Maternal plasma adrenocorticotropin and cortisol relationships throughout human pregnancy

Carr, Bruce R.; Parker, C. R.; Madden, James D.; MacDonald, Paul C.; Porter, John C.

doi:10.1016/0002-9378(81)90318-5

Cited by 343 publications

(217 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…The cause(s) of this increase in ACTH may include [3]. The synergistic stimulation of the feto-placental unit and the pituitary adrenal axis of both fetus and mother play a pivotal role in initiation of parturition [4,5]. Our study is in accordance with Makrigiannakis et al who demonstrated the role of serum ACTH levels as predictive marker for premature labor [6].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Potential Biochemical Markers for Preterm Labor: A Pilot Study in North India

et al. 2010

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Preterm delivery is a major contributor for neonatal mortality. Intensive research is underway to establish a reliable biomarker that can ascertain the risk of preterm delivery in pregnant women. The aim of our study was to evaluate the role of various biochemical parameters as potential biomarker for risk assessment for preterm labor. Forty women presenting with preterm labor and 40 women who delivered at term were included in the study. Parameters that were evaluated include corticotrophin (ACTH), prolactin, thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), ferritin and Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP). Serum ACTH, ferritin, ALP and Ferritin/Iron ratio were significantly higher in the subjects who delivered prematurely as compared to the controls. Comparison of sensitivity, specificity, likelihood ratio, positive and negative predictive values for different cut offs for ACTH, ferritin, ALP and ferritin/iron ratio was carried out. Ferritin emerged as the best marker with area under curve of 0.96 as compared to 0.88 for ACTH, 0.825 for ALP and 0.735 for ferritin/iron ratio. Our study establishes the superiority of ferritin as a predictive biomarker for preterm labor as compared to the rest of the parameters evaluated.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Potential Biochemical Markers for Preterm Labor: A Pilot Study in North India

et al. 2010

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“…This observation has stimulated much research interest in the role and influence of sex hormones on the host immune interaction with HBV. Hormonal changes during pregnancy enhance the immune clearance of HBV [29,30].…”

Section: Chb In Women and Its Effect On Pregnancymentioning

confidence: 99%

Chronic hepatitis B in Asian women of childbearing age

Leung

2009

Hepatol Int

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Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a serious clinical problem affecting approximately 2 billion people worldwide. An estimated 350 million live with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) infection and are at an increased risk for serious liver sequelae and death from acute or chronic consequences of CHB infection. Individuals with CHB have a 20-30% risk of early death from complications, including liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. In the Asia-Pacific region, half of the CHB burden results from vertical or mother-to-child transmission, with early childhood horizontal transmission accounting for the remaining half. Screening and vaccination are key factors in the successful prevention and control of HBV infection. Over the last 20 years, the implementation of screening programs and universal HBV vaccination for all individuals born in endemic areas have reduced the prevalence of HBV infection and HBV-related liver diseases among individuals younger than 30 years. Women of childbearing age are key stakeholders in preventing HBV infection and, as such, play a critical role in reducing the vertical and horizontal transmission of HBV. Further efforts are needed to implement screening and educational programs for women of childbearing age, particularly those with CHB, to prevent the transmission of HBV to newborns, spouses, other household members, and sexual partners. In addition, healthcare workers need to learn how to avoid iatrogenic transmission in the healthcare setting. This article reviews these issues and highlights areas in which their engagement with public health efforts serves to improve quality of life and society as a whole.

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“…In addition to chronic stress (Fuchs & Fl ugge, 1994), psychiatric diseases (Holsboer & Barden, 1996) or ageing (Hatzinger, Reul, Landgraf, Holsboer & Neumann, 1996), pregnancy and lactation might represent a similar challenge due to the profound physiological adaptations occurring in the mother. Thus, in pregnancy there is increased sensitivity of the adrenal gland to corticotrophin (ACTH) and increased glucocorticoid secretion in several species (Dupouy, Coffigny & Magre, 1975;Carr, Parker, Madden, MacDonald & Porter, 1981;Waddell & Atkinson, 1994;Keller-Wood, 1996). However, there are no detailed studies regarding the responsiveness to stressors of the HPA axis reflected primarily by plasma ACTH and corticosterone concentrations, or of underlying mechanisms of possible pregnancy-related changes in HPA axis activity, or of associated behavioural alterations.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Attenuated neuroendocrine responses to emotional and physical stressors in pregnant rats involve adenohypophysial changes

Neumann

Johnstone

Hatzinger

et al. 1998

The Journal of Physiology

341

244

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1. The responsiveness of the rat hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and hypothalamo-neurohypophysial system (HNS) to emotional (elevated plus-maze) and physical (forced swimming) stressors and to administration of synthetic corticotrophinreleasing hormone (CRH) was investigated during pregnancy and lactation. In addition to pregnancy-related adaptations at the adenohypophysial level, behavioural responses accompanying the neuroendocrine changes were studied. 2. Whereas basal (a.m.) plasma corticosterone, but not corticotrophin (adrenocorticotrophic hormone; ACTH), levels were increased on the last day (i.e. on day 22) of pregnancy, the stress-induced rise in both plasma hormone concentrations was increasingly attenuated with the progression of pregnancy beginning on day 15 and reaching a minimum on day 21 compared with virgin control rats. A similar attenuation of responses to both emotional and physical stressors was found in lactating rats. 3. Although the basal plasma oxytocin concentration was elevated in late pregnancy, the stressinduced rise in oxytocin secretion was slightly lower in day 21 pregnant rats. In contrast to vasopressin, oxytocin secretion was increased by forced swimming in virgin and early pregnant rats indicating a differential stress response of these neurohypophysial hormones. 4. The blunted HPA response to stressful stimuli is partly due to alterations at the level of corticotrophs in the adenohypophysis, as ACTH secretion in response to CRH in vivo (40 ng kg¢, i.v.) was reduced with the progression of pregnancy and during lactation. In vitro measurement of cAMP levels in pituitary segments demonstrated reduced basal levels of cAMP and a lower increase after CRH stimulation (10 nÒ, 10 min) in day 21 pregnant compared with virgin rats, further indicating reduced corticotroph responsiveness to CRH in pregnancy. 5. The reduced pituitary response to CRH in late pregnancy is likely to be a consequence of a reduction in CRH receptor binding as revealed by receptor autoradiography.[ÁÂÇI]CRH binding in the anterior pituitary was significantly reduced in day 11, 17 and 22 pregnant rats compared with virgin controls. 6. Anxiety-related behaviour of the animals as revealed by the time on and entries into the open arms of the elevated plus-maze was different between virgin and pregnant rats with decreased number of entries indicating increased anxiety with the progression of pregnancy (except on pregnancy day 18). The emotional behaviour, however, was not correlated with the neuroendocrine responses. 7. The results indicate that the reduced response of the HPA axis to stressors described previously during lactation is already manifested around day 15 of pregnancy in the rat and involves physiological adaptations at the adenohypophysial level. However, alterations in stressor perception at higher brain levels with the progression of pregnancy may also be involved.

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Maternal plasma adrenocorticotropin and cortisol relationships throughout human pregnancy

Cited by 343 publications

References 26 publications

Potential Biochemical Markers for Preterm Labor: A Pilot Study in North India

Potential Biochemical Markers for Preterm Labor: A Pilot Study in North India

Chronic hepatitis B in Asian women of childbearing age

Attenuated neuroendocrine responses to emotional and physical stressors in pregnant rats involve adenohypophysial changes

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