The Role of Endogenous Vascular Protection Factors in Preeclampsia

子痫前期是妊娠最常见的严重并发症。它是由胎盘缺陷引起的，在早期没有症状。目前只能通过定期产前检查母亲的血压和尿液来检测。在其最广泛的形式中，先兆子痫影响了大约十分之一的怀孕，严重影响了五十分之一的怀孕。如果听任其发展和进展而不被发现，它可能危及母亲和婴儿的生命。先兆子痫只能通过分娩来治愈，如果早产，会使一些婴儿处于危险之中。最近，科学家们已经确定了血液中的化学物质（抗血管生成因子）似乎与子痫前期的发病有关。然而，调控这些抗血管生成因子的机制尚不清楚。如果我们能找到抑制这些因素的新机制，我们就能提供预防性治疗。

Preeclampsia is the most common of the serious complications of pregnancy. It is caused by a defect in the placenta and is symptomless in the early stages. It is currently only detectable by regular antenatal checks on the mother s blood pressure and urine. In its widest forms, preeclampsia affects about 1 in 10 pregnancies overall and 1 in 50 pregnancies severely. It is potentially life-threatening to mother and baby if allowed to develop and progress undetected. Preeclampsia is curable only by delivery, which puts some babies at risk if they have to be delivered prematurely. Recently, scientists have identified chemicals in the blood (anti-angiogenic factors) that appear to be associated with the onset of preeclampsia. However, it is not known what regulate these anti-angiogenic factors. If we can identify novel mechanisms to inhibit these factors, we could provide preventative treatment.