A study conducted by medical specialists from the Yale University and the University of Kansas School of Medicine revealed that potentially dangerous infections in pregnant women and the probability of premature delivery can be detected by profiling certain proteins present in the amniotic fluid. Their study was presented at the 26th Annual Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM) meeting.

Samples of amniotic fluid from patients showing pre-term labor were collected and analyzed using traditional diagnostic tests (glucose, neutrophil (white blood cell) count , lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), Gram stain, culture, IL-6 and MMP-8), as well as a "fingerprint" of the proteins was generated using SELDI-TOF (surface-enhanced laser desorption ionization time-of flight). Peaks were sought for four proteins that served as evidence of inflammation.

"We found that profiling the proteins in amniotic fluid for markers of inflammation--a proteomic profile--not only yielded results twice as fast as other tests, but those results were also much more accurate. We discovered that the presence of fewer than two biomarkers for inflammation meant the median time for delivery was five to six days. If all the biomarkers for inflammation were present, delivery time was within hours."

This implies that protein profiling is a potential new tool to identify women's risks for pre-term delivery. Its potential for improving management of pregnancy complications also appears to be very promising.

Source: Science Daily