Objective This study examined the differences in the inflammatory cytokine interleukin (IL)-6 and the immunoinhibitory cytokine IL-10 in the amniotic fluid of black and white women in spontaneous ...preterm birth. Methods In this study, 321 amniotic fluids from cases (preterm birth 36 or fewer weeks’ gestation) and controls (normal term delivery longer than 37 weeks’ gestation) were collected (147 cases 49 blacks and 98 whites and 174 controls 85 blacks and 89 whites) at the time of active labor. IL-6 and IL-10 concentrations were measured by immunoassays. Using normal-term delivery as controls, logistic regression models were used to estimate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for preterm birth. Results A significant difference in IL-6 concentration was observed in white cases (cases: 3773 pg/mL; controls: 1682 pg/mL; P = .0003), compared with controls, but not in blacks (cases: 2042 pg/mL; controls: 2366 pg/mL; P = .6). In a combined multivariable analysis, when the highest and the lowest quartiles of IL-6 were compared in whites, the ORs (95% CI) for preterm birth across quartiles were 1.74 (0.62-4.88), 1.09 (0.39-3.02), and 5.68 (2.15-15.0). No such association was found in blacks. IL-10 concentration was not different between cases and controls in either race. Conclusions Race-specific associations exist between IL-6 but not IL-10 concentration and preterm birth. Elevated IL-6 concentrations are associated with preterm birth in whites but not blacks.
Objective The objective of the study was to study the genetic risk factors of spontaneous preterm birth (PTB) in African Americans. Study Design Case-control analyses were performed using maternal ...and fetal deoxyribonucleic acid from 279 African American birth events (82 PTB and 197 term) and 1432 single-nucleotide polymorphisms from 130 candidate genes. Single-locus association and haplotype analyses were performed. Results The most significant associations were in the maternal interleukin (IL)-15 (rs10833, allele P = 2.91 × 10−4 , genotype P = 2.00 × 10−3 ) gene and the fetal IL-2 receptor B (IL-2RB) (rs84460, allele P = 1.37 × 10−4 , genotype P = 6.29 × 10−4 ) gene. The best models for these markers were additive (rs10833, odds ratio OR, 0.30; 95% confidence interval CI, 0.14-0.62; P = 1.0 × 10−3 ; rs84460, OR, 2.32; 95% CI, 1.47-3.67; P < 1.0 × 10−3 ). The largest number of significant associations was found in genes related to infection and inflammation. There were overall a larger number of significant associations in infants than in mothers. Conclusion These results support a strong role for genes involved in infection and inflammation in the pathogenesis of PTB, particularly IL-12 and IL-12RB, and indicate that in African Americans there may be complementarity of maternal and fetal genetic risks for PTB.
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