Maternal dyslipidemia and altered cholesterol metabolism in early pregnancy as a risk factor for small for gestational age neonates

A prospective study on maternal periodontal diseases and neonatal adverse outcomes

OBJECTIVE

It is evident that periodontitis is linked to various adverse pregnancy outcomes. This prospective study explored the potential link of maternal periodontal diseases to neonatal adverse outcomes.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A total of 193 generally healthy females in their third trimester (34-36 weeks) of pregnancy were enrolled. All subjects received full-mouth periodontal assessment, and the periodontal inflamed surface area (PISA) was calculated. Demographic data, lifestyles and anthropometric measurements of the neonates (e.g., body length and head circumference) were recorded. Herein, small-for-gestational age (SGA) referred to gender- and age-adjusted birth weight below the 10th percentile in line with the standard reference. Multivariable logistic regression analysis and restricted cubic spline were performed for examining the association of periodontal parameters with SGA.  Results: There were 8.3% (16/193) of neonates with SGA. Significantly positive correlation existed between the percentage of tooth sites with increased probing depth and an elevated risk of SGA (OR: 1.052; P < 0.05). Yet, the PISA was positively associated with the risk of SGA (OR: 1.002; P < 0.05) as well. No significant link occurred between maternal periodontal status and other neonatal outcome measures.

CONCLUSION

Within the limitations of this study, the findings suggest that there could be a link between maternal periodontal diseases and neonatal adverse outcomes like SGA. Further investigation is required to clarify the current findings and potential implications for promoting maternal oral/periodontal health and newborn health.

Changes in Lipid Profiles with the Progression of Pregnancy in Black Women

Background/Objectives: Lipid metabolism plays an important role in maternal health and fetal development. There is a gap in the knowledge of how lipid metabolism changes during pregnancy for Black women who are at a higher risk of adverse outcomes. We hypothesized that the comprehensive lipidome profiles would show variation across pregnancy indicative of requirements during gestation and fetal development. Methods: Black women were recruited at prenatal clinics. Plasma samples were collected at 8-18 weeks (T1), 22-29 weeks (T2), and 30-36 weeks (T3) of pregnancy. Samples from 64 women who had term births (≥37 weeks gestation) were subjected to "shotgun" Orbitrap mass spectrometry. Mixed-effects models were used to quantify systematic changes and dimensionality reduction models were used to visualize patterns and identify reliable lipid signatures. Results: Total lipids and major lipid classes showed significant increases with the progression of pregnancy. Phospholipids and glycerolipids exhibited a gradual increase from T1 to T2 to T3, while sphingolipids and total sterol lipids displayed a more pronounced increase from T2 to T3. Acylcarnitines, hydroxy acylcarnitines, and Lyso phospholipid levels significantly decreased from T1 to T3. A deviation was that non-esterified fatty acids decreased from T1 to T2 and increased again from T2 to T3, suggestive of a potential role for these lipids during the later stages of pregnancy. The fatty acids showing this trend included key fatty acids-non-esterified Linoleic acid, Arachidonic acid, Alpha-linolenic acid, Eicosapentaenoic acid, Docosapentaenoic acid, and Docosahexaenoic acid. Conclusions: Mapping lipid patterns and identifying lipid signatures would help develop intervention strategies to reduce perinatal health disparities among pregnant Black women.

Cell cycle control by the insulin-like growth factor signal: at the crossroad between cell growth and mitotic regulation

In proliferating cells and tissues a number of checkpoints (G1/S and G2/M) preceding cell division (M-phase) require the signal provided by growth factors present in serum. IGFs (I and II) have been demonstrated to constitute key intrinsic components of the peptidic active fraction of mammalian serum. In vivo genetic ablation studies have shown that the cellular signal triggered by the IGFs through their cellular receptors represents a non-replaceable requirement for cell growth and cell cycle progression. Retroactive and current evaluation of published literature sheds light on the intracellular circuitry activated by these factors providing us with a better picture of the pleiotropic mechanistic actions by which IGFs regulate both cell size and mitogenesis under developmental growth as well as in malignant proliferation. The present work aims to summarize the cumulative knowledge learned from the IGF ligands/receptors and their intracellular signaling transducers towards control of cell size and cell-cycle with particular focus to their actionable circuits in human cancer. Furthermore, we bring novel perspectives on key functional discriminants of the IGF growth-mitogenic pathway allowing re-evaluation on some of its signal components based upon established evidences.

Association between maternal lipid levels during pregnancy and delivery of small for gestational age: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Studies investigating the relationship between gestational dyslipidemia and small for gestational age (SGA) have reported differing results. This review was performed to determine whether maternal lipid levels during pregnancy were associated with SGA.

METHODS

Literature searches for relevant studies were conducted systematically from establishment until February 2022 with PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library and Web of Science. Risk of bias was assessed with the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale and 11-item checklist. According to the classification of GHD parameters, meta-analyses reporting cases regarding total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) and high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) were performed respectively. If I² ≥ 50%, considered to demonstrate substantial heterogeneity, the random effect model was employed. Otherwise, a fixed effect model was employed.

RESULTS

Eight studies (14,213 pregnancies) were included. Decreased levels of TC (MD -0.13; 95% CI -0.24 to -0.02), TG (MD -0.09; 95% CI -0.14 to -0.03) and LDL-C (MD -0.12; 95% CI -0.23 to -0.00) were risk factors for SGA infant birth. No evident association was observed between HDL-C and delivery of SGA (MD -0.08; 95% CI -0.19 to 0.02).

CONCLUSION

Gestations complicated with dyslipidemia, especially lower concentrations of TC, TG and LDL-C, were at significantly higher risk of delivery of SGA.

SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION

[www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero], identifier [CRD42022304648].