Digital Commons Network^™

The Long Non-Coding Rna Gene C027288.3 Plays A Role In Human Endometrial Stromal Fibroblast Decidualization, Rupak Thapa, Kevin Marmo, Liang Ma, Donald S Torry, Brent M Bany

2020-Current year OA Pubs

During the secretory phase of the menstrual cycle, endometrial fibroblast cells begin to change into large epithelial-like cells called decidual cells in a process called decidualization. This differentiation continues more broadly in the endometrium and forms the decidual tissue during early pregnancy. The cells undergoing decidualization as well as the resulting decidual cells, support successful implantation and placentation during early pregnancy. This study was carried out to identify new potentially important long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) genes that may play a role in human endometrial stromal fibroblast cells (hESF) undergoing decidualization in vitro, and several were found. The expression of nine …

Low Absolute Risk Of Thrombotic And Cardiovascular Events In Outpatient Pregnant Women With Covid-19, Behnood Bikdeli, Darsiya Krishnathasan, Candrika Khairani, Antoine Bejjani, Julia Davies, Nicole Porio, Anthony Tristani, Andre Armero, Ali Assi, Victor Nauffal, Umberto Campia, Zaid Almarzooq, Eric Wei, Marcos Ortiz-Rios, Valeria Zuluaga-Sánchez, Aditya Achanta, Sirus Jesudasen, Bruce Tiu, Geno Merli, Orly Leiva, John Fanikos, Elvira Grandone, Aditya Sharma, Samantha Rizzo, Mariana Pfeferman, Ruth Morrison, Alec Vishnevsky, Judith Hsia, Mark Nehler, James Welker, Marc Bonaca, Brett Carroll, Samuel Goldhaber, Zhou Lan, Gregory Piazza

Division of Cardiology Faculty Papers

INTRODUCTION: Pregnancy may contribute to an excess risk of thrombotic or cardiovascular events. COVID-19 increases the risk of these events, although the risk is relatively limited among outpatients. We sought to determine whether outpatient pregnant women with COVID-19 are at a high risk for cardiovascular or thrombotic events.

MATERIALS & METHODS: We analyzed pregnant outpatients with COVID-19 from the multicenter CORONA-VTE-Network registry. The main study outcomes were a composite of adjudicated venous or arterial thrombotic events, and a composite of adjudicated cardiovascular events. Events were assessed 90 days after the COVID-19 diagnosis and reported for non-pregnant women ≤45 years, and …

When Intervention Becomes Imperative: A Case Report Of Spontaneous Vulvar Edema During Pregnancy, Vo Anh Vinh Trang, Thao-Ngan Nguyen Pham, Bao Huy Le, Thien Tan Tri Tai Truyen, Hoang Kim Tu Trinh, Kieu-Minh Le, Huu Doan Pham, Ngoc Minh Tam Nguyen, Quoc Kha Tran, Phuc Cam Hoang Nguyen, Vinh Hung Tran

Journal Articles

Spontaneous idiopathic vulvar edema during the second trimester is a rare condition. The approach to managing this condition involves relieving symptoms, identifying underlying causes, and implementing appropriate treatment. Managing such cases during pregnancy is challenging because of concerns for potential adverse fetal outcomes. Conservative management expects the condition to be relieved spontaneously postpartum, whereas invasive treatment offers a more rapid resolution. Treatment choices are controversial because each method has its pros and cons and influences the delivery process to a certain extent. Surgical drainage becomes a viable option when patients are not responsive to medications. We report a case of …

Factors Associated With Anaemia Among Pregnant Women In Rwanda: An Analysis Of The Rwanda Demographic And Health Survey Of 2020, Lilian Nuwabaine, Joseph Kawuki, Livingstone Kamoga, Quraish Sserwanja, Ghislaine Gatasi, Linet M Mutisya, John Baptist Asiimwe

School of Nursing & Midwifery, East Africa

Background: Anaemia in pregnancy is associated with several adverse outcomes for mothers and newborns, as well as their families. In this study, we assessed the prevalence of anaemia and the associated factors among pregnant women in Rwanda.

Methods: Secondary data from the 2020 Rwanda Demographic and Health Survey (RDHS) was used. Multistage stratified sampling was used to select 435 pregnant women included in the study. Anaemia among pregnant women was defined as a haemoglobin value/dL. Multivariable logistic regression was used to assess the associated factors with anaemia in pregnancy, using SPSS (version 26).

Results: Of the 435 pregnant …

Neonatal Outcomes In The Surgical Management Of Placenta Accreta Spectrum Disorders: A Retrospective Single-Center Observational Study From 468 Vietnamese Pregnancies Beyond 28 Weeks Of Gestation, Phuc Nhon Nguyen, Anh Dinh Bao Vuong, Xuan Trang Thi Pham

Journal Articles

BACKGROUND: Placenta accreta spectrum disorders (PASDs) increase the mortality rate for mothers and newborns over a decade. Thus, the purpose of the study is to evaluate the neonatal outcomes in emergency cesarean section (CS) and planned surgery as well as in Cesarean hysterectomy and the modified one-step conservative uterine surgery (MOSCUS). The secondary aim is to reveal the factors relating to poor neonatal outcomes.

METHODS: This was a single-center retrospective study conducted between 2019 and 2020 at Tu Du Hospital, in the southern region of Vietnam. A total of 497 pregnant women involved in PASDs beyond 28 weeks of gestation …

Improving Prenatal Diagnosis Through Standards And Aggregation., Michael H Duyzend, Pilar Cacheiro, Julius O B Jacobsen, Jessica Giordano, Harrison Brand, Ronald J Wapner, Michael E Talkowski, Peter N Robinson, Damian Smedley

Faculty Research 2024

Advances in sequencing and imaging technologies enable enhanced assessment in the prenatal space, with a goal to diagnose and predict the natural history of disease, to direct targeted therapies, and to implement clinical management, including transfer of care, election of supportive care, and selection of surgical interventions. The current lack of standardization and aggregation stymies variant interpretation and gene discovery, which hinders the provision of prenatal precision medicine, leaving clinicians and patients without an accurate diagnosis. With large amounts of data generated, it is imperative to establish standards for data collection, processing, and aggregation. Aggregated and homogeneously processed genetic and …

Delayed Onset Of Neonatal Compartment Syndrome Associated With Compound Fetal Presentation, Nicholas Manini, Hayato Unno

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

Neonatal compartment syndrome, although rare, has a classic presentation with sentinel skin findings and development of swelling, erythema, and tenderness of the affected extremity. Neonatal compartment syndrome requires prompt surgical intervention to preserve the affected limb and ensure its normal growth and development. Our patient was born at term via vaginal delivery complicated by a compound presentation involving the left upper extremity. No physical exam abnormalities were noted at birth, but she developed signs of neonatal compartment syndrome by 15 h of life. She was surgically treated at 22 h of life and recovered well. At one year of age, …

Zika Virus Prevention Behaviors And Knowledge Among Male Partners Of Pregnant People And Lack Of Condom Use As A Prevention Behavior From The Zika En Embarazadas Y Niños (Zen) Prospective Cohort Study, Colombia, Christina L Sancken, Ayzsa Tannis, Sandra A Amouzou, Veronica Burkel, Jeffrey M Carlson, Suzanne Newton, Suzanne M Gilboa, Maritza Gonzalez, Diana Valencia, Van T Tong, Martha Ospina

Journal Articles

Objective: Zika virus (ZIKV) infection in pregnancy can cause brain and eye abnormalities and neurodevelopmental sequelae. In the absence of medical countermeasures, behavioral interventions were recommended to prevent mosquito bites and sexual transmission of ZIKV. This report uses data from the Zika en Embarazadas y Niños (ZEN) prospective cohort study in Colombia to describe the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors (KAB) related to ZIKV prevention in male partners compared to those of their pregnant partners at study enrollment during February 2017-2018.

Results: Most male partners reported wearing protective clothing such as long pants (97.6%) and long sleeves (72.8%), as well as …

Gestational Testosterone Excess Early To Mid-Pregnancy Disrupts Maternal Lipid Homeostasis And Activates Biosynthesis Of Phosphoinositides And Phosphatidylethanolamines In Sheep, Nadia Saadat, Brooke Pallas, Joseph Ciarelli, Arpita Kalla Vyas, Vasantha Padmanabhan

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Gestational hyperandrogenism is a risk factor for adverse maternal and offspring outcomes with effects likely mediated in part via disruptions in maternal lipid homeostasis. Using a translationally relevant sheep model of gestational testosterone (T) excess that manifests maternal hyperinsulinemia, intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), and adverse offspring cardiometabolic outcomes, we tested if gestational T excess disrupts maternal lipidome. Dimensionality reduction models following shotgun lipidomics of gestational day 127.1 ± 5.3 (term 147 days) plasma revealed clear differences between control and T-treated sheep. Lipid signatures of gestational T-treated sheep included higher phosphoinositides (PI 36:2, 39:4) and lower acylcarnitines (CAR 16:0, 18:0, 18:1), …

Mental Health, Chronic And Infectious Conditions Among Pregnant Persons In Us State Prisons And Local Jails 2016-2017., Caitlin A Hendricks, Karissa M Rajagopal, Carolyn B Sufrin, Camille Kramer, Monik C Jiménez

Cooper Medical School of Rowan University Faculty Scholarship

BACKGROUND: Pregnant individuals in incarcerated settings have unique healthcare needs. Rates of mental health, infectious diseases, and chronic disease are higher among nonpregnant incarcerated women compared with those who are not, but the prevalence of these conditions among pregnant people in custody has not been documented.

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study is to describe the prevalence of metabolic, infectious, and mental health conditions in pregnant people to identify the medical needs of high-risk pregnancies in US state prisons and local jails.

STUDY DESIGN: This was a prospective epidemiologic surveillance of a convenience sample of state prisons (n = …

Observation On Efficacy And Underlying Mechanism Of Cheek Acupuncture On Ovulation Induction For Infertile Women With Pcos: Case Series, Yi Yang, Lihua Jin, Shasha Xu, Huijun Ye, Xi Luo, Ruilan Li, Yuebing Yue

Journal Articles

RATIONALE: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common reproductive endocrine disorder among women of childbearing age and is the primary cause of anovulatory infertility, accounting for 70% to 80% of cases. Ovulation induction is the main treatment approach for infertile patients with PCOS. Commonly utilized medications for this purpose are clomiphene citrate (CC) and letrozole (LE). Clomiphene citrate administration results in an ovulation rate ranging from 60% to 85%, while the pregnancy rate is limited to 35% to 40%, and a further reduction is observed in live birth rates. Letrozole demonstrates a slightly higher pregnancy rate and live birth …

Hypertension In Pregnancy Among Immigrant And Swedish Women: A Cohort Study Of All Pregnant Women In Sweden, Per Wändell, Casey Crump, Xinjun Li, Nouha Saleh Stattin, Axel C Carlsson, Jan Sundquist, Kristina Sundquist

Journal Articles

BACKGROUND: Little is known about risks of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy in both first- and second-generation immigrant women in Europe and other Western countries; such knowledge may help elucidate the influence of genetic versus social factors on such risks. We aimed to study both first- and second-generation immigrant women for the presence of all types of hypertension (preexisting hypertension, gestational hypertension, preeclampsia, and eclampsia) during pregnancy.

METHODS AND RESULTS: A cohort study was conducted using data derived from the Swedish National Birth Register, the National Patient Register, and the total Population Register. We used Cox regression analysis to compute hazard …

Implementation Of A Home Blood Pressure Monitoring Program For The Management Of Hypertensive Disorders Of Pregnancy, An Observational Study In British Columbia, Canada, Karen C Tran, Sabina Freiman, Tessa Chaworth-Musters, Susan Purkiss, Colleen Foster, Nadia A Khan, Wee Shian Chan

Journal Articles

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 pandemic has influenced health care delivery. We conducted an observational study to understand how obstetric medicine (ObM) physicians utilized home blood pressure monitoring (HBPM) to manage hypertension in pregnancy.

METHODS: Pregnant participants with risk factors or diagnosis of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) were enrolled, May 2020-December 2021, and provided with validated home blood pressure (BP) monitor. ObM physicians completed questionnaires to elicit how home BP readings were interpreted to manage HDP.

RESULTS: We enrolled 103 people: 44 antepartum patients (33.5 ± 5 years, gestational age of 24 ± 5 weeks); 59 postpartum patients (35 ± 6 years, …

Diagnostic Yield Of Exome Sequencing In Prenatal Agenesis Of Corpus Callosum: Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, H. J. Mustafa, J. P. Barbera, E. V. Sambatur, G. Pagani, Y. Yaron, C. D. Baptiste, R. J. Wapner, C. J. Brewer, A. Khalil

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

OBJECTIVES: To determine the incremental diagnostic yield of exome sequencing (ES) after negative chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA) in cases of prenatally diagnosed agenesis of the corpus callosum (ACC) and to identify the associated genes and variants.

METHODS: A systematic search was performed to identify relevant studies published up until June 2022 using four databases: PubMed, SCOPUS, Web of Science and The Cochrane Library. Studies in English reporting on the diagnostic yield of ES following negative CMA in prenatally diagnosed partial or complete ACC were included. Authors of cohort studies were contacted for individual participant data and extended cohorts were provided …

Epigenome-Wide Association Study Identifies Neonatal Dna Methylation Associated With Two-Year Attention Problems In Children Born Very Preterm., Marie Camerota, Barry M. Lester, Francisco Xavier Castellanos, Brian S. Carter, Jennifer Check, Jennifer Helderman, Julie A. Hofheimer, Elisabeth C. Mcgowan, Charles R. Neal, Steven L. Pastyrnak, Lynne M. Smith, Thomas Michael O'Shea, Carmen J. Marsit, Todd M. Everson

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Prior research has identified epigenetic predictors of attention problems in school-aged children but has not yet investigated these in young children, or children at elevated risk of attention problems due to preterm birth. The current study evaluated epigenome-wide associations between neonatal DNA methylation and attention problems at age 2 years in children born very preterm. Participants included 441 children from the Neonatal Neurobehavior and Outcomes in Very Preterm Infants (NOVI) Study, a multi-site study of infants born < 30 weeks gestational age. DNA methylation was measured from buccal swabs collected at NICU discharge using the Illumina MethylationEPIC Bead Array. Attention problems were assessed at 2 years of adjusted age using the attention problems subscale of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). After adjustment for multiple testing, DNA methylation at 33 CpG sites was associated with child attention problems. Differentially methylated CpG sites were located in genes previously linked to physical and mental health, including several genes associated with ADHD in prior epigenome-wide and genome-wide association studies. Several CpG sites were located in genes previously linked to exposure to prenatal risk factors in the NOVI sample. Neonatal epigenetics measured at NICU discharge could be useful in identifying preterm children at risk for long-term attention problems and related psychiatric disorders, who could benefit from early prevention and intervention efforts.

Hepatitis C Virus Detection And Management After Implementation Of Universal Screening In Pregnancy, Sarah Boudova, Danielle Tholey, Elizabeth Ferries-Rowe

Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Accurately identifying cases of hepatitis C virus has important medical and public health consequences. In the setting of rising hepatitis C virus prevalence and highly effective treatment with direct-acting antivirals, the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine guidelines recently changed to recommend universal screening for hepatitis C virus during pregnancy. However, there is little data on the influence of this policy change on case identification and management. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to examine the influence of universal hepatitis C virus screening on our patient population. Our primary objective was to determine if there was a difference in the detected hepatitis C virus …

Prenatal Exposure To Maternal Disadvantage-Related Inflammatory Biomarkers: Associations With Neonatal White Matter Microstructure, Ashley F P Sanders, Brian Tirado, Nicole A Seider, Regina L Triplett, Rachel E Lean, Jeffrey J Neil, J Philip Miller, Rebecca Tillman, Tara A Smyser, Deanna M Barch, Joan L Luby, Cynthia E Rogers, Christopher D Smyser, Barbara B Warner, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Prenatal exposure to heightened maternal inflammation has been associated with adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes, including atypical brain maturation and psychiatric illness. In mothers experiencing socioeconomic disadvantage, immune activation can be a product of the chronic stress inherent to such environmental hardship. While growing preclinical and clinical evidence has shown links between altered neonatal brain development and increased inflammatory states in utero, the potential mechanism by which socioeconomic disadvantage differentially impacts neural-immune crosstalk remains unclear. In the current study, we investigated associations between socioeconomic disadvantage, gestational inflammation, and neonatal white matter microstructure in 320 mother-infant dyads over-sampled for poverty. We analyzed maternal …

Share Cannabidiol Exposure During Gestation Leads To Adverse Cardiac Outcomes Early In Postnatal Life In Male Rat Offspring., Daniel B. Hardy, Steven R. Laviolette, Kendrick Lee, David Rc Natale

Physiology and Pharmacology Publications

Introduction: Studies indicate that *7% of pregnant individuals in North America consume cannabis in pregnancy. Pre-clinical studies have established that maternal exposure to D9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC; major psychoactive component in cannabis) leads to fetal growth restriction and impaired cardiac function in offspring. However, the effects of maternal exposure to cannabidiol (CBD; major non-euphoric constituent) on cardiac outcomes in offspring remain unknown. Therefore, our objective is to investigate the functional and underlying molecular impacts in the hearts of offspring exposed to CBD in pregnancy. Methods: Pregnant Wistar rats were exposed to either 3 or 30mg/kg CBD or vehicle control i.p. daily from …

Cannabidiol Exposure During Rat Pregnancy Leads To Labyrinth-Specific Vascular Defects In The Placenta And Reduced Fetal Growth, Daniel B. Hardy, David R C Natale, Kendrick Lee

Physiology and Pharmacology Publications

Introduction: Cannabis use is increasing among pregnant people, and cannabidiol (CBD), a constituent of cannabis, is often perceived as ‘‘natural’’ and ‘‘safe’’ as it is non-intoxicating. In utero, cannabis exposure is associated with negative health outcomes, including fetal growth restriction (FGR). The placenta supplies oxygen and nutrients to the fetus, and alterations in placental development can lead to FGR. While there has been some investigation into the effects of D9-THC, there has been limited investigation into the impacts of in utero gestational CBD exposure on the placenta. Methods: This study used histological and transcriptomic analysis of embryonic day (E)19.5 rat …

A Single-Cell Time-Lapse Of Mouse Prenatal Development From Gastrula To Birth., Chengxiang Qiu, Beth K Martin, Ian C Welsh, Riza M Daza, Truc-Mai Le, Xingfan Huang, Eva K Nichols, Megan L Taylor, Olivia Fulton, Diana R O'Day, Anne Roshella Gomes, Saskia Ilcisin, Sanjay Srivatsan, Xinxian Deng, Christine M Disteche, William Stafford Noble, Nobuhiko Hamazaki, Cecilia B Moens, David Kimelman, Junyue Cao, Alexander F Schier, Malte Spielmann, Stephen A. Murray, Cole Trapnell, Jay Shendure

Faculty Research 2024

The house mouse (Mus musculus) is an exceptional model system, combining genetic tractability with close evolutionary affinity to humans1,2 . Mouse gestation lasts only 3 weeks, during which the genome orchestrates the astonishing transformation of a single-cell zygote into a free-living pup composed of more than 500 million cells. Here, to establish a global framework for exploring mammalian development, we applied optimized single-cell combinatorial indexing3 to profile the transcriptional states of 12.4 million nuclei from 83 embryos, precisely staged at 2- to 6-hour intervals spanning late gastrulation (embryonic day 8) to birth (postnatal day 0). From these data, we annotate …

Attitudes And Barriers To Breastfeeding Among Women At High-Risk For Not Breastfeeding: A Prospective Observational Study, Jessica Cole, Ateshi Bhatt, Andrew G. Chapple, Sarah Buzhardt, Elizabeth F. Sutton

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Background Rates of breastfeeding are lower among minority and underserved populations in the United States. Our study objective was to assess pregnant persons attitudes and barriers to breastfeeding among a cohort at high risk for not breastfeeding. Methods We disseminated the Iowa Infant Feeding Attitude Scale (IIFAS) to 100 pregnant persons at least 18 years of age attending a prenatal visit in a low-resource, academic practice in south-central Louisiana (Woman’s Hospital). The IIFAS, as well as questions collecting information on breastfeeding experience and sociodemographic characteristics, were administered via interview. Medical records were reviewed to investigate associations between attitudes about breastfeeding …

Conditionally Mutant Animal Model For Investigating The Invasive Trophoblast Cell Lineage., Khursheed Iqbal, Esteban M. Dominguez, Brandon Nixon, Ayelen Moreno-Irusta, Benjamin Crnkovich, Regan L. Scott, Ha T H Vu, Geetu Tuteja, Jay L. Vivian, Michael J. Soares

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Placental development involves coordinated expansion and differentiation of trophoblast cell lineages possessing specialized functions. Among the differentiated trophoblast cell lineages are invasive trophoblast cells, which exit the placenta and invade the uterus, where they restructure the uterine parenchyma and facilitate remodeling of uterine spiral arteries. The rat exhibits deep intrauterine trophoblast cell invasion, a feature shared with human placentation, and is also amenable to gene manipulation using genome-editing techniques. In this investigation, we generated a conditional rat model targeting the invasive trophoblast cell lineage. Prolactin family 7, subfamily b, member 1 (Prl7b1) is uniquely and abundantly expressed in the rat …

Evaluating The Effect Of Maternal Non-Communicable Disease On Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes And Birthweight In Pakistan, A Facility Based Retrospective Cohort Study, Esther Wainwright, Sheikh Irfan Ahmed, Rahat Qureshi, Sana Yousuf, Raheela Khan, Matthew Elmes

Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) claim 74% of global lives, disproportionately affecting lower and middle-income countries like Pakistan. NCDs may increase the risk of preterm birth (PTB), caesarean section (CS), and low birthweight. This study aims to determine whether the high prevalence of NCDs in Pakistan play a role in the high rates of preterm births, and CS. This retrospective cohort study from Aga Khan University Hospital, Pakistan, investigated effects of pre-existing NCDs on pregnancy outcomes of 817 pregnant women. Medical records were used to generate odds ratios for the risk of PTB, labour outcome and birthweight in women with type 1 …

Bioactive Metabolites Of Omega-6 And Omega-3 Fatty Acids Are Associated With Inflammatory Cytokine Concentrations In Maternal And Infant Plasma At The Time Of Delivery, Rebecca Slotkowski, Matthew Van Ormer, Anum Akbar, Taija Hahka, Maranda Thompson, Rebekah Rapoza, Arzu Ulu, Melissa Thoene, Elizabeth Lyden, Maheswari Mukherjee, Ana G. Yuil-Valdes, Sathish Kumar Natarajan, Tara Nordgren, Corrine K. Hanson, Ann Anderson-Berry

Journal Articles: Pediatrics

Background & aims

Inflammation is necessary for a healthy pregnancy. However, unregulated or excessive inflammation during pregnancy is associated with severe maternal and infant morbidities, such as pre-eclampsia, abnormal infant neurodevelopment, or preterm birth. Inflammation is regulated in part by the bioactive metabolites of omega-6 (n-6) and omega-3 (n-3) fatty acids (FAs). N-6 FAs have been shown to promote pro-inflammatory cytokine environments in adults, while n-3 FAs have been shown to contribute to the resolution of inflammation; however, how these metabolites affect maternal and infant inflammation is still uncertain. The objective of this study was to predict the influence of …

Antenatal Depression And Its Associated Factors: Findings From Kuwait Birth Cohort Study, Reem Al-Sabah, Abdullah Al-Taiar, Ali H. Ziyab, Saeed Akhtar, Majeda S. Hammoud

Community & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Background: Pregnant and postpartum women are at high risk of depression due to hormonal and biological changes. Antenatal depression is understudied compared to postpartum depression and its predictors remain highly controversial.

Aim: To estimate the prevalence of depressive symptoms during pregnancy and investigate factors associated with this condition including vitamin D, folate and Vitamin B₁₂ among participants in the Kuwait Birth Study.

Methods: Data collection occurred as part of the Kuwait Birth Cohort Study in which pregnant women were recruited in the second and third trimester during antenatal care visits. Data on antenatal depression were collected using the Edinburgh …

Listeria Adhesion Protein Orchestrates Caveolae-Mediated Apical Junctional Remodeling Of Epithelial Barrier For Listeria Monocytogenes Translocation, Rishi Drolia, Donald B. Bryant, Shivendra Tenguria, Zuri A. Jules-Culver, Jessie Thind, Breanna Amelunke, Donqi Liu, Nicholas L. F. Gallina, Krishna K. Mishra, Manalee Samaddar, Manoj R. Sawale, Dharmendra K. Mishra, Abigail D. Cox, Arun K. Bhunia

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The cellular junctional architecture remodeling by Listeria adhesion protein-heat shock protein 60 (LAP-Hsp60) interaction for Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) passage through the epithelial barrier is incompletely understood. Here, using the gerbil model, permissive to internalin (Inl) A/B-mediated pathways like in humans, we demonstrate that Lm crosses the intestinal villi at 48 h post-infection. In contrast, the single isogenic (lap− or ΔinlA) or double (lap−ΔinlA) mutant strains show significant defects. LAP promotes Lm translocation via endocytosis of cell-cell junctional complex in enterocytes that do not display luminal E-cadherin. In comparison, InlA facilitates …

Design Of A Targeted Blood Transcriptional Panel For Monitoring Immunological Changes Accompanying Pregnancy., Tobias Brummaier, Darawan Rinchai, Mohammed Toufiq, Mohammed Y Karim, Tanwir Habib, Jürg Utzinger, Daniel H Paris, Rose Mcgready, Alexandra K Marr, Tomoshige Kino, Annalisa Terranegra, Souhaila Al Khodor, Damien Chaussabel, Basirudeen Syed Ahamed Kabeer

Faculty Research 2024

BACKGROUND: Immunomodulatory processes exert steering functions throughout pregnancy. Detecting diversions from this physiologic immune clock may help identify pregnant women at risk for pregnancy-associated complications. We present results from a data-driven selection process to develop a targeted panel of mRNAs that may prove effective in detecting pregnancies diverting from the norm.

METHODS: Based on a

RESULTS: We identified 176 transcripts that were complemented with eight housekeeping genes. Changes in transcript abundance were seen in the early stages of pregnancy and similar patterns were observed in both datasets. Functional gene annotation suggested significant changes in the lymphoid, prostaglandin and inflammation-associated compartments, …

The Federal Pregnant Workers Fairness Act: Statutory Requirements, Regulations, And Need (Especially In Post-Dobbs America), Deborah Widiss

Articles by Maurer Faculty

The federal Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, enacted in December 2022, is landmark legislation that will help ensure workers can stay healthy through a pregnancy. It responds to the reality that pregnant workers may need small changes at work, such as permission to sit periodically, carry a water bottle, relief from heavy lifting, or reduced exposure to potentially dangerous chemicals. Workers may also need schedule modifications or leave for prenatal appointments, childbirth, or post-partum recovery, or accommodations to address medical conditions related to pregnancy or childbirth.

Previously, federal sex discrimination law and federal disability law sometimes required employers to provide such …

Pregnancy-Related Factors Responsible For Delivering Low Birth Weight Babies: An Institutional-Based Cross-Sectional Study, Jamnagar, Gujarat, Harsh K Patel, Jitesh P Mehta, Bela A Patel, Rohitkumar Ram, Dipesh V Parmar

Journal Articles

BACKGROUND: The WHO defines LBW as "Birth weight less than 2500 grams" regardless of gestational age. Being born with a low birth weight also incurs enormous economic costs, including higher medical expenditures and social service expenses, and decreased productivity in adulthood.

OBJECTIVE: To study distribution of newborns' according to pregnancy related factors and its association with newborns' birth weight.

METHODS: An institutional based cross-sectional study. New-borns delivered at study institute were considered as study participants. Estimated final sample size was 500. Guardians (mothers) were face-to-face interviewed and also recorded data were collected from the case file and Mother and Child …

Reference Ranges For Left Modified Myocardial Performance Index: Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Katherine H Bligard, Michelle Doering, Shay Porat, Joshua I Rosenbloom

2020-Current year OA Pubs

INTRODUCTION: The modified myocardial performance index (mod-MPI) is a noninvasive Doppler-derived metric used to evaluate fetal cardiac function. However, the reference ranges for mod-MPI in normal fetuses are not clearly defined, which limits the use of this technology in fetuses with potential cardiac compromise. Thus, we aimed to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of published mod-MPI reference ranges across gestation.

METHODS: The published literature was systematically searched, and all published articles in any language that provided values for the left ventricular mod-MPI obtained in low-risk, singleton fetuses were considered eligible for further review. All retrieved titles and abstracts were …