Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
2.7
3.2
Journals
Life
Special Issues
Prognostic, Diagnostic or Therapeutic Strategies for Complications Associated with Pregnancy
share announcement

Prognostic, Diagnostic or Therapeutic Strategies for Complications Associated with Pregnancy

A special issue of Life (ISSN 2075-1729). This special issue belongs to the section "Medical Research".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (5 March 2023) | Viewed by 8759

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Małgorzata Lewandowska

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 60-781 Poznan, Poland
2. Medical Department, Lazarski University, 02-662 Warsaw, Poland
3. Gynecological and Obstetric Hospital of the Medical University of Poznan, 60-502 Poznan, Poland
Interests: selenium; nutrients; pregnancy complications; hypertension; anesthesia; risk factors; obesity; cancer
Prof. Dr. Stefan Sajdak

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Division of Gynecological, Surgery Department of Gynaecology Obstetrics and Gynaecological Oncology, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 60-535 Poznan, Poland
Interests: pregnancy; pregnancy complications; gynecology; cancers; gynecological operations
Dr. Monika Englert-Golon

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Division of Gynecological, Surgery Department of Gynaecology Obstetrics and Gynaecological Oncology, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 60-535 Poznan, Poland
Interests: pregnancy; pregnancy complications; gynecology; cancers; gynecological operations

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Pregnancy is a special time in a mother's life. Normal pregnancy is accompanied by physiological changes in the woman's body, which adapt the mother's organism to the requirements of the developing fetus. Pregnancy is a special period in the life of a fetus. Various factors of the intrauterine environment can determine the health of the newborn, which in turn can influence long-term health outcomes. Potentially, pregnancy ends in the birth of a healthy baby and a healthy mother begins caring for the newborn.

However, pregnancy can (adversely) affect a woman's health. Pregnancy-induced hypertension or gestational diabetes increase maternal and child morbidity. Another issue is cancers that develop in pregnant women; therapeutic implications, for example related to ethical and legal problems, result from the possible negative impact of cancer therapies on the developing fetus. When analyzing the whole range of complications, the problem of congenital malformations, which are the result of genetic and/or environmental factors, cannot be ignored. Physiological changes accompanying the development of pregnancy may also increase the risk of maternal mortality, e.g., due to anesthesia.

There is a continuing need to understand risk factors that may predict at an early stage (perhaps even before pregnancy) the development of complications or adverse newborn outcomes. More and more importance is attached to effective preventive and therapeutic strategies, and the development of nanotechnology allows us to overcome various existing barriers.

The aim of this Special Issue is to showcase articles on the following topics: biomarkers and advances in the diagnosis of maternal and neonatal complications, the development of novel therapeutic strategies, and the use of new molecular-testing methods to understand the pathogenesis of pregnancy complications. Work on a wide range of problems increasing the risk of maternal and fetal mortality and morbidity is also welcome.

Dr. Małgorzata Lewandowska
Prof. Dr. Stefan Sajdak
Dr. Monika Englert-Golon
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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Life is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2600 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

  • pregnancy complications
  • preeclampsia
  • gestational diabetes
  • adverse newborn outcomes
  • cancer during pregnancy
  • congenital malformations
  • maternal mortality
  • risk factors or predictors
  • diagnosis
  • prevention or therapy
  • obstetric anesthesia

Published Papers (5 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

19 pages, 1670 KiB  
Article
Prediction of Pregnancy-Associated Hypertension Using a Scoring System: A Multicenter Cohort Study
by Yun Sung Jo, Woo Jeng Kim, Sae Kyung Choi, Su Mi Kim, Jae Eun Shin, Ki Cheol Kil, Yeon Hee Kim, Jeong Ha Wie, Han Wool Kim, Subeen Hong and Hyun Sun Ko
Life 2023, 13(6), 1330; https://doi.org/10.3390/life13061330 - 6 Jun 2023
Viewed by 1157
Abstract
This study aimed to develop an early pregnancy risk scoring model for pregnancy-associated hypertension (PAH) based on maternal pre-pregnancy characteristics, such as mean arterial pressure (MAP), pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A) or neither. The perinatal databases of seven hospitals from January 2009 to December [...] Read more.
This study aimed to develop an early pregnancy risk scoring model for pregnancy-associated hypertension (PAH) based on maternal pre-pregnancy characteristics, such as mean arterial pressure (MAP), pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A) or neither. The perinatal databases of seven hospitals from January 2009 to December 2020 were randomly divided into a training set and a test set at a ratio of 70:30. The data of a total pregnant restricted population (women not taking aspirin during pregnancy) were analyzed separately. Three models (model 1, pre-pregnancy factors only; model 2, adding MAP; model 3, adding MAP and PAPP-A) and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) risk factors model were compared. A total of 2840 (8.11%) and 1550 (3.3%) women subsequently developed PAH and preterm PAH, respectively. Performances of models 2 and 3 with areas under the curve (AUC) over 0.82 in both total population and restricted population were superior to those of model 1 (with AUCs of 0.75 and 0.748, respectively) and the ACOG risk model (with AUCs of 0.66 and 0.66) for predicting PAH and preterm PAH. The final scoring system with model 2 for predicting PAH and preterm PAH showed moderate to good performance (AUCs of 0.78 and 0.79, respectively) in the test set. “A risk scoring model for PAH and preterm PAH with pre-pregnancy factors and MAP showed moderate to high performances. Further prospective studies for validating this scoring model with biomarkers and uterine artery Doppler or without them might be required”. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Prognostic, Diagnostic or Therapeutic Strategies for Complications Associated with Pregnancy)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

17 pages, 1016 KiB  
Article
A Pilot Study of Dietetic, Phenotypic, and Genotypic Features Influencing Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy in Women with Pregestational Diabetes Mellitus
by Karina dos Santos, Eliane Lopes Rosado, Ana Carolina Proença da Fonseca, Gabriella Pinto Belfort, Letícia Barbosa Gabriel da Silva, Marcelo Ribeiro-Alves, Verônica Marques Zembrzuski, Mario Campos, Jr., Lenita Zajdenverg, Michele Drehmer, J. Alfredo Martínez and Cláudia Saunders
Life 2023, 13(5), 1104; https://doi.org/10.3390/life13051104 - 28 Apr 2023
Viewed by 1220
Abstract
Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) are a leading cause of maternal and perinatal morbimortality. Dietetic, phenotypic, and genotypic factors influencing HDP were analyzed during a nutrigenetic trial in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (2016–2020). Pregnant women with pregestational diabetes mellitus (n = 70) were [...] Read more.
Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) are a leading cause of maternal and perinatal morbimortality. Dietetic, phenotypic, and genotypic factors influencing HDP were analyzed during a nutrigenetic trial in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (2016–2020). Pregnant women with pregestational diabetes mellitus (n = 70) were randomly assigned to a traditional or DASH diet group. Systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were measured during prenatal visits and HDP were diagnosed using international criteria. Phenotypic data were obtained from medical records and personal interviews. Genotyping for FTO and ADRB2 polymorphisms used RT-PCR. Linear mixed-effect models and time-to-event analyses were performed. The variables with significant effect on the risk for progression to HDP were: black skin color (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 8.63, p = 0.01), preeclampsia in previous pregnancy (aHR 11.66, p < 0.01), SBP ≥ 114 mmHg in the third trimester (aHR 5.56, p 0.04), DBP ≥ 70 mmHg in the first trimester (aHR 70.15, p = 0.03), mean blood pressure > 100 mmHg (aHR 18.42, p = 0.03), and HbA1c ≥ 6.41% in the third trimester (aHR 4.76, p = 0.03). Dietetic and genotypic features had no significant effect on the outcome, although there was limited statistical power to test both. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Prognostic, Diagnostic or Therapeutic Strategies for Complications Associated with Pregnancy)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

16 pages, 322 KiB  
Article
Calcium, Potassium, Sodium, and Magnesium Concentrations in the Placenta, Umbilical Cord, and Fetal Membrane from Women with Multiple Pregnancies
by Konrad Grzeszczak, Patrycja Kapczuk, Patrycja Kupnicka, Elżbieta Cecerska-Heryć, Sebastian Kwiatkowski, Dariusz Chlubek and Danuta Kosik-Bogacka
Life 2023, 13(1), 153; https://doi.org/10.3390/life13010153 - 5 Jan 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2556
Abstract
Calcium (Ca), potassium (K), sodium (Na), and magnesium (Mg) are the elements responsible for the fundamental metabolic and biochemical processes in the cells of the body. The demand for these elements increases significantly during pregnancy, where an adequate supply protects women from the [...] Read more.
Calcium (Ca), potassium (K), sodium (Na), and magnesium (Mg) are the elements responsible for the fundamental metabolic and biochemical processes in the cells of the body. The demand for these elements increases significantly during pregnancy, where an adequate supply protects women from the hypertension common in pre-eclampsia and preterm labor. This study aimed to evaluate the association between macro-elements (Ca, Mg, Na, and K) in the placenta, fetal membrane, and umbilical cord and the morphometric parameters of newborns from multiple pregnancies. The study involved 57 pregnant European women with healthy uncomplicated twin pregnancies (n = 52) and triple pregnancies (n = 5); 40 pairs of dichorionic diamniotic twins, 11 pairs of monochorionic diamniotic twins, 1 pair of monochorionic monoamniotic twins, 3 trichorionic triamniotic triplets, and 2 dichorionic triamniotic triplets. Placentas (n = 107), umbilical cords (n = 114), and fetal membranes (n = 112) were collected immediately following delivery, and then weighed and measured. The levels of Ca, K, Na, and Mg were determined using inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) in a Thermo Scientific ICAP 7400 Duo (Waltham, MA, USA). The respective mean concentrations of Ca, K, Na, and Mg (mg/kg−1 dry mass) were: 2466, 8873, 9323, and 436 in the placenta; 957, 6173, 26,757, and 326 in the umbilical cord, and 1252, 7460, 13,562, and 370 in the fetal membrane. In the studied materials from northwestern Poland, we found strong positive correlations between Ca and Mg concentrations in both the umbilical cord (r = 0.81, p = 0.00) and the fetal membrane (r = 0.73, p = 0.00); between K and Mg concentrations in the umbilical cord (r = 0.73, p = 0.00); between Ca and K concentrations in the fetal membrane (r = 0.73, p = 0.00), and we found moderately positive correlations between placental Ca concentration and placental weight (ρ = 0.42, p = 0.00) and between umbilical cord Mg concentrations and the length of the pregnancy (ρ = 0.42, p = 0.00). Negative correlations were found between Na and Ca concentrations in the fetal membrane (r = −0.40, p = 0.00) and Na concentrations in the fetal membrane and Mg concentrations in the placenta (r = −0.16, p = 0.02). Negative correlations were confirmed between the length of pregnancy and head circumference (ρ = −0.42; p = 0.00), infant weight (ρ = −0.42; p = 0.00), infant length (ρ = −0.49; p = 0.00), shoulder width (ρ = −0.49; p = 0.00); and between the infant weight and head circumference (ρ = −0.62; p = 0.00), weight before delivery (ρ = −0.36; p = 0.00), infant length (ρ = −0.45; p = 0.00), shoulder width (ρ = −0.63; p = 0.00), and weight gain during pregnancy (ρ = −0.31; p = 0.01). We found statistically significant correlations between cigarette smoking before pregnancy and the women’s weight before delivery (ρ = 0.32, p = 0.00), and a negative correlation between the women’s ages and infant head circumference (ρ = −0.20, p = 0.02). This is probably the first study to evaluate Ca, Na, K, and Mg concentrations in the afterbirth tissues of multiple pregnancies. It adds to the knowledge of elemental concentrations in multiple pregnancies and their possible effects on fetal morphometric parameters. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Prognostic, Diagnostic or Therapeutic Strategies for Complications Associated with Pregnancy)
7 pages, 415 KiB  
Article
Fasting Plasma Glucose and Its Relationship to Anthropometric Phenotype in Women Diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes According to IADPSG Criteria
by Ondrej Krystynik, Dominika Macakova, Lubica Cibickova and David Karasek
Life 2023, 13(1), 137; https://doi.org/10.3390/life13010137 - 4 Jan 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1718
Abstract
Background: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is characterized by new-onset hyperglycemia in pregnancy. According to the International Association of Diabetes and Pregnancy Study Groups (IADPSG) recommendations, GDM may be diagnosed based on repeatedly increased fasting glucose levels in the first trimester, or later, the [...] Read more.
Background: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is characterized by new-onset hyperglycemia in pregnancy. According to the International Association of Diabetes and Pregnancy Study Groups (IADPSG) recommendations, GDM may be diagnosed based on repeatedly increased fasting glucose levels in the first trimester, or later, the detection of increased fasting glucose and/or increased glucose levels during a 75 g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). The study aimed to assess whether differences may be found between women diagnosed with GDM by fasting glucose or glucose challenge tests in early or late pregnancy. Methods: The retrospective observational study enrolled 418 women diagnosed with GDM in accordance with the IADPSG criteria: early pregnancy fasting plasma glucose (FPG) ≥ 5.1 mmol/L; late pregnancy FPG ≥ 5.1 mmol/L (0 min) and/or postprandial plasma glucose (PPG) ≥ 10.0 mmol/L (60 min), PPG ≥ 8.5 mmol/L (120 min) 75 g OGTT. The analyses included anthropometric parameters at the beginning and during pregnancy, laboratory values of glycated hemoglobin, fructosamine, birth weight measures and the presence of neonatal complications. Results: There were significant differences in body weight (78.3 ± 19.1; 74.0 ± 16.7; 67.2 ± 15.7 kg) and body mass index (BMI) (27.9 ± 6.6; 26.4 ± 5.8; 24.4 ± 5.2 kg/m2) in early pregnancy. Differences were also found in gestational weight gain (9.3 ± 6.8 vs. 12.4 ± 6.9 vs. 11.1 ± 4.7 kg) and the need for insulin therapy (14.7%; 7.1%; 4.0%). The study revealed no difference in the presence of neonatal complications but differences in birth weight (3372.2 ± 552.2 vs. 3415.6 ± 529.0 vs. 3199.0 ± 560.5 g). Conclusions: Gestational diabetes, characterized by FPG ≥ 5.1 mmol/L in early pregnancy, is associated with higher body weight and BMI at the beginning of pregnancy as well as with a higher risk for insulin therapy and increased birth weight. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Prognostic, Diagnostic or Therapeutic Strategies for Complications Associated with Pregnancy)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

16 pages, 1359 KiB  
Article
Effects of Pre-Pregnancy Overweight/Obesity on the Pattern of Association of Hypertension Susceptibility Genes with Preeclampsia
by Maria Abramova, Maria Churnosova, Olesya Efremova, Inna Aristova, Evgeny Reshetnikov, Alexey Polonikov, Mikhail Churnosov and Irina Ponomarenko
Life 2022, 12(12), 2018; https://doi.org/10.3390/life12122018 - 3 Dec 2022
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 1537
Abstract
The aim of this study was to explore the effects of pre-pregnancy overweight/obesity on the pattern of association of hypertension susceptibility genes with preeclampsia (PE). Ten single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the 10 genome-wide association studies (GWAS)-significant hypertension/blood pressure (BP) candidate genes were genotyped [...] Read more.
The aim of this study was to explore the effects of pre-pregnancy overweight/obesity on the pattern of association of hypertension susceptibility genes with preeclampsia (PE). Ten single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the 10 genome-wide association studies (GWAS)-significant hypertension/blood pressure (BP) candidate genes were genotyped in 950 pregnant women divided into two cohorts according to their pre-pregnancy body mass index (preBMI): preBMI ≥ 25 (162 with PE and 159 control) and preBMI < 25 (290 with PE and 339 control). The PLINK software package was utilized to study the association (analyzed four genetic models using logistic regression). The functionality of PE-correlated loci was analyzed by performing an in silico database analysis. Two SNP hypertension/BP genes, rs805303 BAG6 (OR: 0.36–0.66) and rs167479 RGL3 (OR: 1.86), in subjects with preBMI ≥ 25 were associated with PE. No association between the studied SNPs and PE in the preBMI < 25 group was determined. Further analysis showed that two PE-associated SNPs are functional (have weighty eQTL, sQTL, regulatory, and missense values) and could be potentially implicated in PE development. In conclusion, this study was the first to discover the modifying influence of overweight/obesity on the pattern of association of GWAS-significant hypertension/BP susceptibility genes with PE: these genes are linked with PE in preBMI ≥ 25 pregnant women and are not PE-involved in the preBMI < 25 group. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Prognostic, Diagnostic or Therapeutic Strategies for Complications Associated with Pregnancy)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-5
Back to TopTop