Closer to detecting preeclampsia

Biomarkers provide potential for better understanding of the disease

2014-03-17

(Press-News.org) Identifying biomarkers could lead to earlier detection of preeclampsia, which in turn can lead to healthier mothers and children, according to a collaborative study from the Centre of Molecular Inflammation Research (CEMIR) and the MR Cancer Group at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). Their findings, "Metabolomic Biomarkers in Serum and Urine in Women with Preeclampsia," will be published in PLOS ONE on 17 March.

"We have found that the metabolism in women who experience preeclampsia is clearly different from women with normal pregnancies. The differences suggest that preeclampsia has a similar profile to cardiovascular disease, and the inflammatory processes are reflected in the blood and urine of affected women. This abnormal metabolism may be present earlier, so that the disease may be predicted before onset," says Marie Austdal, a PhD candidate at NTNU, and first author of the study.

Preeclampsia is a disease of pregnancy that has its origins in insufficient development of the placenta during the first trimester, but usually only presents itself close to term, causing high blood pressure (hypertension) and proteins in the urine (proteinuria) of the affected women. The syndrome can be dangerous for both mother and unborn child, causing preterm birth and restrictions in fetal growth, along with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease later in life for both. Preeclampsia is thought to be related to an exaggerated immune response from the beginning of pregnancy.

The researchers found a set of biomarkers in urine and serum samples that were different between women with preeclampsia, women with normal pregnancies and women who were not pregnant. These biomarkers tell the story of what is happening to the metabolism of these women when they have developed the disease.

There was a clear and significant difference in the metabolomic profile of all three groups of women. The differences could be associated with increases in very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) fats and cholesterol for the preeclamptic women, and also reflected an increased stress response and inflammation in preeclampsia.

The metabolic profiles show that the metabolism of pregnant women is highly affected by preeclampsia. It is possible that the metabolism may be changed even earlier, before the diagnostic events (hypertension and proteinuria) appear. If the changes can be detected as early as the first trimester, it may be possible to prevent some of the women from developing the disease, leading to healthier mothers and children.

The study is a collaboration between the Research Group of Inflammation and Genetics in Pregnancy, and the MR Cancer group. The group used NMR spectroscopy to characterize biofluids using the magnetic properties of atoms. The method is called metabolomics – the study of low molecular weight metabolites. Metabolites are intermediates and end processes of the chemical interactions in the body that are necessary for life.

The next project for the group is to use the same method to analyze samples from women in early pregnancy, for possible prediction of the disease.

INFORMATION: The article will be published in PLOS ONE on March 17th, and is under press embargo until March 17th 5pm EST. Link to live article: http://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0091923.

Contact:

Anne Steenstrup-Duch, Head of communication, Faculty of Medicine: anne.steenstrup-duch@ntnu.no; Tel: +47 73598923; Mobile: +47 90096295.

Marie Austdal, PhD candidate: marie.austdal@ntnu.no; Tel: +47 73597449; Mobile: +47 95705482

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

New evidence raises questions about the link between fatty acids and heart disease

2014-03-17

A new study raises questions about current guidelines which generally restrict the consumption of saturated fats and encourage consumption of polyunsaturated fats to prevent heart disease. The research was published today, 18 March, in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine. An international research collaboration led by the University of Cambridge analysed existing cohort studies and randomised trials on coronary risk and fatty acid intake. They showed that current evidence does not support guidelines which restrict the consumption of saturated fats in order to prevent ...

Knowing whether food has spoiled without even opening the container (video)

2014-03-17

DALLAS, March 17, 2014 — A color-coded smart tag could tell consumers whether a carton of milk has turned sour or a can of green beans has spoiled without opening the containers, according to researchers. The tag, which would appear on the packaging, also could be used to determine if medications and other perishable products were still active or fresh, they said. This report on the color-changing food deterioration tags was presented today as part of the 247th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS), the world's largest scientific society. ...

Better continuity of care for elderly pataients cuts costs and complications, study finds

2014-03-17

Improving the coordination of care for elderly patients with chronic diseases trims costs, reduces use of health services and cuts complications, according to a new RAND Corporation study. Studying a large group of Medicare patients, researchers found that even modest improvements in the continuity of care among patients with diabetes, congestive heart failure or emphysema were associated with sizable reductions in use of hospital emergency departments and hospitalizations. The findings, published online by JAMA Internal Medicine, suggest that improving the coordination ...

US headache sufferers get $1 billion worth of brain scans each year, U-M study finds

2014-03-17

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — One in eight visits to a a doctor for a headache or migraine end up with the patient going for a brain scan, at a total cost of about $1 billion a year, a new University of Michigan Medical School study finds. And many of those MRI and CT scans – and costs – are probably unnecessary, given the very low odds that serious issues lurk in the patients' brains. In fact, several national guidelines for doctors specifically discourage scanning the brains of patients who complain of headache and migraine. But the new study shows the rate of brain scans for ...

Rocky Mountain wildflower season lengthens by more than a month

2014-03-17

A unique 39-year study of wildflower blooms in a Colorado Rocky Mountain meadow shows more than two-thirds of alpine flowers have changed their blooming pattern in response to climate change. Not only are half the flowers beginning to bloom weeks earlier, but more than a third are reaching their peak bloom earlier, and others are producing their last blooms later in the year. The bloom season, which used to run from late May to early September, now lasts from late April to late September, according to University of Maryland Biology Professor David Inouye. The wildflower ...

U-M scientists slow development of Alzheimer's trademark cell-killing plaques

2014-03-17

ANN ARBOR—University of Michigan researchers have learned how to fix a cellular structure called the Golgi that mysteriously becomes fragmented in all Alzheimer's patients and appears to be a major cause of the disease. They say that understanding this mechanism helps decode amyloid plaque formation in the brains of Alzheimer's patients—plaques that kills cells and contributes to memory loss and other Alzheimer's symptoms. The researchers discovered the molecular process behind Golgi fragmentation, and also developed two techniques to 'rescue' the Golgi structure. ...

Bacterial reporters that get the scoop

2014-03-17

It's a jungle in there. In the tightly woven ecosystem of the human gut, trillions of bacteria compete with each other on a daily basis while they sense and react to signals from the immune system, ingested food, and other bacteria. Problems arise when bad gut bugs overtake friendly ones, or when the immune system is thrown off balance, as in Crohn's disease, celiac disease, and colorectal cancer. Doctors have struggled to diagnose these conditions early and accurately. But now a new engineered strain of E. coli bacteria could deliver status updates from this complex ...

NIH scientists track evolution of a superbug

2014-03-17

Using genome sequencing, National Institutes of Health (NIH) scientists and their colleagues have tracked the evolution of the antibiotic-resistant bacterium Klebsiella pneumoniae sequence type 258 (ST258), an important agent of hospital-acquired infections. While researchers had previously thought that ST258 K. pneumoniae strains spread from a single ancestor, the NIH team showed that the strains arose from at least two different lineages. The investigators also found that the key difference between the two groups lies in the genes involved in production of the bacterium's ...

Stanford makes flexible carbon nanotube circuits more reliable and power efficient

2014-03-17

Engineers would love to create flexible electronic devices, such as e-readers that could be folded to fit into a pocket. One approach they are trying involves designing circuits based on electronic fibers, known as carbon nanotubes (CNTs), instead of rigid silicon chips. But reliability is essential. Most silicon chips are based on a type of circuit design that allows them to function flawlessly even when the device experiences power fluctuations. However, it is much more challenging to do so with CNT circuits. Now a team at Stanford has developed a process to create ...

Document addresses improving quality, safety for PCIs performed without on-site backup

2014-03-17

WASHINGTON, DC, and DALLAS (March 17, 2014) – The increasing number of percutaneous coronary interventions (PCIs) being performed at low-volume centers without on-site cardiac surgery backup has driven the need for new safety and quality protocols, according to an expert consensus document released today and written by a committee representing the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI), the American College of Cardiology Foundation (ACCF) and the American Heart Association (AHA). The document outlines steps hospitals can take to provide the safest ...

Researchers at Case Western Reserve, University Hospitals to begin clinical testing with new, less-invasive technology to screen for esophageal precancer

JMC｜With generative AI assistance, Insilico Medicine announces novel CDK12/13 dual inhibitors for tumor treatment

Novel photochromic glass can store rewritable 3D patterns

[Press-News.org] Closer to detecting preeclampsia
Biomarkers provide potential for better understanding of the disease

Closer to detecting preeclampsia

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES: