title: Resistin in mid-trimester amniotic fluid in trisomy 21.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to examine whether resistin is present in second trimester amniotic fluid from trisomy 21 (also known as Down's syndrome) pregnancies and whether its concentration differs compared with euploid pregnancies.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study cohort consisted of 58 women in the mid-trimester of pregnancy who underwent amniocentesis for prenatal diagnosis, 31 of whom carried a single fetus with diagnosed trisomy 21 (study group) and the rest with normal karyotype (control group, n = 27). Groups were matched for maternal and gestational age. Levels of resistin in amniotic fluid were measured by a commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Resistin was detected in all amniotic fluid samples. Its median concentration in the second trimester amniotic fluid of trisomy 21 pregnancies (2.1 ng/ml) was statistically significantly lower (p value <0.001) in comparison with that in euploid pregnancies (3.3 ng/ml).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Resistin is a physiologic constituent of second trimester amniotic fluid. Lower levels of amniotic fluid resistin in pregnancies with trisomy 21 may reflect altered metabolic pathways in utero that could possibly be related with phenotypic features of the syndrome.
authors.affiliation: 2nd Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Athens Medical School, Aretaieion Hospital , 115 26 Athens , Greece .
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Vrachnis
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gkogkas
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Iliodromiti
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Grigoriadis
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Samoli
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Iliodromiti
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pangalos
authors.forename: K I
authors.initials: KI
authors.lastname: Pappa
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Drakoulis
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Creatsas
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Botsis
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000653:Amniotic Fluid / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004314:Down Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011247:Pregnancy; D011262:Pregnancy Trimester, Second / Q000378:metabolism*; D052243:Resistin / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: C499624:RETN protein, human; D052243:Resistin