Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36173676›Full record

ArticleJournal of perinatal medicine2023

Intra-amniotic inflammation in the mid-trimester of pregnancy is a risk factor for neuropsychological disorders in childhood.

Maria Teresa Gervasi, Roberto Romero, Elisa Cainelli, Paola Veronese, Maria Rosa Tran, Eunjung Jung, Manaphat Suksai, Mariachiara Bosco, Francesca Gotsch

Open access · bronzeAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of perinatal medicine, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
1.2field-weighted citation impact, top 20% 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

6 citing papers in PubMed, 8 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Reconceptualizing chorioamnionitis as an immune-mediated inflammatory disorder at the maternal-fetal interface.Inflammation research : official journal of the European Histamine Research Society ... [et al.] · 2026
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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

9 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.

Maria Teresa GervasiPerinatology Research Branch, Division of Obstetrics and Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Division of Intramural Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, MD, USA, and Detroit, MI, USA.
Roberto RomeroPerinatology Research Branch, Division of Obstetrics and Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Division of Intramural Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, MD, USA, and Detroit, MI, USA.
Elisa CainelliDepartment of General Psychology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.
Paola VeroneseMaternal-Fetal Medicine Unit, Department of Women's and Children's Health, AOPD, Padua, Italy.
Maria Rosa TranGynaecology and Obstetrics Unit, Department of Women's and Children's Health, University Hospital of Padua, Padua, Italy.
Eunjung JungPerinatology Research Branch, Division of Obstetrics and Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Division of Intramural Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, MD, USA, and Detroit, MI, USA.
Manaphat SuksaiPerinatology Research Branch, Division of Obstetrics and Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Division of Intramural Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, MD, USA, and Detroit, MI, USA.
Mariachiara BoscoPerinatology Research Branch, Division of Obstetrics and Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Division of Intramural Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, MD, USA, and Detroit, MI, USA.
Francesca GotschPerinatology Research Branch, Division of Obstetrics and Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Division of Intramural Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, MD, USA, and Detroit, MI, USA.
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development · USUniversity of Padua · ITNational Institutes of Health · USWayne State University · US

Funding

The Role Of Subclinical Infection And Cytokines In Preterm ParturitionZIAHD002400 · NICHD · EUNICE KENNEDY SHRIVER NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF CHILD HEALTH & HUMAN DEVELOPMENT · PI ROMERO, ROBERTO · 2009 to 2025
$254.4M
THE ROLE OF SUBCLINICAL INFECTION AND CYTOKINES IN PRETERM PARTURITIONZ01HD002400 · NICHD · EUNICE KENNEDY SHRIVER NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF CHILD HEALTH & HUMAN DEVELOPMENT · PI ROMERO, ROBERTO · 1992 to 2008
$8.2M
Intramural NIH HHS Z01 HD002400NICHD NIH HHS HHSN275201300006C
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesIntra-amniotic inflammation is a subclinical condition frequently caused by either microbial invasion of the amniotic cavity or sterile inflammatory stimuli, e.g., alarmins. An accumulating body of evidence supports a role for maternal immune activation in the genesis of fetal neuroinflammation and the occurrence of neurodevelopmental disorders such as cerebral palsy, schizophrenia, and autism. The objective of this study was to determine whether fetal exposure to mid-trimester intra-amniotic inflammation is associated with neurodevelopmental disorders in children eight to 12 years of age.

methodsThis is a retrospective case-control study comprising 20 children with evidence of prenatal exposure to intra-amniotic inflammation in the mid-trimester and 20 controls matched for gestational age at amniocentesis and at delivery. Amniotic fluid samples were tested for concentrations of interleukin-6 and C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 10, for bacteria by culture and molecular microbiologic methods as well as by polymerase chain reaction for eight viruses. Neuropsychological testing of children, performed by two experienced psychologists, assessed cognitive and behavioral domains. Neuropsychological dysfunction was defined as the presence of an abnormal score (<2 standard deviations) on at least two cognitive tasks.

resultsNeuropsychological dysfunction was present in 45% (9/20) of children exposed to intra-amniotic inflammation but in only 10% (2/20) of those in the control group (p=0.03). The relative risk (RR) of neuropsychological dysfunction conferred by amniotic fluid inflammation remained significant after adjusting for gestational age at delivery [aRR=4.5 (1.07-16.7)]. Of the 11 children diagnosed with neuropsychological dysfunction, nine were delivered at term and eight of them had mothers with intra-amniotic inflammation. Children exposed to intra-amniotic inflammation were found to have abnormalities in neuropsychological tasks evaluating complex skills, e.g., auditory attention, executive functions, and social skills, whereas the domains of reasoning, language, and memory were not affected in the cases and controls.

conclusionsAsymptomatic sterile intra-amniotic inflammation in the mid-trimester of pregnancy, followed by a term birth, can still confer to the offspring a substantial risk for neurodevelopmental disorders in childhood. Early recognition and treatment of maternal immune activation in pregnancy may be a strategy for the prevention of subsequent neurodevelopmental disorders in offspring.

Indexed as

ChorioamnionitisInflammationAmniotic FluidCase-Control StudiesChildFemaleHumansPregnancyRetrospective StudiesRisk Factorsamniocentesisamniotic fluidbehavioral testingcognitive testingC-X-C motif chemokine ligand 10 (CXCL-10)cytokineinfectioninterferon-γ-inducible protein 10 (IP-10)interleukin 6 (IL-6)neurodevelopmentneuroinflammatory

Identifiers

PMID36173676
PMCPMC10010737
OpenAlexW4297965281

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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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.