title: Circulating endothelial progenitor cells and placental abruption in women with preeclampsia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Abnormalities in circulating angiogenic factors and endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) have been reported in patients with preeclampsia and placental abruption. The objective of this study was to determine whether the number of EPCs is altered in patients with placental abruption.
  
  
  METHODS
  A case control study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Hiroshima University Hospital in Japan.
  
  
  METHODS
  Pregnant Japanese women with preeclampsia (n=27) and those without any complications (n=15).
  
  
  METHODS
  The EPC (CD45(low)CD34(+)CD133(+) cells) counts were examined using flow cytometry in peripheral blood collected from 27 women with preeclampsia and 15 normal pregnant women. Among the 27 women with preeclampsia, five subsequently developed placental abruption. All subjects were divided into three groups: normal pregnancy (NP, n=15), preeclampsia without placenta abruption (PE, n=22) and preeclampsia with placental abruption (PA, n=5).
  
  
  METHODS
  The EPC counts were measured in pregnant women with preeclampsia who subsequently developed placental abruption.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The EPC count in the PE group significantly decreased in comparison to that observed in the NP group (620cells/ml versus 1918 cells/ml, P<0.01). In the PA group, the EPC count was found to markedly decrease in comparison to that observed in the PE group (221cells/ml, P<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The number of EPCs was found to significantly decrease in preeclamptic women who subsequently developed placental abruption.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan. Electronic address: t-sakashita@do2.enjoy.ne.jp.
authors.forename: Tomohisa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sakashita
authors.affiliation: Research Institute for Radiation Biology and Medicine, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan.
authors.forename: Yukihito
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Higashi
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Physiology and Medicine, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan.
authors.forename: Junko
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Soga
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Miyoshi
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshiki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kudo
keywords: Angiogenic factor; Endothelial progenitor cell; Placental abruption; Preeclampsia