Dear Colleagues,
On behalf of the Editorial Team of Hypertension Research in Pregnancy, I am pleased to announce the Journal Awards for the Year 2017.
The aim of these Awards is to recognize papers published in 2017, both clinical and experimental studies, that were highly appreciated by the Editorial Team.
In the year of 2017, following paper has been selected for the Hypertension Research in Pregnancy Awards.
A pilot study investigating the LOX index as a potential biomarker of endothelial function in pregnancy.
Kohei Fujita1, Eiji Kondoh1, Yoshitsugu Chigusa1, Haruta Mogami1, Kaoru Kawasaki1, Mari Ujita1, Masatoshi Fujita2, Ikuo Konishi1
1Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan, 2Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Uji Hospital, Uji, Kyoto, Japan
Aim: This study aimed to determine the normal range of the lectin-like oxidised LDL receptor (LOX) index during pregnancy and investigate whether the index can be used as a biomarker of maternal endothelial function.
Methods: We conducted a prospective pilot study consisting of 12 pregnant women without obstetric or medical complications and eight non-pregnant women at Kyoto University Hospital between March 2011 and March 2012. Endothelial function was evaluated by the reactive hyperaemia index (RHI) using Endo-PAT2000 in early, mid-, and late gestation. Plasma levels of soluble LOX-1 (sLOX-1) and LOX-1 ligand containing apolipoprotein B (LAB) in each gestation period were measured by ELISA. The LOX index was obtained by multiplying plasma levels of LAB with those of sLOX-1.
Results: The LOX index increased significantly as gestational age advanced. The LOX index, but not LAB or sLOX-1, was correlated with RHI in mid-gestation (R=0.3352, P=0.0486).
Conclusions: The LOX index during mid-gestation may be a useful biomarker of maternal endothelial function.
