How to predict the risk of fetal congenital heart disease (hereinafter referred to as congenital heart disease)? Perhaps just a drop of blood from a pregnant mother would suffice. A multidisciplinary team from Fudan University, in collaboration with Xinhua Hospital affiliated with Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, found that plasma protein markers in early pregnancy mothers can predict the occurrence of fetal congenital heart disease. Recently, the authoritative journal "Embo Molecular Medicine" under the European Organization for Molecular Biology (EMBO) published relevant research results. Researcher Ding Chen, co corresponding author of the paper and Vice Dean of the Human Phenotype Group Research Institute at Fudan University, stated that the research team will verify the effectiveness of the predictive model in a larger population in the future and develop relevant detection kits. The high incidence of congenital heart disease (CHD) but difficult prediction of birth defects is one of the concerns of many expectant parents. Serious birth defects may even lead to infant death and congenital disability. At present, there are over 8000 known types of birth defects, and the etiology is complex. The pathogenesis of most diseases is still unclear. Preventing and controlling birth defects has always been a global challenge. Congenital heart disease refers to the congenital disease caused by abnormal cardiovascular development in the fetal period. Its risk factors include family history of congenital heart disease, extracardiac malformation, diabetes in pregnant women, adverse pregnancy history, etc. According to the China Cardiovascular Health and Disease Report 2022, congenital heart disease ranks first among newborns with birth defects in many parts of the country. Another analysis evaluating the detection rate and spatial distribution characteristics of congenital heart disease in newborns in China showed that the detection rate of congenital heart disease in newborns in China continued to rise, from 0.201 ‰ in 1980-1984 to 4.905 ‰ in 2015-2019. Ding Chen introduced that there is currently no good method for predicting congenital heart disease worldwide. "Generally, in the middle stage of pregnancy, ultrasound is used to evaluate the child's heart condition, or after the child is born, echocardiography is used for evaluation. Some may also require the use of cardiac catheters and cardiovascular imaging for diagnosis. However, it is too late to detect congenital heart disease after the child is born, losing the opportunity for early intervention in the fetal stage," Ding Chen said. Yin Yanan, the first author of the paper and a doctoral student from the Institute of Human Phenotypes at Fudan University, introduced that the current diagnostic methods for congenital heart disease also have certain limitations. Fetal echocardiography may be influenced by factors such as the degree of maternal obesity, the resolution of ultrasound equipment, and the experience and technology of the examiner; Multi slice spiral CT and X-ray examination have a certain degree of radiation; Magnetic resonance imaging takes a long time, etc. In addition, another approach is to use MicoRNA as a molecular detection technique to assess fetal heart health, but its predictive power is not yet sufficient to be widely promoted in clinical practice. Is there a method for blood identification or breakthrough that can predict the risk of congenital heart disease earlier, faster, and more accurately? Based on past research experience, the research team speculates that the answer to this question may be hidden in the blood of pregnant mothers. The emergence of this idea is related to the role that proteins play in the human body. Proteins are the true executors of life activities, and whether the human body suffers from a certain disease is closely related to proteins. The blood contains all types of proteins in the human body, and the growth, aging, death, division, and other processes of cells are closely related to the blood
Edit：GuoGuo Responsible editor：FangZhiYou
Source：people.cn
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