Evidence map›Paper›PMID 29430878›Full record

ArticleImmunity, inflammation and disease2018

Placental implantation over prior cesarean scar causes activation of fetal regulatory T cells.

Tina A Nguyen, Daniel A Kahn, Andrea I Loewendorf

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Immunity, inflammation and disease, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
0.2field-weighted citation impact, top 49% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed, 3 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Tina A NguyenDivision of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, David Geffen School of Medicine,UCLA, Los Angeles, California.
Daniel A KahnDivision of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, David Geffen School of Medicine,UCLA, Los Angeles, California.
Andrea I LoewendorfDivision of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, David Geffen School of Medicine,UCLA, Los Angeles, California.ORCID 0000-0001-7150-3316
University of California, Los Angeles · USHuntington Medical Research Institutes · US

Funding

REPRODUCTIVE SCIENTIST TRAINING PROGRAMK12HD000849 · NICHD · WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · PI Danny J Schust · 1988 to 2026
$33.2M
NICHD NIH HHS K12 HD000849
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionMaternal-fetal chimerism is miniscule, a testament to the integrity of the uteroplacental interface. The soundness of this border region is potentially altered through cesarean delivery of prior babies with uncertain consequences for the following pregnancies.

methodsUsing multicolor flow cytometry and quantitative PCR of non-inherited maternal antigens we performed a retrospective case control pilot study and formulated the null hypothesis that placental implantation over a prior uterine scar does not result in the presence of memory Treg (CD45RO+) in the fetus. We then performed a power calculation and performed a blinded, appropriately powered prospective case control study to test the null hypothesis.

resultsFetuses born to mothers with prior uterine scar have a roughly five times higher maternal to fetal microchimerism when the placenta directly interacts with the uterine scar. Unlike exposure to antigens in adult life, in utero antigenic exposure induces tolerogenic (Treg) responses in fetuses and we here report the presence of fetal Treg with a memory phenotype (CD45RO+). However, we only find such CD45RO+ fetal Tregs when the placenta abuts the uterine scar (Risk Ratio = 5 [p < 0.05 CI:(1.448 to 17.27)]). These memory fetal Tregs are functionally highly suppressive compared to CD45RA-expressing fetal Tregs, and have specificity for non-inherited maternal antigens.

conclusionsWe found that uterine scars, in the case of our study these scars are from prior c-sections, fundamentally impair uterine integrity allowing for increased antigen exposure of the fetus; with our appropriately powered study we rejected the null hypothesis and accepted the alternative hypothesis that placental implantation over a prior uterine scar results in the presence of memory Treg (CD45RO+) in the fetus. Thus, our study demonstrates a previously unappreciated role for uterine integrity in limiting fetal antigenic exposure, a key element to avoid the formation of inappropriate tolerances by the fundamentally tolerogenic fetal immune system.

Indexed as

AdultCase-Control StudiesCesarean SectionChimerismCicatrixEmbryo ImplantationFemaleFetusHistocompatibility, Maternal-FetalHumansImmune ToleranceImmunity, Maternally-AcquiredImmunologic MemoryLeukocyte Common AntigensPilot ProjectsPlacentaLeukocyte Common AntigensCesarean sectionchimerismnon-inherited maternal antigens (NIMA)placentaregulatoryT-lymphocytes

Identifiers

PMID29430878
PMCPMC5946153
OpenAlexW2793961732

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.