Browsing by Author "Schell, Sonja"

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    Evidence of neuroinflammation and blood–brain barrier disruption in women with preeclampsia and eclampsia
    (MDPI, 2021-11-05) Bergman, Lina; Hastie, Roxanne; Zetterberg, Henrik; Blennow, Kaj; Schell, Sonja; Langenegger, Eduard; Moodley, Ashley; Walker, Susan; Tong, Stephen; Cluver, Catherine
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Cerebral complications in preeclampsia are leading causes of maternal mortality. Animal models suggest that an injured blood–brain barrier and neuroinflammation may be important but there is paucity of data from human studies. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate this in women with preeclampsia and eclampsia. We included women recruited to the South African Preeclampsia Obstetric Adverse Events (PROVE) biobank. Blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) were collected around delivery. CSF was analyzed for neuroinflammatory markers interleukin 1β, interleukin 6, interleukin-8 and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha). The CSF to plasma albumin ratio was measured to assess blood–brain barrier function. Women with eclampsia (n = 4) showed increased CSF concentrations of all pro-inflammatory cytokines and TNF-alpha compared to women with normotensive pregnancies (n = 7) and also for interleukin-6 and TNF-alpha compared to women with preeclampsia (n = 4). Women with preeclampsia also showed increases in pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6 and IL-8 but not TNF-alpha in the CSF compared to women with normotensive pregnancies. In particular, women with eclampsia but also women with preeclampsia showed an increase in the CSF to plasma albumin ratio compared to normotensive women. In conclusion, women with preeclampsia and eclampsia show evidence of neuroinflammation and an injured blood–brain barrier. These findings are seen in particular among women with eclampsia.
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    PROVE—Pre-Eclampsia Obstetric Adverse Events: Establishment of a Biobank and Database for Pre-Eclampsia
    (MDPI, 2021-04) Bergman, Lina; Bergman, Karl; Langenegger, Eduard; Moodley, Ashley; Griffith-Richards, Stephanie; Wikström, Johan; Hall, David; Joubert, Lloyd; Herbst, Philip; Schell, Sonja; Van Veen, Teelkien; Belfort, Michael; Tong, Stephen Y. C.; Walker, Susan; Hastie, Roxanne; Cluver, Catherine
    Pre-eclampsia is a leading cause of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. The burden of disease lies mainly in low-middle income countries. The aim of this project is to establish a pre-eclampsia biobank in South Africa to facilitate research in the field of pre-eclampsia with a focus on phenotyping severe disease.The approach of our biobank is to collect biological specimens, detailed clinical data, tests, and biophysical examinations, including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain, MRI of the heart, transcranial Doppler, echocardiography, and cognitive function tests.Women diagnosed with pre-eclampsia and normotensive controls are enrolled in the biobank at admission to Tygerberg University Hospital (Cape Town, South Africa). Biological samples and clinical data are collected at inclusion/delivery and during the hospital stay. Special investigations as per above are performed in a subset of women. After two months, women are followed up by telephonic interviews. This project aims to establish a biobank and database for severe organ complications of pre-eclampsia in a low-middle income country where the incidence of pre-eclampsia with organ complications is high. The study integrates different methods to investigate pre-eclampsia, focusing on improved understanding of pathophysiology, prediction of organ complications, and potentially future drug evaluation and discovery.