title: Unexplained pregnancy loss: a marker of basal endothelial dysfunction?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the microparticle levels of women referred for unexplained pregnancy loss with those of parous controls.
  
  
  METHODS
  Incident case-control study.
  
  
  METHODS
  University medical center.
  
  
  METHODS
  124 women consecutively referred for unexplained pregnancy losses (two or more losses at or before 21 weeks of gestational age, or at least one later loss), and 273 parous women without pregnancy loss.
  
  
  METHODS
  Numeration of circulating microparticles by flow cytometry after differentiation of subpopulations according to the expression of membrane-specific antigens (CD51, CD144, or CD146 for endothelial, CD41 for platelet, CD45 and CD66b for leukocyte and neutrophil microparticles).
  
  
  METHODS
  Plasma levels of microparticles.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A relative hypercoagulable state assessed by thrombin generation test had been previously reported in such cases, so we hypothesized that this could be explained by an excess of procoagulant microparticles. The study women displayed statistically significantly lower platelet and higher endothelial microparticle levels than the controls. The parameters of the thrombin generation test were only correlated with the level of endothelial microparticles, with a low coefficient of Speerman's correlation (r=0.15).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The difference in microparticle levels between the patients and controls does not clearly explain the hypercoagulable state reported in the patients but could reflect chronic endothelium damage.
authors.affiliation: EA 3878 (GETBO), Department of Internal Medicine and Chest Diseases, Brest University Hospital, La Cavale Blanche Hospital, Brest, France. Electronic address: elisabeth.pasquier@chu-brest.fr.
authors.forename: Elisabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pasquier
authors.forename: Luc
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: De Saint Martin
authors.forename: Caroline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bohec
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Collet
authors.forename: Françoise
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Dignat George
authors.forename: Dominique
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mottier
mesh_terms: D000022:Abortion, Spontaneous / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000503:physiopathology; D000046:Academic Medical Centers; D000328:Adult; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000097:blood; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D001777:Blood Coagulation; D001780:Blood Coagulation Tests; D001792:Blood Platelets / Q000276:immunology; D051929:CD146 Antigen / Q000097:blood; D015820:Cadherins / Q000097:blood; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules / Q000097:blood; D055252:Cell-Derived Microparticles / Q000276:immunology*; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000276:immunology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D058851:GPI-Linked Proteins / Q000097:blood; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D039564:Integrin alphaV / Q000097:blood; D017493:Leukocyte Common Antigens / Q000097:blood; D007962:Leukocytes / Q000276:immunology; D016015:Logistic Models; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000276:immunology; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010298:Parity; D040201:Platelet Membrane Glycoprotein IIb / Q000097:blood; D011247:Pregnancy; D012307:Risk Factors; D013917:Thrombin / Q000378:metabolism; D000099152:Cadherin 5
chemical_list: D015703:Antigens, CD; D015415:Biomarkers; D051929:CD146 Antigen; D015820:Cadherins; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules; D058851:GPI-Linked Proteins; D039564:Integrin alphaV; D017493:Leukocyte Common Antigens; D040201:Platelet Membrane Glycoprotein IIb; D013917:Thrombin; D000099152:Cadherin 5; C504120:CEACAM8 protein, human; C497902:MCAM protein, human; C516769:PTPRC protein, human
keywords: Case-control study; endothelium; microparticles; pregnancy loss; thrombin generation test