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dc.contributor.authorCritchfield, Agatha S.
dc.contributor.authorYao, Grace
dc.contributor.authorJaishankar, Aditya
dc.contributor.authorLieleg, Oliver
dc.contributor.authorDoyle, Patrick S.
dc.contributor.authorHouse, Michael
dc.contributor.authorRibbeck, Katharina
dc.contributor.authorFriedlander, Ronn Samuel
dc.contributor.authorMcKinley, Gareth H.
dc.date.accessioned2013-09-27T16:00:20Z
dc.date.available2013-09-27T16:00:20Z
dc.date.issued2013-08
dc.date.submitted2013-03
dc.identifier.issn1932-6203
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/81216
dc.description.abstractBackground: Ascending infection from the colonized vagina to the normally sterile intrauterine cavity is a well-documented cause of preterm birth. The primary physical barrier to microbial ascension is the cervical canal, which is filled with a dense and protective mucus plug. Despite its central role in separating the vaginal from the intrauterine tract, the barrier properties of cervical mucus have not been studied in preterm birth. Methods and Findings: To study the protective function of the cervical mucus in preterm birth we performed a pilot case-control study to measure the viscoelasticity and permeability properties of mucus obtained from pregnant women at high-risk and low-risk for preterm birth. Using extensional and shear rheology we found that cervical mucus from women at high-risk for preterm birth was more extensible and forms significantly weaker gels compared to cervical mucus from women at low-risk of preterm birth. Moreover, permeability measurements using fluorescent microbeads show that high-risk mucus was more permeable compared with low-risk mucus. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that critical biophysical barrier properties of cervical mucus in women at high-risk for preterm birth are compromised compared to women with healthy pregnancy. We hypothesize that impaired barrier properties of cervical mucus could contribute to increased rates of intrauterine infection seen in women with preterm birth. We furthermore suggest that a robust association of spinnbarkeit and preterm birth could be an effectively exploited biomarker for preterm birth prediction.en_US
dc.description.sponsorshipMassachusetts Institute of Technology. Charles E. Reed Faculty Initiative Funden_US
dc.description.sponsorshipBurroughs Wellcome Fund (Preterm Birth Research Grant)en_US
dc.description.sponsorshipNational Science Foundation (U.S.). Graduate Research Fellowship Programen_US
dc.language.isoen_US
dc.publisherPublic Library of Scienceen_US
dc.relation.isversionofhttp://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0069528en_US
dc.rightsCreative Commons Attributionen_US
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/en_US
dc.sourcePLoSen_US
dc.titleCervical Mucus Properties Stratify Risk for Preterm Birthen_US
dc.typeArticleen_US
dc.identifier.citationCritchfield, Agatha S., Grace Yao, Aditya Jaishankar, Ronn S. Friedlander, Oliver Lieleg, Patrick S. Doyle, Gareth McKinley, Michael House, and Katharina Ribbeck. “Cervical Mucus Properties Stratify Risk for Preterm Birth.” Edited by Tamas Zakar. PLoS ONE 8, no. 8 (August 1, 2013): e69528.en_US
dc.contributor.departmentWhitaker College of Health Sciences and Technologyen_US
dc.contributor.departmentmove to dc.description.sponsorshipen_US
dc.contributor.departmentHarvard University--MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technologyen_US
dc.contributor.departmentMassachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Biological Engineeringen_US
dc.contributor.departmentMassachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Chemical Engineeringen_US
dc.contributor.departmentMassachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineeringen_US
dc.contributor.mitauthorYao, Graceen_US
dc.contributor.mitauthorLieleg, Oliveren_US
dc.contributor.mitauthorRibbeck, Katharinaen_US
dc.contributor.mitauthorFriedlander, Ronn Samuelen_US
dc.contributor.mitauthorJaishankar, Adityaen_US
dc.contributor.mitauthorMcKinley, Gareth H.en_US
dc.contributor.mitauthorDoyle, Patrick S.en_US
dc.relation.journalPLoS ONEen_US
dc.eprint.versionFinal published versionen_US
dc.type.urihttp://purl.org/eprint/type/JournalArticleen_US
eprint.statushttp://purl.org/eprint/status/PeerRevieweden_US
dspace.orderedauthorsCritchfield, Agatha S.; Yao, Grace; Jaishankar, Aditya; Friedlander, Ronn S.; Lieleg, Oliver; Doyle, Patrick S.; McKinley, Gareth; House, Michael; Ribbeck, Katharinaen_US
dc.identifier.orcidhttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-8260-338X
dc.identifier.orcidhttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-8323-2779
mit.licensePUBLISHER_CCen_US
mit.metadata.statusComplete


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