title: Maternal serum placental growth factor isoforms 1 and 2 at 11-13, 20-24 and 30-34 weeks' gestation in late-onset pre-eclampsia and small for gestational age neonates.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the maternal serum concentrations of placental growth factor (PlGF)-1 and PlGF-2 in the first, second and third trimesters in normal pregnancies and in those complicated by pre-eclampsia (PE) or the delivery of small for gestational age (SGA) neonates after 37 weeks.
  
  
  METHODS
  Serum PlGF-1 and PlGF-2 were measured at 11-13, 20-24 and 30-34 weeks' gestation in 50 cases of PE, 99 cases of SGA and 298 controls. The values of PlGF-1 and PlGF-2 at 11-13 weeks were expressed as multiples of the median (MoM) after adjustment for maternal characteristics. The distributions of PlGF-1 and PlGF-2 in cases and controls at 20-24 and 30-34 weeks were converted to MoM of the values at 11-13 weeks and compared.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Serum PlGF-1 and PlGF-2 levels were highly correlated and both increased with gestational age. At 30-34 weeks, the median MoM values for PlGF-1 and PlGF-2 in the late PE (4.2 and 4.3) and late SGA (7.2 and 6.0) groups were significantly lower than in the controls (12.8 and 9.9). Combining the two isoforms did not improve the prediction of late PE and late SGA provided by PlGF-1 alone.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The performances of serum PlGF-1 and PlGF-2 in the prediction of late PE and late SGA are similar.
authors.affiliation: Harris Birthright Research Centre for Fetal Medicine, King's College Hospital, London, UK.
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nucci
authors.forename: Leona C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Poon
authors.forename: Gaiane
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Demirdjian
authors.forename: Bruno
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Darbouret
authors.forename: Kypros H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Nicolaides
mesh_terms: D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007236:Infant, Small for Gestational Age; D000072483:Placenta Growth Factor; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000097:blood*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D011257:Pregnancy Proteins / Q000097:blood*; D011261:Pregnancy Trimester, First / Q000097:blood; D011262:Pregnancy Trimester, Second / Q000097:blood; D011263:Pregnancy Trimester, Third / Q000097:blood; D020033:Protein Isoforms / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; C000608036:PGF protein, human; D011257:Pregnancy Proteins; D020033:Protein Isoforms; D000072483:Placenta Growth Factor