SynthesisPloS one2022
Is there a maternal blood biomarker that can predict spontaneous preterm birth prior to labour onset? A systematic review.
Synthesis in PloS one, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 21 papers.
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Who cites it
21 citing papers in PubMed, 31 citations in OpenAlex.
- Among Five First-Trimester Complete Blood Count Inflammatory Indices, the Systemic Inflammation Response Index Rises Most Consistently with the Severity of Preterm Birth.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Immunological maladaptation preceding spontaneous preterm birth in human pregnancies.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Multi-tissue miRNA networks in preterm birth: from molecular mechanisms to precision medicine.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Review
- The single-cell immune profile throughout gestation and its potential value for identifying women at risk for spontaneous preterm birth.European journal of obstetrics & gynecology and reproductive biology: X · 2025Review
- A multisite study to develop and validate first trimester, circulating microparticle biomarkers for tiered risk stratification of spontaneous preterm birth in nulliparas.American journal of obstetrics and gynecology · 2025Article
- Adiponectin and Glucocorticoids Modulate Risk for Preterm Birth: The Healthy Start Study.The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism · 2025Article
- Urinary prostaglandin metabolites as biomarkers for human labour: Insights into future predictors.PloS one · 2025Article
- Article
- Low Levels of Complement Factor H in the First Trimester of Pregnancy Are Associated with Spontaneous Preterm Birth.International journal of molecular sciences · 2024Article
- Predicting Spontaneous Preterm Birth Using the Immunome.Clinics in perinatology · 2024Review
- Neutrophil Elastase as a Predictor of Delivery in Pregnant Women with Preterm Labour.Exploratory research and hypothesis in medicine · 2024Article
- Review
- Maternal cytokine profiles in second and early third trimester are not predictive of preterm birth.PloS one · 2024Article
- Article
- Addressing a broken drug pipeline for preterm birth: why early preterm birth is an orphan disease.American journal of obstetrics and gynecology · 2023Article
- Predicting the Risk of Preterm Birth Throughout Pregnancy Based on a Novel Transcriptomic Signature.Maternal-fetal medicine (Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.) · 2023Article
- Augmented Placental Protein 13 in Placental-Associated Extracellular Vesicles in Term and Preterm Preeclampsia Is Further Elevated by Corticosteroids.International journal of molecular sciences · 2023Article
- Risk Scoring Systems for Preterm Birth and Their Performance: A Systematic Review.Journal of clinical medicine · 2023Review
- Predicting Preterm Birth with Strain Ratio Analysis of the Internal Cervical Os: A Prospective Study.Journal of clinical medicine · 2023Article
- Development of risk prediction models for preterm delivery in a rural setting in Ethiopia.Journal of global health · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionThe ability to predict spontaneous preterm birth (sPTB) prior to labour onset is a challenge, and it is currently unclear which biomarker(s), may be potentially predictive of sPTB, and whether their predictive power has any utility. A systematic review was conducted to identify maternal blood biomarkers of sPTB.
methodsThis study was conducted according to PRISMA protocol for systematic reviews. Four databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, Scopus) were searched up to September 2021 using search terms: "preterm labor", "biomarker" and "blood OR serum OR plasma". Studies assessing blood biomarkers prior to labour onset against the outcome sPTB were eligible for inclusion. Risk of bias was assessed based on the Newcastle Ottawa scale. Increased odds of sPTB associated with maternal blood biomarkers, as reported by odds ratios (OR), or predictive scores were synthesized. This review was not prospectively registered.
resultsSeventy-seven primary research articles met the inclusion criteria, reporting 278 unique markers significantly associated with and/or predictive of sPTB in at least one study. The most frequently investigated biomarkers were those measured during maternal serum screen tests for aneuploidy, or inflammatory cytokines, though no single biomarker was clearly predictive of sPTB based on the synthesized evidence. Immune and signaling pathways were enriched within the set of biomarkers and both at the level of protein and gene expression.
conclusionThere is currently no known predictive biomarker for sPTB. Inflammatory and immune biomarkers show promise, but positive reporting bias limits the utility of results. The biomarkers identified may be more predictive in multi-marker models instead of as single predictors. Omics-style studies provide promising avenues for the identification of novel (and multiple) biomarkers. This will require larger studies with adequate power, with consideration of gestational age and the heterogeneity of sPTB to identify a set of biomarkers predictive of sPTB.
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