الفهرس 
introduction
vascular endothelial growth factorOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
Preeclampsia remains a major health problem for mothers and infants. Preeclampsia/eclampsia constitutes the syndrome of vasoconstriction with elevated arterial blood pressure, edema, proteinuria and convulsions induced by pregnancy after 20th week of gestation.
Endothelial cell activation or dysfunction appears to be the central theme in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia. An endothelial cell mitogen has been identified with potent angiogenic properties. This factor termed vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), or vasculotropin which promotes blood vessel growth and also is a potent permeability factor because it increases permeability of endothelial cells to proteins and other molecules, so is called vascular permeability factor (VPF). Vascular endothelial growth factor has been implicated in the process of neovascularization during organ growth and regeneration. Because VEGF is expressed in the placenta and its production can be induced by hypoxia. Changes in the levels of VEGF may be implicated in the etiology of preeclampsia.
In the present study, the serum levels of VEGF and the circulating vasoactive mediators, Et-1 and NO, were determined in normal and preeclamptic pregnancies to evaluate their implicationj in pathophysiology of preeclampsia. This study was conducted in the Departments of Biochemistry and Obstetrics and Gynecology at Assiut University Hospital. It included fifty pregnant women suffering from preeclampsia (25 mild cases and 25 severe cases) were randomly chosen from the outpatients Clinic of Obstetrics and Gynecology during their third yrimester ofg pregnancy. In addition, twenty nine normal pregnant women were selected as a control group at the same gestational age.