Placenta

BACKGROUND: To assess the predictive capabilities of serum exosomal levels of micro-RNA-520a-5p (miR-520a-5p) concerning the occurrence of severe preeclampsia (sPE) and fetal growth restriction (FGR) during the first trimester of pregnancy. METHODS: During the period spanning from October 2020 to October 2021, serum samples were procured from the first trimester and subsequently preserved by freezing at -80 ℃. These samples were obtained from 105 pregnant women in a nested case-control study...

AIM: This aim of this study was to detail maternal and fetal anomalies observed on a national scale in a large French cohort of patients presenting high hCG values (≥10 multiple of the median [MoM]) at Down syndrome screening in order to define clear and optimal guidelines. METHODS: This is a retrospective multicenter study based on a French annual database of all trisomy 21 screenings. Our study targeted and studied cases with hCG or hCGβ values ≥10 MoM...

OBJECTIVE: Placenta accreta spectrum (PAS) is a complex disorder of uterine wall disruption with significant morbidity and mortality, particularly at time of delivery. Both physician and physical hospital resource allocation/utilization remains a challenge in PAS cases including intensive care unit (ICU) beds. The primary objective of the present study was to identify preoperative risk factors for ICU admission and create an ICU admission prediction model for patient counseling and resource utilization decision making in an evidence-based manner...

Metformin use in pregnancy is increasing worldwide. Unlike insulin, metformin crosses the placenta. Consequently, maternal and fetal concentrations are comparable. Teratogenic effects are not reported, nor are adverse pregnancy outcomes. Reduced risk of hypertensive disorders, hypoglycemia, and macrosomia are potential benefits, together with lower gestational weight gain. Although metformin has been prescribed for pregnant women during the last 40 years, long-term data regarding offspring outcomes are still lacking...

INTRODUCTION: 'Highly effective' modulator therapies (HEMTs) have radically changed the Cystic Fibrosis (CF) therapeutic landscape. These novel therapeutic approaches have permitted unprecedented opportunities for quality-of-life improvement and for enhancing people with CF's (pwCF) life expectancy. AREAS COVERED: The aim of this review is to describe the current knowledge gaps. A comprehensive search strategy was undertaken to assess impact of HEMT in life of pwCF, treatment challenges in specific populations such as very young children, and research needs...

One of the main causes of human brucellosis is Brucella melitensis infecting small ruminants. To date, Rev1 is the only vaccine successfully used to control ovine and caprine brucellosis. However, it is pathogenic for pregnant animals, resulting in abortions and vaginal and milk shedding, as well as being infectious for humans. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop an effective vaccine that is safer than Rev1. In efforts to further attenuate Rev1, we recently used wzm inactivation to generate a rough mutant (Rev1Δwzm) that retains a complete antigenic O-polysaccharide in the bacterial cytoplasm...

The objective of this prospective cohort study was to determine if progesterone (P4) profiles differed between dairy cows with or without inflammatory disorders early postpartum. A total of 708 cows from 2 commercial herds were enrolled 3 wk before parturition and examined for clinical health disorders (retained placenta, metritis, displaced abomasum, mastitis, or lameness) until 5 wk postpartum. Serum haptoglobin (Hp) was measured in blood at 2 and 6 (±2) DIM, metritis was assessed at 4, 8, 11, and 15 DIM, and purulent vaginal discharge and endometritis (≥6% polymorphonuclear cells in endometrial cytology sampled by cytobrush) were assessed at 35 ± 3 DIM...

Triphenyl phosphate (TPhP) is an organophosphate flame retardant that is widely used in many commercial products. The United States Environmental Protection Agency has listed TPhP as a priority compound that requires health risk assessment. We previously found that TPhP could accumulate in the placentae of mice and impair birth outcomes by activating peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) in the placental trophoblast. However, the underlying mechanism remains unknown. In this study, we used a mouse intrauterine exposure model and found that TPhP induced preeclampsia (PE)-like symptoms, including new on-set gestational hypertension and proteinuria...

BACKGROUND: Preeclampsia is a multifaceted syndrome that includes maternal vascular dysfunction. We hypothesize that increased placental glycolysis and hypoxia in preeclampsia lead to increased levels of methylglyoxal (MGO), consequently causing vascular dysfunction. METHODS: Plasma samples and placentas were collected from uncomplicated and preeclampsia pregnancies. Uncomplicated placentas and trophoblast cells (BeWo) were exposed to hypoxia. The reactive dicarbonyl MGO and advanced glycation end products (Nε -(carboxymethyl)lysine [CML], Nε -(carboxyethyl)lysine [CEL], and MGO-derived hydroimidazolone [MG-H]) were quantified using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry...

PURPOSE: Deformable medial modeling is an inverse skeletonization approach to representing anatomy in medical images, which can be used for statistical shape analysis and assessment of patient-specific anatomical features such as locally varying thickness. It involves deforming a pre-defined synthetic skeleton, or template, to anatomical structures of the same class. The lack of software for creating such skeletons has been a limitation to more widespread use of deformable medial modeling...

During gestation, maternal blood flow to the umbilical cord and placenta increases, facilitating efficient nutrient absorption, waste elimination, and effective gas exchange for the developing fetus. However, the effects of exposure to wood smoke during this period on these processes are unknown. We hypothesize that exposure to PM2.5, primarily sourced from wood combustion for home heating, affects placental vascular morphophysiology and fetal size. We used exposure chambers that received either filtered or unfiltered air...

BACKGROUND: Intact cord resuscitation in the first three minutes of life improves oxygenation and Apgar scores. The practise of intact cord resuscitation implies the umbilical cord still being connected to the placenta for at least one minute while providing temperature control and equipment for resuscitation. Healthcare professionals described practical challenges in providing intact cord resuscitation. This study aimed to explore neonatal healthcare professionals' experiences of providing intact cord resuscitation in the mother's bed...

It is known that maternal immunoglobulins (Igs) are transferred to the offspring across the placenta. However, receiving maternal Igs, especially before the blood-brain barrier (BBB) is formed in the offspring's brain, carries the risk of transferring some brain-reactive Igs. It is thus hypothesized that there may be some unknown benefit to the offspring's brain that overweighs this risk. In this study, we show that the Ig detected in the embryonic/perinatal mouse brain is IgG not produced by the pups themselves, but is basically transferred from the mother across the placenta using the neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn) during embryonic stages...

Exosomes or small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) are present in the blood of pregnant mice and considered to be involved in pregnancy physiology. Although sEVs in pregnant periods are proposed to be derived from placentas, sEVs-producing cells are not well known in mouse placentas. We studied the dynamics and localization of sEVs in pregnant serum and placentas, and examined gestational variation of microRNA (miRNA). Serums and placentas were collected from non-pregnant (NP) and pregnant mice throughout the entire gestational day (Gd)...

The placenta secretes a prolactin (PRL)-like hormone PRL3B1 (placental lactogen II), a luteotropic hormone essential for maintaining pregnancy until labor in mice. A report from 1984 examined the secretion pattern of PRL3B1 in prepartum mice. In the current study, we found contradictory findings in the secretion pattern that invalidate the previous report. By measuring maternal plasma PRL3B1 and PRL every 4 hrs from gestational day 17 (G17), we newly discovered that maternal plasma PRL3B1 levels decrease rapidly in prepartum C57BL/6 mice...

The enzymatic activity of the aspartic protease, renin, is critical for its function in blood pressure regulation and sodium homeostasis. Incubation of so-called native prorenin at low pH leads to its activation. After binding to transition-state mimicking renin inhibitors at neutral pH, prorenin attains the active conformation, as indicated by immunosorbent assay using monoclonal antibodies specific for epitopes of the prosegment or the renin body. A comparison of immunosorbent assay with enzyme-kinetic assay revealed the intermediary steps of prorenin auto-activation/inactivation...

Cannabidivarin (CBDV) and cannabigerol (CBG) are minor phytocannabinoids from Cannabis sativa, whose health benefits have been reported. However, studies about the impact of these cannabinoids on fundamental cellular processes in placentation are scarce. Placental development involves physiological endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, however when exacerbated it can lead to altered angiogenesis and pregnancy disorders, such as intrauterine growth restriction and preeclampsia. In this work, the effects of CBDV and CBG (1-10 µM) on placental extravillous trophoblasts were studied, using the in vitro model HTR-8/SVneo cells...

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to evaluate the origin of the neonatal gut microbiota on the 14th day and probiotic intervention in the third trimester. METHODS: Samples were obtained from a total of 30 pregnant individuals and their offspring, divided into a control group with no intervention and a probiotic group with live combined Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus tablets, analyzing by 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing of the V4 region to evaluate the composition of them...

Human trophoblast stem cells (hTSCs) have emerged as a powerful tool for modeling the placental cytotrophoblast (CTB) in vitro. hTSCs were originally derived from CTBs of the first trimester placenta or blastocyst-stage embryos in trophoblast stem cell medium (TSCM) that contains epidermal growth factor (EGF), the glycogen synthase kinase-beta (GSK3β) inhibitor CHIR99021, the transforming growth factor-beta (TGFβ) inhibitors A83-01 and SB431542, valproic acid (VPA), and the Rho-associated protein kinase (ROCK) inhibitor Y-27632...

Background: The cannabinoid receptor (CBR) plays a significant role in oogenesis, pregnancy, and childbirth. It might also play a significant role in preterm birth (PTB). The aim of the study was to investigate the association between the expression of the CBR in the placenta and the incidence of PTB. Methods: This prospective, observational, multicentre preliminary study was conducted on placental samples obtained from 109 women. The study included 95 patients hospitalized due to the high risk of PTB. They were divided into two groups: Group 1, where the expression of the CBR1 and CBR1a was analyzed, and Group 2, in which we examined CBR2 expression...