title: Maternal serum cytokine levels in pregnancies complicated with threatened preterm labour.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate serum inflammatory markers in singleton gestations complicated with threatened preterm labour (TPL).
  
  
  METHODS
  Pregnant women complicated with TPL (n = 61) were recruited to measure maternal serum levels of a panel of cytokines and C-reactive protein and then compared to controls without TPL, matched for gestational age (n = 64) and term pregnancies in the prodromal phase of labour (PPL) (n = 31). In addition, baseline cytokine levels were compared among cases and controls according to the outcome.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Women with TPL displayed higher CRP and white blood counts levels together with lower granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GMC-SF) compared to both controls without TPL and to term gestations in the PPL. Also, interleukin 10 (IL-10), IL-6, IL-7, IL-8 and tumour necrosis alpha (TNF-α) levels were found significantly higher in TPL cases as compared to controls without TPL and term women in the PLL. Baseline cytokine levels (except IL-10) were higher among TPL cases who later delivered preterm. TPL cases delivering preterm displayed lower GMC-SF levels as compared to those delivering at term. Multivariate analysis found that gestational age at birth positively correlated with cervical length and inversely with CRP, IL-6 and TNF-α levels (p < 0.0001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  TPL and preterm birth were related to inflammatory changes in the maternal side that correlate with cervical shortening and the initiation of uterine contractions.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology , Hospital Torrecárdenas , Almeria , Spain.
authors.forename: Alejandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Herrera-Muñoz
authors.affiliation: a Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology , Hospital Torrecárdenas , Almeria , Spain.
authors.forename: Ana M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Fernández-Alonso
authors.affiliation: a Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology , Hospital Torrecárdenas , Almeria , Spain.
authors.forename: Natalia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Fischer-Suárez
authors.affiliation: b Institute of Biomedicine, Research Area for Women's Health, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Católica de Santiago de Guayaquil , Guayaquil , Ecuador , and.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Chedraui
authors.affiliation: c Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology , Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Zaragoza, Hospital Clínico Lozano Blesa , Zaragoza , Spain.
authors.forename: Faustino R
authors.initials: FR
authors.lastname: Pérez-López
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000032:analysis; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016207:Cytokines / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D016178:Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D016753:Interleukin-10 / Q000097:blood; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood; D016209:Interleukin-8 / Q000097:blood; D007752:Obstetric Labor, Premature / Q000097:blood*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011263:Pregnancy Trimester, Third / Q000097:blood; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000097:blood; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D016207:Cytokines; C508609:IL10 protein, human; D015850:Interleukin-6; D016209:Interleukin-8; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D016753:Interleukin-10; D016178:Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor; D002097:C-Reactive Protein
keywords: Cytokine; inflammation; preterm birth; threatened preterm labour