics was used for analyses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  (1) The median maternal plasma visfatin concentration was significantly higher in patients with pyelonephritis than in those with a normal pregnancy; (2) among overweight/obese pregnant women, those with pyelonephritis had a significantly higher median plasma visfatin concentration than women with a normal pregnancy; and (3) pyelonephritis was independently associated with higher maternal plasma visfatin concentrations after adjustment for maternal age, pre-gestational body mass index, smoking status, gestational age at sampling, and birthweight.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Acute pyelonephritis during pregnancy is associated with a high circulating maternal visfatin concentration. These findings suggest that visfatin/PBEF may play a role in the regulation of the complex and dynamic crosstalk between inflammation and metabolism during pregnancy.
authors.affiliation: Perinatology Research Branch, Intramural Division, NICHD/NIH/DHHS, Hutzel Women's Hospital, Bethesda, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Shali
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mazaki-Tovi
authors.forename: Edi
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Vaisbuch
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Romero
authors.forename: Juan Pedro
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Kusanovic
authors.forename: Tinnakorn
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Chaiworapongsa
authors.forename: Sun Kwon
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Chia-Ling
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Nhan-Chang
authors.forename: Ricardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gomez
authors.forename: Bo H
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Yoon
authors.forename: Lami
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yeo
authors.forename: Pooja
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mittal
authors.forename: Giovanna
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ogge
authors.forename: Juan M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Gonzalez
authors.forename: Sonia S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Hassan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001724:Birth Weight; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D016207:Cytokines / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D054409:Nicotinamide Phosphoribosyltransferase / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D011704:Pyelonephritis / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D054409:Nicotinamide Phosphoribosyltransferase; C085455:nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase, human