Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36103557›Full record

ArticleClinical and translational medicine2022

Microbial and human transcriptome in vaginal fluid at midgestation: Association with spontaneous preterm delivery.

Tove Wikström, Sanna Abrahamsson, Johan Bengtsson-Palme, Joakim Ek, Pihla Kuusela, Elham Rekabdar, Peter Lindgren, Ulla-Britt Wennerholm, Bo Jacobsson, Lil Valentin and 1 more

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Clinical and translational medicine, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
1.4field-weighted citation impact, top 19% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

8 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 11 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
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  3. Article
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  5. Article
  6. Review
  7. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors at 6 institutions in 2 countries.

Tove WikströmCentre of Perinatal Medicine and Health, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.ORCID 0000-0002-4208-8667
Sanna AbrahamssonBioinformatics Core Facility, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Johan Bengtsson-PalmeDepartment of Infectious Diseases, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Joakim EkInstitute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Department of Physiology Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Pihla KuuselaSödra Älvsborg Hospital, Borås, Sweden.
Elham RekabdarBioinformatics Core Facility, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Peter LindgrenDepartment of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
Ulla-Britt WennerholmCentre of Perinatal Medicine and Health, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Bo JacobssonCentre of Perinatal Medicine and Health, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Lil ValentinDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Skåne University Hospital, Malmö, Sweden.
Henrik HagbergCentre of Perinatal Medicine and Health, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Sahlgrenska University Hospital · SEUniversity of Gothenburg · SECNR de la Résistance aux Antibiotiques · FRKarolinska University Hospital · SELund University · SESödra Älvsborg Hospital · SE

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundIntrauterine infection and inflammation caused by microbial transfer from the vagina are believed to be important factors causing spontaneous preterm delivery (PTD). Multiple studies have examined the relationship between the cervicovaginal microbiome and spontaneous PTD with divergent results. Most studies have applied a DNA-based assessment, providing information on the microbial composition but not transcriptional activity. A transcriptomic approach was applied to investigate differences in the active vaginal microbiome and human transcriptome at midgestation between women delivering spontaneously preterm versus those delivering at term.

methodsVaginal swabs were collected in women with a singleton pregnancy at 18 + 0 to 20 + 6 gestational weeks. For each case of spontaneous PTD (delivery <37 + 0 weeks) two term controls were randomized (39 + 0 to 40 + 6 weeks). Vaginal specimens were subject to sequencing of both human and microbial RNA. Microbial reads were taxonomically classified using Kraken2 and RefSeq as a reference. Statistical analyses were performed using DESeq2. GSEA and HUMAnN3 were used for pathway analyses.

resultsWe found 17 human genes to be differentially expressed (false discovery rate, FDR < 0.05) in the preterm group (n = 48) compared to the term group (n = 96). Gene expression of kallikrein-2 (KLK2), KLK3 and four isoforms of metallothioneins 1 (MT1s) was higher in the preterm group (FDR < 0.05). We found 11 individual bacterial species to be differentially expressed (FDR < 0.05), most with a low occurrence. No statistically significant differences in bacterial load, diversity or microbial community state types were found between the groups.

conclusionsIn our mainly white population, primarily bacterial species of low occurrence were differentially expressed at midgestation in women who delivered preterm versus at term. However, the expression of specific human transcripts including KLK2, KLK3 and several isoforms of MT1s was higher in preterm cases. This is of interest, because these genes may be involved in critical inflammatory pathways associated with spontaneous PTD.

Indexed as

Body FluidsPremature BirthBacteriaBodily SecretionsFemaleHumansInfant, NewbornPregnancyTranscriptomeVaginagene expression profileshuman microbiomeinfectionmicrobial community compositionpregnancypreterm birthtranscriptomevagina

Identifiers

PMID36103557
PMCPMC9473488
OpenAlexW4295778116

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.