Unit:
Faculty of MedicineLibrary of the School of Health Sciences
Author:
Maroudias Georgios
Dissertation committee:
Παναγιώτης Βάκας, Καθηγητής Ιατρικής Σχολής Αθηνών, ΕΚΠΑ
Νικόλαος Βλάχος,Καθηγητής Ιατρικής Σχολής Αθηνών, ΕΚΠΑ
Πέτρος Δρακάκης,Καθηγητής Ιατρικής Σχολής Αθηνών, ΕΚΠΑ
Γεώργιος Δασκαλάκης,Καθηγητής Ιατρικής Σχολής Αθηνών, ΕΚΠΑ
Νικόλαος Βραχνής,Καθηγητής Ιατρικής Σχολής Αθηνών, ΕΚΠΑ
Περικλής Παναγόπουλος, Αναπληρωτής Καθηγητής Ιατρικής Σχολής Αθηνών, ΕΚΠΑ
Σταύρος Σοφοκλής, Επίκουρος Καθηγητής Ιατρικής Σχολής Αθηνών, ΕΚΠΑ
Original Title:
Προσδιοριμός των επιπέδων των παραγόντων οστικού μεταβολισμού καλπροτεκτίνης (calprotectin) και παραθορμόνης (PTH) στο αμνιακό υγρό δευτέρου τριμήνου κυήσεων και συσχέτιση με διαταραχές της ενδομήτριας εμβρυϊκής ανάπτυξης
Translated title:
Determination of the values of bone metabolism factors calprotectin and PTH in the amniotic fluid of second trimester pregnancies and their correlation with disturbances of endometrial fetal growth
Summary:
During the early stages of human fetal development, the fetal skeleton system is mainly made up of cartilage which is gradually replaced by bone. Fetal bone development is by and large regulated by the parathyroid hormone parathormone (PTH) and the PTH-related protein, with calprotectin playing a substantial role in cell adhesion and chemotaxis, while exhibiting antimicrobial activity during the inflammatory osteogenesis process. The aim of our study was to measure the levels of PTH and calprotectin in early second trimester amniotic fluid and to carry out a comparison between the levels observed among normal weight full-term pregnancies (control group) and those of embryos exhibiting impaired or enhanced growth.
For the present prospective study, we collected amniotic fluid samples from pregnancies that underwent amniocentesis at 15 to 22 weeks of gestational age during the period 2021-2023. Subsequently, we followed up all pregnancies until delivery. Having recorded the fetal birthweights, we then divided the embryos into three groups, small for gestational age (SGA), appropriate for gestational age (AGA), and large for gestational age (LGA).
In total, 64 pregnancies were included in our study, 14 SGA, 10 LGA, and 40 AGA fetuses. Both substances were detected in early second trimester amniotic fluid in both groups. Concentrations of calprotectin differed significantly among the three groups (p=0.033). AGA fetuses had a lower mean value of 4.195 (2.415-6.425) IU/ml, whereas LGA fetuses had a higher mean value of 6.055 (4.887-13.950) IU/ml, while SGA fetuses had a mean value of 5.475 (3.400-9.177) IU/ml. Further analysis revealed that only LGA fetuses had significantly higher calprotectin concentrations compared to AGA fetuses (p=0.018). PTH concentration was similar between the groups, with LGA fetuses having a mean value of 13.18 (9.51-15.52) IU/ml, while SGA fetuses had a mean value of 14.18 (9.02-16.00) IU/ml, and AGA fetuses had similar concentrations of 13.35 (9.05-15.81) IU/ml. The differences of PTH concentration among the three groups were not statistically significant (p=0.513).
Calprotectin values in the amniotic fluid in the early second trimester are higher in LGA fetuses compared to those in SGA and AGA. LGA fetuses can possibly be in a state of low-grade chronic inflammation due to excessive fat deposition, causing oxidative stress in LGA fetuses and, eventually, the release of calprotectin. Moreover, PTH concentrations in amniotic fluid of early second trimester pregnancies were not found to be statistically correlated with fetal growth abnormalities, in either LGA or SGA fetuses. However, the early time of collection and the small number of patients in our study should be taken into account.
Main subject category:
Health Sciences
Keywords:
Calprotectin, Parathormone, Amniotic fluid, Amniocentesis, Fetal growth disorders
Number of references:
142
File:
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Maroudias_Geprgios_PhD.pdf
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File access is restricted until 2025-11-20.
