title: Circulating mRNA for epidermal growth factor-like domain 7 (EGFL7) in maternal blood and early intrauterine growth restriction. A preliminary analysis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the alteration in epidermal growth factor-like domain 7 (EGFL7) mRNA expression in maternal blood from pregnancies affected by early-onset intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) at 20-24 weeks.
  
  
  METHODS
  Case-control study encompassing six women with pregnancies affected by IUGR (cases) matched in a 1 : 7 ratio for gestational age and fetal gender with 42 controls. We quantified EGFL7 mRNA expression in normal and IUGR patients. Matched rank-sum analysis and multiples of median were used to evaluate differences of the marker of interest between cases and controls. Spearman regression analysis was used to correlate the estimated fetal weight at blood sampling with the EGFL7 mRNA values.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean observed rank in the IUGR group was significantly higher than that of controls (6.67 vs 4.19, p = 0.01). Pregnancies affected with IUGR exhibited 1.70-fold higher levels of maternal EGFL7 mRNA compared with matched controls (p = 0.014). EGFL7 mRNA values were inversely correlated with estimated fetal weight (Spearman's ρ = -0.429, p = 0.198).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Early IUGR at 20-24 weeks' gestation is associated with higher values of EGFL7 expression in maternal plasma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine and Surgery (DIMEC) Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Margherita
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zanello
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: DeSanctis
authors.forename: Giulia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pula
authors.forename: Cinzia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zucchini
authors.forename: Maria Carla
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Pittalis
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Rizzo
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Farina
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D066255:EGF Family of Proteins; D016228:Endothelial Growth Factors / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D005317:Fetal Growth Retardation / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011247:Pregnancy; D011262:Pregnancy Trimester, Second / Q000097:blood; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins; D066255:EGF Family of Proteins; C527877:EGFL7 protein, human; D016228:Endothelial Growth Factors; D012333:RNA, Messenger