Table 2.
Demographic and clinical characteristics and eight candidate proteins of interest in women from the total cohort.
| SPTD at < 34 weeks (n = 13) | SPTD at ≥ 34 weeks (n = 126) | P-value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | 32.62 ± 4.90 | 31.18 ± 3.65 | 0.573 |
| Nulliparity | 7 (53.8%) | 95 (75.4%) | 0.025 |
| Gestational age at amniocentesis (weeks) | 29.39 ± 2.22 | 29.78 ± 2.38 | 0.434 |
| AF IL-6 levels (ng/mL) | 0.547 ± 0.268 | 0.306 ± 0.235 | 0.001 |
| AF WBC counts (cells/mm3) | 2.92 ± 3.43 | 4.21 ± 5.14 | 0.358 |
| Positive AF cultures | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 1.000 |
| Use of tocolytics | 12 (92.3%) | 115 (91.3%) | 0.899 |
| Use of corticosteroids | 12 (92.3%) | 72 (57.1%) | 0.014 |
| Use of antibiotics | 0 (0%) | 26 (20.6%) | 0.070 |
| Gestational age at delivery (weeks) | 30.30 ± 2.22 | 37.93 ± 1.87 | < 0.001 |
| Cesarean deliverya | 9/13 (69.2%) | 35/118 (29.7%) | 0.010 |
| AF CA-1 (ng/mL) | 2.82 ± 2.84 | 1.66 ± 1.60 | 0.364 |
| AF FCGBP (ng/mL) | 48.55 ± 19.83 | 37.94 ± 16.87 | 0.079 |
| AF IGFBP-4 (ng/mL) | 664.12 ± 254.09 | 525.27 ± 236.22 | 0.033 |
| AF lipocalin-2 (ng/mL) | 402.65 ± 484.37 | 193.42 ± 219.57 | 0.002 |
| AF S100 A8 (ng/mL) | 1.64 ± 2.01 | 1.06 ± 0.93 | 0.309 |
| AF S100 A8/A9 (ng/mL) | 2465.36 ± 741.84 | 2321.12 ± 792.29 | 0.466 |
| AF VEGFR-1 (ng/mL) | 496.75 ± 423.96 | 1062.02 ± 693.29 | < 0.001 |
Values are given as the mean ± standard deviation or n (%). SPTD, spontaneous preterm delivery; AF, amniotic fluid; WBC, white blood cells; CA-1, carbonic anhydrase 1; FCGBP Fc fragment of IgG binding protein; IGFBP, insulin-like growth factor-binding protein; S100A8, S100 calcium binding protein A8; VEGFR-1, vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 1. a Eight cases were excluded for the analysis because delivery took place at term at another institution and the mode of delivery was unknown.