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ObjectiveTo observe the effect of Zuoguiwan on ovarian reserve in the female offspring rat model of prenatal stress （PS） and explore the mechanism based on Toll-like receptor 4/nuclear factor-κB p65 （TLR4/NF-κB p65） signaling pathway. MethodThirty-two pregnant rats were prepared and randomized into four groups （n=8）： control， model， Zuoguiwan （18.9 mg·kg-1）， and vitamin E （1.44 mg·kg-1）. Except the control group， the other three groups were subjected to chronic unpredictable mild stress （CUMS） from day 11 of pregnancy， and the modeling was accompanied by gavage with corresponding drugs until delivery. The PS model was evaluated by the sucrose preference test， open field test， and serum corticosterone （CORT） level. The estrous cycle was monitored and the morphological changes in the ovarian tissue were observed. The serum levels of estradiol （E2）， luteinizing hormone （LH）， follicle-stimulating hormone （FSH）， and anti-Mullerian hormone （AMH） in the 75-day-old offspring rats were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） to evaluate the ovarian reserve. The ovary and uterus indices were calculated. The serum levels of interleukin-1β （IL-1β） and tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α） were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. The morphology of the ovarian tissue in the offspring on the day of birth and day 75 after birth was observed by hematoxylin-eosin staining. The transport of NF-κB p65 to the nucleus in the ovaries of the 75-day-old offspring was detected by the immunofluorescence （IF） assay. The expression of TLR4， NF-κB p65 and other related proteins in the ovarian tissue was determined by Western blot. ResultCompared with the control group， the model group showed reduced primordial follicles in the offspring on the day of birth （P<0.01） as well as disturbed estrous cycle， decreased ovary index and uterus index （P<0.01）， reduced corpus luteum， increased atretic follicles （P<0.01）， lowered serum levels of AMH and E2 （P<0.01）， elevated serum levels of LH， FSH， IL-1β， and TNF-α （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and up-regulated protein levels of TLR4， NF-κB p65， recombinant myeloid differentiation factor 88 （MyD88）， and phosphorylated NF-κB inhibitor （p-IκBα） （P<0.01） in the 75-day-old offspring rats. Compared with the model group， Zuoguiwan and vitamin E increased the primordial follicles in the offspring on the day of birth （P<0.01）. Moreover， they resumed the estrous cycle， increased the ovary and uterine indices （P<0.05， P<0.01） and corpus luteum （P<0.01）， reduced atretic follicles （P<0.01）， elevated the serum levels of AMH and E2 （P<0.05， P<0.01）， lowered the serum levels of LH， FSH， IL-1β， and TNF-α （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and down-regulated the expression of TLR4， NF-κB p65， MyD88， and p-IκB-α （P<0.05， P<0.01） in the 75-day-old offspring. ConclusionZuoguiwan can improve the ovarian reserve in the offspring rat model of congenital kidney deficiency by regulating the TLR4/NF-κB p65 signaling pathway.
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The developmental origins of health and disease(DOHaD)suggests that a poor maternal developmental environment during pregnancy can significantly increase the risk of chronic metabolic diseases such as obesity,diabetes mellitus(DM),and cardiovascular disease in offspring during adulthood.The adverse environmental factors of the father's generation influence the glucose and lipid metabolism of the offspring.The environmental factors exposed by the father before fertilization,such as over nutrition,obesity,diabetes caused cross generation reprogramming in offspring,and develop glucose and lipid metabolism disorders,which can last for one or more generations.Currently,paternal origin of health and disease(POHaD)has received widespread attention and has important scientific value and social significance.This article reviews the research progress on the impact of parental nutritional environment on offspring glucose metabolism.
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Objective:To investigate the association of risky drinking and decision-making ability among off-spring of fathers with alcohol dependence(OFAD).Methods:A case-control study was conducted according to the cutoff of the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test(AUDIT)(delimited as 7).OFAD were divided into"risky drinking group"(n=29)and"non-risky drinking group"(n=43).The Iowa Gambling Task(IGT)was used to e-valuate the decision-making ability.Covariance analysis was used to compare differences of IGT between the two groups,and multivariate logistic regression was used to explore the association between risky drinking and decision making ability.Results:There was no significant difference in total scores of IGT between the risky drinking group and the non-risky drinking group(P＞0.05).Risky drinking group had less Selection 2 in block 5 of IGT[(3.8± 2.5)v.s.(5.7±3.1),P＜0.05]than non-risky drinking group.Selection 2 in block 5 was still associated with risky drinking after controlling the covariates(OR=0.72,95％CI:0.57～0.90,P＜0.05).Conclusion:This study indicates that risky drinking group in offspring of parents with alcohol dependence may have better decision-making ability.
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Objective To investigate the mental health status and its influencing factors among elderly hypertensive patients from Rural Areas of Chuxiong and Honghe Prefecture in Yunnan.Methods Multi-stage random sampling method was adopted to select elderly hypertensive patients from rural Yi ethnic areas in Yunnan.Questionnaires were used to collect their basic information and mental health status.Multivariate logistic regression was performed to explore the influencing factors of mental health among the elderly hypertensives.Results 21.82%(209/958)of elderly people with hypertension have poor mental health status in Chuxiong and Honghe Prefecture,Yunnan.Age of 80-89 years(OR = 2.395,P<0.05)and over 90 years(OR = 3.293,P<0.05),as well as physical disability(OR = 2.037,P<0.05),were risk factors for poor mental health.Compared with those who rated their economic situation as very difficult,rating as somewhat difficult(OR = 0.490,P<0.05),moderate(OR = 0.632,P<0.05)and relatively affluent(OR = 0.344,P<0.05),having a spouse(OR = 0.655,P<0.05),received full concern from the offspring(OR = 0.411,P<0.05)and maintain good relationships with offspring(OR = 0.339,P<0.05)were protective factors.Conclusions The mental health status of elderly people with hypertension is relatively poor in rural areas of Chuxiong and Honghe Prefecture in Yunnan Province.Special attention should be paid to the mental health of older and physically disabled elderly hypertensives.Economic and mental support from children was crucially important in improving the mental health of elderly hypertensive patients in rural areas of Chuxiong and Honghe Prefecture in Yunnan Province.
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Sleep deprivation refers to the loss of sleep caused by self-inflicted or external factors. There is increasing evidence that pregnancy is prone to sleep deprivation, which not only disrupts maternal functions but also affects offspring′s cognitive function. This article reviews the effects of sleep deprivation during pregnancy on offspring cognition and its underlying mechanisms, in order to establish a foundation for developing scientifically sound sleep strategies during pregnancy and to provide clinical insights for improving the neurodevelopment and cognitive function of offspring.
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With the continuous progress of human assisted reproductive technology （ART）， more genetic diseases have been discovered and the use of innovative technologies is intended to reduce genetic risks， and the reproductive rights of infertile couples have been protected and satisfied to a greater extent. However， in some special genetic cases， offspring rights need to be fully considered. This paper conducted an ethical analysis of an “ectodermal dysplasia” case asking for the implementation of human ART to assist in pregnancy， revealing the ethical dilemmas in the implementation of ART for patients with genetic diseases， which were caused by the contradiction between the protection of the patient’s reproductive rights and the offspring rights， as well as the contradiction between the implementation of ART and the blocking of genetic risk. According to the literature review， it is proposed that in the diagnosis， treatment， and ethical judgment process of genetic cases， informed consent should be fully fulfilled. Based on the ethical foundation of care， narrative medicine methods should be used to form doctor-patient joint decision-making， avoiding paternalism. Meanwhile， sufficient information support should be provided and the ethical supervision mechanism should be improved to effectively solve the ethical dilemmas.
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Objective To investigate the effects of paternal pre-conceptional n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) on telomere length (TL) in the offspring. Methods Three to four-week old male C57 BL/6J mice (Father) were randomly divided into three groups and fed either an n-3 PUFA-deficient (n-3 D) (n-6:n-3 PUFA ratio = 47.2:1) diet, a diet with normal n-3 PUFA content (n-3 N) (n-6:n-3 PUFA ratio = 4.3:1), or a diet with high n-3 PUFA content (n-3 H) (n-6:n-3 ratio = 1.5:1), for 12 weeks. Then, the offspring were generated by mating the father mice with 12-week-old virgin female C57 BL/6J mice. The TL, mRNA expression of telomere transcriptase and binding proteins, as well as DNA methylation in the TERT promoter region were determined in adult offspring mice. Results Compared to n-3 N diet, paternal feeding with n-3 D diet during preconception decreased offspring TL in the peripheral blood cells, liver, adipose tissue and brain, accompanied by upregulated hepatic mRNA expression of TIN2 in the female, and downregulated hepatic expression of TERC, and binding proteins TRF2 and POT1a in the male. Meanwhile, paternal n-3 D diet shortened testis TL in offspring instead of themselves, with altered mRNA expression of TERT and binding proteins TRF1, TRF2 and POT1a. Paternal n-3 H diet showed no differences in effects on offspring TL and expressions of TERC and binding proteins with n-3 N diet, but normalized the alterations in associated parameters resulted from paternal n-3 D diet. In addition, although paternal n-3 D or n-3 H diet did not affect testis TL in themselves compared to n-3 N diet, fathers fed n-3 H diet had longer testis TL and higher expression of TRF1, TRF2, POT1a and RAP1 than those fed n-3 D diet. Finally, the DNA methylation fraction in the TERT promoter in offspring testes and male offspring liver was no difference between paternal n-3 D and n-3 N diet groups. CpG sites with altered methylation were less (1 site) between paternal n-3 H and n-3 N diet groups than those (5 sites) between paternal n-3 H and n-3 D diet groups in male offspring liver and testes. Conclusion Maintaining paternal optimal n-3 PUFA status in pre-conception increases offspring TL, probably mediated by inheritance from increased TL in father and regulation on expressions of telomere transcriptase and binding proteins in the offspring, which may be helpful for promoting offspring development and disease prevention in adulthood.
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Background: Genetic testing is a growing field that can provide valuable information about an individual's health, ancestry, and potential risks for various health conditions. While some people are aware of its potential benefits, others have concerns about the privacy of their genetic data, limitations of the testing, ethical issues, and disparities in access to testing and interpretation services. While genetic testing has the potential to provide valuable information, there are valid concerns about privacy, accuracy, and ethical issues. The public's attitudes toward genetic testing is shaped by various factors, including accessibility, cost, accuracy, and reliability of the testing and ethical and privacy concerns. A survey-based methodology was used to investigate the attitudes and awareness of the public toward genetic testing and identify the factors that influence these attitudes and awareness. Our study aimed to study the attitude and awareness of Saudi medical and non-medical students toward gene testing across different Universities in Al Madinah, Saudi Arabia. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 274 participants. The data were analyzed descriptively using statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS). Results: Across the 274 participants, the majority have agreed on the importance of gene studying especially in facilitating the marriage process and assuring healthier generations, while there was also a concern about the security and confidentiality of gene mapping and banking, screening for cancer, and cardiac disorder were on top of interest among the participants to use gene screening in. Conclusions: In conclusion, genetic testing is essential for diagnosing genetic diseases, but predictive genetic tests have limited benefits due to gene-environment interactions. Advances in genome technologies have produced large amounts of sensitive genetic data. Genetic education is necessary to promote informed decision-making, reduce genetic essentialism, and improve genomics literacy. Most study participants acknowledged the significance of genetic disorder screening before marriage to improve their health and their offspring's health.
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Maternal obesity programs the offspring to metabolic dysfunction. However, the effects of maternal obesity on skeletal muscle programming and ageing have been little explored. To determine if maternal obesity is a detriment to the progress of age-related muscle strength loss in the offspring (F1), we evaluated the indicators of muscle strength, adiposity, and metabolism at young adult and senior adult ages of maternal obesity F1 (MOF1) males and females from a high-fat diet-induced maternal obesity model in rat. Controls were age-matched siblings whose mothers were fed a standard maternal diet (CF1). Combinatorial data analysis was performed with body weight (BW), forelimb grip strength (FGS), FGS adjusted with BW, body fat, adiposity index, and serum triacylglycerols, cholesterol, glucose, insulin, and homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance variables, to identify discriminant traits of variation among F1 groups. During ageing, maternal obesity caused glucose and cholesterol metabolic dysfunctions in male F1, whereas adiposity-associated skeletal strength loss and fatty acid alterations were present in female offspring. In conclusion, offspring programming–ageing effects due to maternal obesity impact metabolism and skeletal muscle strength loss at later ages in a sex-dependent manner.
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Morphological features are essential to assess neonates' viability. In order to characterize the morphology and biometry of newborn agouti, 36 animals born at 103 days of gestation under human care in Teresina-PI, Brazil were evaluated. After birth, the newborns were weighed on digital precision scales, measured with a flexible tape measure and their external morphology was assessed. The animals observed had coat color trait of adults, open eyes, hairs in the nasal region and four incisor teeth. The forelimbs had developed four digits and the hind limbs three digits, with white edged claws and a short hairless tail. The following were observed: weight of 144.58 ± 33.39g and lengths: crown-rump 14.73 ± 1.82cm, total 19.88 ± 1.52cm, head to tail 16.95 ± 1.55cm, head 7.33 ± 0.59cm, thoracic girth 11.78 ± 1.36cm, abdominal girth 10.73 ± 1.21cm, tail length 1.18 ± 0.25cm, eye diameter 1.27 ± 0.27cm and ear length 0.21 ± 0.35cm. The agoutis presented morphological maturity at birth with external morphology very similar to that of the adult animals. Most of the births in this species are the double type and newborns that weigh more than 90g have better chances of survival in captivity.
As características morfológicas são essenciais para avaliar a viabilidade dos neonatos. Para caracterizar a morfologia e biometria de cutias recém-nascidas, foram avaliados 36 animais nascidos aos 103 dias de gestação sob cuidados em Teresina-PI, Brasil. Após o nascimento, os recém-nascidos foram pesados em balança digital de precisão, medidos com fita métrica flexível e avaliada sua morfologia externa. Os animais observados apresentavam traço de pelagem de adultos, olhos abertos, pelos na região nasal e quatro dentes incisivos. Os membros anteriores desenvolveram quatro dedos e os membros posteriores três, com garras brancas afiadas e uma cauda curta e sem pêlos. Foram observados: peso de 144,58 ± 33,39g e comprimentos: garupa 14,73 ± 1,82cm, total 19,88 ± 1,52cm, cabeça a cauda 16,95 ± 1,55cm, cabeça 7,33 ± 0,59cm, perímetro torácico 11,78 ± 1,36cm, abdominal perímetro 10,73 ± 1,21 cm, comprimento da cauda 1,18 ± 0,25 cm, diâmetro do olho 1,27 ± 0,27 cm e comprimento da orelha 0,21 ± 0,35 cm. As cutias apresentaram maturidade morfológica ao nascimento com morfologia externa muito semelhante à dos animais adultos. A maioria dos nascimentos nesta espécie são do tipo duplo e recém-nascidos que pesam mais de 90g têm melhores chances de sobrevivência sob cuidados humanos.
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Animals , Body Weights and Measures/veterinary , Animal Structures/growth & development , Dasyproctidae/growth & development , Anatomy, Veterinary , Animal Identification Systems , Animals, Newborn/anatomy & histologyABSTRACT
Objective @#To evaluate the effect of maternal hypothyroidism on lipid metabolism in the early life of emale offspring by constructing a murine model during pregnancy．@*Methods @# Female mice C57BL /6J were ran- domly divided into normal control group ( NC0 ) ，hypothyroidism complicated with pregnancy group ( PH0 ) and pregnancy complicated with hypothyroidism group ( GH0) ．Firstly，PH0 group was given 0．15% propylthiouracil di- et for 28 days，while NC0 and GH0 groups were given normal diet．After the successful modeling of PH0 was con- firmed，female mice in GH0 and PH0 groups were given 0．15% propylthiouracil diet during pregnancy，and NC0 group was still given normal diet．After delivery，the levels of free triiodothyronine ( FT3) ，free thyroxine ( FT4) ， thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) and total cholesterol (TC) ，triglyceride (TG) in each group were detected at 3 weeks of age for female offspring．The pathological changes of thyroid and liver were observed by HE staining．West- ern blot detected the levels of proteins associated with lipid metabolism.@*Results @#Compared with the NC0 group， the levels of serum FT3 and FT4 decreased，the levels of serum TSH，serum TC，hepatic TC and TG increased in the female offspring of the PH0 and GH0 groups，and lipid deposition was observed in their livers．The expression levels of HMGCR , FAS and CD36 related to lipid metabolism in livers increased，while the expressions of CPT1A and LDL-R were down-regulated.@*Conclusion @# Hypothyroidism during pregnancy may lead to the disturbance of lipid metabolism in the early life of female offspring mice.
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Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune connective tissue disease that affects multiple organs and systems. It is more common in women of childbearing age. Compared with the general population, pregnant women with SLE are at a significantly increased risk of adverse perinatal outcomes such as preterm birth and intrauterine growth restriction. In addition, the offspring of SLE patients may also be adversely affected by in utero exposure to maternal autoantibodies, cytokines, and drugs. This article summarizes the long-term developmental outcomes of offspring of pregnant women with SLE in terms of the blood system, circulatory system, nervous system, and immune system.
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Pregnancy , Humans , Female , Infant, Newborn , Pregnancy Outcome/epidemiology , Pregnant Women , Pregnancy Complications/epidemiology , Premature Birth/etiology , Lupus Erythematosus, SystemicABSTRACT
Maternal diabetes not only affects the mother′s own health but also has a significant influence on offspring.Adverse prenatal and intrauterine condition can influence fetal kidney development, which may increase the risk of kidney disease in the adulthood.This article reveiws the impact of maternal diabetes on kidney structure and function.Maternal diabetes can increase the risk of congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract(CAKUT)and impair early and long-term renal function of offspring.In addition, this article reveiws the research progress of the potential mechanisms of how maternal diabetes affects kidney development including oxidative stress, key signal pathway changes of kidney development and epigenetic changes.
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@#Iodine is an essential nutrient required for thyroid hormone synthesis and human growth and development. Iodine requirements increase substantially during pregnancy, and insufficient iodine intake may affect the health of pregnant women, and fetal growth and development. Iodized salt-based iodine supplementation is effective to improve maternal iodine levels, reduce risk of thyroid dysfunctions, and plays a vital role in improvements of offspring growth and development and prevention of intellectual disability. However, excessive iodine supplementation during pregnancy may affect maternal thyroid functions and the nerve development of offspring. Precise and personalized iodine supplementation schemes are therefore required tailored to local iodine deficiency degree and pregnant women's individual iodine status. This review summarizes the advances in the impact of iodine supplementation during pregnancy on maternal and offspring health, so as to provide insights into the guidance of iodine supplementation during pregnancy.
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@#Excessive gestational weight gain has already become a global clinical and public health problem that seriously affects maternal health. Excessive gestational weight gain not only increases the cesarean section rate and induces adverse pregnant outcomes, but also affects offspring development and health. This article reviews the effects of excessive weight gain during pregnancy on offspring health and its underlying mechanisms. Excessive gestational weight gain may increase the risk of obesity, cardiovascular diseases, infectious diseases of the respiratory tract, diabetes, polycystic ovary syndrome, mental or psychological illness among offspring, and the pathophysiological mechanisms include inflammatory response, intestinal flora dysbiosis and epigenetics theory. However, further studies are required to validate these hypotheses and to evaluate the effect of excessive weight gain at different gestational stages on offspring health, so as to provide insights into reasonable management of weight gain during pregnancy and improvements of offspring health.
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Objective: To explore the effects of fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) on neurobehavior and gut microbiota of arsenic-exposed offspring rats. Methods: In April 2021, Thirty-six SPF SD rats aged 8 weeks were seleted, rats were ranked by weight and divided into four groups according to randomized block design, namely control group, arsenic exposure group (As group) , arsenic+normal saline group (As+NaCl group) and As+FMT group, 6 females and 3 males in each group. Fecal microbiota fluid were provided by feces of rats in control group. Rats drank tap water containing 75 mg/L sodium arsenite for one week and then were caged together. The arsenic exposure was terminated until the pups were born. Female rats with vaginal plug were treated with fecal microbiota fluid via gavage during neurodevelopmental teratogenic window period. The volume of gavage was 1 ml/100 g with once every two days, for a total of three times. Weight alterations of offspring rats were recorded every week after weaning, and when offspring rats grew up for 6 weeks, Morris test and open field experiment was used to observe learning and memory abilities, as well as neurobehavioral performance of autonomous exploration and tension, respectively. 16S rDNA sequencing technology was used to detect microbiota diversities in fecal samples of rats in As group and As+FMT group. Results: Compared with the control group, the ratio of swimming distance and staying time in the target quadrant and the times of crossing the platform of rats in As group decreased significantly, and the motor distance, times entering central zone and the number of grid crossing of rats decreased significantly (P<0.05) . Compared with As group, the ratio of swimming distance in target quadrant, the motor distance in central zone and times entering central zone of rats in As+FMT group were evidently increased (P<0.05) . The analysis of fecal microbiota diversities showed that, at the phyla level, the relative abundance of Bacteroidetes in feces of rats in As+FMT group was higher than that in As group (68.34% vs 60.55%) , while the relative abundance of Firmicutes was lower than that in As group (28.02% vs 33.48%) . At the genus level, the relative abundance of Prevotella in As+FMT group was significantly higher than that in As group, becoming the dominant genus (42.08% vs 21.78%) . Additionally, compared with As group, a total of 22 genus were increased with 21 decreased genus in As+FMT group (P<0.05) . LEfSe analysis showed that dominant genuses in As+FMT group were Prevotella and UCG_005, and their relative abundance was significantly higher than that of As group (P<0.05) . Conclusion: FMT may alleviate the impaired learning and memory ability and anxiety like behavior of the offspring rats exposed to arsenic, and improve the disrupted gut microbiota.
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Male , Rats , Animals , Female , Fecal Microbiota Transplantation , Gastrointestinal Microbiome , Arsenic , Rats, Sprague-Dawley , FecesABSTRACT
Objectives: This study investigated behavioral self-regulation problems using the Children's Hostility Inventory (CHI) in pediatric bipolar disorder (PBD), healthy offspring of bipolar disorder patients (HOBD), and healthy controls (HC) without previous history of psychiatric disorders. Methods: The CHI was administered to 41 consecutive children and adolescents diagnosed with PBD, to 16 HOBD, and to 22 HC. The inventory assessed irritability, expression, hostility, and aggression and was completed by the children with the help of their mothers. Adolescents and their respective parents were interviewed separately using the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children-Present and Lifetime Version (K-SADS-PL). Results: All subscales of the CHI presented statistically significant differences, except for the subscale assessing feelings of suspicion. Pairwise comparisons revealed consistently significant differences between the PBD group and controls, indicating more self-regulation difficulties in the PBD group, represented by high levels of hostility and aggressive behavior. There were no significant differences between the PBD and HOBD groups. Conclusions: Future studies should further investigate if such behavior is state-dependent or a trait of bipolar juvenile expression. Expression of hostility and irritability should be considered relevant targets in psychosocial approaches addressing this population.
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Abstract Systemic lupus erythematous (SLE) is an autoimmune disease with clinical manifestations in multiple organs, primarily striking women of reproductive age. Women with SLE can became pregnant such as any other healthy woman and carrier their pregnancy to term due to the improvement of health systems, but their specific inflammatory conditions could affect the microenvironment in which the fetus grows, and influence the development of placenta and the fetal heart. Until now, there is very little evidence of any increased risk of postnatal cardiovascular disease (CVD) in the apparently healthy children from women with SLE, but it is this great variability in the effects of lupus on pregnant products is related to.
Resumen El lupus eritematoso sistémico (LES) es una enfermedad autoinmune que presenta diversas manifestaciones clínicas en múltiples órganos, y afecta principalmente a mujeres en edad reproductiva. Las mujeres con LES se pueden embarazar y llevar a término su embarazo, sin embargo, las condiciones inflamatorias específicas de la madre pueden modificar el microambiente en el que el embrión y el feto se desarrollan y afectar la formación y desarrollo de la placenta y el corazón fetal. Hasta ahora hay muy poca evidencia de que haya un mayor riesgo de enfermedad cardiovascular (ECV) en hijos aparentemente sanos de madres con LES, a pesar de que se sabe que hay un mayor riesgo de alteraciones cognitivas y neuronales, así como de desarrollar enfermedades autoinmunes en esos niños. El objetivo de esta revisión fue realizar una búsqueda bibliografía cruzando palabras clave acerca la enfermedad cardiovascular en hijos sanos de mujeres con LES. La evidencia mostró que la autoinmunidad materna puede favorecer la predisposición para el desarrollo de ECV en sus hijos, por medio de la modificación de señales que alteran el microambiente durante la gestación, lo que puede afectar la respuesta inmunitaria y cambios epigenéticos durante la vida posnatal.
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Background Arsenic is recognized as a kind of developmental toxicant, which can pass through the placenta barrier and induce health defects in offspring. However, the effects of environmental levels of arsenic exposure during gestation on the reproductive system of adult male offspring remain unclear. Objective To investigate the impact of environmental levels of arsenic exposure during gestation on testosterone synthesis and sperm quality in F1 adult male rats. Methods Forty sexually mature Wistar female rats were randomly divided into four groups according to body weight, namely control group, low-dose sodium arsenite (NaAsO2) group, middle-dose NaAsO2 group, and high-dose NaAsO2 group. They were mated with sexually mature Wistar male rats in a ratio of 2:1, and the day with presence of a vaginal plug or spermatozoa in the vaginal smear was designated as gestational day 0 (GD0). Pregnant rats were provided drinking water containing 0, 1, 5,, or 25 mg·L−1 NaAsO2 until delivery. At postnatal day 70, the F1 male rats were euthanized. Anogenital distance was measured, testis and epididymis were weighed, and associated organ coefficients were calculated. Epididymal sperm quality was evaluated. The histological changes of testis were observed. The levels of testosterone and estradiol in serum were determined with ELISA kit. The testicular mRNA relative expression levels of key steroidogenic enzymes were determined by quantitative real-time PCR. The protein relative expression levels of key steroidogenic enzymes were determined by Western blotting. Results Compared with the control group, the testicular coefficients and epididymis coefficients were increased in the low- and middle-dose groups (P<0.05), and the epididymis coefficient was also increased in the high-dose group (P<0.05). As for the percentage of sperm motility, compared to the control group, grade Ⅰ sperm cells were increased in the low-dose group, but significantly decreased in the middle- and high-dose groups; grade Ⅱ and Ⅲ sperm cells were decreased in the low- and high-dose groups; grade Ⅳ sperm cells were significantly increased in the middle- and high-dose groups; all the differences above were statistically significant (P<0.05). Compared with the control group, there was a significant increase in serum testosterone levels in all treated groups (P<0.05), and the serum estradiol levels were significantly decreased in the high-dose group (P<0.05). Meanwhile, compared with the control group, the relative mRNA expression levels of Hsd3β1 and Cyp19a1 were decreased (P<0.05), while those of StAR and Cyp11a1 were increased in the high-dose group (P<0.05). In addition, the relative protein expression levels of CYP11A1 were significantly increased in all treated groups compared with the control group (P<0.05). Conclusion Environmental levels of arsenic exposure during gestation can up-regulate testosterone level and reduce sperm quality, and is a potential risk for reproductive dysfunction in adult male offspring.
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OBJECTIVES@#To study the association of the levels of heavy metals and trace elements during pregnancy with congenital heart defects (CHD) in offspring, and to establish a model for predicting the probability of CHD based on the levels of heavy metals and trace elements during pregnancy.@*METHODS@#Based on the prospective birth cohort study in Gansu Provincial Maternal and Child Health Hospital in 2010-2012, a nested case-control study was conducted for the follow-up observation of 14 359 pregnant women. Among the pregnant women, 97 pregnant women whose offspring were diagnosed with CHD during follow-up were enrolled as the CHD group, and 194 pregnant women whose offspring had no CHD were selected as the control group. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry was used to measure the levels of heavy metals and trace elements in maternal blood samples and fetal umbilical cord blood samples. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the association between heavy metal and trace elements and CHD in offspring. A nomogram model for predicting the probability of CHD in offspring was established based on the levels of heavy metals and trace elements during pregnancy.@*RESULTS@#Compared with the control group, the CHD group had significantly higher levels of aluminum (Al), natrium (Na), calcium (Ca), titanium (Ti), selenium (Se), strontium (Sr), stannum (Sn), stibium (Sb), barium (Ba), and thorium (Th) in maternal blood samples (P<0.05), as well as significantly higher levels of Al, zinc (Zn), magnesium (Mg), kalium (K), Ca, Ti, chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), arsenic (As), Se, Sr, argentum (Ag), cadmium (Cd), Sn, and plumbum (Pb) in umbilical cord blood (P<0.05). The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the increase in the Sb level in maternal blood was associated with the increase in the risk of CHD in offspring [adjusted odds ratio (aOR)=4.81, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.65-14.07, P=0.004], while in umbilical cord blood, the high levels of Al (aOR=4.22, 95%CI: 1.35-13.16, P=0.013), Mg (aOR=8.00, 95%CI: 1.52-42.08, P=0.014), and Pb (aOR=3.82, 95%CI: 0.96-15.23, P=0.049) were significantly associated with the risk of CHD in offspring. The levels of Al, Th, and Sb in maternal blood and levels of Al, Mg, and Pb in umbilical cord blood were included in the predictive model for CHD in offspring based on the levels of heavy metals and trace elements during pregnancy, and the calibration curve of the nomogram predictive model was close to the ideal curve.@*CONCLUSIONS@#Increases in the levels of Al, Th, Sb, Mg, and Pb during pregnancy may indicate the increase in the risk of CHD in offspring, and the nomogram predictive model based on these indices can be used to predict the probability of CHD in offspring.