Dear Colleagues,
On behalf of the Editorial Team of Hypertension Research in Pregnancy, I am pleased to announce the Journal Awards for the Year 2018.
The aim of these Awards is to recognize papers published in 2018, both clinical and experimental studies, that were highly appreciated by the Editorial Team.
In the year of 2018, following paper has been selected for the Hypertension Research in Pregnancy Awards.
Human β-defensin-2 as a biochemical indicator of vaginal environment in pregnant women
Hideko Kotani1,3, Keiichi Matsubara1, Tetsuo Koshizuka2, Kyoko Nishiyama2, Hisae Kaneko3, Mie Tasaka3, Takashi Sugiyama1, Tatsuo Suzutani2
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ehime University School of Medicine, Toon, Ehime, Japan, 2Department of Microbiology, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima, Japan, 3Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, NTT West Matsuyama Hospital, Matsuyama, Ehime, Japan
Aim: Vaginal environment is an important factor in predicting threatened abortion and premature rupture of membranes (PROM) in early pregnancy. Vaginal human β-defensin-2 (HBD-2), a main antimicrobial peptide associated with innate immunity, plays multiple roles to protect the lower genital tract from microbes. This study aimed to assess the usefulness of vaginal HBD-2 as a biochemical marker for monitoring the vaginal environment in pregnant women.
Methods: Twenty-eight pregnant women were enrolled in this study. Vaginal secretion samples were collected to determine Nugent scores, and vaginal washing fluid (4 ml saline) was used to measure HBD-2 levels by ELISA.
Results: In the first trimester, vaginal HBD-2 levels were significantly lower in patients with bacterial vaginosis (BV) (42.1±19.8 pg/ml) compared to those without BV (350.1±68.7 pg/ml, P<0.05), and in patients with PROM (57.2±31.9 pg/ml) compared to those without PROM (375.9±69.4 pg/ml, P<0.05).
Conclusions: Low vaginal HBD-2 levels during early pregnancy suggest a poor vaginal environment and the possibility of developing PROM.
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