Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Role Of Decorin At The Fetal-Maternal Interface, Chidambra D. Halari

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The human placenta is an invasive tumor-like structure, this invasion being physiological. A subset of placental trophoblast called extra-villous trophoblast invades the uterine decidua and remodels uterine arteries into low-resistance, high-flow tubes to permit adequate flow of maternal blood to nourish the fetus. A poor extra-villous trophoblast invasion and uterine arterial remodeling can lead to fetal growth restriction and a serious pregnancy-associated maternal disease preeclampsia. Decorin, a leucine-rich proteoglycan produced by uterine decidual cells restrains multiple trophoblast functions: self-renewal and differentiation of trophoblast stem cells, migration, invasion, proliferation and endovascular differentiation. Additionally, decidual overproduction of decorin was associated with preeclampsia, …

Placental Pathology In Spontaneous And Iatrogenic Preterm Birth: Different Entities With Unique Pathologic Features, Lucy T Brink, Drucilla J Roberts, Colleen A Wright, Daan G Nel, Pawel T Schubert, Theonia K Boyd, David R Hall, Hein Odendaal

Student and Faculty Publications

INTRODUCTION: Placental pathology is an important contributor to the understanding of preterm birth and reveals major differences between spontaneous preterm birth (SPTB) and iatrogenic preterm birth (IPTB). The aim of this study was to investigate these relationships.

METHODS: Research midwives collected placentas from 1101 women with singleton pregnancies who were enrolled in the Safe Passage Study. Trained pathology technologists prepared and processed placenta specimens for macroscopic and microscopic examination by designated pathologists. Statistical analyses were done with STATISTICA version 13.

RESULTS: In SPTB we found more cases of accelerated villous maturation; however, the other features of maternal vascular malperfusion (MVM) …

Identifying Predictors For Inflammation-Induced Preterm Birth: A Murine Study, Tzu Ning Liu Bs, Jose Galaz Md, Nardhy Gomez-Lopez Phd

Medical Student Research Symposium

Introduction: Preterm birth is the leading cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality worldwide. A large proportion of preterm deliveries is affected by intra-amniotic inflammation, which can occur in the presence (intra-amniotic infection) or absence (sterile intra-amniotic inflammation) of microbes. Studies have shown an association between intra-amniotic inflammation, cervical shortening, and changes in the cervicovaginal microbiome. However, their causal relationships are unknown. This study aims to determine the causality of intra-amniotic inflammation, cervical shortening, and cervicovaginal microbiome alterations.

Methods: Pregnant C57BL/6 dams received an ultrasound-guided intra-amniotic injection of an endotoxin lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or the alarmin interleukin-1 alpha (IL-1 alpha) on 16.5 …

A Review Of The Effectiveness Of Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine At Alleviating Pregnancy-Related Pain, Alexandria Lomanno, Olivia Choi, Danielle Cooley

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Globally, more than a quarter of pregnant patients experience low back pain (LBP) during pregnancy with additional complaints of pelvic girdle pain (PGP) and other somatic dysfunctions. Though the standard of care for LBP in pregnancy is often analgesics, concerns about potential side effects that may cause lasting harm to the fetus may preclude pregnant patients from taking pain medications. Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine (OMM) is a nonpharmacologic treatment option that is routinely used for LBP in non-pregnant patients. Given the low risk of adverse effects, OMM may prove to be beneficial for pregnant patients suffering from LBP or PGP.

The Role Of Mitochondrial Dysfunction In Causing Hypertension During Pregnancy As Observed In The Rupp Model Of Preeclampsia, Michael Franks

Honors Theses

Preeclampsia (PE) is a disease characterized by new-onset hypertension in the third trimester of pregnancy, endothelial dysfunction, and placental ischemia. Contributory to these characteristics are circulating factors such as agonistic autoantibodies to the angiotensin I type II receptor (AT1-AA), CD4+ T cells, natural killer cells (NK), and oxidative stress, which I will show to contribute to renal and placental mitochondrial dysfunction during pregnancy. The adoptive transfer of CD4+ T cells from the Reduced Uterine Perfusion Pressure (RUPP) rat model of PE to a healthy normal pregnant rat has been shown to result in many of these characteristics, including AT1-AA production. …

Understanding The Needs Of A Mobile Phone-Based Telemonitoring Program For Pregnant Women At High Risk For Pre-Eclampsia: Interpretive Qualitative Description Study, Anam Shahil Feroz, Kristina De Vera, Nadia D. Bragagnolo, Sarah Saleem, Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta, Emily Seto

Community Health Sciences

Background: Lack of early risk detection, diagnosis, and treatment of pregnant women at high risk for pre-eclampsia can result in high maternal mortality and morbidity not only in Pakistan but also in other low- to middle-income countries (LMICs). A potential tool for supporting pregnant women at high risk for pre-eclampsia for early detection is telemonitoring (TM). However, there is a limited body of evidence on end-user needs and preferences to inform the design of the TM programs for pregnant women at high risk for pre-eclampsia, specifically in LMICs such as Pakistan.
Objective: This study aims to explore the needs of …