Serum concentrations of soluble B7-H4 in early pregnancy are elevated in women with preterm premature rupture of fetal membranes.
To determine the association between maternal soluble B7-H4 (sB7-H4) and the preterm premature rupture of the amniotic membranes (pPROM), the blood serum concentration levels of sB7-H4 were studied.



Maternal serum levels of sB7-H4 were determined with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in patients between 11 and 13 weeks' gestation who later on in the pregnancy developed pPROM (n=21), premature rupture of the amniotic membranes at term (n=18), and in control group (n=27).



The highest serum levels of sB7-H4 were found in patients who developed pPROM. An OR of 1.39 (95%-CI: 1.17-1.77; P=.002) per ng/mL sB7-H4 indicated an increased risk for developing pPROM, with some predictive ability to discriminate between pPROM cases and controls (AUC=.81).



Increased serum levels of sB7-H4 in early pregnancy in pPROM cases may indicate the dynamics of the immune response at the feto-maternal interface and, thus, may serve as a predictive marker for this pregnancy complication.
Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.
Pawel
P
Mach
Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.
Angela
A
Köninger
Chair of Oncology, Radiotherapy and Gynecologic Oncology of the Ludwik Rydygier Collegium Medicum in Bydgoszcz, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Bydgoszcz, Poland.
Lukasz
L
Wicherek
Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.
Rainer
R
Kimmig
Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.
Sabine
S
Kasimir-Bauer
Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.
Cahit
C
Birdir
Institute for Medical Informatics, Biometry and Epidemiology (IMIBE), University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.
Börge
B
Schmidt
Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.
Alexandra
A
Gellhaus
D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D005322:Premature Rupture of Fetal Membranes / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D060907:V-Set Domain-Containing T-Cell Activation Inhibitor 1 / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology
D015415:Biomarkers; D060907:V-Set Domain-Containing T-Cell Activation Inhibitor 1; C475826:VTCN1 protein, human
immune tolerance; preterm labor; soluble B7-H4