title: Maternal serum placental growth hormone at 11-13 weeks' gestation in pregnancies delivering small for gestational age neonates.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate whether the maternal serum concentration of human placental growth hormone (PGH) at 11-13 weeks' gestation is altered in pregnancies that deliver small for gestational age (SGA) neonates.
  
  
  METHODS
  Maternal serum concentration of PGH was measured in 60 cases that subsequently delivered SGA neonates in the absence of preeclampsia and compared to 120 non-SGA controls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the SGA group, compared to the non-SGA group, there was no significant difference in the median PGH MoM (0.95 MoM, IQR 0.60-1.30 vs. 1.00 MoM, IQR 0.70-1.30, p = 0.97). There was no significant association between PGH MoM and birth weight percentile in either the SGA (p = 0.72) or in the non-SGA group (p = 0.63).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Maternal serum PGH at 11-13 weeks' gestation is unlikely to be a useful biochemical marker for early prediction of SGA.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University Hospital of Heraklion, Crete, Greece.
authors.forename: Stavros
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sifakis
authors.forename: Ranjit
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Akolekar
authors.forename: Dimitra
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kappou
authors.forename: Nikitas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mantas
authors.forename: Kypros H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Nicolaides
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D001724:Birth Weight / Q000502:physiology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D036861:Delivery, Obstetric; D005260:Female; D005317:Fetal Growth Retardation / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis; D005865:Gestational Age; D013006:Growth Hormone / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007236:Infant, Small for Gestational Age / Q000097:blood; D009035:Mothers; D010926:Placental Hormones / Q000097:blood*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011261:Pregnancy Trimester, First / Q000097:blood*; D011379:Prognosis
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; C064980:GH2 protein, human; D010926:Placental Hormones; D013006:Growth Hormone