Association Between Preeclampsia and Blood Pressure in Offspring: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Pregnancy-induced preeclampsia is a severe pregnancy complication and preeclampsia has been associated with an increased risk of chronic hypertension for offspring. However, the magnitude of the overall effect of exposure to preeclampsia in pregnancy on blood pressure (BP) in offspring is unknown. This systematic review and meta-analysis was sought to systematically assess the effects of preeclampsia on the BP of the offspring. RECENT FINDINGS: Of 2550 publications identified, 23 studies were included. The meta-analysis indicated that preeclampsia increases the potential risk of hypertension in offspring. Systolic blood pressure (SBP) was 2.0 mm Hg (95% CI: 1.2, 2.8) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) was 1.4 mm Hg (95% CI: 0.9, 1.9) higher in offspring exposed to pre-eclampsia in utero, compared to those born to normotensive mothers. The correlations were similar in stratified analyses of children and adolescents by sex, geographic area, ages, and gestational age. During childhood and young adulthood, the offspring of pregnant women with preeclampsia are at an increased risk of high BP. It is crucial to monitor their BP.

Insulinemic and inflammatory dietary patterns show enhanced predictive potential for gestational diabetes mellitus risk.

CONTEXT: The putative association between proinflammatory and hyperinsulinemic dietary patterns and susceptibility to gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) remains unclear. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to compare the risk associated with the Mediterranean diet, as well as insulinemic and proinflammatory dietary patterns, in relation to the occurrence of GDM, and evaluate their predictive value. METHODS: We prospectively followed 8, 495 women from the Maternal and Infant Health cohort in Hefei, China (2015-2021). Using a food frequency questionnaire, we calculated the Empirical Dietary Inflammatory Pattern (EDIP), the Empirical Dietary Index for Hyperinsulinemia (EDIH) score, and the Mediterranean diet (MD) score. GDM was diagnosed based on a 2-hour 75-gram oral glucose tolerance test conducted between 24 to 28 weeks of gestation. Logistic regression was used to estimate the risk of GDM, while Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves were constructed to evaluate the predictive performance of the empirical dietary index for GDM. RESULTS: Participants who followed hyperinsulinemic or proinflammatory dietary patterns to the greatest extent had a higher risk of developing GDM. The OR for the highest quartile compared to the lowest quartile were 1.39 (95% CI: 1.30-1.49) for EDIH and 2.40 (95% CI: 1.88-3.01) for EDIP. The OR for the lowest quartile compared to the highest quartile was 1.33 (95% CI:1.14-1.55)for MD. The ROC curve analysis indicated that the combination of EDIP and EDIH (AUC = 0.81, 95% CI: 0.78-0.82, P = 0.003) can effectively predict the occurrence of GDM. CONCLUSIONS: Utilizing both empirical dietary indexes, EDIP and EDIH, might offer a potentially more effective approach in preventing GDM when compared to solely focusing on adherence to the Mediterranean diet pattern.

Association between the Maternal Mediterranean Diet and Perinatal Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

The Mediterranean diet is a global, well-known healthy dietary pattern. This review aims to synthesize the existing evidence on the relationship between the maternal Mediterranean diet during pregnancy and perinatal outcomes, including randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and cohort studies. PubMed, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library were searched from inception to 10 March, 2023, supplemented by manual screening. A random-effect model was used to estimate pooled sizes with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for specific outcomes of interest. Data from 5 RCTs and 18 cohort studies with 107,355 pregnant participants were synthesized. In RCTs, it was observed that the maternal Mediterranean diet significantly reduced the incidence of gestational diabetes mellitus [odds ratio (OR), 0.56; 95% CI: 0.34, 0.93], as well as small for gestational age (0.55; 95% CI: 0.35, 0.88). In cohort studies, the highest adherence score to the maternal Mediterranean diet was inversely associated with a lower risk of various adverse pregnancy outcomes, including gestational diabetes mellitus (OR, 0.82; 95% CI: 0.67, 1.00), pregnancy-induced hypertension (0.73; 95% CI: 0.60, 0.89), pre-eclampsia (0.77; 95% CI: 0.64, 0.93), preterm delivery (0.67; 95% CI: 0.49, 0.91), low birth weight (0.70; 95% CI: 0.64, 0.78), intrauterine growth restriction (0.46; 95% CI: 0.23, 0.91), and increased gestational age at delivery (weighted mean difference, 0.11 wk; 95% CI: 0.03, 0.20). Meta-regression analyses did not identify the adjustment for confounders and geographical location as predictive factors for heterogeneity. The results suggest that adherence to the Mediterranean diet during pregnancy appears to be beneficial for perinatal outcomes. Future, larger, and higher-quality RCTs and cohort studies are warranted to confirm the present findings. PROSPERO registration no.: CRD42023406317.

Association between exposure to air pollution during preconception and risk of gestational diabetes mellitus: The role of anti-inflammatory diet.

BACKGROUND: Regarding the association between the sensitive time-windows of air pollution (AP) exposure and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), epidemiological findings are inconsistent. The dietary inflammatory potential has been implicated in the development of GDM, but it is unclear whether an anti-inflammatory diet during pregnancy reduces the association between AP and GDM. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to characterize the sensitive time-windows of AP to GDM risk. Further, to verify whether a maternal anti-inflammatory diet can reduce the risk of AP-induced GDM, by inhibiting inflammation. METHODS: A total of 8495 pregnant women were included between 2015 and 2021 in the Maternal & Infants Health in Hefei study. Weekly mean AP exposure to fine particles (PM2.5 and PM10), SO2, and NO2 was estimated from the data of Hefei City Ecology and Environment Bureau. High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) concentrations were measured to evaluate systemic inflammation. The empirical dietary inflammatory pattern (EDIP) score based on a validated food frequency questionnaire was used to assess the dietary inflammatory potential of pregnant women. Logistic regression models with distributed lags were used to identify the sensitive time-window for the effect of AP on GDM. Mediation analysis estimated the mediated effect of hs-CRP, linking AP with GDM. Stratified analysis was used to investigate the potential effect of anti-inflammatory diet on GDM risk. RESULTS: The increased risks of GDM were found to be positively associated with exposure to PM2.5 (OR = 1.11, 95% CI:1.07-1.15), PM10 (OR = 1.12, 95% CI:1.09-1.16), and SO2 (OR = 1.42, 95% CI:1.25-1.60) by distributed lag models, and the critical exposure windows were 21st to 28th weeks of preconception. The proportion of association between PM2.5, PM10, and SO2 with GDM mediated by hs-CRP was 25.9%, 21.1%, and 19.4%, respectively, according to mediation analysis. In the stratified analyses by EDIP, the association between AP and GDM was not statistically significant among women those with anti-inflammatory diets. CONCLUSIONS: Exposure to AP, especially in 21st to 28th week of preconception, is associated with risk of GDM, which is partly mediated by hs-CRP. Adherence to the anti-inflammatory dietary pattern may reduce the risk of AP-induced GDM.

Interaction of ciprofloxacin with the activated sludge of the sewage treatment plant.

Interaction of ciprofloxacin with the activated sludge of the sewage treatment plant is of importance for the ciprofloxacin migration and risk control. More than 96.0% ciprofloxacin was removed through the sludge adsorption. The sludge surface charge varied little with ciprofloxacin since most ciprofloxacin was dissociated into the neutral one. No obvious shift was observed for the soluble carbohydrate concentration and composition with the addition of ciprofloxacin, indicating the weak interaction between the carbohydrates and ciprofloxacin. The introduction of ciprofloxacin resulted in a reduction of the soluble protein concentration, a marked increase of the extracellular protein fluorescence intensities, and a dramatic emergence of new extracellular proteins. The alteration of the proteins highlights the strong interaction between the extracellular proteins and ciprofloxacin, and the consequent integration of certain soluble proteins and original unextractable inner layer extracellular proteins into the extractable extracellular proteins. Different types of interactions are suggested to dominate between the extracellular proteins and the differently dissociated ciprofloxacin.

Shifts in the pelagic ammonia-oxidizing microbial communities along the eutrophic estuary of Yong River in Ningbo City, China.

Aerobic ammonia oxidation plays a key role in the nitrogen cycle, and the diversity of the responsible microorganisms is regulated by environmental factors. Abundance and composition of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) were investigated in the surface waters along an environmental gradient of the Yong River in Ningbo, East China. Water samples were collected from three pelagic zones: (1) freshwaters in the urban canals of Ningbo, (2) brackish waters in the downstream Yong River, and (3) coastal marine water of Hangzhou Bay. Shifts in activity and diversity of the ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms occurred simultaneously with changes in environmental factors, among which salinity and the availabilities of ammonium and oxygen. The AOA abundance was always higher than that of AOB and was related to the ammonia oxidation activity. The ratios of AOA/AOB in the brackish and marine waters were significantly higher than those found in freshwaters. Both AOA and AOB showed similar community compositions in brackish and marine waters, but only 31 and 35% similarity, respectively, between these waters and the urban inland freshwaters. Most of AOA-amoA sequences from freshwater were affiliated with sequences obtained from terrestrial environments and those collected from brackish and coastal areas were ubiquitous in marine, coastal, and terrestrial ecosystems. All AOB from freshwaters belonged to Nitrosomonas, and the AOB from brackish and marine waters mainly belonged to Nitrosospira.

Renal fibromuscular dysplasia with malignant hypertension cured by balloon angioplasty with stenting.

We presented a 31-year-old female patient with a history of hypertension and severe pulsing headache for about 3 months. The patient had pulsing headaches over the past 3 months with increased very high blood pressure (BP = 220/130 mmHg), sometimes with blurred vision, nausea and vomiting, with no known pathological conditions in her medical history or family background. A digital subtraction angiography confirmed tight stenosis (90%) in the middle segment of the right renal artery. Balloon angioplasty with a stent was the treatment of choice. Blood pressure dropped to normal after treatment.

New series of corers for taking undisturbed vertical samples of soft bottom sediments.

A new series of sediment corers--a Single Tube Gravity Corer and a Multiple Tube Gravity Corer has been developed for taking undisturbed vertical soft sediment samples, and a Hydraulic Pressure Multiple Tube Corer has been preliminarily designed. The Single Tube Gravity Corer can be operated by hand easily without using a winch, and it might be the simplest and the cheapest core sampler available. The Multiple Tube Gravity Corer was developed based on the Single Corer, which normally consists of three coring tubes, however, it is possible to install up to six tubes. The Hydraulic Pressure Multiple Tube Corer has been designed based on the Multiple Corer, which would take undisturbed sediment samples, and would be controlled by a computer and monitored by an underwater video camera. The pore water collection and the sediment Eh measurement-subsampling process through the transparent plastic tube wall is straightforward. Compared to other types of coring devices, such as the famous KC Kajak sediment core sampler made in Denmark; these corers have greater reliability, being simple in structure, relatively light weight, easy and efficient to operate, highly adaptable, and relatively inexpensive to produce.

Spatial and temporal dynamics of phytoplankton and bacterioplankton biomass in Sanya Bay, northern South China Sea.

The composition of phytoplankton and the dynamics of phytoplankton and bacterioplankton biomass (PB and BB, respectively) of Sanya Bay, South China Sea, were determined. A total of 168 species (67 genera) phytoplankton were identified, including Bacillariophyta (diatom, 128 species), Pyrrophyta (35 species), Cyanophyta (3 species), and Chrysophyta (2 species). Annual average abundance of phytoplankton was 1.2 x 10(7) cells/m3, with the highest abundance in autumn, and the lowest in summer. Annual average diversity index (H') and evenness (J) values were 3.96 and 0.70, respectively. Average chlorophyll-a was 2.5 mg/m3, and the average PB was 124 mg C/m3, with the highest value in autumn. Surface PB was higher than the bottom, except for summer. Annual mean bacterioplankton abundance and BB were 6.9 x 10(11) cells/m3 and 13.8 mg C/m3, respectively. The highest BB was found in summer, followed by winter, spring, and autumn. Surface BB was higher than bottom all year round. The spatial distribution patterns of PB and BB were very similar with the highest biomass in the estuary, and decreased seaward, primarily due to the terrestrial input from the Sanya River and influx of oceanic water. The main factor influencing PB and BB was dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN). Other factors such as temperature, which is above 22 degrees C throughout the year, had a negligible impact. The correlation between BB and PB was significant (P < 0.01). The annual average ratio of BB/PB was 0.12 (0.06-0.15). Phytoplankton primary production was one of the most important factors in controlling the distribution of bacterioplankton.