Biomedical subjects

C E Jimmerson

Publications and source records attributed to C E Jimmerson.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1998

Maternal serum interleukin-6 concentration as a marker for impending preterm delivery.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether serum interleukin-6 concentrations predict impending preterm delivery. METHODS: Blood samples were collected from 130 gravidas at 22-34 weeks' gestation. The study group consisted of 89 women evaluated for preterm contractions or premature rupture of membranes, and these women were compared with 41 outpatient controls without evidence of labor or infection, chosen by clinicians at the time of routine prenatal visits. Serum interleukin-6 concentrations were measured using a specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit. Analyses were by the Mann-Whitney U and the Kruskal-Wallis tests. RESULTS: All 41 control subjects had serum interleukin-6 concentrations less than 8 pg/mL. Sixteen of the 89 study patients had serum interleukin-6 concentrations greater than or equal to 8 pg/mL and 73 had values less than 8 pg/mL. When the serum interleukin-6 concentration was at least 8 pg/mL, the median interval from collection to delivery was significantly shorter than that among study and control subjects with serum interleukin-6 less than 8 pg/mL (5.5 versus 240 and 1801 hours, respectively; P < .001). The median gestational age at delivery was significantly lower when the serum interleukin-6 concentration was at least 8 pg/mL, compared with study and control subjects with serum interleukin-6 concentrations less than 8 pg/mL (29.6 versus 33.4 and 39.0 weeks, respectively; P < .001). In patients with preterm contractions, the interval from collection to delivery was significantly shorter when the serum interleukin-6 concentration was at least 8 pg/mL than when it was less than 8 pg/mL (3 versus 600 hours, P < .001). Similarly, the median gestational age at delivery was significantly lower when serum interleukin-6 was at least 8 pg/mL (29.0 versus 36.1 weeks, P < .001). CONCLUSION: Maternal serum interleukin-6 concentrations appear to be elevated in women destined to deliver prematurely. Measurement of this cytokine may prove useful in treating patients at high risk for preterm delivery.

Adult↗

PubMed1998

Umbilical venous D-dimer concentrations with and without labor.

OBJECTIVE: To determine if labor activates the fetal fibrinolytic system. METHODS: A total of 59 umbilical venous blood samples were collecting following vaginal delivery at term (n = 20), cesarean delivery following labor at term (n = 12), vaginal delivery before term (n = 18), and cesarean delivery without labor (n = 9). D-dimer concentrations, a sensitive marker of fibrinolysis, were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and compared between groups by Kruskel-Wallis and Mann Whitney U tests, with significance defined as P < .05. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in median D-dimer concentrations between newborns delivered vaginally or by cesarean after term labor or preterm labor. There were significant differences in median umbilical venous D-dimer concentrations in subjects delivered vaginally or by cesarean after term or preterm labor compared with term subjects without labor delivered by cesarean (427, 773, and 326 versus 87 ng/mL, P = .01). CONCLUSION: Elevation of umbilical plasma D-dimer concentrations in laboring patients suggests activation of fetal fibrinolysis before delivery.

Adult↗

PubMed1997

Maternal serum granulocyte-colony stimulating factor in preterm birth with subclinical chorioamnionitis.

Preterm birth has been linked with intrauterine infection and inflammation. Serum and amniotic fluid markers of inflammation, such as interleukin-1 (IL-1), IL-6, and granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF), have been associated with clinical chorioamnionitis and preterm delivery. As G-CSF regulates the production and maturation of neutrophils, we sought to determine if maternal serum G-CSF levels are elevated in patients with preterm birth with subclinical histologic chorioamnionitis. Maternal serum G-CSF levels were significantly different among five groups of women studied (P < .001, Kruskall-Wallis test), and were highest in subjects with preterm labor who delivered preterm (P < .05, Mann-Whitney U test). Among women with preterm labor who delivered preterm, maternal serum G-CSF levels were significantly higher if histologic chorioamnionitis was present than when histologic evidence of infection was not present (P = 0.04, Mann-Whitney U test). Intrauterine infection may cause a local inflammatory process and initiate preterm labor. This inflammatory response may include production of G-CSF, which would enter the circulation and stimulate the migration of neutrophils to the site of infection. Our data support this concept, as maternal serum G-CSF is elevated with subclinical infection in association with preterm birth.

Chorioamnionitis↗

PubMed1996

Maternal serum interleukin-6 concentrations in patients with preterm premature rupture of membranes and evidence of infection.

OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to determine whether maternal serum interleukin-6 concentrations are elevated in patients with preterm premature rupture of membranes and intrauterine infection. STUDY DESIGN: By use of a sensitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay maternal serum interleukin-6 concentrations were measured in 110 samples from patients at 22 to 34 weeks gestation with the following conditions: nonlaboring, uninfected controls (n = 46), preterm premature rupture of membranes > 48 hours before delivery without infection (n = 27), preterm premature rupture of membranes 24 to 48 hours before delivery with subsequent clinical or histologic infection (n = 11), and preterm premature rupture of membranes < 24 hours before delivery with infection present by clinical or histologic criteria (n = 26). The Mann-Whitney U test was used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: Compared with that of nonlaboring controls, serum interleukin-6 was significantly higher in patients with preterm premature rupture of membranes < 24 hours before delivery with evidence of infection (17.2 vs 1.6 pg/ml, p < 0.0001). Patients with preterm premature rupture of membranes 24 to 48 hours before delivery who had infection had significantly higher interleukin-6 concentrations than did nonlaboring controls (3.6 vs 1.6 pg/ml, p = 0.006). There was no significant difference in interleukin-6 concentrations in nonlaboring controls compared with patients with preterm premature rupture of membranes when serum was obtained > 48 hours before delivery (1.6 vs 1.6 pg/ml, p = 0.90). A serum interleukin-6 level > or = 8 pg/ml yielded a sensitivity of 81%, a specificity of 99%, a positive predictive value of 96%, and a negative predictive value of 95% for identifying intrauterine infection in patients with preterm premature rupture of membranes on the day of delivery. CONCLUSIONS: Maternal serum interleukin-6 concentrations are elevated in patients with preterm premature rupture of membranes with clinical or histologic chorioamnionitis.

Delivery, Obstetric↗