Association between serum iron and liver transaminases based on a large adult women population.

BACKGROUND: Studies are being focused on the potential roles of iron in various diseases, but remain unclear for the association between serum iron and liver injury, especially in adult women. METHODS: Based on the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, we investigated the relationship between serum iron and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) among 19,185 adult women. RESULTS: Using weighted multivariate regression analyses, subgroup analyses, and threshold effect analyses, we found that serum iron was independently and positively correlated with ALT and AST. These associations differed in various age or race. Additionally, we found turning points in the curves of the relationship between serum iron and ALT in all women and the non-pregnant women. Using sensitivity analyses, we further found that the associations between serum iron and the liver transaminases remained positive in the non-pregnant women after adjusting for various covariates, but not in pregnant women. Besides, the positive associations between them kept present after excluding the women with high blood pressure, diabetes, and chronic kidney disease. CONCLUSION: The present study indicated a positive association between serum iron and liver transaminases, indicating that serum iron may be a potential biomarker of liver function.

Diagnostic signature and immune characteristic of aging-related genes from placentas in Preeclampsia.

INTRODUCTION: Preeclampsia (PE) is a serious pregnancy syndrome. Advanced maternal age (≥ 35 years old) is one of the major risk factors of PE and placental aging is considered to be related to this disease. However, the mechanisms underlying these phenomena remain obscured. METHODS: Gene expression profiles of PE and non-PE placental samples were curated from the GSE75010 dataset. A diagnostic model was constructed and immune characteristics of PE subtypes were estimated. RESULTS: A total of 58 aging-related genes, which may be associated with PE, were identified. Among them, LEP and FLT1 may be key aging-related genes. Based on 5 top genes (PIK3CB, FLT1, LEP, PIK3R1, CSNK1E), a diagnostic nomogram for PE was built (AUC = 0.872 in the GSE75010 dataset). Three molecular subtypes were clustered, which had different immune and angiogenesis characteristics. CONCLUSION: The present study suggests the potential implications of aging-related genes in diagnosing PE. Diverse immune characteristics may be involved in the placental aging of PE.

Plasma Olink Proteomics Identifies CCL20 as a Novel Predictive and Diagnostic Inflammatory Marker for Preeclampsia.

Inflammation is generally thought to be involved in the occurrence and development of preeclampsia (PE), but its specific effect on PE remains unclear. In the present study, the expression levels of 92 inflammation-related proteins were measured in the late pregnancy maternal plasma from patients with PE (n = 15) and normal pregnant controls (n = 15) using the Olink inflammation panel based on the highly sensitive and specific proximity extension assay technology. A total of 28 inflammation-related markers differed between the PE and control groups. Among them, fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF-21) and cysteine-cysteine motif chemokine ligand 20 (CCL20) had the largest fold changes. We further validated the levels of CCL20 in the late (43 with PE and 44 controls) and early (37 with PE and 37 controls) pregnancy maternal plasma using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). To the best of our knowledge, for the first time, CCL20 was found to be upregulated in the late and early pregnancy plasma of patients with PE and had an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.753 and 0.668, respectively. In conclusion, patients with PE had increased levels of most inflammatory markers, and CCL20 might be a novel potential predictive and diagnostic biomarker for PE.

The role of aspirin dose and initiation time in the prevention of preeclampsia and corresponding complications: a meta-analysis of RCTs.

PURPOSE: To investigate the role of different dosages and initial times of aspirin in preeclampsia prevention. METHODS: This meta-analysis was performed based on randomized-control trials (RCTs). RCTs of women assigned to receive low-dose aspirin, placebo, or no treatment were included. Preeclampsia and corresponding complications were pooled for analysis. All studies were retrieved from PubMed, Embase, Cochrane and Web of Science. RESULTS: A total of 46 studies were obtained in this meta-analysis, which consisted of 24,028 participants. When women at ≤ 16 gestational weeks started treatment with a dosage of < 100 mg/day aspirin, there was a significant reduction in the incidence of preeclampsia (RR = 0.75; 95% CI 0.58-0.98; P = 0.03), while in the subgroup receiving ≥ 100 mg/day aspirin, the result was RR = 0.71 (95% CI 0.53-0.95; P = 0.02). When aspirin was initiated at > 16 weeks, with a dosage of < 100 mg/day aspirin, there was a lesser preventive effect (RR = 0.80; 95% Cl 0.64-1.00; P = 0.05), and there was no significance in the subgroup receiving ≥ 100 mg/day aspirin (RR = 0.76; 95% Cl 0.45-1.31; P = 0.32). Furthermore, aspirin was revealed to have a protective effect on reducing preterm delivery, but there was an increased risk of postpartum hemorrhage. No significant result was obtained for fetal loss. CONCLUSION: The results of this meta-analysis suggest that high-risk pregnant women can prevent preeclampsia or preterm delivery by taking low-dose aspirin; the most efficient period is ≤ 16 weeks of gestation, and the best dose is ≥ 100 mg.