The Effects of Pregestational Overweight and Obesity on Maternal Lipidome in Pregnancy: Implications for Newborns' Characteristics.

Obesity is an important risk factor for the development of pregnancy complications. We investigated the effects of pregestational overweight and obesity on maternal lipidome during pregnancy and on newborns' characteristics. The study encompassed 131 pregnant women, 99 with pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) < 25 kg/m2 and 32 with BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2. Maternal lipid status parameters, plasma markers of cholesterol synthesis and absorption and sphingolipids were determined in each trimester. Data on neonatal height, weight and APGAR scores were assessed. The results showed a higher prevalence (p < 0.05) of pregnancy and childbirth complications among the participants with elevated pregestational BMI. Levels of total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol (p < 0.05) and LDL-cholesterol (p < 0.01) were significantly lower, and concentrations of triglycerides were higher (p < 0.05) in women with increased pre-gestational BMI. Lower concentrations of the cholesterol synthesis marker, desmosterol, in the 2nd trimester (p < 0.01) and the cholesterol absorption marker, campesterol, in each trimester (p < 0.01, p < 0.05, p < 0.01, respectively) were also found in this group. Markers of maternal cholesterol synthesis were in positive correlation with neonatal APGAR scores in the group of mothers with healthy pre-pregnancy weight but in negative correlation in the overweight/obese group. Our results indicate that gestational adaptations of maternal lipidome depend on her pregestational nutritional status and that such changes may affect neonatal outcomes.

Comparison of Perinatal Outcome of Delta and Omicron Variant of COVID-19 Infection-A Retrospective Observational Study.

Background and Objectives: The aim of the present work was to compare the characteristics of delta and omicron variants of COVID-19 infection in pregnant women, the association of infection with comorbidity, clinical manifestation of the disease, type of delivery, and pregnancy outcome. Material and Methods: The study was designed as an observational, retrospective study of a single center. The analysis included the cohort of women who had SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy and/or childbirth in the period from 1 March 2020 to 30 June 2023. Results: Out of a total of 675 pregnant women with SARS-CoV-2 infection, 130 gave birth with the delta and 253 with the omicron variant. In our retrospective analysis, pregnant women with both SARS-CoV-2 variants had a mild clinical history in most cases. In the omicron period, a significantly lower incidence of pregnancy loss (p < 0.01) and premature birth (p = 0.62) admission of mothers and newborns to the intensive care unit (p < 0.05) was recorded. Conclusions: In our retrospective analysis, pregnant women with COVID-19 infection generally exhibited a milder clinical manifestation with both variants (delta and omicron) of the viral infection. During the delta-dominant period, ten percent of affected pregnant women experienced a severe clinical history. However, during the omicron-dominant period infection, a significantly lower incidence of complications, pregnancy loss, preterm delivery, and admission of mothers and neonates to the intensive care unit was recorded. This can be partly explained by the greater presence of pregnant women with natural or induced vaccine immunity.

Enzymatic Degradation of Zearalenone in the Gastrointestinal Tract of Pigs, Chickens, and Rainbow Trout.

The estrogenic mycotoxin zearalenone (ZEN) is a common contaminant of animal feed. Effective strategies for the inactivation of ZEN in feed are required. The ZEN-degrading enzyme zearalenone hydrolase ZenA (EC 3.1.1.-, commercial name ZENzyme®, BIOMIN Holding GmbH, Getzersdorf, Austria) converts ZEN to hydrolyzed ZEN (HZEN), thereby enabling a strong reduction in estrogenicity. In this study, we investigated the efficacy of ZenA added to feed to degrade ZEN in the gastrointestinal tract of three monogastric animal species, i.e., pigs, chickens, and rainbow trout. For each species, groups of animals received (i) feed contaminated with ZEN (chickens: 400 µg/kg, pigs: 200 µg/kg, rainbow trout: 2000 µg/kg), (ii) feed contaminated with ZEN and supplemented with ZenA, or (iii) uncontaminated feed. To investigate the fate of dietary ZEN in the gastrointestinal tract in the presence and absence of ZenA, concentrations of ZEN and ZEN metabolites were analyzed in digesta of chickens and rainbow trout and in feces of pigs. Upon ZenA administration, concentrations of ZEN were significantly decreased and concentrations of the degradation product HZEN were significantly increased in digesta/feces of each investigated animal species, indicating degradation of ZEN by ZenA in the gastrointestinal tract. Moreover, upon addition of ZenA to the diet, the concentration of the highly estrogenic ZEN metabolite α-ZEL was significantly reduced in feces of pigs. In conclusion, ZenA was effective in degrading ZEN to HZEN in the gastrointestinal tract of chickens, pigs, and rainbow trout, and counteracted formation of α-ZEL in pigs. Therefore, ZenA could find application as a ZEN-degrading feed additive for these animal species.

Anthocyanins Protect Hepatocytes against CCl4-Induced Acute Liver Injury in Rats by Inhibiting Pro-inflammatory mediators, Polyamine Catabolism, Lipocalin-2, and Excessive Proliferation of Kupffer Cells.

: This study examined the hepatoprotective and anti-inflammatory effects of anthocyanins from Vaccinim myrtillus (bilberry) fruit extract on the acute liver failure caused by carbon tetrachloride-CCl4 (3 mL/kg, i.p.). The preventive treatment of the bilberry extract (200 mg anthocyanins/kg, orally, 7 days) prior to the exposure to the CCl4 resulted in an evident decrease in markers of liver damage (glutamate dehydrogenase, sorbitol dehydrogenase, malate dehydrogenase), and reduced pro-oxidative (conjugated dienes, lipid hydroperoxide, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, advanced oxidation protein products, NADPH oxidase, hydrogen peroxide, oxidized glutathione), and pro-inflammatory markers (tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin-6, nitrite, myeloperoxidase, inducible nitric oxide synthase, cyclooxygenase-2, CD68, lipocalin-2), and also caused a significant decrease in the dissipation of the liver antioxidative defence capacities (reduced glutathione, glutathione S-transferase, and quinone reductase) in comparison to the results detected in the animals treated with CCl4 exclusively. The administration of the anthocyanins prevented the arginine metabolism's diversion towards the citrulline, decreased the catabolism of polyamines (the activity of putrescine oxidase and spermine oxidase), and significantly reduced the excessive activation and hyperplasia of the Kupffer cells. There was also an absence of necrosis, in regard to the toxic effect of CCl4 alone. The hepatoprotective mechanisms of bilberry extract are based on the inhibition of pro-oxidative mediators, strong anti-inflammatory properties, inducing of hepatic phase II antioxidant enzymes (glutathione S-transferase, quinone reductase) and reduced glutathione, hypoplasia of Kupffer cells, and a decrease in the catabolism of polyamines.

Author Correction: Why rankings of biomedical image analysis competitions should be interpreted with care.

In the original version of this Article the values in the rightmost column of Table 1 were inadvertently shifted relative to the other columns. This has now been corrected in the PDF and HTML versions of the Article.

Why rankings of biomedical image analysis competitions should be interpreted with care.

International challenges have become the standard for validation of biomedical image analysis methods. Given their scientific impact, it is surprising that a critical analysis of common practices related to the organization of challenges has not yet been performed. In this paper, we present a comprehensive analysis of biomedical image analysis challenges conducted up to now. We demonstrate the importance of challenges and show that the lack of quality control has critical consequences. First, reproducibility and interpretation of the results is often hampered as only a fraction of relevant information is typically provided. Second, the rank of an algorithm is generally not robust to a number of variables such as the test data used for validation, the ranking scheme applied and the observers that make the reference annotations. To overcome these problems, we recommend best practice guidelines and define open research questions to be addressed in the future.

The Effect of Early Substitution of Subclinical Hypothyroidism on Biochemical Blood Parameters and the Quality of Life.

BACKGROUND: Subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) is defined as high TSH and normal thyroxine. Data on the effects of early substitution by levothyroxine on psychophysical health in SCH are still not consistent enough to support its introduction. METHODS: Clinical parameters, biochemical data and quality of life (Short Form 36 questionnaire) were measured before the intervention and 3 months after the euthyroid state had been achieved in SCH patients. RESULTS: Significant reduction in body weight (p=0.030), systolic and diastolic blood pressure (p=0.024, p=0.019), homocysteine (p<0.001), leukocytes and neutrophils (p=0.011, p=0.001), INR (p=0.049), K levels (p=0.040, p=0.013), HbA1c (p=0.001), fasting insulin (p<0.001) and insulin resistance measured by HOMA index (p<0.001), lipid parameters (total cholesterol (p<0.001), LDL-cholesterol (p<0.001), triglycerides (p=0.007), apoB (p=0.022), Lp(a) (p<0.001), LDL/HDL (p=0.008), LAP (p=0.04) and apoB/apoA1 ratios (p<0.023)), TSH (p<0.001) and tAbs (p<0.001) was recorded. Frequency of fatty liver (20% to 2.9%, p=0.016), hyperlipidemia (85% to 65.7%, p=0.001) and metabolic syndrome (34.3% to 2.9%, p=0.070) significantly decreased. A statistically significant positive association was found between the average dose of levothyroxine and changes in physical functioning (r=0.391, p=0.020), vitality (r=0.393, p=0.020), mental health (r=0.374, p=0.027) and overall dimensions of mental health (r=0.376, p=0.026). With increasing doses of levothyroxine, the previously listed scores of SF 36 grew (r=0.296, p=0.084). CONCLUSIONS: Early substitution of SCH improved the many clinical and biochemical parameters related to cardiovascular risk. Quality of life was also improved, and correlated only with thyroxine doses suggesting an indirect relationship between the degree of hypothyroidism and quality of life.

Antioxidant and proapoptotic effects of anthocyanins from bilberry extract in rats exposed to hepatotoxic effects of carbon tetrachloride.

AIMS: The aim of this research was to determine the hepatoprotective effects of anthocyanins from bilberry extract in rats exposed to carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) by monitoring the parameters of oxidative stress and apoptosis, and by performing the histopathological and morphometric analyses. MAIN METHODS: Animals were divided into four groups: Group I (0.9% NaCl-10days), Group II (bilberry extract, 75mg/kg-10days), Group III (0,9% NaCl-9days, and on the tenth day CCl4-2ml/kg), Group IV (bilberry extract, 75mg/kg-10days and on the tenth day CCl4-2ml/kg). KEY FINDINGS: Bilberry extract led to a significant decrease in the activity of biochemical parameters in serum (AST, GGT, LDH, and ALT), the activity of pro-oxidative enzyme xanthine oxidase, as well as the level of lipid peroxidation in the liver in Group IV compared to Group III (p<0.01). Bilberry extract resulted in a significant increase in the activity of the antioxidant markers-catalase (p<0.05), superoxide dismutase, glutathione S-transferase and glutathione peroxidase (p<0.01), and the concentration of reduced glutathione (p<0.05) in Group IV in relation to Group III. The application of bilberry extract resulted in an increase in the number of apoptotic hepatocytes and the activity of caspase-3 in the liver tissue (p<0.01). The reduction of coagulation necrotic areas was proved (p<0.001) as well as the number of macrovesicular hepatocytes (p<0.01), along with an increased mitotic activity (p<0.01) in Group IV compared to Group III. SIGNIFICANCE: Anthocyanins from bilberry extract have strong antioxidant properties and therefore can be considered as powerful hepatoprotectives in natural products.