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Assessment of Relationship of Serum Neurokinin-B Level in the Pathophysiology of Pre-eclampsia: A Case–Control Study

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Abstract

Introduction

Pre-eclampsia is a pregnancy-induced disorder that complicates approximately 5–7% of pregnancies. It is the leading cause of maternal and foetal morbidity and mortality worldwide.

Aim

To determine the role of serum neurokinin-B level in the pathophysiology of pre-eclampsia.

Methods

This was a case–control study. A total of 80 pregnant women in their third trimester of pregnancy were included in the study. They were divided into two groups (40 pre-eclamptic and 40 normotensive) according to the presence or absence of clinical parameters of pre-eclampsia. Serum level of neurokinin-B was measured with ELISA.

Results

Maternal age, weight, BMI, pulse, systolic BP and diastolic BP were statistically higher in the pre-eclampsia group compared to the normotensive group (P < 0.0001). Moreover, statistically higher levels were observed for neurokinin-B in the normotensive group as compared to the pre-eclamptic group. The mean value of neurokinin-B was 83.50 ng/L in the pre-eclamptic group compared to 111.5 ng/L in the normotensive group (P = 0.006).

Conclusion

Higher levels of serum neurokinin-B were observed in the normotensive pregnant females as compared to the pre-eclamptic females. Thus, apparently, it seems that serum neurokinin-B plays no role in the pathophysiology of pre-eclampsia, and further large multicentre prospective studies may be required to ascertain its role.

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Acknowledgements

We are very grateful to our study participants for their cooperation.

Funding

No funding or sponsorship was received for this study or publication of this article.

Authorship

All named authors meet the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) criteria for the authorship of this article and take responsibility for the integrity of the work as a whole. They have given their approval for this version to be published.

Disclosures

The authors (Henna Salman, Mohsin Shah, Asif Ali, Asma Aziz, Salvatore and Giovanni Vitale) have nothing to disclose. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.

Compliance with Ethics Guidelines

All procedures involving human participants performed in this study were in accordance to the ethical standards of Khyber Medical University’s ethical committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. Informed consents were obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Data Availability

Data is available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Author notes

    Authors and Affiliations

    1. Department of Physiology, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Khyber Medical University, Peshawar, Pakistan

      Henna Salman, Mohsin Shah & Asma Aziz

    2. Department of Pathology, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Khyber Medical University, Peshawar, Pakistan

      Asif Ali

    3. Department of General Surgery and Medical Surgical Specialties, University of Catania, Catania, Italy

      Salvatore Giovanni Vitale

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    1. Henna Salman
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    Correspondence to Mohsin Shah or Salvatore Giovanni Vitale.

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    To view enhanced digital features for this article go to https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.6301835.

    Henna Salman and Mohsin Shah contributed equally to this work.

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    Salman, H., Shah, M., Ali, A. et al. Assessment of Relationship of Serum Neurokinin-B Level in the Pathophysiology of Pre-eclampsia: A Case–Control Study. Adv Ther 35, 1114–1121 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12325-018-0723-z

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    • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12325-018-0723-z

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