Mohammad Othman
University of Liverpool, UK
Title: Cervix study: Cervical immune-biology in women at risk of preterm labor
Biography
Biography: Mohammad Othman
Abstract
Preterm birth is the single largest cause of mortality and morbidity for newborns. The incidence of preterm deliveries in developed countries is 6% to 9%. In the last 20 years it has become clear that infection is an important cause of preterm labor and delivery leading to more than 50% of the all preterm deliveries world-wide. The objective of this study is to investigate to what extent a defective cervical barrier is a contributory factor to recurrent preterm labor. The cervical barriers for leucocytes sub-population were characterized as assessed by flow cytometry. Cervical volume, length and power Doppler indices were assessed by 3D ultrasound. This is 24 months hospital prospective observational study. We recruited 22 cases and 50 parous controls. This study confirmed that flow cytometry can be used for cervical leukocytes characterization. The most prevalent cervical leukocyte was the macrophages. Cervical volume may not be associated with preterm labor. There may be no correlation found between cervical macrophages and any of the cervical 3D ultrasound parameters measured.