human pregnancy

Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) is a glycoprotein that plays an important role in immune regulation with critical involvement in early human development and maintaining the immune balance during pregnancy. Postfetal development, the regulatory mechanisms controlling AFP undergo a shift and AFP gene transcription is suppressed. Instead, these enhancers refocus their activity to maintain albumin gene transcription throughout adulthood. During the postnatal period, AFP expression can increase in the setting of hepatocyte injury, regeneration, and malignant transformation...

OBJECTIVES: Childhood cancer survivors are at risk for premature ovarian insufficiency, especially after treatment with alkylating agents. The objective of this report is to highlight a case in which this phenomenon caused a false-positive pregnancy test. CASE PRESENTATION: A workup was performed in a 14-year-old girl with a positive pregnancy test. She was diagnosed with stage IV neuroblastoma of the left adrenal gland at the age of 4 years. She received extensive treatment, including alkylating agents, and had been diagnosed with premature ovarian insufficiency...

Pigs are genetically, anatomically, and physiologically similar to humans. Recently, pigs are in the spotlight as a suitable source animal for xenotransplantation. However, to use pigs as source animals, pigs should be raised in designated pathogen-free facilities. There is abundant data from embryo transfer (ET) experiments using farm pigs as surrogates, but data on ET experiments using minipigs are scarce. Eighty minipigs were used for ET experiments and after transplantation, the implantation and delivery rates were investigated...

Purpose This study delves into the epidemiology of high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) infection and its link to precancerous lesions among perimenopausal (40-59 years) and elderly (60-65 years) women in a Chinese county with a notably high incidence of cervical cancer. By uniquely focusing on these age groups in underdeveloped regions, the research aims to offer novel strategies for the management and prevention of cervical cancer. It seeks to inform targeted interventions and public health policies that could significantly benefit women at heightened risk for HPV, addressing a critical gap in current prevention efforts in economically disadvantaged communities...

The COVID-19 pandemic impacted the provision of obstetrical care. This mixed-methods study explores pregnant women's experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic using an explanatory sequential design. The experiences and opinions of obstetrical patients were elicited using an online questionnaire and semi-structured interview as a follow-up. There were 162 completed questionnaires, and 17 interviews. Qualitative analysis themes included worries about the intrapartum experience, impact on partners, and lack of postpartum support for breastfeeding and mental health...

INTRODUCTION: Proper placental development is crucial to fetal health but is challenging to functionally assess non-invasively and is thus poorly characterized in populations. Body mass index (BMI) has been linked with adverse outcomes, but the causative mechanism is uncertain. Velocity-selective arterial spin labeling (VS-ASL) MRI provides a method to non-invasively measure placental perfusion with robustness to confounding transit time delays. In this study, we report on the measurement of perfusion in the human placenta in early pregnancy using velocity-selective arterial spin labeling (VS-ASL) MRI, comparing non-obese and obese participants...

BACKGROUND: Midwife-led birth centres (MLBCs) are associated with reduced childbirth interventions, higher satisfaction rates, and improved birth outcomes. The evidence on quality of care in MLBCs from low and middle-income countries (LMIC) is limited. AIM: This study aimed to explore the perceptions of women and midwives regarding the quality of care in four MLBCs in Uganda. METHODS: A qualitative study was conducted in four MLBCs in Uganda...

The aim of this study was to investigate whether it is possible to prevent oolemma lysis after Piezo-assisted intracytoplasmic sperm injection (Piezo-ICSI) caused by abnormal membrane rupture. A total of 489 mature oocytes were obtained from 85 patients who underwent Piezo-ICSI in an infertility clinic. Inseminated oocytes were classified into the following two groups: normal rupture and abnormal rupture, and a portion of abnormally ruptured oocytes was randomly exposed to 7% PVP solution. Normal fertilization rate, degeneration rate, proportion of high-quality embryos on day 3, blastocyst formation, and morphologically high-quality blastocysts were compared...

Perinatal reductions in gray matter volume have been observed in human mothers transitioning to parenthood, with preliminary evidence for similar changes in fathers. These reductions have been theorized to support adaptation to parenting, but greater investigation is needed. We scanned 38 first-time fathers during their partner's pregnancy and again after 6 months postpartum, and collected self-report data prenatally and 3, 6, and 12 months postpartum. Significant gray matter volume reductions were observed across the entire cortex but not the subcortex...

Decidual γδT (dγδT) cells help maintain maternal-fetal immunotolerance in early pregnancy. However, the mechanism underlying the accumulation of γδT cells in the decidua is unknown. Previous work showed that RANKL up-regulated intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1) in decidual stromal cells (DSCs) and Rankl knockout mice had limited dγδT cell populations. In this study, we measured the expression levels of RANKL/RANK and ICAM-1 in DSCs, in addition to the integrins of ICAM-1 on dγδT cells, and the quantity of dγδT cells from patients with recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA) and normal pregnant women in the first trimester...

Maternal allergic asthma (MAA) during pregnancy has been associated with increased risk of neurodevelopmental disorders in humans, and rodent studies have demonstrated that inducing a T helper-2-mediated allergic response during pregnancy leads to an offspring behavioral phenotype characterized by decreased social interaction and increased stereotypies. The interleukin (IL)-4 cytokine is hypothesized to mediate the neurobehavioral impact of MAA on offspring. Utilizing IL-4 knockout mice, this study assessed whether MAA without IL-4 signaling would still impart behavioral deficits...

Alcohol, a widely consumed drug, exerts significant toxic effects on the human organism. This review focuses on its impact during fetal development, when it leads to a spectrum of disorders collectively termed Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD). Children afflicted by FASD exhibit distinct clinical manifestations, including facial dysmorphism, delayed growth, and neurological and behavioral disorders. These behavioral issues encompass diminished intellectual capacity, memory impairment, and heightened impulsiveness...

The implantation of human embryos is a complex process involving various cytokines and receptors expressed by both endometrium and embryos. However, the role of cytokines produced by a single embryo in successful implantation is largely unknown. This study aimed to investigate the role of IL-1β expressed in a single-embryo-conditioned medium (ECM) in embryo implantation. Seventy samples of single ECM were analyzed by a specially designed magnetic-beads-based microfluidic chip from 15 women. We discovered that IL-1β level increased as the embryo developed, and the difference was significant...

Chorioamnionitis is a risk factor for necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). Ureaplasma parvum (UP) is clinically the most isolated microorganism in chorioamnionitis, but its pathogenicity remains debated. Chorioamnionitis is associated with ileal barrier changes, but colonic barrier alterations, including those of the mucus barrier, remain under-investigated, despite their importance in NEC pathophysiology. Therefore, in this study, the hypothesis that antenatal UP exposure disturbs colonic mucus barrier integrity, thereby potentially contributing to NEC pathogenesis, was investigated...

For much of human evolution, the average lifespan was <40 years, due in part to disease, infant mortality, predators, food insecurity, and, for females, complications of childbirth. Thus, for much of evolution, many females did not reach the age of menopause (45-50 years of age) and it is mainly in the past several hundred years that the lifespan has been extended to >75 years, primarily due to public health advances, medical interventions, antibiotics, and nutrition. Therefore, the underlying biological mechanisms responsible for disease risk following menopause must have evolved during the complex processes leading to Homo sapiens to serve functions in the pre-menopausal state...

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a complex metabolic disorder that has short- and long-term effects on maternal and offspring health. This study aimed to assess the impact of maternal hyperglycemia severity, classified as GDM-G1 (diet treatment) and GDM-G2 (insulin treatment) on colostral appetite-regulating molecules. Colostrum samples were collected from hyperglycemic (N = 30) and normoglycemic (N = 21) mothers, and the concentrations of milk hormones were determined by immunoenzymatic assay. A difference was found for milk ghrelin, but not for molecules such as adiponectin, leptin, resistin, or IGF-I levels, in relation to maternal hyperglycemia...

This review aims to encapsulate the current knowledge in extracellular vesicles extracted from amniotic fluid and amniotic fluid derived stem/stromal cells. Amniotic fluid (AF) bathes the developing fetus, providing nutrients and protection from biological and mechanical dangers. In addition to containing a myriad of proteins, immunoglobulins and growth factors, AF is a rich source of extracellular vesicles (EVs). These vesicles originate from cells in the fetoplacental unit. They are biological messengers carrying an active cargo enveloped within the lipid bilayer...

RESEARCH QUESTION: Should ovulation be triggered in a modified natural cycle (mNC) with recombinant human chorionic gonadotrophin (rHCG) as soon as a mean follicle diameter of 17 mm is visible, or is more flexible planning possible? DESIGN: This multicentre, retrospective, observational study of 3087 single frozen blastocyst transfers in mNC was carried out between January 2020 and September 2022. The inclusion criteria included endometrial thickness ≥7 mm and serum progesterone <1...

Maternal responsiveness, a mother's ability to consistently identify infant cues and then act on them, is critical for healthy child development. A woman's social support and spousal relationship may affect responsiveness to an infant, especially among mothers with anxiety. We assessed how social support and spousal relationship quality is associated with responsiveness among anxious mothers, and if postpartum depression (PPD) moderated these associations. Cross-sectional data were collected from 2019 to 2022 in a public hospital in Pakistan from 701 women at six-weeks postpartum...

Human fertility is impacted by changes in lifestyle and environmental deterioration. To increase human fertility, assisted reproductive technology (ART) has been extensively used around the globe. As early as 2009, the Endocrine Society released its first scientific statement on the potential adverse effects of environmental endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) on human health and disease development. Chemicals known as phthalates, frequently employed as plasticizers and additives, are common EDCs. Numerous studies have shown that phthalate metabolites in vivo exert estrogen-like or anti-androgenic effects in both humans and animals...