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BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth Sep 2023The association between uterine artery Doppler (UtA) measurements and small for gestational age (SGA) has not been quantitatively analyzed throughout the whole... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
BACKGROUND
The association between uterine artery Doppler (UtA) measurements and small for gestational age (SGA) has not been quantitatively analyzed throughout the whole pregnancy. This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to comprehensively explore the association between UtA measurements and SGA in the first, second, and third trimesters.
METHODS
Studies were searched from Pubmed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science. Weighted mean difference (WMD), odds ratio (OR), and relative risk (RR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) were used as the effect size. Heterogeneity of all effect sizes was tested and quantified using I statistics. Sensitivity analysis was conducted for all outcomes, and publication bias was evaluated using Begg's test.
RESULTS
A total of 41 studies were finally included in our meta-analysis. In the first trimester, mean PI was significantly higher in the SGA group than the non-SGA group (WMD: 0.31, 95%CI: 0.19-0.44). In the second trimester, odds of notch presence (OR: 2.54, 95%CI: 2.10-3.08), mean PI (WMD: 0.21, 95%CI: 0.12-0.30), and mean RI (WMD: 0.05, 95%CI: 0.05-0.06) were higher in the SGA group. Also, abnormal UtA measurements were associated with the increased odds of SGA (all P < 0.05). In the third trimester, PI z-score (WMD: 0.62, 95%CI: 0.33-0.91) and PI MoM (WMD: 0.08, 95%CI: 0.06-0.09) showed a significant increase in the SGA group. The odds of SGA were higher in the women with mean PI > 95% (OR: 6.03, 95%CI: 3.24-11.24).
CONCLUSIONS
Abnormal UtA measurements were associated with high odds of SGA, suggesting that UtA might be an adjunctive screening method for SGA in the whole pregnancy.
Topics: Pregnancy; Infant, Newborn; Female; Humans; Uterine Artery; Infant, Small for Gestational Age; Dental Care; Odds Ratio; Pelvis
PubMed: 37704965
DOI: 10.1186/s12884-023-05968-w -
Scientific Reports Sep 2023Inconsistent catalase (CAT) research necessitates a comprehensive review of CAT levels among patients with malaria to achieve better therapeutic strategies. This study... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
Inconsistent catalase (CAT) research necessitates a comprehensive review of CAT levels among patients with malaria to achieve better therapeutic strategies. This study aimed to systematically review and meta-analyze available literature on CAT levels in nonpregnant and pregnant individuals with malaria compared with those in uninfected controls, with the goal of providing a robust evidence base for future research and potential interventions. Following PRISMA guidelines, a systematic literature search across six databases was conducted to examine CAT levels in patients with malaria. Data was extracted independently by two reviewers, and study quality was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) critical appraisal checklist. The standardized mean difference of CAT levels was calculated with heterogeneity assessment. Subgroup and sensitivity analyses were conducted to explore heterogeneity and assess the robustness of the findings. Publication bias was visually and statistically assessed and corrected, if necessary. Statistical analyses were performed using Stata software, with a significance level set at P < 0.05. Nineteen studies were included in the review. These studies, published from before 2000 to 2023, primarily from Africa and Asia, focused on different Plasmodium species and age groups. Results of qualitative synthesis among nonpregnant individuals consistently showed lower CAT levels in malaria-infected individuals, although some studies reported higher levels. No significant differences in CAT levels were found between malaria-infected and uninfected individuals, as demonstrated by a meta-analysis overall (P = 0.05, Hedges' g: - 0.78, 95% confidence interval (CI): (- 1.56)-0.01, I: 98.47, 15 studies), but subgroup analyses showed significant differences in CAT levels in studies conducted in Africa (P = 0.02, Hedges' g: - 0.57, 95% CI: - 1.02-(0.11), I: 91.81, 7 studies), and in studies that specifically focused on children (P = 0.03, Hedges' g: - 0.57, 95% CI: - 1.07-(- 0.07), I: 87.52, 4 studies). Pregnant women showed variations in CAT levels across trimesters. This study provides valuable insights into the association between malaria infection and CAT enzyme levels, particularly in nonpregnant individuals. Furthermore, well-designed studies are essential to decoding the intricacies of this relationship, which could have significant implications for understanding disease processes and improving patient care.
Topics: Female; Humans; Pregnancy; Academies and Institutes; Africa; Asia; Catalase; Malaria
PubMed: 37670044
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-41659-4 -
AJOG Global Reports Aug 2023This study evaluated the correlation between maternal hepcidin and other biomarkers of iron status, markers of inflammation, and maternal body weight during pregnancy,... (Review)
Review
Hepcidin across pregnancy and its correlation with maternal markers of iron and inflammation, maternal body weight outcomes, and offspring neurodevelopmental outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
OBJECTIVE
This study evaluated the correlation between maternal hepcidin and other biomarkers of iron status, markers of inflammation, and maternal body weight during pregnancy, as well as neurodevelopment in the offspring.
DATA SOURCES
PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Embase were searched from inception until March 2022.
STUDY ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
Studies conducted among pregnant women without apparent pregnancy complications were included. Eligible studies reported correlation coefficients between maternal hepcidin and any outcomes of maternal biomarkers of iron status or inflammatory load during pregnancy, prenatal maternal body weight, and offspring neurodevelopment. Studies without correlation data were eligible if they quantitatively reported volumes of both maternal hepcidin and any marker of iron status and/or inflammatory load during gestation.
METHODS
Pooled correlation coefficients between maternal hepcidin and outcomes of interest were calculated using the Fisher -to-Z transformation. Both fixed-effects and DerSimonian and Laird random-effects models were used to calculate pooled correlation coefficient. When meta-analysis was not feasible, results were descriptively synthesized.
RESULTS
Forty-six studies with 6624 participants were eligible. Hepcidin was significantly correlated with hemoglobin in the third trimester (=0.21; 95% confidence interval, 0.1-0.32); ferritin in the first (=0.31; 95% confidence interval, 0.01-0.61) and third trimester (=0.35; 95% confidence interval, 0.23-0.48); soluble transferrin receptor in the second trimester (=-0.27; 95% confidence interval, -0.4 to -0.14); total iron-binding capacity in the second trimester (=0.37; 95% confidence interval, 0.24-0.50); and serum iron in the third trimester (=0.11; 95% confidence interval, 0.02-0.19). Hepcidin was significantly correlated with the inflammatory marker interleukin-6 in the third trimester (=0.26; 95% confidence interval, 0.17-0.34) and C-reactive protein in the second (=0.16; 95% confidence interval, 0.03-0.30) and third trimester (=0.28; 95% confidence interval, 0.04-0.52). Four out of 5 studies reported weak-to-moderate positive correlation between hepcidin and body mass index. Hepcidin levels varied across body mass index categories. No single study reported the relationship between maternal hepcidin and neurodevelopment in offspring.
CONCLUSION
Hepcidin weakly to moderately correlates with biomarkers of iron and inflammation in pregnancy.
PubMed: 37645642
DOI: 10.1016/j.xagr.2023.100222 -
Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) Aug 2023: The aim of this study was to assess the differences in Doppler indices of the uterine (Ut), umbilical (UA), and middle cerebral artery (MCA) in diabetic versus... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
: The aim of this study was to assess the differences in Doppler indices of the uterine (Ut), umbilical (UA), and middle cerebral artery (MCA) in diabetic versus non-diabetic pregnancies by conducting a comprehensive systematic review of the literature with a meta-analysis. : PubMed, Web of Science, and SCOPUS were searched for studies that measured the pulsatility index (PI), resistance index (RI), and systolic/diastolic ratio index (S/D ratio) of the umbilical artery, middle cerebral artery, and uterine artery in diabetic versus non-diabetic pregnancies. Two reviewers independently evaluated the eligibility of studies, abstracted data, and performed quality assessments according to standardized protocols. The standardized mean difference (SMD) was used as a measure of effect size. Heterogeneity was assessed using the I2 statistic. Publication bias was evaluated by means of funnel plots. : A total of 62 publications were included in the qualitative and 43 in quantitative analysis. The UA-RI, UtA-PI, and UtA-S/D ratios were increased in diabetic compared with non-diabetic pregnancies. Subgroup analysis showed that levels of UtA-PI were significantly higher during the third, but not during the first trimester of pregnancy in diabetic versus non-diabetic pregnancies. No differences were found for the UA-PI, UA-S/D ratio, MCA-PI, MCA-RI, MCA-S/D ratio, or UtA-RI between diabetic and non-diabetic pregnancies. : This meta-analysis revealed the presence of hemodynamic changes in uterine and umbilical arteries, but not in the middle cerebral artery in pregnancies complicated by diabetes.
Topics: Female; Pregnancy; Humans; Middle Cerebral Artery; Fetus; Prenatal Care; Diabetes Mellitus; Pelvis
PubMed: 37629792
DOI: 10.3390/medicina59081502 -
Children (Basel, Switzerland) Aug 2023Transient hypogammaglobulinemia of infancy (THI) is a primary immunodeficiency caused by a temporary decline in serum immunoglobulin G (IgG) levels greater than two... (Review)
Review
Transient hypogammaglobulinemia of infancy (THI) is a primary immunodeficiency caused by a temporary decline in serum immunoglobulin G (IgG) levels greater than two standard deviations below the mean age-specific reference values in infants between 5 and 24 months of age. Preterm infants are particularly susceptible to THI, as IgG is only transferred across the placenta from mother to infant during the third trimester of pregnancy. This study aimed to conduct a systematic review of the diagnostic criteria for transient hypogammaglobulinemia of infancy. Systematic review: Three electronic databases (PubMed, MEDLINE, and Google Scholar) were manually searched from September 2021 to April 2022. Abstracts were screened to assess their fit to the inclusion criteria. Data were extracted from the selected studies using an adapted extraction tool (Cochrane). The studies were then assessed for bias using an assessment tool adapted from Cochrane. Of the 215 identified articles, 16 were eligible for examining the diagnostic criteria of THI. These studies were also assessed for bias in the six domains. A total of five studies (31%) had a low risk of bias, while four studies (25%) had a high risk of bias, and bias in the case of seven studies (44%) was unclear. We conclude that THI is only definitively diagnosed after abnormal IgG levels normalise. Hence, THI is not a benign condition, and monitoring for subsequent recurrent infections must be conducted. The diagnostic criteria should also include vaccine and isohaemagglutinin responses to differentiate THI from other immunological disorders in infants.
PubMed: 37628357
DOI: 10.3390/children10081358 -
International Journal of Fertility &... Aug 2023Human leukocyte antigen G (HLA-G) levels are among the biomarkers suggested for pre-eclampsia (PE). This study is aimed at determining the possible relationship between...
Human leukocyte antigen G (HLA-G) levels are among the biomarkers suggested for pre-eclampsia (PE). This study is aimed at determining the possible relationship between low soluble HLA-G (sHLA-G) levels in maternal blood at the beginning of pregnancy and subsequent PE. We searched the international scientific databases of Web of Science, Embase, PubMed, Cochrane, and Scopus. We extracted the studies investigating the relationship between the serum levels of HLA-G in the first trimester of pregnancy and the onset of PE using the appropriate keywords. The collected data were analyzed using the random-effects meta-analysis model and STATA (version 14). A total of 5 studies met the eligibility criteria, and the total sample size was 668 subjects. The mean and SD age of case subjects was 31.41 ± 4.16 years, while it was 30.56 ± 3.5 for control subjects. According to the findings, there was an inverse relationship between HLA-G serum level in the first trimester of pregnancy and the subsequent onset of PE, standard mean difference (SMD)=-1.51 [95% confidence interval (CI): -2.26, -0.75, I2=90.8%, P=0.000]. Based on these results, low sHLA-G level in early pregnancy has a positive correlation with subsequent PE, and the significant role of sHLA-G in the early stages of placentation can be proven.
PubMed: 37577904
DOI: 10.22074/ijfs.2023.559787.1349 -
BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth Aug 2023Early fetal sex determination is worthy of providing alertness about possible x-linked disorders, as well as predicting sex-related pregnancy complications and outcomes.... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
BACKGROUND
Early fetal sex determination is worthy of providing alertness about possible x-linked disorders, as well as predicting sex-related pregnancy complications and outcomes. Satisfying the curiosity of parents is another advantage. In this way, several studies have been performed which have shown conflicting results.
AIM
We planned a systematic review for identifying any plausible role of Fetal Heart Rate (FHR) for early predicting fetal sex during the first trimester of non-complicated pregnancies.
METHODS
This is a meta-analysis in which PubMed and Scopus databases were searched using different related keywords to find similar articles up to December 2022. Then the articles were screened to find eligible articles and finally, the articles entered in the meta-analysis were analyzed using Stata software (Stata Corp, College Station, TX). Standardized mean difference (SMD) and their 95% confidence interval (CI) were estimated.
RESULTS
A total of 223 articles were evaluated and five articles were included in the meta-analysis. The results showed that there is a significant heterogeneity between the articles (p = 0.012, I-squared = 69.0%). The results of meta-analysis with a random model showed that there is no significant difference between male and female genders in terms of mean FHR (SMD = 0.04, 95%CI = -0.09-0.16, Z = 0.59, p = 0.553).
CONCLUSION
This systematic review and meta-analysis showed that even though male fetuses show faster FHR but such sex-related difference is minimal. Therefore, first-trimester FHR is not a reliable predictive test for fetal sex determination. Further studies are recommended to achieve a more precise conclusion.
TRIAL REGISTRATION
PROSPERO: CRD42023418291.
Topics: Pregnancy; Female; Male; Humans; Pregnancy Trimester, First; Heart Rate, Fetal; Ultrasonography; Ultrasonography, Prenatal; Pregnancy Complications
PubMed: 37573392
DOI: 10.1186/s12884-023-05908-8 -
Medicine Aug 2023Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) is a significant health concern in pregnant women and their offspring. Although Vitamin C is known to play a role in maintaining... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
BACKGROUND
Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) is a significant health concern in pregnant women and their offspring. Although Vitamin C is known to play a role in maintaining normal physiological processes, its relationship with GDM has not been fully elucidated.
METHODS
We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, analyzing data from 15 studies selected from PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library up to May 16, 2023. These studies were selected based on inclusion criteria such as study design, outcome of interest, exposure factor, and data extractability. Quality assessment was performed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. We assessed the heterogeneity between studies and conducted a sensitivity analysis.
RESULTS
Data from 10,131 subjects, including 1304 diagnosed GDM cases, were analyzed. The meta-analysis showed that women in the low Vitamin C exposure group had higher odds of developing GDM (odds ratio 2.72, 95% CI:1.24-4.19). There was a greater likelihood of increased GDM risk with lower Vitamin C exposure (standardized mean difference: -0.71, 95% CI [-1.07 -0.36]). Subgroup analysis revealed that both internal and external Vitamin C exposure, along with exposure during the second or third trimester of pregnancy, was associated with higher GDM incidence rates under low Vitamin C exposure. Sensitivity analysis confirmed the robustness of the results, and no significant publication bias was detected.
CONCLUSION
Low Vitamin C exposure during pregnancy may increase the risk of GDM. Given these findings, it could be beneficial for pregnant women to increase their intake of Vitamin C-rich foods and to ensure adequate blood Vitamin C levels as a preventive measure against GDM.
Topics: Pregnancy; Female; Humans; Diabetes, Gestational; Pregnancy Trimester, Third; Vitamins; Nutritional Status; Ascorbic Acid
PubMed: 37565861
DOI: 10.1097/MD.0000000000034740 -
Epilepsia Open Dec 2023Several reports have described the autoimmune encephalitis' (AE) possible onset during pregnancy. In this systematic review, we summarize the available data on the... (Review)
Review
Several reports have described the autoimmune encephalitis' (AE) possible onset during pregnancy. In this systematic review, we summarize the available data on the diagnostic and therapeutic approach to AE during pregnancy, highlighting the associated maternal and fetal clinical outcomes. A systematic search of the literature was performed. The following databases were used: PubMed, Google Scholar, EMBASE, and CrossRef. The revision was registered on the PROSPERO platform (CRD42022336357). Forty-nine patients were included. AE onset was mainly observed during the first and the second trimester of pregnancy with psychiatric manifestations and seizures as main onset symptoms. CSF analysis showed AE-specific autoantibody positivity in 33 patients (anti-NMDA receptor as the most frequent). EEG generally showed normal findings. MRI revealed pathological findings in less than half of patients. Tumor screening was positive in 14 cases. First-line immunotherapy (single or combined) was generally employed while second line was administered in a minority of patients. Levetiracetam was the most used antiseizure medication. Cesarean section was performed in 18 women. Most of the women had an excellent early outcome after delivery but 22 showed persistent neurological deficits in long-term follow-up. Fetal outcome was positive in 33 cases, whereas 12 cases of fetal death were reported. A logistic regression showed that no variable significantly influenced the odds of good/bad maternal and fetal clinical outcome. Diagnosis and treatment of AE during pregnancy is challenging. The rate of miscarriage in women with AE seems to be higher than the general population. In addition, mothers may show long-term neurological deficits.
Topics: Humans; Pregnancy; Female; Cesarean Section; Encephalitis; Abortion, Spontaneous; Autoimmune Diseases of the Nervous System
PubMed: 37562964
DOI: 10.1002/epi4.12806 -
Environmental Research Nov 2023Particulate matter (PM) is a major component of ambient air pollution (AAP), being widely associated with adverse health effects. Epidemiological and experimental... (Review)
Review
The influence of environmental particulate matter exposure during late gestation and early life on the risk of neurodevelopmental disorders: A systematic review of experimental evidences.
Particulate matter (PM) is a major component of ambient air pollution (AAP), being widely associated with adverse health effects. Epidemiological and experimental studies point towards a clear implication of AAP on the development of central nervous system (CNS) diseases. In this sense, the period of most CNS susceptibility is early life, when the CNS is maturing. In humans the last trimester of gestation is crucial for brain maturation while in rodents, due to the shorter gestational period, the brain is still immature at birth, and early postnatal development plays a significant role. The present systematic review provides an updated overview and discusses the existing literature on the relationship between early exposure to PM and neurodevelopmental outcomes in experimental studies. We included 11 studies with postnatal exposure and 9 studies with both prenatal and postnatal exposure. Consistent results between studies suggest that PM exposure could alter normal development, triggering impairments in short-term memory, sociability, and impulsive-like behavior. This is also associated with alterations in synaptic plasticity and in the immune system. Interestingly, differences have been observed between sexes, although not all studies included females. Furthermore, the developmental window of exposure seems to be crucial for effects to be observed in the future. In summary, air pollution exposure during development affects subjects in a time- and sex-dependent manner, the postnatal period being more important and being males apparently more sensitive to exposure than females. Nevertheless, additional experimental investigations should prioritize the examination of learning, impulsivity, and biochemical parameters, with particular attention provided to disparities between sexes.
Topics: Male; Infant, Newborn; Female; Pregnancy; Humans; Particulate Matter; Air Pollutants; Air Pollution; Environmental Exposure; Neurodevelopmental Disorders
PubMed: 37527744
DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.116792