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The marker set identifies fetal cells with specificity high enough to make cell-based noninvasive prenatal diagnosis realistic.

The approximate Young's modulus is superior to the Bishop score and the cervical length measurements concerning the prediction of cervical dilation time and the risk of prolonged dilation time after induction of labor.

ObjectiveTo identify factors influencing the number of fetal cells in maternal blood.MethodsA total of 57 pregnant women at a gestational age of weeks 11–14 were included. The number of fetal cells in maternal blood was assessed in 30 ml of blood using specific markers for both enrichment and subsequent identification.ResultsParticipants carrying male fetuses had a higher median number of fetal cells in maternal blood than those carrying female fetuses (5 vs. 3, p = 0.04). Certain cytokines (RANTES, IL-2 and IL-5) were significantly associated with the number of fetal cells in maternal blood.ConclusionThe number of fetal cells in maternal blood is associated with certain cytokines and fetal gender.

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