Pregnancy protection

OBJECTIVE: Co-use of tobacco and cannabis may be prevalent in pregnancy, potentially leading to additional adverse health outcomes. Utilizing a national sample of women followed prospectively before, during, and after pregnancy, this study tested whether prepregnancy co-use of tobacco and cannabis (vs. tobacco-only use and cannabis-only use) was associated with greater likelihood of continuing to use tobacco and/or cannabis during pregnancy and postpartum. METHOD: Data were drawn from Waves 1-5 (2013-2019) of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study...

INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of congestive heart failure (CHF) among patients admitted with preeclampsia as well as to analyze the independent association of CHF with in-hospital outcomes among women with preeclampsia. METHODS: Data were obtained from the National (Nationwide) Inpatient Sample (NIS) from January 2016 to December 2019. We assessed the independent association of CHF with outcomes in patients admitted with preeclampsia...

Pregnancy is a period which is especially sensitive to physical violence and its aftermath. Subjecting a pregnant woman to violence can have negative effects on both the mother as well as the child. In Poland, there are programs, such as the Blue Card, aimed at protection against violence, however the phenomenon is underestimated. Documentation covering forensic examinations carried out at the request of the police or privately at the Department of Forensic Medicine in Poznan in the years 2015-2020 was analyzed...

The anti-aging gene Klotho is implicated in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia (PE), which is a pregnancy disease characterized by hypertension and proteinuria. Oxidative stress is closely associated with the worse outcomes in PE, and Klotho can eliminate Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS), but it is still unclear whether Klotho regulates PE pathogenesis through modulating oxidative damages. Here, by analyzing the clinical data, we found that Klotho was aberrantly downregulated in PE umbilical cord serum and placental tissues, compared to their normal counterparts...

During pregnancy, germline development is vital for maintaining the continuation of species. Recent studies have shown increased pregnancy risks in COVID-19 patients at the perinatal stage. However, the potential consequence of infection for reproductive quality in developing fetuses remains unclear. Here, we analyze the transcriptome and DNA methylome of the fetal germline following maternal severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. We find that infection at early gestational age, a critical period of human primordial germ cell specification and epigenetic reprogramming, trivially affects fetal germ cell (FGC) development...

BACKGROUND: Aging-related processes contribute to neurodegeneration and disability in multiple sclerosis (MS). Biomarkers of biological aging such as leukocyte telomere length (LTL) could help personalise prognosis. Pregnancy has been shown to be protective against disability accumulation in women with MS, though it is unclear if this effect relates to aging mechanisms or LTL. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to cross-sectionally characterise LTL in a cohort of individuals with MS, and to correlate LTL with disability severity and pregnancy history...

BACKGROUND: Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) have been shown to protect against fine particulate matter <mml:math xmlns:mml="https://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><mml:mrow><mml:mo><</mml:mo><mml:mn>2.5</mml:mn><mml:mspace/><mml:mi>μ</mml:mi><mml:mi>m</mml:mi></mml:mrow></mml:math> in aerodynamic diameter (<mml:math xmlns:mml="https://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><mml:mrow><mml:mrow><mml:msub><mml:mrow><mml:mrow><mml:mi>PM</mml:mi></mml:mrow></mml:mrow><mml:mrow><mml:mrow><mml:mn>2...

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to report our experience on fetal aortic valvuloplasty (FAV) for critical aortic stenosis (AS) focusing on the postnatal evolution of the patients. METHODS: This retrospective study was approved by our local Institutional Review Board (n°2002-0128143827). All fetuses with critical AS who underwent FAV in a single center between 01/2011 and 06/2022 were included. FAV were performed under ultrasound guidance. Technical success was based upon balloon inflation across the aortic valve and improvement of the anterograde aortic flow across the aortic valve...

OBJECTIVES: To assess and quantify the association between pre-pregnancy maternal overweight and obesity, and the risk of congenital heart defects (CHDs) in offspring. METHODS: This systematic review and meta-analysis included searches of PubMed, Medline, Web of science, and Scopus up to April 20th, 2023. Risk estimates were abstracted or calculated for rising body mass index categories (overweight, obesity, moderate and severe obesity) compared to normal weight (reference)...

OBJECTIVES: Fetuses with single ventricle physiology (SVP) exhibit reductions in fetal cerebral oxygenation with associated delays in fetal brain growth and neurodevelopmental outcomes. Maternal supplemental oxygen (MSO) has been proposed to improve fetal brain growth but current evidence on dosing, candidacy, and outcomes are limited. In this pilot study, we evaluated the safety and feasibility of continuous low-dose MSO in the setting of SVP. METHODS: This single-centre, open-label, pilot phase 1 safety and feasibility clinical trial included 25 pregnant individuals with a fetal diagnosis of SVP...

Adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) in South Africa experience contextual barriers to HIV risk reduction including incomplete schooling, unintended pregnancy, substance use, and gender-based violence. A cluster randomised trial in Cape Town allocated 24 Black and Coloured communities to a gender-focused HIV risk-reduction intervention or HIV testing, with 500 AGYW total enrolled. We evaluated intervention efficacy by comparing mean differences overall, by community population group (Black and Coloured) and among those with structural barriers based on neighbourhood, education, and employment (n = 406)...

BACKGROUND: According to reports, prenatal exposure to valproic acid can induce autism spectrum disorder (ASD)-like symptoms in both humans and rodents. However, the exact cause and therapeutic method of ASD is not fully understood. Agmatine (AGM) is known for its neuroprotective effects, and this study aims to explore whether giving agmatine hydrochloride before birth can prevent autism-like behaviors in mouse offspring exposed prenatally to valproic acid. METHODS: In this study, we investigated the effects of AGM prenatally on valproate (VPA)-exposed mice...

BACKGROUND: Transgender and gender diverse youth experience multiple disproportionate adverse sexual health outcomes. Sexual health education teaches knowledge, attitudes, and skills for promoting sexual health, including reducing risk for sexually transmitted infection, HIV acquisition, and unintended pregnancy. Provision of sexual health education may be protective, but research remains scarce. METHODS: We conducted a multi-stage thematic analysis of 33 in-depth interviews among transgender and gender diverse youth (ages 15-24) living in the southeastern United States on their sexual health education experiences...

Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) can disrupt antioxidant system and steroidogenesis, resulting in detrimental effects on assisted reproductive technology (ART) outcomes. This study aimed to investigate the association of AGEs in follicular fluid (FF) with morphokinetic parameters of embryos and ART outcomes. Fifty women undergoing ART treatment were studied. AGEs, glucose, 25(OH) vitamin D, malondialdehyde (MDA) levels and catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) activities were evaluated in FF...

There are few population-based studies of sufficient size and follow-up duration to have reliably assessed perinatal outcomes for pregnant women hospitalised with SARS-CoV-2 infection. The United Kingdom Obstetric Surveillance System (UKOSS) covers all 194 consultant-led UK maternity units and included all pregnant women admitted to hospital with an ongoing SARS-CoV-2 infection. Here we show that in this large national cohort comprising two years' active surveillance over four SARS-CoV-2 variant periods and with near complete follow-up of pregnancy outcomes for 16,627 included women, severe perinatal outcomes were more common in women with moderate to severe COVID-19, during the delta dominant period and among unvaccinated women...

This study observed the protective effect of resveratrol(Res) on ovarian function in poor ovarian response(POR) mice by regulating the Hippo signaling pathway and explored the potential mechanism of Res in inhibiting ovarian cell apoptosis. Female mice with regular estrous cycles were randomly divided into a blank group, a model group, and low-and high-dose Res groups(20 and 40 mg·kg~(-1)), with 20 mice in each group. The blank group received an equal volume of 0.9% saline solution by gavage, while the model group and Res groups received suspension of glycosides of Triptergium wilfordii(GTW) at 50 mg·kg~(-1) by gavage for two weeks to induce the model...

The diet during pregnancy, or antenatal diet, influences the offspring's intestinal health. We previously showed that antenatal butyrate supplementation reduces injury in adult murine offspring with dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis. Potential modulators of butyrate levels in the intestine include a high fiber diet or dietary supplementation with probiotics. To test this, we supplemented the diet of pregnant mice with high fiber, or with the probiotic bacteria Lactococcus lactis subspecies cremoris or Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG...

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Nowadays, there are emerging trends in customized and personalized photoprotection, focusing on the innovative approaches to enhance sun protection efficacy tailored to individual needs. METHODS: We conducted an electronic search of the following databases: MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Cochrane Skin Group Specialised Skin Register, and TESEO. Specific search terms related to personalized photoprotection and the variables of age, genetic predisposition, skin phototype, photodermatosis, and physiological conditions such as pregnancy, as well as lifestyle habits were used...

Environmental exposures during pregnancy have been associated with adverse obstetric outcomes. However, limited and inconsistent evidence exists regarding the association between air temperature exposure and the risk of preeclampsia (PE). This study aimed to evaluate the correlation between ambient temperature exposure during pregnancy and PE risk, as well as identify the specific time window of temperature exposure that increases PE risk. A population-based cohort study was conducted from January 2012 to April 2022 in Guangzhou, China...

The adverse influence of maternal obesity on offspring metabolic health throughout the life-course is a significant public health challenge with few effective interventions. We examined if black bean powder (BBP) supplementation to a high-calorie maternal pregnancy diet or a postnatal offspring diet could offer protection against the metabolic programming of metabolic disease risk in adult offspring. Female Sprague Dawley rats were randomly assigned to one of three diets (n = 10/group) for a 3-week pre-pregnancy period and throughout gestation and lactation: (i) a low-caloric control diet (CON); (ii) a high-caloric obesity-inducing diet (HC); or (iii) the HC diet with 20% black bean powder (HC-BBP)...