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Citation Iwasawa Y, Kawana K, Fujii T, Schust DJ, Nagamatsu T, Kawana Y, Sayama S, Miura S, Matsumoto J, Adachi K, Hyodo H, Yamashita T, Kozuma S, Taketani Y. A possible coagulation-independent mechanism for pregnancy loss involving β2glycoprotein 1-dependent antiphospholipid antibodies and CD1d. Am J Reprod Immunol 2012; 67: 54–65 Problem β2glycoprotein1 (β2GP1)-dependent antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) increase the risk for recurrent pregnancy loss. We address whether anti-β2GP1 antibodies can interact with phosphatidylserine (PS)-bearing CD1d on trophoblast cells and induce local inflammation. Methods CD1d-bearing choriocarcinoma cells were used in flow cytometry and immunoprecipitation experiments. CD1d-mediated cytokine induction was assessed using antibody cross-linking. Cytokine production during co-culture of decidual lymphocytes with CD1d-bearing cells was also examined. Results Trophoblast surface-expressed CD1d forms a complex with PS-bound β2GP1. Anti-β2GP1 mAb cross-linking causes IL12p70 release from CD1d-bearing cells. IL12p70 release from CD1d-bearing trophoblast cells was also induced during co-culture with human decidual lymphocytes. The addition of anti-β2GP1 mAb to co-cultures resulted in a three-fold increase in IL12p70 secretion. IFNγ secretion from decidual lymphocytes was also induced during co-culture with anti-β2GP1 mAbs. Conclusions β2GP1-dependent IL12 release from CD1d-bearing trophoblast in the presence of aPL may link the antiphospholipid syndrome to pregnancy loss via an inflammatory mechanism.

Problem This study explored the possibility of evaluating cervical maturation using swabbed cervical cell samples at term pregnancy, and aimed to develop a novel approach to predict labor onset. Method of study Women with uncomplicated pregnancies (n=117 from 62 women at term pregnancy) were recruited. Messenger RNA expression levels of cervical cells for ten genes were quantified by qPCR. Principal component analysis (PCA) was conducted, and principal components that significantly contributed to the prediction of days to delivery were determined. Results PCA demonstrated that 76% of the expression information from the ten genes can be represented by three principal components (PC1-3). By the multiple regression analysis, PC2 and Bishop score but not PC1 or PC3 were significant variables in the prediction of days to delivery. Conclusion These findings support the concurrent assessment of multiple gene activities in cervical cells as a promising approach to predict the initiation of labor.