BackgroundDisparity in maternal mortality exists between rural–urban migrant and urban resident women in China, but little research has provided evidence for related policy development. The objective of this study was to identify associations with and risks for maternal death among rural–urban migrant women in order to improve health services for migrant women and reduce maternal mortality in China.MethodsWe conducted a prospective case–control study in urban areas of Guangdong, Zhejiang and Fujian provinces and Beijing municipality. In each, migrant women who died between July 1, 2010 and October 1, 2011 were identified through reports from China’s Maternal and Child Mortality Surveillance System. For each, four matched controls were selected from migrant women who delivered in local hospitals during the same period. We compared socio-demographic characteristics, health status and health service variables between cases and controls, and used bivariate and multivariate conditional logistic regression analyses to determine associations with and risk factors for maternal death.Results109 cases and 436 controls were assessed. Family income <2000 yuan per month (OR = 4.5; 95% CI 1.7-11.7) and lack of health insurance (OR = 1.3; 95% CI 1.1-1.6) were more common amongst women who died, as were lack of antenatal care (ANC) (OR = 22.3; 95% CI 4.3-116.0) and attending ANC only 1–4 times (OR = 5.0; 95% CI 1.6-15.5). Knowledge of danger signs during delivery was less common in this group (OR = 0.3; 95% CI 0.1-0.8).ConclusionDifferences existed between migrant women who died in pregnancy and surviving controls. The identified risk factors suggest strategies for health sector and community action on reducing maternal mortality among migrant women in China. A systematic approach to maternity care for rural–urban migrant women is recommended.

Background Histological chorioamnionitis (HCA) is one of the leading causes of spontaneous preterm birth, thus, to identify novel biomarkers for the early diagnosis of HCA is in a great need. Objective To investigate the diagnostic value of maternal peripheral blood platelet‐to‐white blood cell ratio (PLT/WBC) and platelet (PLT) counts in HCA‐related preterm birth. Methods A total of 400 patients with preterm birth were enrolled in this study: non‐HCA group (n = 193) and HCA group (n = 207), and 87 full‐term pregnancies were enrolled as the control. The peripheral blood of the participators was collected, and the neutrophil count, WBC count, platelet count, and levels of C‐reactive protein (CRP) and procalcitonin were recorded, and the platelet‐to‐white blood cell ratio (PLT/WBC) of the participators was calculated. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve has been drawn to show the sensitivity and specificity of PLT/WBC and PLT count for the diagnosis of HCA‐related spontaneous preterm birth patients. Results The neutrophil count, WBC count, and procalcitonin show no significant differences among the three groups, and the PLT count, PLT/WBC, and CRP (P < 0.05) were significantly increased in HCA group compared with non‐HCA group; moreover, the area under the curve (AUC) of PLT/WBC, PLT, and CRP was 0.744 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.6966‐0.7922), 0.8095 (95% CI, 0.7676‐0.8514), and 0.5730 (95% CI, 0.5173‐0.6287), respectively. Conclusion Platelet count and PLT/WBC may become a potential biomarker of HCA‐related spontaneous preterm birth.