TY - JOUR A1 - Xu, QingHai A1 - Cao, Xianyong A1 - Tian, Fang A1 - Zhang, ShengRui A1 - Li, YueCong A1 - Li, ManYue A1 - Li, Jie A1 - Liu, YaoLiang A1 - Liang, Jian T1 - Relative pollen productivities of typical steppe species in northern China and their potential in past vegetation reconstruction JF - Science China N2 - The Relative Pollen Productivities (RPPs) of common steppe species are estimated using Extended R-value (ERV) model based on pollen analysis and vegetation survey of 30 surface soil samples from typical steppe area of northern China. Artemisia, Chenopodiaceae, Poaceae, Cyperaceae, and Asteraceae are the dominant pollen types in pollen assemblages, reflecting the typical steppe communities well. The five dominant pollen types and six common types (Thalictrum, Iridaceae, Potentilla, Ephedra, Brassicaceae, and Ulmus) have strong wind transport abilities; the estimated Relevant Source Area of Pollen (RSAP) is ca. 1000 m when the sediment basin radius is set at 0.5 m. Ulmus, Artemisia, Brassicaceae, Chenopodiaceae, and Thalictrum have relative high RPPs; Poaceae, Cyperaceae, Potentilla, and Ephedra pollen have moderate RPPs; Asteraceae and Iridaceae have low RPPs. The reliability test of RPPs revealed that most of the RPPs are reliable in past vegetation reconstruction. However, the RPPs of Asteraceae and Iridaceae are obviously underestimated, and those of Poaceae, Chenopodiaceae, and Ephedra are either slightly underestimated or slightly overestimated, suggesting that those RPPs should be considered with caution. These RPPs were applied to estimating plant abundances for two fossil pollen spectra (from the Lake Bayanchagan and Lake Haoluku) covering the Holocene in typical steppe area, using the "Regional Estimates of Vegetation Abundance from Large Sites" (REVEALS) model. The RPPs-based vegetation reconstruction revealed that meadow-steppe dominated by Poaceae, Cyperaceae, and Artemisia plants flourished in this area before 6500-5600 cal yr BP, and then was replaced by present typical steppe. KW - typical steppe KW - modern surface pollen KW - relative pollen productivity KW - relevant pollen source area KW - paleovegetation Y1 - 2014 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s11430-013-4738-7 SN - 1674-7313 SN - 1869-1897 VL - 57 IS - 6 SP - 1254 EP - 1266 PB - Science China Press CY - Beijing ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wuttke, Matthias A1 - Li, Yong A1 - Li, Man A1 - Sieber, Karsten B. A1 - Feitosa, Mary F. A1 - Gorski, Mathias A1 - Tin, Adrienne A1 - Wang, Lihua A1 - Chu, Audrey Y. A1 - Hoppmann, Anselm A1 - Kirsten, Holger A1 - Giri, Ayush A1 - Chai, Jin-Fang A1 - Sveinbjornsson, Gardar A1 - Tayo, Bamidele O. A1 - Nutile, Teresa A1 - Fuchsberger, Christian A1 - Marten, Jonathan A1 - Cocca, Massimiliano A1 - Ghasemi, Sahar A1 - Xu, Yizhe A1 - Horn, Katrin A1 - Noce, Damia A1 - Van der Most, Peter J. A1 - Sedaghat, Sanaz A1 - Yu, Zhi A1 - Akiyama, Masato A1 - Afaq, Saima A1 - Ahluwalia, Tarunveer Singh A1 - Almgren, Peter A1 - Amin, Najaf A1 - Arnlov, Johan A1 - Bakker, Stephan J. L. A1 - Bansal, Nisha A1 - Baptista, Daniela A1 - Bergmann, Sven A1 - Biggs, Mary L. A1 - Biino, Ginevra A1 - Boehnke, Michael A1 - Boerwinkle, Eric A1 - Boissel, Mathilde A1 - Böttinger, Erwin A1 - Boutin, Thibaud S. A1 - Brenner, Hermann A1 - Brumat, Marco A1 - Burkhardt, Ralph A1 - Butterworth, Adam S. A1 - Campana, Eric A1 - Campbell, Archie A1 - Campbell, Harry A1 - Canouil, Mickael A1 - Carroll, Robert J. A1 - Catamo, Eulalia A1 - Chambers, John C. A1 - Chee, Miao-Ling A1 - Chee, Miao-Li A1 - Chen, Xu A1 - Cheng, Ching-Yu A1 - Cheng, Yurong A1 - Christensen, Kaare A1 - Cifkova, Renata A1 - Ciullo, Marina A1 - Concas, Maria Pina A1 - Cook, James P. A1 - Coresh, Josef A1 - Corre, Tanguy A1 - Sala, Cinzia Felicita A1 - Cusi, Daniele A1 - Danesh, John A1 - Daw, E. Warwick A1 - De Borst, Martin H. A1 - De Grandi, Alessandro A1 - De Mutsert, Renee A1 - De Vries, Aiko P. J. A1 - Degenhardt, Frauke A1 - Delgado, Graciela A1 - Demirkan, Ayse A1 - Di Angelantonio, Emanuele A1 - Dittrich, Katalin A1 - Divers, Jasmin A1 - Dorajoo, Rajkumar A1 - Eckardt, Kai-Uwe A1 - Ehret, Georg A1 - Elliott, Paul A1 - Endlich, Karlhans A1 - Evans, Michele K. A1 - Felix, Janine F. A1 - Foo, Valencia Hui Xian A1 - Franco, Oscar H. A1 - Franke, Andre A1 - Freedman, Barry I. A1 - Freitag-Wolf, Sandra A1 - Friedlander, Yechiel A1 - Froguel, Philippe A1 - Gansevoort, Ron T. A1 - Gao, He A1 - Gasparini, Paolo A1 - Gaziano, J. Michael A1 - Giedraitis, Vilmantas A1 - Gieger, Christian A1 - Girotto, Giorgia A1 - Giulianini, Franco A1 - Gogele, Martin A1 - Gordon, Scott D. A1 - Gudbjartsson, Daniel F. A1 - Gudnason, Vilmundur A1 - Haller, Toomas A1 - Hamet, Pavel A1 - Harris, Tamara B. A1 - Hartman, Catharina A. A1 - Hayward, Caroline A1 - Hellwege, Jacklyn N. A1 - Heng, Chew-Kiat A1 - Hicks, Andrew A. A1 - Hofer, Edith A1 - Huang, Wei A1 - Hutri-Kahonen, Nina A1 - Hwang, Shih-Jen A1 - Ikram, M. Arfan A1 - Indridason, Olafur S. A1 - Ingelsson, Erik A1 - Ising, Marcus A1 - Jaddoe, Vincent W. V. A1 - Jakobsdottir, Johanna A1 - Jonas, Jost B. A1 - Joshi, Peter K. A1 - Josyula, Navya Shilpa A1 - Jung, Bettina A1 - Kahonen, Mika A1 - Kamatani, Yoichiro A1 - Kammerer, Candace M. A1 - Kanai, Masahiro A1 - Kastarinen, Mika A1 - Kerr, Shona M. A1 - Khor, Chiea-Chuen A1 - Kiess, Wieland A1 - Kleber, Marcus E. A1 - Koenig, Wolfgang A1 - Kooner, Jaspal S. A1 - Korner, Antje A1 - Kovacs, Peter A1 - Kraja, Aldi T. A1 - Krajcoviechova, Alena A1 - Kramer, Holly A1 - Kramer, Bernhard K. A1 - Kronenberg, Florian A1 - Kubo, Michiaki A1 - Kuhnel, Brigitte A1 - Kuokkanen, Mikko A1 - Kuusisto, Johanna A1 - La Bianca, Martina A1 - Laakso, Markku A1 - Lange, Leslie A. A1 - Langefeld, Carl D. A1 - Lee, Jeannette Jen-Mai A1 - Lehne, Benjamin A1 - Lehtimaki, Terho A1 - Lieb, Wolfgang A1 - Lim, Su-Chi A1 - Lind, Lars A1 - Lindgren, Cecilia M. A1 - Liu, Jun A1 - Liu, Jianjun A1 - Loeffler, Markus A1 - Loos, Ruth J. F. A1 - Lucae, Susanne A1 - Lukas, Mary Ann A1 - Lyytikainen, Leo-Pekka A1 - Magi, Reedik A1 - Magnusson, Patrik K. E. A1 - Mahajan, Anubha A1 - Martin, Nicholas G. A1 - Martins, Jade A1 - Marz, Winfried A1 - Mascalzoni, Deborah A1 - Matsuda, Koichi A1 - Meisinger, Christa A1 - Meitinger, Thomas A1 - Melander, Olle A1 - Metspalu, Andres A1 - Mikaelsdottir, Evgenia K. A1 - Milaneschi, Yuri A1 - Miliku, Kozeta A1 - Mishra, Pashupati P. A1 - Program, V. A. Million Veteran A1 - Mohlke, Karen L. A1 - Mononen, Nina A1 - Montgomery, Grant W. A1 - Mook-Kanamori, Dennis O. A1 - Mychaleckyj, Josyf C. A1 - Nadkarni, Girish N. A1 - Nalls, Mike A. A1 - Nauck, Matthias A1 - Nikus, Kjell A1 - Ning, Boting A1 - Nolte, Ilja M. A1 - Noordam, Raymond A1 - Olafsson, Isleifur A1 - Oldehinkel, Albertine J. A1 - Orho-Melander, Marju A1 - Ouwehand, Willem H. A1 - Padmanabhan, Sandosh A1 - Palmer, Nicholette D. A1 - Palsson, Runolfur A1 - Penninx, Brenda W. J. H. A1 - Perls, Thomas A1 - Perola, Markus A1 - Pirastu, Mario A1 - Pirastu, Nicola A1 - Pistis, Giorgio A1 - Podgornaia, Anna I. A1 - Polasek, Ozren A1 - Ponte, Belen A1 - Porteous, David J. A1 - Poulain, Tanja A1 - Pramstaller, Peter P. A1 - Preuss, Michael H. A1 - Prins, Bram P. A1 - Province, Michael A. A1 - Rabelink, Ton J. A1 - Raffield, Laura M. A1 - Raitakari, Olli T. A1 - Reilly, Dermot F. A1 - Rettig, Rainer A1 - Rheinberger, Myriam A1 - Rice, Kenneth M. A1 - Ridker, Paul M. A1 - Rivadeneira, Fernando A1 - Rizzi, Federica A1 - Roberts, David J. A1 - Robino, Antonietta A1 - Rossing, Peter A1 - Rudan, Igor A1 - Rueedi, Rico A1 - Ruggiero, Daniela A1 - Ryan, Kathleen A. A1 - Saba, Yasaman A1 - Sabanayagam, Charumathi A1 - Salomaa, Veikko A1 - Salvi, Erika A1 - Saum, Kai-Uwe A1 - Schmidt, Helena A1 - Schmidt, Reinhold A1 - Ben Schottker, A1 - Schulz, Christina-Alexandra A1 - Schupf, Nicole A1 - Shaffer, Christian M. A1 - Shi, Yuan A1 - Smith, Albert V. A1 - Smith, Blair H. A1 - Soranzo, Nicole A1 - Spracklen, Cassandra N. A1 - Strauch, Konstantin A1 - Stringham, Heather M. A1 - Stumvoll, Michael A1 - Svensson, Per O. A1 - Szymczak, Silke A1 - Tai, E-Shyong A1 - Tajuddin, Salman M. A1 - Tan, Nicholas Y. Q. A1 - Taylor, Kent D. A1 - Teren, Andrej A1 - Tham, Yih-Chung A1 - Thiery, Joachim A1 - Thio, Chris H. L. A1 - Thomsen, Hauke A1 - Thorleifsson, Gudmar A1 - Toniolo, Daniela A1 - Tonjes, Anke A1 - Tremblay, Johanne A1 - Tzoulaki, Ioanna A1 - Uitterlinden, Andre G. A1 - Vaccargiu, Simona A1 - Van Dam, Rob M. A1 - Van der Harst, Pim A1 - Van Duijn, Cornelia M. A1 - Edward, Digna R. Velez A1 - Verweij, Niek A1 - Vogelezang, Suzanne A1 - Volker, Uwe A1 - Vollenweider, Peter A1 - Waeber, Gerard A1 - Waldenberger, Melanie A1 - Wallentin, Lars A1 - Wang, Ya Xing A1 - Wang, Chaolong A1 - Waterworth, Dawn M. A1 - Bin Wei, Wen A1 - White, Harvey A1 - Whitfield, John B. A1 - Wild, Sarah H. A1 - Wilson, James F. A1 - Wojczynski, Mary K. A1 - Wong, Charlene A1 - Wong, Tien-Yin A1 - Xu, Liang A1 - Yang, Qiong A1 - Yasuda, Masayuki A1 - Yerges-Armstrong, Laura M. A1 - Zhang, Weihua A1 - Zonderman, Alan B. A1 - Rotter, Jerome I. A1 - Bochud, Murielle A1 - Psaty, Bruce M. A1 - Vitart, Veronique A1 - Wilson, James G. A1 - Dehghan, Abbas A1 - Parsa, Afshin A1 - Chasman, Daniel I. A1 - Ho, Kevin A1 - Morris, Andrew P. A1 - Devuyst, Olivier A1 - Akilesh, Shreeram A1 - Pendergrass, Sarah A. A1 - Sim, Xueling A1 - Boger, Carsten A. A1 - Okada, Yukinori A1 - Edwards, Todd L. A1 - Snieder, Harold A1 - Stefansson, Kari A1 - Hung, Adriana M. A1 - Heid, Iris M. A1 - Scholz, Markus A1 - Teumer, Alexander A1 - Kottgen, Anna A1 - Pattaro, Cristian T1 - A catalog of genetic loci associated with kidney function from analyses of a million individuals JF - Nature genetics N2 - Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is responsible for a public health burden with multi-systemic complications. Through transancestry meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and independent replication (n = 1,046,070), we identified 264 associated loci (166 new). Of these,147 were likely to be relevant for kidney function on the basis of associations with the alternative kidney function marker blood urea nitrogen (n = 416,178). Pathway and enrichment analyses, including mouse models with renal phenotypes, support the kidney as the main target organ. A genetic risk score for lower eGFR was associated with clinically diagnosed CKD in 452,264 independent individuals. Colocalization analyses of associations with eGFR among 783,978 European-ancestry individuals and gene expression across 46 human tissues, including tubulo-interstitial and glomerular kidney compartments, identified 17 genes differentially expressed in kidney. Fine-mapping highlighted missense driver variants in 11 genes and kidney-specific regulatory variants. These results provide a comprehensive priority list of molecular targets for translational research. Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41588-019-0407-x SN - 1061-4036 SN - 1546-1718 VL - 51 IS - 6 SP - 957 EP - + PB - Nature Publ. Group CY - New York ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Song, Yu A1 - Li, Gang A1 - Nowak, Jacqueline A1 - Zhang, Xiaoqing A1 - Xu, Dongbei A1 - Yang, Xiujuan A1 - Huang, Guoqiang A1 - Liang, Wanqi A1 - Yang, Litao A1 - Wang, Canhua A1 - Bulone, Vincent A1 - Nikoloski, Zoran A1 - Hu, Jianping A1 - Persson, Staffan A1 - Zhang, Dabing T1 - The Rice Actin-Binding Protein RMD Regulates Light-Dependent Shoot Gravitropism JF - Plant physiology : an international journal devoted to physiology, biochemistry, cellular and molecular biology, biophysics and environmental biology of plants N2 - Light and gravity are two key determinants in orientating plant stems for proper growth and development. The organization and dynamics of the actin cytoskeleton are essential for cell biology and critically regulated by actin-binding proteins. However, the role of actin cytoskeleton in shoot negative gravitropism remains controversial. In this work, we report that the actin-binding protein Rice Morphology Determinant (RMD) promotes reorganization of the actin cytoskeleton in rice (Oryza sativa) shoots. The changes in actin organization are associated with the ability of the rice shoots to respond to negative gravitropism. Here, light-grown rmd mutant shoots exhibited agravitropic phenotypes. By contrast, etiolated rmd shoots displayed normal negative shoot gravitropism. Furthermore, we show that RMD maintains an actin configuration that promotes statolith mobility in gravisensing endodermal cells, and for proper auxin distribution in light-grown, but not dark-grown, shoots. RMD gene expression is diurnally controlled and directly repressed by the phytochrome-interacting factor-like protein OsPIL16. Consequently, overexpression of OsPIL16 led to gravisensing and actin patterning defects that phenocopied the rmd mutant. Our findings outline a mechanism that links light signaling and gravity perception for straight shoot growth in rice. Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1104/pp.19.00497 SN - 0032-0889 SN - 1532-2548 VL - 181 IS - 2 SP - 630 EP - 644 PB - American Society of Plant Physiologists CY - Rockville ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Lu, Yong-Ping A1 - Zeng, De-Ying A1 - Chen, You-Peng A1 - Liang, Xu-Jing A1 - Xu, Jie-Ping A1 - Huang, Si-Min A1 - Lai, Zhi-Wei A1 - Wen, Wang-Rong A1 - von Websky, Karoline A1 - Hocher, Berthold T1 - Low birth weight is associated with lower respiratory tract infections in children with hand, foot, and mouth disease JF - Clinical laboratory : the peer reviewed journal for clinical laboratories and laboratories related to blood transfusion N2 - Background: Low birth weight (LBW) might be a risk factor for acquiring lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) associated with disease related complications in early childhood. HFMD, a frequent viral infection in southern China, is a leading cause of lower respiratory tract infections in children. We analyzed whether LBW is a risk factor for children with HFMD to develop lower respiratory tract infections. Methods: A total of 298 children with HFMD, admitted to a hospital in Qingyuan city, Guangdong province, were recruited. Demographic data and clinical parameters such as serum glucose level and inflammatory markers including peripheral white blood cell count, serum C-reactive protein, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate were routinely collected on admission. Birth weight data were derived from birth records. Results: Mean birth weight (BW) was 167 g lower in patients with HFMD and LRTIs as compared to patients with solely HFMD (p = 0.022) and the frequency of birth weight below the tenth percentile was significantly higher in patients with HFMD and LRTIs (p = 0.002). Conclusions: The results of the study show that low birth weight is associated with a higher incidence of lower respiratory tract infections in young children with HFMD. KW - hand KW - foot and mouth disease (HFMD) KW - low birth weight (LBW) KW - lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) KW - pneumonia KW - children Y1 - 2013 U6 - https://doi.org/10.7754/Clin.Lab.2012.120725 SN - 1433-6510 VL - 59 IS - 9-10 SP - 985 EP - 992 PB - Clin Lab Publ., Verl. Klinisches Labor CY - Heidelberg ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Liang, Xu-Jing A1 - Huang, Si-Min A1 - Li, Jian-Ping A1 - Zhu, Xian-Nv A1 - Lu, Yong-Ping A1 - Hocher, Berthold A1 - Chen, You-Peng T1 - Hepatic impairment induced by scrub typhus is associated with new onset of renal dysfunction JF - Clinical laboratory : the peer reviewed journal for clinical laboratories and laboratories related to blood transfusion N2 - Background: Scrub typhus is a potentially fatal infectious disease caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi. There is little attention given to hepatic impairment in the adults with scrub typhus. This study investigated the incidence and the prognostic implications of hepatic impairment in patients with scrub typhus. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed a total of 143 adult patients with scrub typhus who were admitted between January 1999 and December 2010 in Guangdong province, China. The patients were divided into three groups, e.g., normal, mild, and moderate to severe groups based on the elevated serum ALT and/or total bilirubin levels. Furthermore, clinical characteristics and prognosis of the patient groups were compared. Results: 109 patients (76.2%) had abnormal liver function. Among the patients with hepatic impairment 45 cases (31.4%), 54 cases (37.8%), and 10 cases (7.0%) had mild, moderate, and severe hepatic damage, respectively. The moderate to severe hepatic impairment group had higher levels of serum creatinine compared with that of normal hepatic function. The incidence of new onset of renal dysfunction - defined as peak serum creatinine >= 176 mu mol/L during hospital stay with no evidence of renal disease prior hospitalization - was 0% in the mild hepatic impairment group, 8.9% in the moderate hepatic impairment group, and 21.9% in the severe hepatic impairment group, (p = 0.005 for trend). Additionally, the patients with hepatic impairment (n = 109) had higher incidences of episodes of thrombocytopenia (45.9% vs. 8.82%, p < 0.001), hypoalbuminemia (50.5% vs. 11.8%, p < 0.001), new onset of renal dysfunction (16.5% vs. 0.0%, p = 0.011), and electrocardiogram abnormality (28.4% vs. 8.82%, p = 0.019) than the patients without hepatic impairment. Conclusions: The degree of hepatic impairment induced by scrub typhus is associated with new onset of renal dysfunction. KW - hepatic impairment KW - renal dysfunction KW - complication KW - outcome KW - scrub typhus Y1 - 2014 U6 - https://doi.org/10.7754/Clin.Lab.2013.121203 SN - 1433-6510 VL - 60 IS - 1 SP - 63 EP - 68 PB - Clin Lab Publ., Verl. Klinisches Labor CY - Heidelberg ER - TY - JOUR A1 - He, Jing A1 - Liu, Zhi-Wei A1 - Lu, Yong-Ping A1 - Li, Tao-Yuan A1 - Liang, Xu-Jing A1 - Arck, Petra A1 - Huang, Si-Min A1 - Hocher, Berthold A1 - Chen, You-Peng T1 - A systematic review and meta-analysis of influenza a virus infection during pregnancy associated with an increased risk for stillbirth and low birth weight JF - Kidney & blood pressure research : official organ of the Gesellschaft für Nephrologie ; official organ of the Deutsche Liga zur Bekämpfung des Hohen Blutdruckes e.V., Deutsche Hypertonie-Gesellschaft N2 - Background/Aims: Impaired pregnancy outcomes, such as low birth weight are associated with increased disease risk in later life, however little is known about the impact of common infectious diseases during pregnancy on birth weight. The study had two aims: a) to investigate risk factors of influenza virus infection during pregnancy, and b) to analyze the impact of influenza virus infection on pregnancy outcome, especially birth weight. Methods: Prospective and retrospective observational studies found in PubMed, MEDLINE, Embase, Google Scholar, and WangFang database were included in this meta analysis. Data of included studies was extracted and analyzed by the RevMan software. Results: Pregnant women with anemia (P=0.004, RR=1.46, 95% CI: 1.13-1.88), obesity (P<0.00001, RR=1.35, 95% CI: 1.25-1.46) and asthma (P<0.00001, RR=1.99, 95% CI: 1.67-2.37) had higher rates of influenza virus infection. Regarding birth outcomes, influenza A virus infection did not affect the likelihood for cesarean section. Mothers with influenza had a higher rate of stillbirth (P=0.04, RR=2.36, 95% CI: 1.05-5.31), and their offspring had low 5-minute APGR Scores (P=0.009, RR=1.39, 95% CI: 1.08-1.79). Furthermore, the rate for birth weight < 2500g (P=0.04, RR=1.71, 95% CI: 1.03-2.84) was increased. Conclusion: Results of this study showed that anemia, asthma and obesity during pregnancy are risk factors influenza A virus infection during pregnancy. Moreover, gestational influenza A infection impairs pregnancy outcomes and increases the risk for low birth weight, a known risk factor for later life disease susceptibility. KW - Apgar score KW - Influenza virus KW - Offspring KW - Outcome KW - Pregnancy KW - Stillbirth KW - Birth weight Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1159/000477221 SN - 1420-4096 SN - 1423-0143 VL - 42 IS - 2 SP - 232 EP - 243 PB - Karger CY - Basel ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Chen, You-Peng A1 - Lu, Yong-Ping A1 - Li, Jian A1 - Liu, Zhi-Wei A1 - Chen, Wen-Jing A1 - Liang, Xu-Jing A1 - Chen, Xin A1 - Wen, Wang-Rong A1 - Xiao, Xiao-Min A1 - Reichetzeder, Christoph A1 - Hocher, Berthold T1 - Fetal and maternal angiotensin (1-7) are associated with preterm birth JF - Journal of hypertension N2 - Background: Recent studies show that preterm birth is associated with hypertension in later life. The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) during pregnancy influences fetal growth and development. In the current study, we investigated the impact of fetal as well as maternal angiotensin (1-7) [Ang (1-7)] and angiotensin II (Ang II) plasma concentrations on the risk of preterm birth. Methods: Three hundred and nine pregnant women were prospectively included into the study. The pregnant women were divided into two groups, for example, preterm birth of lower than 37 gestational weeks (n = 17) and full-term birth of 37 gestational weeks or more (n = 292). Maternal and neonatal plasma Ang (1-7) and Ang II concentrations were analyzed at birth from maternal venous blood and umbilical cord blood, respectively. Risk factors for premature birth were determined by multiple logistic regression analysis. Results: Fetal and maternal plasma Ang (1-7) concentrations in the preterm group were lower than those of the term group fetal Ang (1-7) preterm birth: 486.15 +/- 337.34 ng/l and fetal Ang (1-7) term birth: 833.84 +/- 698.12 ng/l and maternal Ang (1-7) preterm birth: 399.86 +/- 218.93 ng/l; maternal Ang (1-7) term birth: 710.34 +/- 598.22 ng/l. Multiple logistic regression analysis considering confounding factors revealed that preeclampsia (P < 0.001), premature rupture of membranes (P = 0.001), lower concentration of maternal Ang (1-7) (P = 0.013) and fetal plasma Ang (1-7) (P = 0.032) were independently associated with preterm birth. We could furthermore demonstrate that the maternal Ang (1-7)/Ang II ratio is independently associated with gestational hypertension or preeclampsia, factors causing preterm birth. Conclusions: Lower concentrations of maternal and fetal Ang (1-7) are independently associated with preterm birth - a risk factor of hypertension in later life. KW - angiotensin (1-7) KW - angiotensin II KW - cardiovascular disease KW - fetal programming KW - intrauterine fetal growth KW - pregnancy KW - preterm delivery Y1 - 2014 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1097/HJH.0000000000000251 SN - 0263-6352 SN - 1473-5598 VL - 32 IS - 9 SP - 1833 EP - 1841 PB - Lippincott Williams & Wilkins CY - Philadelphia ER -