Gestational Diabetes: Cutting-Edge Research and Clinical Practice

A special issue of Journal of Clinical Medicine (ISSN 2077-0383). This special issue belongs to the section "Endocrinology & Metabolism".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 26 July 2025 | Viewed by 1818

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Pathophysiology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, 62500 Brno, Czech Republic
Interests: diabetes; gestational diabetes; diabetes in pregnancy; diabetic nephropathy; metabolic syndrome; genetics of diabetes

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is rising in prevalance worldwide and is a potential metabolic risk for mother and child in their future life. Diagnosis is usually achieved in the second trimester of pregnancy by the IADPSG criteria and many scientists try to suggest/find specific markers to precise the diagnosis as soon as possible. Also, the treatment of gestational diabetes is not unified; diet is the best start, although some patients need more therapy in the form of insulin or metformin. One serious problem is the finding that about one-half of women with GDM do not present for repeated oral glucose tolerance tests after delivery.

In this Special Issue, we welcome authors to submit papers on the clinical advancements in diagnosis, treatment and compliance, as well as new knowledge about the metabolic risk of mothers and their offsprings after GDM pregnancy.

Dr. Vendula Bartakova
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • gestational diabetes mellitus
  • oral glucose tolerance test
  • treatment
  • pregnancy
  • peripartal outcomes

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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15 pages, 1500 KiB  
Article
Potential Glycobiomarkers in Maternal Obesity and Gestational Diabetes During Human Pregnancy
by Anna Farkas, Andrea Suranyi, Balint Kolcsar, Zita Gyurkovits, Zoltan Kozinszky, Sandor G. Vari and Andras Guttman
J. Clin. Med. 2025, 14(5), 1626; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm14051626 - 27 Feb 2025
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Abstract
Introduction: Obesity is a rapidly growing common health problem worldwide that can lead to the development of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). However, GDM not only affects women with obesity but can also develop at any time, even after the OGTT test; therefore, an [...] Read more.
Introduction: Obesity is a rapidly growing common health problem worldwide that can lead to the development of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). However, GDM not only affects women with obesity but can also develop at any time, even after the OGTT test; therefore, an increasing number of complications related to GDM can be seen in both mothers and their children. It is necessary to discover biomarkers capable of indicating the development of GDM or complications during/after pregnancy. Since the N-glycosylation motif of human IgG has been described to change under many physiological and pathological conditions, it is a promising target for biomarker research. In our study, the effects of obesity and GDM were investigated on human serum IgG N-linked glycosylation patterns during human pregnancy. Materials and Methods: The study participants were categorized into four groups according to their body mass index (BMI) and GDM status: normal weight as control, obese (BMI > 30 kg/m2), normal weight with GDM, and obese with GDM. The released N-glycan components of IgG were separated with capillary electrophoresis and detected using a laser-induced fluorescence detector. Results: The result revealed several differences between the N-glycosylation patterns of the four study groups. Of this, 17 of the 20 identified structures differed significantly between the groups. The ratios of sialylated to non-sialylated structures were not changed significantly, but the core fucosylation level showed a significant decrease in the GDM and obese GDM groups compared to the control subjects. The lowest degree of core fucosylation was observed in the GDM group. Conclusions: The findings indicate that obesity in isolation does not have a significant impact on the IgG N-glycosylation pattern in pregnancy. Conversely, alterations in the N-glycan profile of antibodies may serve as biomarkers for the diagnosis of GDM in mothers with a normal BMI, although more evidence is needed. By incorporating glycan-based biomarkers into clinical practice, healthcare providers can improve early detection, personalize management strategies, and potentially mitigate adverse pregnancy outcomes associated with obesity and GDM. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Gestational Diabetes: Cutting-Edge Research and Clinical Practice)
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Systematic Review
Assessment of Environmental Risk Factors for Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: A Ten-Year Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
by Sophia Tsokkou, Stefanos-Timoleon Tzintros, Ioannis Konstantinidis, Antonios Keramas, Maria-Nefeli Georgaki, Eleni Stamoula and Alkis Matsas
J. Clin. Med. 2025, 14(5), 1646; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm14051646 - 28 Feb 2025
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Abstract
Background/Objectives: It is estimated that gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) affects approximately 14% of pregnant women. This is due to the inability of the body to produce enough insulin for gestation. With greater appearance during the second and third trimesters, GDM has a [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: It is estimated that gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) affects approximately 14% of pregnant women. This is due to the inability of the body to produce enough insulin for gestation. With greater appearance during the second and third trimesters, GDM has a multifactorial cause including hypertension, cardiovascular issues (CVD), family history both or either type two diabetes mellitus (T2DM) or GDM, obesity, advanced maternal age, and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). However, it has been suggested that except for genetic predisposition, environmental factors can increase the risk of GDM development to a great extent. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis is the examination of different environmental contributors that play a significant role in the development of GDM. Methods: The databases used were PubMed and ScienceDirect. The inclusion criteria were a 10-year duration (2014–2024), English language, research articles, and only humans included. Afterwards, tables were created to summarize the most important information from each article. Forest and funnel plots were created to assess the possibility of a greatly significant difference between each environmental contributor. Results: Initially, 9361 articles were found. After the automation tools were applied, 706 were left. The total number of articles used in the study after the screening process was 26. Through the systematic review analysis, the following risk factors were stated to play a contributing role with GDM: extreme temperatures (both high and low), organophosphorus flame retardants (OFRs), bisphenol A (BPA), selenium (Se), metallic elements, urinary antimony (Sb), trace elements, thiamine and riboflavin, and fine particulate matter PM2.5. Conclusions: Through this meta-analysis, it can be concluded that there is statistical significance for fine particulate matter PM2.5, especially in the first (p < 0.001) and second (p < 0.001) trimesters, proving the acknowledged connection between PM2.5 and GDM pathogenesis during pregnancy. Apart from that, fetal sex can play an important role in the development of GDM, as there is the greatest risk in males (p < 0.001), whereas no correlation between maternal smoking habit and bisphenol A with GDM was found. In conclusion, it can be stated that environmental factors can have a great impact on the development of GDM during the gestational period, but more studies must be carried out to reinforce our outcomes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Gestational Diabetes: Cutting-Edge Research and Clinical Practice)
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