title: Comparison of serum granulocyte colony-stimulating factor levels between preterm and term births.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Preterm birth (PTB) is the major obstetric problem in developed countries, accounting for the majority of neonatal mortality and morbidity. Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) is a hematopoietic cytokine that mediates the increase in leukocytes in pregnancy and may play a role in placentation. We aimed to investigate the differences of serum G-CSF levels between subsequent spontaneous PTB and term-delivered healthy pregnant women.
  
  
  METHODS
  Serum samples, collected from total of 600 singleton otherwise healthy pregnants at 24-28 weeks of gestation during a routine antenatal visit, were used to assess G-CSF levels; 40 of the total pregnants who delivered their infants spontaneously after preterm labor before 37 weeks of gestation were selected as the study group. Also, 120 pregnants were selected as a control group using a 1/3 ratio. Student's t-test, chi-square test, Mann-Whitney U-tests, and ROC curve analysis for prediction of PTB were used for the comparison of groups. P<0.05 was accepted as statistically significant.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was no significant difference in maternal serum G-CSF levels between the study and control groups (p=0.28) but maternal white blood cell (WBC) count was significantly different between them (p=0.00). In addition, G-CSF was insufficient in the prediction of PTB (AUC=0.419). In the preterm and term groups, no correlation was found between WBC and G-CSF (p=0.165 vs. p=0.703).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There were no differences in serum levels of G-CSF between term- and preterm-delivered pregnants. There was no predictive role for serum G-CSF in PTB.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Zekai Tahir Burak Women's Health Education and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Çiğdem
authors.initials: Ç
authors.lastname: Kılıç
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Zekai Tahir Burak Women's Health Education and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mustafa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Uğur
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Zekai Tahir Burak Women's Health Education and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Bekir Serdar
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Ünlü
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Zekai Tahir Burak Women's Health Education and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Yunus
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yıldız
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Zekai Tahir Burak Women's Health Education and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: İshak
authors.initials: İ
authors.lastname: Artar
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Zekai Tahir Burak Women's Health Education and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Pervin
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Karlı
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Zekai Tahir Burak Women's Health Education and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Kadriye
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Turgut
keywords: Preterm birth; granulocyte colony-stimulating factor; newborn infants