This study aims to find new plasma biomarkers in early pregnancy.
The original study enrolled 1219 pregnant women. We investigated protein expression profiles of placental tissues from women with GDM ...(n = 89) and normal glucose tolerance (NGT) (n = 83). Maternal plasma samples between two groups in early and middle pregnancy were used for validation of candidate biomarkers.
Differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were identified by label-free quantitative proteomics from human placenta samples between two groups. Several DEPs were validated in plasma by Luminex assays. An automatic biochemical analyzer was used to detect blood lipid indexes. The associations of GAL-3BP with biochemical indicators were demonstrated by Pearson's correlation analysis. Binary logistic regression was used to model potential predictive indicators in early pregnancy of GDM. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of the predictive model and the value of GAL-3BP.
123 DEPs were found in placenta involved in ribosomal function, pancreatic secretion, oxidative phosphorylation, and inflammatory signaling pathway. Plasma GAL-3BP are significantly higher in women with GDM than NGT in the first (p = 0.008) and second (p = 0.026) trimester, but C9 and VWF have no difference. The predictive value of GAL-3BP in the first trimester of pregnancy (AUC 0.64) is better than that in the second trimester (AUC 0.61), and combined predictive model of TG and GAL-3BP at early pregnancy has greater predictive and diagnostic value for GDM (AUC 0.69) than individual GAL-3BP (AUC 0.64).
Plasma TG and GAL-3BP has good predictive and diagnostic value at early pregnancy, suggesting that these two indicators may be used as biomarkers for early prediction and diagnosis of GDM.
The advantage of this study is that circulating TG and GAL-3BP might differentiate the progress of women with GDM and normal glucose tolerance (NGT) at the early stage of pregnancy. It is the first study to consider the role of GAL-3BP as an early predictive biomarker in the development of GDM during the whole pregnancy. Another advantage is that volunteers in this study were recruited from two provinces in China to eliminate the impacts of environmental confounders. The similar changes of blood glucose/lipid indicators for women with GDM and NGT in both regions was found in the first and second trimester of pregnancy, which added to the reliability of analytical results.
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•Plasma GAL-3BP and TG levels are significantly higher in women with GDM than NGT at early stage.•Plasma GAL-3BP has good predictive and diagnostic value for GDM in early pregnancy.•Plasma GAL-3BP is an effective predictive biomarker for GDM.•There is no significant expression difference of plasma C9 and VWF in early and middle pregnancy.
Intervention studies have shown that long-chain (LC) n-3 PUFA intake can prolong gestation but the dose−time−effect relations remain unresolved.
We examined the effect on gestation duration of 2 ...doses of supplemental LC n-3 PUFAs.
We undertook a 3-group parallel randomized controlled trial in areas of China with low (median: 2.1 g/d) and higher (14.3 g/d) fish intake. Unselected women (median: age, 26.2 y; BMI, 20. kg/m2) were randomly assigned at midgestation to take four 0.72-g identical gelatin capsules per day until the last day of the preterm period (<259 days of gestation), when they were asked to stop. Capsules contained fish oil high fish oil (HFO) group (60% w/w LC n-3 PUFAs), a 1:3 mixture of fish oil to olive oil low fish oil (LFO) group (20%), or olive oil control (CON) group (0%), providing 2.0, 0.5, and 0 g/d of LC n-3 PUFAs, respectively. Habitual fish intake was recorded at baseline. Hazard rate ratios (HRRs) for spontaneous delivery <259 days of gestation and <273 days of gestation across groups were estimated by Cox regression.
Among 5531 women randomly assigned, 92.5% were included in analyses (1706/1825, 1695/1851, and 1717/1855, respectively). The groups were similar with respect to hazard rates <259 days of gestation HRR: 1.04 (95% CI: 0.70, 1.53) for LFO compared with CON and 0.90 (95% CI: 0.60, 1.35) for HFO compared with CON, hazard rates <273 days of gestation HRR: 1.00 (95% CI: 0.86, 1.18) and 0.91 (95% CI: 0.77, 1.07), respectively, and mean gestation durations differences: 0.2 d (95% CI: −0.5, 0.8) and 0.6 d (95% CI: −0.06, 1.2), respectively. Inspection of pregnancy survival curves suggested that LC n-3 PUFAs delayed delivery in low fish consumers by 5–10 d and that this effect ceased rapidly after stopping taking the capsules.
This trial could not substantiate that fish oil prevents preterm birth in Chinese women, possibly because statistical power was too low. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT02770456.
Abstract
Background
Maternal air pollutants exposure is associated with a number of adverse pregnancy outcomes, including recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA). However, the underlying mechanisms are ...still unknown. The present study aimed to understand the mechanism of RSA and its relationship with air pollution exposure. We compared data of decidual tissue from individuals with induced abortions and those with RSA by bulk RNA sequencing (RNA-seq), reduced representation bisulfite sequencing (RRBS), and single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq). Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were verified using RT-qPCR and pyrosequencing. A logistic regression model was used to investigate the association between air pollutants exposure and RSA.
Results
We identified 98 DEGs with aberrant methylation by overlapping the RRBS and RNA-seq data. Nineteen immune cell subsets were identified. Compared with normal controls, NK cells and macrophages accounted for different proportions in the decidua of patients with RSA. We observed that the methylation and expression of
IGF2BP1
were different between patients with RSA and controls. Furthermore, we observed significant positive associations between maternal air pollutants exposure during the year prior to pregnancy and in early pregnancy and the risk of RSA. Mediation analyses suggested that 24.5% of the effects of air pollution on the risk of RSA were mediated through
IGF2BP1
methylation.
Conclusion
These findings reveal a comprehensive cellular and molecular mechanism of RSA and suggest that air pollution might cause pregnancy loss by affecting the methylation level of the
IGF2BP1
promoter.
To identify novel genes associated with adverse effects of levonorgestrel (LNG) implants based on comparative whole-exome sequencing.
A cohort comprising 104 participants, including 52 controls and ...52 women with LNG-related adverse effects, was recruited. Seven cases and eight controls were selected for whole-exome sequencing. We verified 13 single nucleotide variations (SNVs) related with integrin-mediated signaling pathway and cell proliferation using the MassARRAY platform.
Finally, we screened 49 cases and 52 controls for analyses. Two SNVs (rs7255721 and rs1042522) were located in
and
, respectively, and significantly different between two groups. These two SNVs lead to changes in protein structure and physicochemical parameters.
Here, we defined two pathogenic mutations related to adverse LNG effects.
A novel plasmonic photo-Fenton catalyst of Ag/AgCl/Fe-S was synthesized by ion exchange and photoreduction methods. The obtained catalyst was characterized by X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron ...spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope imaging, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller measurements. Moreover, the photocatalytic activity of Ag/AgCl/Fe-S was investigated for its degradation activity towards bisphenol A (BPA) as target pollutant under visible light irradiation. The effects of H2O2 concentration, pH value, illumination intensity, and catalyst dosage on BPA degradation were examined. Our results indicated that the Ag/AgCl material was successfully loaded onto Fe-sepiolite and showed a high photocatalytic activity under illumination by visible light. Furthermore, active species capture experiments were performed to explore the photocatalytic mechanism of the Ag/AgCl/Fe-S in this heterogeneous photo-Fenton process, where the major active species included hydroxyl radicals (•OH) and holes (h+).
In a heterogeneous photo-Fenton system •OH radicals and holes are the major active species contributing to the high photocatalytic activity of Ag/AgCl/Fe-S catalyst.
Objective
To investigate changes in the level of protein in serum and uncover the underlying pathogenesis of abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB) associated with copper intrauterine devices (Cu IUD).
...Methods
Protein profiles were investigated via tandem mass tag (TMT)‐based quantitative proteomics and bioinformatics technology. Quantification and characterization of candidate proteins were further performed in 33 controls and 45 cases by Luminex assay and enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay.
Results
In total, 842 proteins were identified via TMT coupled with liquid chromatography‐tandem mass spectrometry (LC‐MS/MS) in the serum of individuals with IUDs. Among them, 25 differentially expressed proteins (p < 0.05) were observed, including eight upregulated proteins and 17 downregulated proteins. Ten proteins were verified, and Alpha‐1‐Antitrypsin (a1AT) had a significantly elevated expression in women with AUB associated with the Cu IUD compared with healthy controls (p = 0.026) and a high area under the curve value (0.656), as well as sensitivity (64.9%) and specificity (71.9%).
Conclusion
This is the first study to explore changes in serum protein and the underlying mechanisms of AUB associated with the Cu IUD via TMT technology. a1AT with biomarker potential was validated. These findings might provide an experimental basis for the early diagnosis or treatment of AUB associated with the Cu IUD.
Synopsis
Serum protein profiles and Alpha‐1‐Antitrypsin with biomarker potential might provide an experimental basis for early diagnosis or treatment of abnormal uterine bleeding associated with copper IUD.
•Sharpin mRNA and SHARPIN protein expression are increased in the brainstem of facial paralyzed mice.•Fluorescence expression of SHARPIN is enhanced in the facial nucleus of brainstem of paralyzed ...mice.•MPSS inhibits SHARPIN protein expression in the brainstem of paralyzed mice
Bell’s palsy presents a unilateral weakness or paralysis of the face due to acute dysfunction of the peripheral facial nerve with no readily identifiable cause. Although data show that herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) may be the possible causative agent of Bell’s palsy, the precise mechanism of the paralysis is still unknown. SHANK-associated RH domain-interacting protein (SHARPIN) is thought to play a role in the control of inflammatory responses. In order to clarify the molecular pathway of SHARPIN involved in the facial palsy caused by HSV-1 in mice and the inhibitory effect of corticosteroids, we used 4-week-old Balb/c mice inoculated with HSV-1 for experiments. The expression and location of SHARPIN in the facial nucleus of brainstem were detected respectively by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, western blot and immunofluorescence. Expression level of SHARPIN increased and peaked at 2 days and then decreased in the facial nucleus of brainstem after the manifestation of the facial paralysis. After the administration of MPSS, the protein expression of SHARPIN at the peak point was down-regulated. Our results suggest that SHRPIN were activated during the inflammatory reaction in the HSV-1-induced facial paralysis. MPSS can effectively inhibit the expression of SHARPIN that may contribute to attenuate HSV-1-mediated nervous system damage.
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