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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. A total of 47 women with singleton pregnancies delivered by elective cesarean section were enrolled: 16 normal weight (NW), 18 obese with no comorbidities (OB GDM(-)), 13 obese with GDM (OB GDM(+)). Placental gene expression was assessed by real-time PCR. Antioxidant gene expression (, , ) decreased, the pro-autophagic gene increased and the chaperone-mediated autophagy regulator decreased in OB GDM(-) vs. NW. On the other hand, expression increased in OB GDM(+) vs. OB GDM(-). When analyzing results in relation to fetal sex, we found sexual dimorphism for both antioxidant and CMA-related gene expressions. These preliminary results can pave the way for further analyses aimed at elucidating the placental autophagy role in metabolic pregnancy disorders and its potential targetability for the treatment of diabetes outcomes.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/nu13041303 | DOI Listing |
J Hum Nutr Diet
October 2025
School of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, UK.
Background: Evidence suggests that women should eat a healthy diet during pre-conception and pregnancy as this benefits their own health as well as reducing the risk of non-communicable diseases in offspring (such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular and mental health problems); however, previous work indicates that the recommendations are not being followed. This study aimed to understand: the facilitators and barriers to healthy food and diet practices during pre-conception and pregnancy; how these barriers could be addressed, and the changes required to facilitate good food practices.
Methods: The research used a qualitative approach; five online focus groups were undertaken with 19 women living across the UK who were trying to conceive, pregnant or had babies under 6-months old.
Aging Cell
September 2025
Division of Biomedical and Life Sciences, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK.
Almost half of pregnant women globally are currently estimated to be overweight or obese. Rates of childhood obesity are also on the rise, in part because of increased consumption of dietary saturated fats. However, the long-term effect of peri- and postnatal high fat (HF) feeding on cognitive function and neuronal expression has not yet been investigated.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnviron Res
September 2025
Medical Support Center for the Japan Environment and Children's Study, National Research Institute for Child Health and Development, Tokyo, 157-8535, Japan.
This study explored the association between maternal blood lead, cadmium, mercury, and manganese concentrations during pregnancy and body mass index z-scores (zBMI), overweight, and obesity among children aged 0-4 years based on data from the Japan Environment and Children's Study (JECS). After data selection, 93,782 mother-child pairs were selected for analysis. Associations between prenatal metal exposure and obesity in children were explored using the generalized estimating equation (GEE), latent class growth analysis (LCGA), and quantile g-computation models.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTrends Cardiovasc Med
September 2025
Department of Cardiology, NYU Langone Health and NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY.
Cardio-obstetrics is a growing sub-specialty focused on the prevention, diagnosis, and management of high-risk pregnancies in women with cardiac disease, a condition affecting 1-4% of pregnancies and a leading cause of indirect maternal mortality in developed countries. The prevalence of maternal cardiac disease is rising due to factors such as increasing maternal age, obesity, comorbidities, and improved survival of individuals with congenital heart disease. Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly used in cardiology to enhance early diagnosis, risk stratification, and treatment planning, offering promising tools to support the diagnostic and therapeutic complexities of maternal cardiac disease.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGait Posture
September 2025
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 330 Brookline Avenue, RN115, Boston, MA 02215, USA.