Projects

Preeclampsia and intrauterine growth restriction

  • IMPACT (Study for improving maternal, pregnancy and child outcomes)
    Swedish cohort study including risk factors, pregnancy complications and a biobank with blood samples collected at gestational week 11-14. A multicenter study where Anna-Karin Wikström (anna-karin.wikstrom@kbh.uu.se) is in the principal investigator and Lina Bergman (lina.bergman@kbh.uu.se) is in the steering group and locally responsible in Dalarna. The study aims to create a prediction model for preeclampsia and growth restriction in a Swedish population. The cohort can also be used for future research in prediction of pregnancy complications.
     
  • UPMOST (Uppsala pregnancy complication study)
    Cohort study where biological material and clinical data are collected from pregnancies complicated with preeclampsia or growth restriction. The aim is to study the pathophysiology and consequences of the complications (anna-karin.wikstrom@kbh.uu.se). Plasma, serum, buffy coat, amniotic fluid, umbilical cord blood, umbilical cord, placenta and cerebrospinal fluid are collected. Samples are collected using the same protocol as GO PROVE (Gothenburg), enabling merging of data (lina.bergman@kbh.uu.se).
     
  • THE MATERNAL BRAIN AND PREECLAMPSIA
    Within UPMOST and GO PROVE (Gothenburg); cognitive tests and MRI brain examinations are performed. The aim is to study short- and long-term consequences of preeclampsia with focus on the brain. In collaboration with Chile, in vitro studies are also carried out to study the effect of plasma from women with preeclampsia on the blood brain barrier (anna-karin.wikstrom@kbh.uu.se and lina.bergman@kbh.uu.se).
     
  • PFIPO (Proteomics for improved pregnancy outcomes). Proteomic project, blood samples from gestational week 18 from pregnancies that were later complicated by preeclampsia or growth restriction are analyzed on a cardiovascular platform (anna-karin.wikstrom@kbh.uu.se).
     
  • PROVE (Preeclampsia Obstetric Adverse Events)
    Cohort study where biological material, clinical data and clinical studies are collected from pregnancies complicated by preeclampsia with end organ complications such as eclampsia and pulmonary edema at Tygerberg Hospital, South Africa (lina.bergman@kbh.uu.se).
     
  • FURAN FATTY ACID AND PREECLAMPSIA
    In a doctoral project, the association between furan fatty acid and preeclampsia is evaluated (anna-karin.wikstrom@kbh.uu.se).

SLE and pregnancy

  • SLEPLAC (SLE-Placenta study) is a multicenter study that aims to find new blood-based biomarkers that at an early stage that can identify women at increased risk of Systemic Lupus Erytematousus (SLE) during pregnancy, as well as pregnancy complications. The population is primiparous women, aged 18-45 years old with a singleton pregnancy. Blood samples are collected once in each trimester and at time of childbirth. In addition, umbilical cord and placental samples are frozen after childbirth. Responsible investigator in Uppsala is Tansim Akhter (tansim.akhter@kbh.uu.se).

Childbirth

  • The MICROBIOME STUDY is a multicenter study where from the Center for Translational Microbiome Research at Karolinska Institute (KI). Children born with caesarean section are exposed to the mother's vaginal and intestinal flora or placebo. The children are followed for two years regarding the development of microbiota and immune responses (maria.jonsson@kbh.uu.se).
     
  • The EVA STUDY (lateral episiotomy in vacuum assisted delivery) is a multicenter randomized controlled trial where both the Academic Hospital (maria.jonsson@kbh.uu.se) and Falu lasarett (susanne.hesselman@kbh.uu.se) include participants. The study compares episiotomy or no episiotomy at vacuum assisted deliveries concerning risk of obstetric anal sphincter rupture in primiparous women.
     
  • Complications among infants delivered by vaccum extraction. Cecilia Ekéus (cecilia.ekeus@kbh.uu.se) is the PI of a project that has studied the association between vacuum extraction (VE) delivery and complications in newborn infants. One study showed that newborns, delivered by VE, have an increased risk of intracranial bleeding compared with infants who are born vaginally without instruments or with caesarean section. In a recently published case-control study, we found that infants exposed to prolonged and complicated VEs are more often diagnosed with cerebral hemorrhage than infants born by uncomplicated Ves. In ongoing projects, we study the risk of CP, epilepsy, visual and hearing loss, and neuropsychiatric conditions in preschool children in relation to mode of delivery.  Collaboration: Karolinska Institutet.
     
  • Birth outcome among women with spinal injuries. In an ongoing project, the incidence of pregnancy and childbirth outcomes, as well as neonatal complications is investigated among in women with para- or tetraplegia due to a traumatic spinal injury (clinic for spinal cord injuries) (cecilia.ekeus@kbh.uu.se; claes.hultling@ki.se, marie.berlin@su.se) Collaboration Spinalis and National Board of Health and Welfare.

Register-based obstetric research

We use the Pregnancy Register, the Neonatal Quality Register and national health registers to study associations between potential risk factors and pregnancy complications. Examples of projects are

Collaboration

Karolinska Institutet, Sahlgrenska Academy, Lund University, Örebro University, Stellenbosch University, Universidad del Bio Bio, Universidad de Concepcion, Melbourne University, Stanford University.

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