The Placental Function Beyond Pregnancy: Insights from Latin America.

Currently, more than 100,000 papers had been published studying the placenta in both physiological and pathological contexts. However, relevant health conditions affecting placental function, mostly found in low-income countries, should be evaluated deeper. This review will raise some - of what we think necessary - points of discussion regarding challenging topics not fully understood, including the paternal versus maternal contribution on placental genes imprinting, placenta-brain communication, and some environmental conditions affecting the placenta. The discussions are parts of an international effort to fulfil some gaps observed in this area, and Latin-American research groups currently evaluate that.

Maternal and Fetal-Placental Effects of Etanercept Treatment During Rats' Pregnancy.

Etanercept is a tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) inhibitor chronically used to treat autoimmune diseases. However, the use of etanercept during pregnancy still needs to be further investigated. The aim of this study is to evaluate the etanercept treatment during pregnancy, analyzing maternal reproductive performance, fetal outcomes, and placental repercussions. Wistar rats (200-250 g) were mated and randomly distributed into two experimental groups: control and etanercept (n = 10 animals/group). Treatments with etanercept (0.8 mg/kg, s.c.), or saline (control group) were carried out on days 0, 6, 12, and 18 of gestation. On the morning of the 21st day of pregnancy, rats were euthanized in a CO2 chamber and submitted to laparotomy to remove the fetuses, placentas, ovaries, and maternal organs. There were no differences between groups in the following parameters: water and food consumption; placental efficiency; reproductive parameters, including number of corpora lutea and implants, reabsorption, and pre- and post-implantation losses. However, etanercept treatment increased liver weight, reduced fetal and placental weight, decreased the placental junction zone, reduced the percentage of normal fetuses, and increased visceral or skeletal fetal abnormalities. Therefore, etanercept resulted in damages more related to fetus and placenta. However, more studies with different doses are required to better predict possible injuries elicited using etanercept during pregnancy.

Interleukin 1-beta is Linked to Chronic Low-Grade Inflammation and Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Overweight Adolescents.

AIM: We hypothesized that IL-1ß concentrations are augmented in overweight adolescents, who do not display metabolic syndrome. Additionally, we aimed to correlate the IL-1ß concentrations with several established risk factors for CVD. METHODS: Overweight or control subjects, aging from 14-18 years, were classified according to their adjusted body mass index and evaluated for biochemical and anthropometric parameters. The proinflammatory cytokine IL-1ß was assessed in the serum. RESULTS: Increased body fat percentage, waist circumference, triglycerides, total cholesterol, Very Low-Density Lipoprotein (VLDL) cholesterol, Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, Castelli I index, IL-1ß, and IL-8 levels, were observed in overweight adolescents. No differences were observed in systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, glucose or High-Density Lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. Positive correlations between IL-1ß with anthropometric and or biochemical parameters were found. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, increased IL-1ß levels correlate to dyslipidemic factors and may further support low-grade inflammation. IL-1ß may further predict the early onset of cardiovascular disease in this population, taking into consideration its important regulatory role.