Immunophenotypic profile and increased risk of hospital admission for infection in infants born to female kidney transplant recipients.

Children born to female kidney recipients are exposed to immunosuppressive drugs during gestation. Little is known about their immune system at birth or in the long term. Twenty-eight children born to female kidney recipients and 40 full-term children born to healthy mothers were evaluated. T, B, NK, NKT, γδT cells were assessed by flow cytometry and functional evaluation of T and dendritic cells after in vitro activation was performed at birth and at 8 months of age. At birth, infants born to female kidney recipients showed lower numbers of CD4+ T, NKT and intense reduction of B cells (median cells/mm(3) , transplant: 153.7 X control: 512.4; p < 0.001). There was also a reduced percentage of activated CD8+ T and of CD4+ regulatory T cells. Activated memory and exhausted memory B cells showed higher percentages among children exposed to immunosuppressors when compared to control group. At 8 months, most immune alterations were no longer observed, but four children still had low numbers of some lymphocyte subsets at this age. Children born to female kidney recipients had 4.351 (95% CI: 1.026-15.225; p = 0.046) higher risk of hospital admission in the first months of life-some, with severe clinical manifestations-than those born to healthy women.

Aspirin plus calcium supplementation to prevent superimposed preeclampsia: a randomized trial

Preeclampsia is an important cause of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. Previous studies have tested calcium supplementation and aspirin separately to reduce the incidence of preeclampsia but not the effects of combined supplementation. The objective of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of aspirin combined with calcium supplementation to prevent preeclampsia in women with chronic hypertension. A double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial was carried out at the antenatal clinic of a large university hospital in São Paulo, SP, Brazil. A total of 49 women with chronic hypertension and abnormal uterine artery Doppler at 20-27 weeks gestation were randomly assigned to receive placebo (N = 26) or 100 mg aspirin plus 2 g calcium (N = 23) daily until delivery. The main outcome of this pilot study was development of superimposed preeclampsia. Secondary outcomes were fetal growth restriction and preterm birth. The rate of superimposed preeclampsia was 28.6% lower among women receiving aspirin plus calcium than in the placebo group (52.2 vs 73.1%, respectively, P=0.112). The rate of fetal growth restriction was reduced by 80.8% in the supplemented group (25 vs 4.8% in the placebo vs supplemented groups, respectively; P=0.073). The rate of preterm birth was 33.3% in both groups. The combined supplementation of aspirin and calcium starting at 20-27 weeks of gestation produced a nonsignificant decrease in the incidence of superimposed preeclampsia and fetal growth restriction in hypertensive women with abnormal uterine artery Doppler.

Aspirin plus calcium supplementation to prevent superimposed preeclampsia: a randomized trial.

Preeclampsia is an important cause of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. Previous studies have tested calcium supplementation and aspirin separately to reduce the incidence of preeclampsia but not the effects of combined supplementation. The objective of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of aspirin combined with calcium supplementation to prevent preeclampsia in women with chronic hypertension. A double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial was carried out at the antenatal clinic of a large university hospital in São Paulo, SP, Brazil. A total of 49 women with chronic hypertension and abnormal uterine artery Doppler at 20-27 weeks gestation were randomly assigned to receive placebo (N = 26) or 100 mg aspirin plus 2 g calcium (N = 23) daily until delivery. The main outcome of this pilot study was development of superimposed preeclampsia. Secondary outcomes were fetal growth restriction and preterm birth. The rate of superimposed preeclampsia was 28.6% lower among women receiving aspirin plus calcium than in the placebo group (52.2 vs 73.1%, respectively, P=0.112). The rate of fetal growth restriction was reduced by 80.8% in the supplemented group (25 vs 4.8% in the placebo vs supplemented groups, respectively; P=0.073). The rate of preterm birth was 33.3% in both groups. The combined supplementation of aspirin and calcium starting at 20-27 weeks of gestation produced a nonsignificant decrease in the incidence of superimposed preeclampsia and fetal growth restriction in hypertensive women with abnormal uterine artery Doppler.