Amniotic fluid peptides predict postnatal kidney survival in developmental kidney disease.

Although a rare disease, bilateral congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract (CAKUT) are the leading cause of end stage kidney disease in children. Ultrasound-based prenatal prediction of postnatal kidney survival in CAKUT pregnancies is far from accurate. To improve prediction, we conducted a prospective multicenter peptidome analysis of amniotic fluid spanning 140 evaluable fetuses with CAKUT. We identified a signature of 98 endogenous amniotic fluid peptides, mainly composed of fragments from extracellular matrix proteins and from the actin binding protein thymosin-ß4. The peptide signature predicted postnatal kidney outcome with an area under the curve of 0.96 in the holdout validation set of patients with CAKUT with definite endpoint data. Additionally, this peptide signature was validated in a geographically independent sub-cohort of 12 patients (area under the curve 1.00) and displayed high specificity in non-CAKUT pregnancies (82 and 94% in 22 healthy fetuses and in 47 fetuses with congenital cytomegalovirus infection respectively). Change in amniotic fluid thymosin-ß4 abundance was confirmed with ELISA. Knockout of thymosin-ß4 in zebrafish altered proximal and distal tubule pronephros growth suggesting a possible role of thymosin ß4 in fetal kidney development. Thus, recognition of the 98-peptide signature in amniotic fluid during diagnostic workup of prenatally detected fetuses with CAKUT can provide a long-sought evidence base for accurate management of the CAKUT disorder that is currently unavailable.

Low-dose aspirin to prevent preeclampsia and growth restriction in nulliparous women identified by uterine artery Doppler as at high risk of preeclampsia: A double blinded randomized placebo-controlled trial.

INTRODUCTION: This trial evaluates whether daily low-dose aspirin initiated before 16 weeks of gestation can reduce preeclampsia and fetal growth restriction in nulliparous women identified by first-trimester uterine artery Dopplers as at high risk of preeclampsia. METHODS: This randomized, blinded, placebo-controlled, parallel-group trial took place in 17 French obstetric departments providing antenatal care. Pregnant nulliparous women aged ≥ 18 years with a singleton pregnancy at a gestational age < 16 weeks of gestation with a lowest pulsatility index ≥ 1.7 or a bilateral protodiastolic notching for both uterine arteries on an ultrasound performed between 11+0 and 13+6 weeks by a certified sonographer were randomized at a 1:1 ratio to 160 mg of low-dose aspirin or to placebo to be taken daily from inclusion to their 34th week of gestation. The main outcome was preeclampsia or a birthweight ≤ 5th percentile. Other outcomes included preeclampsia, severe preeclampsia, preterm preeclampsia, preterm delivery before 34 weeks, mode of delivery, type of anesthesia, birthweight ≤ 5th percentile and perinatal death. RESULTS: The trial was interrupted due to recruiting difficulties. Between June 2012 and June 2016, 1104 women were randomized, two withdrew consent, and two had terminations of pregnancies. Preeclampsia or a birthweight ≤ 5th percentile occurred in 88 (16.0%) women in the low-dose aspirin group and in 79 (14.4%) in the placebo group (proportion difference 1.6 [-2.6; 5.9] p = 0.45). The two groups did not differ significantly for the secondary outcomes. CONCLUSION: Low-dose aspirin was not associated with a lower rate of either preeclampsia or birthweight ≤ 5th percentile in women identified by their first-trimester uterine artery Doppler as at high risk of preeclampsia. TRIAL REGISTRATION: (NCT0172946).