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Healthcare
Special Issues
Improving Adolescent Girls’ and Women’s Health and Nutrition
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Improving Adolescent Girls’ and Women’s Health and Nutrition

A special issue of Healthcare (ISSN 2227-9032).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2026) | Viewed by 2400

Editors

Dr. Csilla Mišľanová

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Nutrition, Faculty of Nursing and Professional Health Studies, Slovak Medical University, 83303 Bratislava, Slovakia
Interests: nutrition; analytical chemistry; chromatography; mass spectrometry; sample preparation; environmental studies
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Martina Valachovičová

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Nutrition, Faculty of Nursing and Professional Health Studies, Slovak Medical University, 83303 Bratislava, Slovakia
Interests: biochemistry; environmental studies; cytology; commet assay
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Adolescent girls and women face unique health and nutrition challenges that significantly influence their overall well-being, productivity, and the health of future generations. Solving these challenges is inevitable for advancing gender equality, improving public health outcomes, and achieving sustainable development goals. This Special Issue aims to explore innovative research, evidence-based interventions, and policy approaches designed to enhance the health and nutritional status of adolescent girls and women in different environments. The clarification of strategies to combat malnutrition, address reproductive health needs, and promote equity in access to healthcare services is possible by researching the interplay between biological, social, and environmental factors. The insights derived from these studies will support applicable solutions to improve quality of life and empower adolescent girls and women worldwide.

Dr. Csilla Mišľanová
Dr. Martina Valachovičová
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Healthcare is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • adolescent girls
  • women
  • health
  • nutrition
  • malnutrition
  • health policy
  • gender equality
  • reproductive health
  • public health

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 692 KB  
Article
Longitudinal Assessment of Oxidative Stress Biomarkers During Physiological Pregnancy and Their Relevance for Maternal Healthcare
by Martina Valachovičová and Csilla Mišľanová
Healthcare 2026, 14(13), 1878; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare14131878 - 27 Jun 2026
Viewed by 427
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Pregnancy is characterized by profound metabolic and physiological adaptations that influence systemic redox balance. Longitudinal data assessing trimester-specific changes in antioxidant status and oxidative stress markers remain limited. Methods: In this longitudinal study, plasma levels of non-enzymatic antioxidants (vitamins A, C, E, [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Pregnancy is characterized by profound metabolic and physiological adaptations that influence systemic redox balance. Longitudinal data assessing trimester-specific changes in antioxidant status and oxidative stress markers remain limited. Methods: In this longitudinal study, plasma levels of non-enzymatic antioxidants (vitamins A, C, E, and carotenoids) and oxidative stress markers (malondialdehyde, conjugated dienes, protein carbonyls, and DNA strand breaks) were analyzed in 31 healthy non-smoking pregnant women during the first, second, and third trimester. Environmental tobacco smoke exposure was evaluated using urinary cotinine. Statistical analyses were performed using Friedman repeated-measures tests followed by Dunn’s post hoc comparisons with Benjamini–Hochberg false discovery rate correction. Results: Vitamin A was the only antioxidant that consistently decreased across all trimesters and represented the only antioxidant marker showing a consistent decline. In contrast, α-tocopherol, γ-tocopherol, xanthophylls, and lycopene increased significantly during gestation, whereas vitamin C remained relatively stable. Markers of oxidative damage, including malondialdehyde, conjugated dienes, protein carbonyls, and DNA strand breaks, showed significant trimester-dependent increases. Total antioxidant capacity (FRAP) remained unchanged throughout pregnancy. Conclusions: Physiological pregnancy is characterized by coordinated, marker-specific adaptations in systemic redox balance. Vitamin A was the only antioxidant showing a consistent decline across gestation, whereas several lipid-soluble antioxidants increased and total antioxidant capacity remained stable. These findings indicate that pregnancy is associated with increased oxidative activity accompanied by preservation of systemic antioxidant capacity rather than global antioxidant depletion. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Improving Adolescent Girls’ and Women’s Health and Nutrition)
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13 pages, 1061 KB  
Article
Selenoprotein S and the Causal Risk of Hypertension in Pregnancy: A Mendelian Randomization Study
by Mengqi Cai, Wenrui Lv, Yan He, Weili Liu and Yuzhen Gao
Healthcare 2025, 13(18), 2383; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare13182383 - 22 Sep 2025
Viewed by 1235
Abstract
Background: Pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH) affects approximately 10% of pregnancies worldwide, representing a leading cause of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. The relationship between plasma selenium levels and PIH remains controversial, with observational studies limited by confounding factors. Selenoprotein S (SELENOS) has emerged [...] Read more.
Background: Pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH) affects approximately 10% of pregnancies worldwide, representing a leading cause of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. The relationship between plasma selenium levels and PIH remains controversial, with observational studies limited by confounding factors. Selenoprotein S (SELENOS) has emerged as a potential biomarker for PIH risk. As one of the carrier proteins for dietary selenium, SELENOS plays a crucial role in oxidative stress and inflammatory pathways. However, the causal relationship between the plasma levels of the SELENOS and PIH development remains unclear. This study employed Mendelian randomization (MR) to investigate the causal link between the plasma levels of the SELENOS and PIH risk, providing evidence for preventive strategies. Methods: We conducted a two-sample MR analysis using genome-wide association study (GWAS) summary statistics from the INTERVAL study and FinnGen consortium. The analysis included individuals of European ancestry, utilizing the inverse-variance weighted (IVW) method as the primary approach. Comprehensive sensitivity analyses were performed to address potential pleiotropy and strengthen causal inference. Results: The analysis encompassed 3301 samples for the plasma levels of the SELENOS and 7686 PIH cases, 1109 pre-existing hypertension (PEH) cases, 4255 gestational hypertension (GH) cases, and 83 preeclampsia (PE) cases superimposed on chronic hypertension, alongside approximately 115,000 controls. Genetic variabilities that have been found to be accompanied by elevated levels of plasma selenioprotein levels showed significant associations with increased risk of PIH [odds ratio (OR) 1.078, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.031–1.126, p = 0.001], PEH (OR 1.232, 95% CI 1.105–1.373, p < 0.001), and GH (OR 1.111, 95% CI 1.047–1.180, p = 0.001), with suggestive associations for preeclampsia superimposed on chronic hypertension (OR 1.590, 95% CI 1.078–2.344, p = 0.019). Conclusions: This study provides robust genetic evidence for a causal relationship between the plasma levels of the SELENOS and PIH risk, establishing SELENOS as a potential modifiable risk factor with significant clinical implications. These findings support the development of personalized selenium management strategies during pregnancy and highlight the potential for early screening and targeted interventions to improve maternal and fetal outcomes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Improving Adolescent Girls’ and Women’s Health and Nutrition)
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