Excretion of Vitamin A in Urine of Women during Normal Pregnancy and Pregnancy Complications

2004 ◽  
Vol 48 (5) ◽  
pp. 357-364 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jens Raila ◽  
Kerstin Wirth ◽  
Frank Chen ◽  
Ulrich Büscher ◽  
Joachim W. Dudenhausen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vitamin A ◽  
Pregnancy Complications ◽  
Normal Pregnancy

Toll-like Receptors at the Maternal-Fetal Interface in Normal Pregnancy and Pregnancy Complications

2014 ◽  
Vol 72 (2) ◽  
pp. 192-205 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaori Koga ◽  
Gentaro Izumi ◽  
Gil Mor ◽  
Tomoyuki Fujii ◽  
Yutaka Osuga
Keyword(s):  
Pregnancy Complications ◽  
Normal Pregnancy ◽  
Toll Like Receptors ◽  
Maternal Fetal Interface

scholarly journals A Novel Review of Homocysteine and Pregnancy Complications

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Chuce Dai ◽  
Yiming Fei ◽  
Jianming Li ◽  
Yang Shi ◽  
Xiuhua Yang
Keyword(s):  
Folic Acid ◽  
Pregnancy Complications ◽  
Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase ◽  
Normal Pregnancy ◽  
Positive Outcome ◽  
Mthfr Gene ◽  
Folate Intake ◽  
Daily Diet ◽  
B12 Deficiency ◽  
Work Done

Homocysteine (Hct) is a substance produced in the metabolism of methionine. It is an essential type of amino acid gained from the daily diet. Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene mutation is related to elevated total homocysteine (tHct) expressions, in particular, among women with low folate intake. Hyperhomocysteinemia (HHct) is caused by numerous factors, such as genetic defects, lack of folic acid, vitamin B6 and B12 deficiency, hypothyroidism, drugs, aging, and renal dysfunction. Increased Hct in peripheral blood may lead to vascular illnesses, coronary artery dysfunction, atherosclerotic changes, and embolic diseases. Compared to nonpregnant women, the Hct level is lower in normal pregnancies. Recent studies have reported that HHct was associated with numerous pregnancy complications, including recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL), preeclampsia (PE), preterm delivery, placental abruption, fetal growth restriction (FGR), and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Besides, it was discovered that neonatal birth weight and maternal Hct levels were negatively correlated. However, a number of these findings lack consistency. In this review, we summarized the metabolic process of Hct in the human body, the levels of Hct in different stages of normal pregnancy reported in previous studies, and the relationship between Hct and pregnancy complications. The work done is helpful for obstetricians to improve the likelihood of a positive outcome during pregnancy complications. Reducing the Hct level with a high dosage of folic acid supplements during the next pregnancy could be helpful for females who have suffered pregnancy complications due to HHct.

scholarly journals When pregnancy tames the wolf

2019 ◽  
Vol 216 (5) ◽  
pp. 1012-1013
Author(s):  
Timothy B. Niewold ◽  
Shilpi Mehta-Lee
Keyword(s):  
Pregnancy Complications ◽  
Normal Pregnancy ◽  
Healthy Women ◽  
Transcriptional Modulation ◽  
In Pregnancy

A state of relative immunosuppression exists in normal pregnancy. In this issue of JEM, Hong et al. (https://doi.org/10.1084/jem.20190185) perform blood immunomonitoring in pregnancy, in both healthy women and women with lupus, and observe early and sustained transcriptional modulation of lupus-related pathways in both groups. When signatures of inflammation did not normalize in lupus, risk of pregnancy complications was increased.

scholarly journals Selected Micronutrients: An Option to Boost Immunity against COVID-19 and Prevent Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes in Pregnant Women: A Narrative Review

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
NAWSHERWAN NAWSHERWAN ◽  
Suliman KHAN ◽  
Falak ZEB ◽  
Muhammad SHOAIB ◽  
Ghulam NABI ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Immune System ◽  
Vitamin A ◽  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Immune Function ◽  
Pregnancy Outcomes ◽  
Pregnancy Complications ◽  
Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes ◽  
Adequate Intake ◽  
Adverse Pregnancy

The coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) negatively affects immune system. It is linked with adverse pregnancy outcomes. These complications may be linked with the infections mediated deficiency of micronutrients in pregnant women. COVID-19 cause’s malabsorption of micronutrients thereby increases the risk of their deficiency. Both micronutrients deficiencies and poor micronutrients intake can compromise immune function and may increase the risk of pregnancy complications associated with COVID-19 infection. Vitamin A, C, D, E, and selected minerals iron (Fe), selenium (Se), and zinc (Zn) are the micronutrients essential for immuno-competency and play a significant role in the prevention of adverse pregnancy outcomes. Immune function and pregnancy outcomes can be improved by adequate intake of micronutrients in diet or in supplements form. Based on regulatory links between viral infection, micronutrients, immunity, and pregnancy outcomes, this review highlights the role of micronutrients in boosting immunity to reduce or prevent pregnancy complications in COVID-19 infected women.

scholarly journals Maternal Homocysteine before Conception and throughout Pregnancy Predicts Fetal Homocysteine and Birth Weight

2004 ◽  
Vol 50 (8) ◽  
pp. 1406-1412 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle M Murphy ◽  
John M Scott ◽  
Victoria Arija ◽  
Anne M Molloy ◽  
Joan D Fernandez-Ballart
Keyword(s):  
Folic Acid ◽  
Birth Weight ◽  
Confidence Interval ◽  
Pregnancy Outcome ◽  
Pregnancy Complications ◽  
Odds Ratio ◽  
Geometric Mean ◽  
Normal Pregnancy ◽  
Time Points ◽  
Total Homocysteine

Abstract Background: Increased homocysteine has been associated with pregnancy complications. Methods: We investigated prospectively the effect of maternal homocysteine on normal pregnancy outcome. The study included 93 women and their offspring; 39 of the women took folic acid during the second and/or third trimesters of pregnancy. We measured homocysteine at preconception; at weeks 8, 20, and 32 of pregnancy; during labor; and in the fetal cord; we also recorded birth weight. Results: Geometric mean (SE) maternal total homocysteine (tHcy) increased between 32 weeks of pregnancy and labor [7.98 (1.05) μmol/L in unsupplemented women and 6.26 (1.07) μmol/L in supplemented women; P <0.0001 for both]. Fetal tHcy was lower than maternal tHcy [6.39 (1.06) μmol/L in unsupplemented pregnancies (P <0.0001), and 5.18 (1.06) μmol/L in supplemented pregnancies (P <0.05)]. Maternal tHcy was correlated from preconception throughout pregnancy (8 weeks, r = 0.708; 20 weeks, r = 0.637; 32 weeks, r = 0.537; labor, r = 0.502; P <0.0001 for all time points) and with fetal tHcy [preconception, r = 0.255 (P <0.05); 8 weeks, r = 0.321 (P <0.01); 20 weeks, r = 0.469; 32 weeks, r = 0.550; labor, r = 0.624 (P <0.0001)]. Mothers in the highest tHcy tertile at 8 weeks of pregnancy were three times [odds ratio, 3.26 (95% confidence interval, 1.05–10.13); P <0.05] and at labor were four times [3.65 (1.15–11.56); P <0.05] more likely to give birth to a neonate in the lowest birth weight tertile. Neonates of mothers in the highest tHcy tertile at labor weighed, on average, 227.98 g less than those of mothers in the low and medium tertiles (P = 0.014). Conclusions: Supplemented mothers had lower tHcy at labor than unsupplemented mothers, as did their neonates. Maternal and fetal tHcy was significantly correlated throughout the study. Neonates of mothers in the highest tertile of homocysteine weighed less.

Inflammatory and Procoagulant Cytokine Levels During Pregnancy As Predictors of Adverse Complications

Blood ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 118 (21) ◽  
pp. 2296-2296
Author(s):  
Shannon Dibble ◽  
John Gianopolous ◽  
Ronald Potkul ◽  
Josephine Cunanan ◽  
Debra Hoppensteadt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Risk ◽  
Preterm Delivery ◽  
Pregnancy Complications ◽  
Normal Pregnancy ◽  
Maternal Plasma ◽  
High Risk Pregnancy ◽  
Protein Z ◽  
Risk Pregnancy ◽  
Tnf Α ◽  
Cytokine Levels

Abstract Abstract 2296 Introduction: Adverse complications of pregnancy include preterm delivery resulting from preterm labor, preeclampsia, and postpartum hemorrhage. Plasma cytokine levels and immunoregulatory proteins that are produced by gestational tissues and involved in inflammatory processes of pregnancy, have shown that perturbation of cytokine signaling networks is associated with preterm labor and preeclampsia. The purpose of this study was to identify the levels of various cytokines and other analytes associated with tissue damage, inflammation, and ischemia in maternal plasma samples taken throughout pregnancy and to determine whether these levels correlate with adverse conditions. Methods: This study examined plasma samples collected from populations of women (Hilleroed Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark) with high-risk pregnancy complications such as postpartum hemorrhage, preeclampsia, and multiple gestations (n=16), preterm delivery (n=20), and normal pregnancy (n=20). Citrated plasma samples were analyzed at different time points during pregnancy (< 21 weeks, 21–32 weeks, 33+ weeks). Maternal cytokine levels — IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, and TNF-α— were measured by ELISA (R&D Systems Quantikine®, Minneapolis, MN). The Hyphen Biomed (Paris, France) ZYMUTEST Anti-Protein Z, IgG ELISA assay was used to determine maternal levels of auto-antibodies to Protein Z. Results: IL-6 levels were elevated over the course of pregnancy in the preterm delivery group compared to the normal pregnancy, high-risk pregnancy, and normal control groups. Statistical differences were found between the preterm delivery group and the other groups at 21–32 weeks (P < 0.01) and 33+ weeks (P < 0.001). IL-10 was elevated in normal pregnancy and was statistically different compared to other patient groups at all time points (P < 0.05). TNF-α levels were elevated in the high-risk pregnancy group versus normal controls (P < 0.001 at < 21 weeks and P < 0.05 at 21–32 weeks). Statistical differences for TNF-α levels were also found between high-risk pregnancy and preterm delivery patients at < 21 weeks (P < 0.01). No statistical differences between patient groups were found for maternal plasma levels of IL-1β, IL-8, and auto-antibodies to Protein Z, IgG. Conclusion: Our results suggest that analysis of maternal plasma for IL-6 and IL-10 may be of value in the early prediction of pregnancy complications such as preterm delivery and other high-risk conditions. Elevated IL-6 levels can be measured in preterm delivery pregnancy patients as early as 21–32 weeks; thus, examining plasma IL-6 levels over the course of pregnancy may be beneficial for identifying pregnancies at risk for preterm delivery. Detecting reduced maternal plasma IL-10 levels compared to normal pregnancy may identify patients at risk for preterm delivery and high-risk pregnancy complications such as postpartum hemorrhage, preeclampsia and related vascular complications. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

scholarly journals The physiologic and therapeutic role of Heparin in implantation and placentation

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michela Quaranta ◽  
Offer Erez ◽  
Salvatore Andrea Mastrolia ◽  
Arie Koifman ◽  
Elad Leron ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pregnancy Complications ◽  
Intrauterine Growth Restriction ◽  
Preterm Labor ◽  
Normal Pregnancy ◽  
Fetal Demise ◽  
Therapeutic Role ◽  
Intrauterine Growth ◽  
Treatment And Prevention ◽  
Normal Gestation

Implantation, trophoblast development and placentation are crucial processes in the establishment and development of normal pregnancy. Abnormalities of these processes can lead to pregnancy complications named the great obstetrical syndromes (preeclampsia, intrauterine growth restriction, fetal demise, premature prelabor rupture or membranes, preterm labor, and recurrent pregnancy loss). There is mounting evidence regarding the physiological and therapeutic role of heparins in the establishment of normal gestation and as a modality for treatment and prevention of pregnancy complications. In this review we will summarize the properties and the physiological contribute of heparins to the success of implantation and placentation and normal pregnancy.

scholarly journals Trophoblast-derived hyaluronan promotes the regulatory phenotype of decidual macrophages

Reproduction ◽  
2019 ◽  
pp. 189-198 ◽  
Author(s):  
Songcun Wang ◽  
Fengrun Sun ◽  
Mutian Han ◽  
Yinghua Liu ◽  
Qinyan Zou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Extracellular Matrix ◽  
Signaling Pathways ◽  
Fetal Growth ◽  
Pregnancy Complications ◽  
Fetal Growth Restriction ◽  
Normal Pregnancy ◽  
M2 Polarization ◽  
Inflammatory Molecule ◽  
Regulatory Phenotype ◽  
Maternal Fetal Interface

There is delicate crosstalk between fetus-derived trophoblasts (Tros) and maternal cells during normal pregnancy. Dysfunctions in interaction are highly linked to some pregnancy complications, such as recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA), pre-eclampsia and fetal growth restriction. Hyaluronan (HA), the most abundant component of extracellular matrix, has been reported to act as both a pro- and an anti-inflammatory molecule. Previously, we reported that HA promotes the invasion and proliferation of Tros by activating PI3K/Akt and MAPK/ERK1/2 signaling pathways. While lower HA secretion by Tros was observed during miscarriages than that during normal pregnancies, in the present study, we further confirmed that higher secretion of HA by Tros could induce M2 polarization of macrophages at the maternal–fetal interface by interacting with CD44 and activating the downstream PI3K/Akt-STAT-3/STAT-6 signaling pathways. Furthermore, HA could restore the production of IL-10 and other normal pregnancy markers by decidual macrophages (dMφs) from RSA. These findings underline the important roles of HA in regulating the function of dMφs and maintaining a normal pregnancy.

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