scholarly journals Dysregulation of placental vascular development- a mechanism for adverse pregnancy outcomes in placental malaria

EBioMedicine ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 74 ◽  
pp. 103726
Author(s):  
Nida Ozarslan ◽  
Stephanie L. Gaw
2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Aneth Vedastus Kalinjuma ◽  
Anne Marie Darling ◽  
Ferdinand M. Mugusi ◽  
Ajibola Ibraheem Abioye ◽  
Fredros O. Okumu ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Malaria infection during pregnancy has negative health consequences for both mothers and offspring. Sub-microscopic malaria infection during pregnancy is common in most African countries. We sought to identify factors associated with sub-microscopic placental malaria, and its association with adverse pregnancy outcomes among HIV-negative pregnant women in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Methods We recruited a cohort of pregnant women during their first trimester and assessed for the occurrence of placental malaria and pregnancy outcomes. The follow-up was done monthly from recruitment until delivery. Histopathology placental malaria positive results were defined as the presence of malaria pigment or parasitized erythrocytes on the slide (histology-positive (HP)), and the sub-microscopic placental infection was defined as positive Plasmodium falciparum DNA by polymerase chain reaction (DNA PCR) amplification in a negative histopathology test. Adverse pregnancy outcomes investigated included low birth weight (birth weight below 2.5 kg), prematurity (live birth below 37 weeks), and small-for-gestational-age (SGA) (live born with a birth weight below 10th percentile for gestational age and sex). Weighted baseline category logit, log-binomial, and log-Poisson models were used to assess factors associated with placental malaria, and its association with adverse pregnancy outcomes. Results Among 1115 women who had histopathology and DNA PCR performed, 93 (8%) had HP placental infection, and 136 (12%) had the sub-microscopic placental infection. The risk of sub-microscopic placental malaria was greater in women who did not use mosquito prevention methods such as bed nets, fumigation, or mosquito coils (odds ratio (OR) = 1.75; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.05–2.92; P = 0.03) and in women who were anemic (OR = 1.59; 95% CI: 1.20–2.11; P = 0.001). Women who were underweight had reduced odds of sub-microscopic placental malaria infection (OR = 0.33; 95% CI: 0.17–0.62; P = 0.001). Women who were overweight/obese had 1.48 times higher the odds of HP placental malaria compared to normal weight (OR = 1.48; 95% CI: 1.03–2.11; P = 0.03). HP placental malaria infection was associated with an increased risk of SGA births (RR = 1.30, 95% CI: 0.98–1.72, P = 0.07). In contrast, the sub-microscopic infection was associated with a reduced risk of SGA births (RR = 0.61, 95% CI: 0.43–0.88, P = 0.01). Placental malaria was not associated with low birth weight or prematurity. Conclusion Malaria prevention methods and maternal nutrition status during early pregnancy were important predictors of sub-microscopic placental malaria. More research is needed to understand sub-microscopic placental malaria and the possible mechanisms mediating the association between placental malaria and SGA.


2020 ◽  
Vol 26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yang Zhang ◽  
Dandan Li ◽  
Heng Guo ◽  
Weina Wang ◽  
Xingang Li ◽  
...  

Background: Conflicting data exist regarding the influence of thiopurines exposure on adverse pregnancy outcomes in female patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Objective: The aim of this study was to provide an up-to-date and comprehensive assessment of the safety of thiopurines in pregnant IBD women. Methods: All relevant articles reporting pregnancy outcomes in women with IBD received thiopurines during pregnancy were identified from the databases (PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and ClinicalTrials.gov) with the publication data up to April 2020. Data of included studies were extracted to calculate the relative risk (RR) of multiple pregnancy outcomes: congenital malformations, low birth weight (LBW), preterm birth, small for gestational age (SGA), and spontaneous abortion. The meta-analysis was performed using the random-effects model. Results: Eight studies matched with the inclusion criteria and a total of 1201 pregnant IBD women who used thiopurines and 4189 controls comprised of women with IBD received drugs other than thiopurines during pregnancy were included. Statistical analysis results demonstrated that the risk of preterm birth was significantly increased in the thiopurine-exposed group when compared to IBD controls (RR, 1.34; 95% CI, 1.00-1.79; p=0.049; I 2 =41%), while no statistically significant difference was observed in the incidence of other adverse pregnancy outcomes. Conclusion: Thiopurines’ use in women with IBD during pregnancy is not associated with congenital malformations, LBW, SGA, or spontaneous abortion, but appears to have an association with an increased risk of preterm birth.


Author(s):  
Shamil D. Cooray ◽  
Jacqueline A. Boyle ◽  
Georgia Soldatos ◽  
Shakila Thangaratinam ◽  
Helena J. Teede

AbstractGestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is common and is associated with an increased risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes. However, the prevailing one-size-fits-all approach that treats all women with GDM as having equivalent risk needs revision, given the clinical heterogeneity of GDM, the limitations of a population-based approach to risk, and the need to move beyond a glucocentric focus to address other intersecting risk factors. To address these challenges, we propose using a clinical prediction model for adverse pregnancy outcomes to guide risk-stratified approaches to treatment tailored to the individual needs of women with GDM. This will allow preventative and therapeutic interventions to be delivered to those who will maximally benefit, sparing expense, and harm for those at a lower risk.


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