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. 2014 Sep 30:14:340.
doi: 10.1186/1471-2393-14-340.

Second trimester amniotic fluid cytokine concentrations, Ureaplasma sp. colonisation status and sexual activity as predictors of preterm birth in Chinese and Australian women

Matthew S Payne, Zhenhua Feng, Shaofu Li, Dorota A Doherty, Biyun Xu, Jie Li, Lenan Liu, Jeffrey A Keelan, Yi Hua Zhou, Jan E Dickinson, Yali Hu, John P Newnham  1
Affiliations

Second trimester amniotic fluid cytokine concentrations, Ureaplasma sp. colonisation status and sexual activity as predictors of preterm birth in Chinese and Australian women

Matthew S Payne et al. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. .

Abstract

Background: This study tested if second trimester amniotic fluid cytokine levels, Ureaplasma sp. colonisation and sexual activity predict preterm birth and explain the differential preterm birth rates in Chinese compared to Australian women.

Methods: Amniotic fluid was collected by amniocentesis (Chinese 480, Australian 492). Cytokines were measured by multiplex assay and Ureaplasma sp. DNA was detected by PCR analysis. Lifestyle factors, including history of smoking and sexual activity during pregnancy, were obtained through completion of questionnaires upon recruitment to the study.

Results: Inflammatory cytokine concentrations were poorly predictive of preterm birth. Ureaplasma sp. was detected in two of the Chinese pregnancies and none from Australia. Sexual activity was less frequent in Chinese, and was not associated with preterm birth or amniotic fluid findings in either population.

Discussion: Second trimester amniocentesis for measurement of inflammatory markers and Ureaplasma sp. DNA was not indicative of risk of preterm birth, at least in these populations. The lower rate of preterm birth in China was not explained by differences in amniotic fluid inflammatory markers, Ureaplasma sp. colonisation, or sexual activity.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Box and whisker plots illustrating the associations between amniotic fluid IL-10 levels and PTB in Chinese and Australian pregnancies. PTB was significantly associated with increased amniotic fluid IL-10 levels in Chinese but not Australian pregnancies (P = 0.009).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Reported frequency of sexual intercourse during pregnancy in Chinese and Australian women. The rate reported by Chinese women was significantly less than in Australian women (P < 0.001).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Reported frequency of sexual intercourse during pregnancy and rates of PTB in Chinese and Australian women. There was no significant association between these rates and PTB in either group.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Reported frequency of sexual intercourse during pregnancy and amniotic fluid cytokine levels in Chinese and Australian pregnancies. There were no associations between sexual activity and cytokine levels in either group.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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Pre-publication history
    1. The pre-publication history for this paper can be accessed here:http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2393/14/340/prepub

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