Gestational Weight Gain as a Modifiable Risk Factor in Women with Extreme Pregestational BMI.

The global rise in obesity presents serious concerns, particularly due to its association with pregnancy complications such as gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, cesarean delivery, and fetal macrosomia. Maternal obesity also contributes to intergenerational health risks, increasing the likelihood of long-term issues in offspring. Preconception counseling is an essential preventive measure to reduce complications; however, many women miss this opportunity due to unplanned pregnancies.

Maternal Salivary miR-423-5p Is Linked to Neonatal Outcomes and Periodontal Status in Cardiovascular-High-Risk Pregnancies.

Periodontal disease (PD) during pregnancy may trigger systemic inflammation, increasing the risk of developing cardiometabolic disease (CMD). As a consequence, PD may result in the activation of cellular and molecular pathways, affecting the disease course and pregnancy outcome. Although microRNAs (miRNAs) are considered ideal biomarkers for many diseases, few studies have investigated salivary miRNAs and their role in pregnancy or neonatal outcomes.

Placental Bioenergetics and Antioxidant Homeostasis in Maternal Obesity and Gestational Diabetes.

Maternal obesity has been associated with short- and long-term risks of pregnancy-perinatal adverse events, possibly due to alterations of placental mitochondrial bioenergetics. However, several detrimental mechanisms occurring in the placentas of women with obesity still need to be clarified. Here, we analyzed placental mitochondrial features and oxidative environment of 46 pregnancies in relation to pre-pregnancy BMI.

Immune Response and Transplacental Antibody Transfer in Pregnant Women after COVID-19 Vaccination.

COVID-19 infection is associated with increased risk of pregnancy complications, making vaccination during pregnancy critical for mother-neonate dyads. Few data, often with an unrepresentative sample size, are available on SARS-CoV-2 vaccine-induced humoral and cell-mediated response. Here, we evaluated anti-S antibody and interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) production elicited by SARS-CoV-2 immunization in maternal and neonatal plasma.

Characterization of Maternal Circulating MicroRNAs in Obese Pregnancies and Gestational Diabetes Mellitus.

Maternal obesity (MO) is expanding worldwide, contributing to the onset of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM). MO and GDM are associated with adverse maternal and foetal outcomes, with short- and long-term complications. Growing evidence suggests that MO and GDM are characterized by epigenetic alterations contributing to the pathogenesis of metabolic diseases.

Fetal oxygen and glucose utilization of uncomplicated monochorionic twins: Adapting to the intrauterine environment.

Introduction: Monochorionic twins (MC) develop under unique intrauterine conditions and show a high risk of compromise during fetal life. Here we describe umbilical vein blood flow (UVBF) and fetal oxygen and glucose utilization in uncomplicated MC twins and investigate possible differences within twin-pairs according to birth-order.

Methods: Prospective single-center study on 48 uncomplicated MC twins enrolled at the time of elective cesarean delivery.

Associations between Maternal Dietary Patterns, Biomarkers and Delivery Outcomes in Healthy Singleton Pregnancies: Multicenter Italian GIFt Study.

Maternal nutrition represents a critical risk factor for adverse health outcomes in both mother and offspring. We aimed to investigate associations between maternal nutritional habits, biomarker status, and pregnancy outcome among Italian healthy normal-weight pregnancies. Multicenter prospective cohort study recruiting Italian healthy normal-weight women with singleton spontaneous pregnancies at 20 ± 2 weeks (T1) in Milan and Naples.

Epigenetic Profiling in the Saliva of Obese Pregnant Women.

Maternal obesity is associated with inflammation and oxidative stress, strongly impacting the intrauterine environment with detrimental consequences for both mother and offspring. The saliva is a non-invasive biofluid reflecting both local and systemic health status. This observational study aimed to profile the epigenetic signature in the saliva of Obese (OB) and Normal-Weight (NW) pregnant women.

Placental pathology in COVID-19 affected pregnant women: A prospective case-control study.

Introduction: During pregnancy, SARS-CoV-2 infection may cause an abnormal development of the placenta, thus influencing maternal and fetal outcomes. Few studies have reported data on placental morphology and histology in infected pregnant patients, although not compared with carefully matched controls. The aim of this study is to compare placental morphology and histology of pregnant women affected by SARS-CoV-2 to non-infected controls.

Placental Antioxidant Defenses and Autophagy-Related Genes in Maternal Obesity and Gestational Diabetes Mellitus.

Maternal obesity and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) are increasing worldwide, representing risk factors for both mother and child short/long-term outcomes. Oxidative stress, lipotoxicity and altered autophagy have already been reported in obesity, but few studies have focused on obese pregnant women with GDM. Antioxidant and macro/chaperone-mediated autophagy (CMA)-related gene expressions were evaluated herein in obese and GDM placentas.

Effect of oral consumption of capsules containing Lactobacillus paracasei LPC-S01 on the vaginal microbiota of healthy adult women: a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind crossover study.

Oral consumption of probiotics is practical and can be an effective solution to preserve vaginal eubiosis. Here, we studied the ability of orally administered Lactobacillus paracasei LPC-S01 (DSM 26760) to affect the composition of the vaginal microbiota and colonize the vaginal mucosa in nondiseased adult women. A total of 40 volunteers took oral probiotic (24 billion CFU) or placebo capsules daily for 4 weeks, and after a 4-week washout, they switched to placebo or probiotic capsules according to the crossover design.

Expressions and Circulating 17-Beta Estradiol in IUGR Pregnancies.

Sex steroids are regulating factors for intrauterine growth. 17-β Estradiol (E2) is particularly critical to a physiological pregnancy, as increased maternal E2 was correlated to lower fetal weight at delivery. The placenta itself is a primary source of estrogens, synthetized from cholesterol precursors.

Impact of Obesity and Hyperglycemia on Placental Mitochondria.

A lipotoxic placental environment is recognized in maternal obesity, with increased inflammation and oxidative stress. These changes might alter mitochondrial function, with excessive production of reactive oxygen species, in a vicious cycle leading to placental dysfunction and impaired pregnancy outcomes. Here, we hypothesize that maternal pregestational body mass index (BMI) and glycemic levels can alter placental mitochondria.

Inflammatory and Oxidative Responses in Pregnancies With Obesity and Periodontal Disease.

Background: Maternal obesity is related to immunologic and inflammatory systemic modifications that may worsen the pregnancy inflammatory status. Hormonal changes during pregnancy can adversely affect oral biofilms and oral health initiating or worsening periodontal diseases, with enhanced local and systemic oxidative stress and inflammation.

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between local salivary and systemic parameters of oxidative stress and inflammation in relation to obesity and periodontal diseases.

Preliminary metabolomics analysis of placenta in maternal obesity.

Introduction: Metabolomics identifies phenotypical groups with specific metabolic profiles, being increasingly applied to several pregnancy conditions. This is the first preliminary study analyzing placental metabolomics in normal weight (NW) and obese (OB) pregnancies.

Methods: Twenty NW (18.

Impaired Angiogenic Potential of Human Placental Mesenchymal Stromal Cells in Intrauterine Growth Restriction.

Unlabelled: Human placental mesenchymal stromal cells (pMSCs) have never been investigated in intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). We characterized cells isolated from placental membranes and the basal disc of six IUGR and five physiological placentas. Cell viability and proliferation were assessed every 7 days during a 6-week culture.

Sex specific adaptations in placental biometry of overweight and obese women.

Introduction: Placental biometry at birth has been shown to predict chronic disease in later life. We hypothesized that maternal overweight/obesity, a state of low-grade inflammation and risk factor for adverse pregnancy outcome, could negatively influence placental development and that differences would be sex-specific.

Methods: 696 women (537 normal-weight, NW; 112 overweight, OW; 47 obese, OB) with singleton uncomplicated pregnancies were prospectively enrolled at term delivery.