Search

Objective: To determine the relationship of fFn levels in cervicovaginal discharge of pregnant women who experience imminent premature parturition with the incidence of preterm labor. Method: The study was carried out with Analytic Observational Prospective Cohort using cervicovaginal discharge of pregnant women that experienced imminent premature parturition taken from the delivery room of Obstetrics and Gynecology department dr. Saiful Anwar Hospital, Malang as well as Bangil Hospital and Ngudi Waluyo Wlingi Hospital. Statistical analysis was performed using the Shapiro-Wilk test and comparison test used independent samples t test for normal data, Mann-Whitney test if not. All analysis used SPSS for Windows 19.0 software. Result: Thirty two patient samples was examined, 14 patients (43.75%) were primigravida and 18 patients (52.56%) is multigravida. 17 of these patients (53.13%) experienced aterm labor and 15 patients (46.87%) experienced preterm labor. Mann-Whitney test of the mean fFN levels between the aterm group (13.01 ± 7.57 ng/ml) and the preterm group (56.29 ± 27.77 ng/ml) showed a significant difference (p-value = 0.000 > 0.05). Moreover, Spearman’s Rho correlation test also showed a strong correlation between fFN level and incidence of preterm labor (R = 0.797, p < 0.05). Conclusion: fFN levels is significantly increase in cervicovaginal discharge from pregnant women with imminent premature parturition who experience preterm labor than pregnant women who experience aterm labor. Therefore, this result suggests that fFN has potential ability to become useful modality in preterm labor diagnosis. [Indones J Obstet Gynecol 2016; 1: 8-14] Keywords: cervicovaginal discharge, fFN, imminent premature parturition, preterm labor

Background: Malaria in pregnancy leads to placental malaria. The primary pathogenesis of the complex fetal implications in placental malaria is tissue hypoxia due to sequestrations of Plasmodium falciparum -infected erythrocytes in the placenta. However, the pathomechanism of placental Plasmodium vivax infection has not been thoroughly investigated. Hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) is a key transcriptional mediator of the response to hypoxic conditions, which interacts with the change and imbalances of many chemical mediators, including angiogenic factors, leading to fetal growth abnormality., Methods: This study was conducted cross-sectionally in Maumere, Sikka Regency, East Nusa Tenggara Province, previously known as one of the malaria endemic areas with a high incidence of low birth weight (LBW) cases. This study collected peripheral and umbilical blood samples and placental tissues from mothers who delivered their babies with LBW at the TC Hiller Regional Hospital. All of the blood samples were examined for parasites by microscopic and PCR techniques, while the plasma levels of VEGF, PlGF, VEGFR-1, VEGFR-2, and HIF-1α were determined using ELISA. The sequestration of infected erythrocytes and hemozoin was determined from placental histological slides, and the expression of placenta angiogenic factors was observed using the immunofluorescent technique., Results: In this study, 33 cases had complete data to be analyzed. Of them, 19 samples were diagnosed as vivax malaria and none of falciparum malaria. There were significant differences in Δ 10th percentile growth curve of baby's body weights and also all angiogenic factors in placental tissues {VEGF, PlGF, and VEGFR-1, VEGFR-2, and HIF-1α} between those infected and not infected cases (p<0.05), but not for VEGF and VEGFR-2 in the plasma., Conclusion: This study indicated that Plasmodium vivax sequestration may promote LBW through alterations and imbalances in angiogenic factors led by HIF-1α., Competing Interests: No competing interests were disclosed., (Copyright: © 2024 Prasetyorini N et al.)