However, in most of our cases the CD4 T-cell count was >250 cells/μL and therefore we cannot exclude an effect on placentation in women with severe disruption of the immune system. It is possible that other complex immunological factors/reactions, rather than a simple measurement of CD4 count, are important [19] and may correlate with resistance to flow in the uterine arteries and therefore placentation [20]. As there are no previous studies on placental

perfusion, as assessed by Doppler examination of the uterine arteries, in HIV-positive pregnant women, the power analysis of our study Tanespimycin purchase was based on data from previous publications in pregnant women with known increased resistance in the uterine arteries [11]. Consequently, it is possible that our study did not include a sufficient number of cases to allow detection of smaller differences. In conclusion, we found that, in HIV-positive women with uncomplicated

pregnancies, irrespective of whether or not they received antiretroviral therapy, placental perfusion in the first trimester of pregnancy was normal. This study was supported by a grant from the Fetal Medicine Foundation (United Kingdom charity H 89 mouse No. 1037116). Conflicts of interest: None. “
“AIDS-related complications are a common cause of maternal death worldwide and are responsible for a high proportion of maternal deaths in the developing world; they are a significant contributing cause of maternal death in the developed world, though the absolute numbers are small [1,2]. Their medical management is complicated by the requirement to balance the needs of the mother and the foetus, and the viability of the pregnancy itself. Opportunistic

infections in HIV-seropositive pregnant women should be managed with close collaboration between HIV specialists, obstetricians, paediatricians and where possible, specialists in obstetric medicine and materno–foetal medicine (category IV recommendation). Physiological changes in pregnancy are important to understand as they can impact on the interpretation of selleckchem test results, clinical findings on examination and the pharmacokinetics of drugs used in pregnant women [1,3,4]. CD4 cell counts characteristically drop during pregnancy. Furthermore there is a shift from cell-mediated immunity (Th1 response) toward humoral immunity (Th2 response) which leads to an increased susceptibility to, and severity of, certain infectious diseases in pregnant women, irrespective of HIV infection, including toxoplasmosis, varicella and listeriosis [5]. There is an increase in cardiac output (30–50%), plasma volume (24–50%), red cell mass (20–30%) and glomerular filtration rate. Absorption of aerosolised medication may be affected by an increase in tidal volume and pulmonary volume.