title: Maternal serum placental growth factor in second trimester trisomy 21 pregnancies.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the levels of placental growth factor (PlGF) in second trimester maternal serum in trisomy 21 cases and euploid controls - an unclear subject in the published literature.
  
  
  METHODS
  Second trimester maternal serum samples from 17 recent (since 2005) and 74 older trisomy 21 cases and 542 euploid controls were extracted from frozen storage and retrospectively analysed for PlGF using a DELFIA Xpress immunoassay platform. Results were converted to multiples of median (MoM) for comparison.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The control group had a PlGF MoM of 0.99, the recent trisomy 21 cases had a PlGF MoM of 1.13 and the older cases a PlGF MoM of 1.11; however, the differences between trisomy 21 cases and controls were not significant.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although we have found no significant change in the second trimester levels of PlGF in trisomy 21 pregnancies, there remains wide disagreement within the literature on the behaviour of this marker during pregnancies of this syndrome.
authors.affiliation: Prenatal Screening Unit, Department of Clinical Biochemistry, King George Hospital, Barley Lane, Goodmayes, Essex, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: N J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Cowans
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Kisanga
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Spencer
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D004314:Down Syndrome / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007118:Immunoassay; D000072483:Placenta Growth Factor; D011247:Pregnancy; D011257:Pregnancy Proteins / Q000097:blood*; D011262:Pregnancy Trimester, Second / Q000097:blood*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; C000608036:PGF protein, human; D011257:Pregnancy Proteins; D000072483:Placenta Growth Factor